Tag: Other Artists

Creative Spark 6: Perfectionism & Messes

“Perfectionism is the enemy of the creative act.” pg. 29

The above quote cannot be learned. It has to be infused into your bones. The single thing that prevents it from being infused, possibly forever, is someone (mother, father, grandmother, well meaning person) crying “how did you get so dirty?” These simple, seemingly innocuous words can doom someone to a lifetime of cleanliness and perfectionism. I know this because I have only made some strides into messiness. When I am in the midst of projects, my workroom is terribly messy. The boys are scared to walk across the room lest they step on something important. The YM gives me dirty looks and stern admonishments as he walks through the bathroom he uses.

The strides I have not made are into dyeing and painting. I do both very occasionally, but they are just too messy. My godmother had a lot of good qualities, but encouraging and supporting messiness was not one of them.

However, it is important to encourage creativity and one way is to validate process and exploration. “Life is filled with opportunities and if you are worried about getting dirty or making a mess…then you will be limited in your possibilities” (pg.29).

Life isn’t a show. people are messy. Perfectionism “constricts and confines you” (pg. 29). Your life and work “doesn’t have to be tidy. It doesn’t have to be tidy. It doesn’t have to look perfect. But it does have to be true to you” (pg.30). I have started to get rid of fabric that I bought because people said I needed to add ugly fabric to quilts to make them sing. This is not my authentic style: out they go. I look at fabric in a quilt store in the context of the fabric I have at home not in the context of the quilt store, so I can bring home fabric that works with the fabric I have. Most fabric looks fantastic in a quilt store; not all fabric looks good in my workroom. I want the fabric I buy to be authentic to what I am making, so I can include it in quilts that will end up being my style.

The other thing is that allowing the messy part out allows you to grow as a person. “Allowing the messy part of the self-the unresolved part- to have a voice is a way of healing and a way of understanding yourself and the world” (pg.30). Not all of your work will be perfect. There will be tears and raw edges and corners that don’t match. You won’t ever get to perfect without these things.

In this Spark, I am reminded of the 10,000 hours. Someone said you had to do 10,000 hours worth of work in your chosen field in order to master it. I don’t know if that is true, but if things aren’t going well for me in my work, I think about that and tell myself I have to put in the hours.

I was reminded on Saturday, at the CQFA meeting, how much I enjoy hearing about people’s process and how they got to the piece they are showing. It shows work and a process and trying things out that might have sort of worked or didn’t work. It shows tweaking and thinking.

Anne Lamott wrote (and Bloomston shared) “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of hte people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life…Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend” (pg.31).

Nota bene: we are still working through Carrie Bloomston’s book, The Little Spark. Buy it. There is a lot more to it than what I am writing and it will help you.

 

 

Final Napkins

Thanksgiving is next Thursday in the US.

Is the pie crust made?

No.

Pie filling?

No.

Rooms tidied of their pieces and piles?

Sort of.

Napkins - final
Napkins – final
Napkins - final
Napkins – final

 

 

However! The napkins for Thanksgiving are done! As I mentioned last time, one got eaten so I went and bought another pack. The dusky purple was an inspired choice. All of the motifs turned out really well on that background.

Even the Pennsylvania Dutch style turkeys is appealing.

Thanksgiving Napkins

Thanksgiving napkins, October 2016
Thanksgiving napkins, October 2016

I think my last update about this project was in August. A lot has happened and I think we are nearing the end.

SIL and her machine have been working hard. She has to recolor all of the designs so use just 6 colors. Sometimes that is really hard and she has to make compromises. Still she has done a great job and I can’t wait to have the napkins out at Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Napkins, mid October 2016
Thanksgiving Napkins, mid October 2016

My job has been to wash and press all of the embroidered napkins. I have had no bleeding or fading of the designs. I have used a lot of Flatter and Mary Ellen’s Best Press!

The embroidery machine had a hissy fit and ate one of the yellow napkins. While there were probably enough napkins for everyone, we decided to get one more packet (World Market Buffet napkins). I bought a dusty purple and these came out SUPER well. I am very pleased with them.

I really like all of the napkins. Not only are they pretty and festive, but they are also large enough to keep laps clean.

En Provence Announced

Bonnie Hunter announced her 2016 mystery quilt*, En Provence, today. I haven’t ever done one of her mystery quilts, but I always collect the instructions, thinking that I will do one some day, after the fact. I am pleased to watch Pam and Daisy and Valerie and others do the steps. They have made some gorgeous quilts.

I have a great deal of respect for Bonnie for creating a new mystery quilt every year. I just haven’t made the plunge. I did Scrapitude, which I love. That was a mystery quilt and I am not sure I could top it.

Normally, I am quite confident choosing colors for a quilt. One problem I have with mystery quilts is choosing the colors. Scrapitude was great because it was a scrap quilt and the background was clearly defined. In this one, I don’t know if the neutrals will be the background. I don’t know where the green and yellow will end up, though Bonnie says the two colors should have good contrast with each other. I appreciate her mentioning such tips and tricks. However, I don’t want to spend time on a quilt only to have it end up as a mushy mess at the end.

My color preferences are much brighter than hers. I always wonder if they would work. I did some Palette Builder work on her inspiration photos and was glad to see that she had made good choices.

So, I don’t know if I will make the mystery quilt. I will collect the directions and I did order the new and fancy ruler (I love rulers!), so I am ready to go. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

*As you may know, the link above will not work after ~June 2017. You will need to work along with her to get all the pieces.

Creative Spark 5: Time

“Forever is composed of nows. Emily Dickinson” (pg.25)

Have you ever driven to work, to the grocery store or to your hair appointment and all the lights were green, there were no idiot drivers and you found a parking spot right in front of your destination? “If I am struggling with anything, I generally feel like I need to find a better way” (pg.25). The first page of this section confirms what I have thought – I know when I am on the right track because everything comes together easily.

When I saw the above quote on the page in the Bloomston book, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it meant. I don’t think it means don’t plan for the future. I do think it means don’t live in the future.

In finding time, it is important to do a little self reflection. Bloomston has some questions to answer, among them “What is your best time of day?” This is impoetant to know and often hard to be real about because of societal pressures and age. College students and young adults are often pressured by their peers to stay up late. Teenagers would rather be in bed at 8am than in the classroom.

I am a morning person. If I can focus, I can get a lot done in the morning. I am at my best then. Depending on the day, I either start out at the gym or with some work and then a walk. I try to get my work and errands done early, especially the “fixed” errands like grocery shopping. As the day moves on my mind starts to drift so I will do errands at about 3 or 4 pm, attend meetings or other random to dos. It kills me not to be able to work on my quiltmaking every morning. I know I would be able to churn out some fantastic work.

I am not in the habit of working on my quiltmaking during the week because I get so engrossed that I forget to work (paying work). Probably, I just make the decision to take the day off and damn the consequences. My boss is pretty lenient, but it makes my paychecks pretty thin. On the weekends I devote as much time as possible to quiltmaking. I have found, however, that late in the day during the week, before my people get home, is a good time to do prep work -not intensive thinking work – but prep work. Recently, I dragged out a bunch of pillowcase fabric and used about an hour to find cuff fabric, cut the body fabric and generally get the body ready to sew. This has helped me to relax after work and get a lot more accomplished on the weekends.

Bloomston writes “…so I had to tune in and not miss the opportunity” (pg.26). I think that the experience of working for 30 minutes-1 hour in the evenings during the week was an example of taking advantage of an opportunity. I took advantage of something that presented itself and it turned into something positive. I also created a process that ended with a big bang of work on the weekends.

“To squeeze the most out of his creative life, he found a way to squeeze it into his life. No doubt, this takes dedication, persistence, and sacrifice. We have to tune into our own lives to locate those precious hours” (pg.27). In order to get better, you have to work – and that applies to everything, including your quiltmaking and artwork. It’s not all about the inspiration, you have to work to get the process and the habit into muscle memory. Working also creates more work. Have you seen my Petrillo Bags? I did not, as you know, create the pattern. I made the first bag as written and I liked it. However, I looked at the bag and thought ‘I wonder what would happen if…’ which is always the best feeling, because it means that I am inspired to make a pattern different or better. Since the first one, I have made two more, each with some changes, hacks or tweaks. As you read recently, I finished the third one. Despite the fact that I have made many, many bag patterns I want to make a fourth Petrillo bag just to make that particular pattern a little more useful for me.  You have to take the time to make progress.

Because there is a finite amount of time in the day and I like my beauty sleep I try to add time to be creative into little pockets of the day. As I wrote the first draft of this blog post, I wrote it my journal with a lime green Sarasa pen. Writing is one aspect of my creatiivty but I try to make it a visual exercise by using a different colored pen every day so my journal is pretty while still being useful.

You need time.

You can find the time if you only look at what is important. Only read your social media while you are standing in line. Make menus and go grocery shopping once a week. You have to become the mistress (or master) of your time. There is only so much. Don’t waste it.

Napkins Project Continues

More Thanksgiving Napkins
More Thanksgiving Napkins

The good thing about machine embroidery is that it can happen while the maker is piecing since the machine works independently. Still, SIL is making crazy good progress. After a few napkins last week, she gave me a bunch this week.

Pumpkin motif for napkins
Pumpkin motif for napkins

This group of motifs is fun. The pie and the corn, along with the pumpkin, which you saw last week, are two of my favorites. I took a close up of the pumpkin, so you could see what a nice design it is.

More Napkins

Napkins - early August 2016
Napkins – early August 2016

SIL is embroidering napkins for the napkin project at a furious pace. I need to get busy on the tablerunners. September will be here before we know it and October and November will be hard on its heels.

SIL has finished some more napkins.

Two motifs included in this most recent batch came out very well. I really like the tree and I, especially, like the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Napkin
Pumpkin Napkin

I think they are coming out very well and I will be happy to put them on my table at Thanksgiving.

More on the Stitch TV Pattern Launch

The Stitch TV Pattern Selection (Belinda)
The Stitch TV Pattern Selection (Belinda)

As you know, I am not a big fan of patterns. Patterns weren’t available in large numbers, if at all, when I learned to make quilts and I never really learned to use them. Yes, of course, there were quilt patterns in magazines, but the packaged stand-alone quilt patterns were not available back in the dark ages.

I do admire the possibility of small business owners creating patterns and making them available. That there are so many indie / women-owned businesses is one of the great things about the quilt industry.

The StitchTV company, Ed & Eddie LLC, is one of those small businesses. One of the things I noticed about the Stitch TV pattern samples were the different fabrics used. In the photo above, you can see at least 4 different fabric groups. While this grouping does not comprise all the possible fabric combinations, it does give the shopper a good idea of how the design will look in different fabrics.

There are so many patterns now. All of us have a quilt ‘to do’ list that extends beyond our lifetime, so we have to be more choosy about adding new things to the list. Marketing patterns with a variety of samples is imperative now.

Great job, Pam and Lynn!

The Stitch TV Show Pattern Release at Red Hen Fabrics

Marietta, GA
July 16, 2016

Thanks to Holly Anne Knight, who blogs at String & Story, for reporting on the StitchTV Show Pattern launch (and telling us a little about herself!) when I couldn’t be there in person.
________________________________________

My name is HollyAnne Knight. I’m a wife and mama of two little boys, and I am a brand new quilter. After about 8 months of experience with rag-style t-shirt quilts, I decided it was time to give “real” quilting a shot. In May, I simultaneously discovered Pam Cobb’s Hip to Be a Square quilting podcast and her quilting talk show, The Stitch TV Show, which is co-piloted by Lynn Rinehart. I listened each night as I plugged away on my own projects, gleaning tips and sharing in the laughs. While I’ve been creative all my life, I’ve done most of my creating in isolation. Now, all of a sudden, I felt like I had friends—funny, encouraging, quilty-friends.

On the June episode of The Stitch TV Show, Pam and Lynn talked about the July Stitch-In and their pattern release which would be just a day apart. I gathered my courage and decided that I would attend both because I wanted to meet and begin getting to know these new friends. I was a little embarrassed at the stitch-in, with my beeping machine and loud trucks outside, but Pam, Lynn, and the others were so patient and welcoming. They laughed at my jokes and answered my questions, and I had a really lovely time connecting faces and voices and names.

Stitch Logo
Stitch Logo

Still encouraged from from what I decided to count as a “successful” introduction on the stitch-in, I gathered my 4 month old, Ian, and the diaper bag and drove the 20 miles to Red Hen Fabrics for the pattern release—determined to make some new friends and have a fun “big girl outing” with only ONE baby! Yippee! I must have frozen just inside the door because I remember one lady behind the counter motioning and saying, “Come on in!” Red Hen Fabrics was my first quilt shop experience, and I’m not sure if I enjoyed the fabric or the atmosphere more thoroughly.

Stripper's Knot Pattern
Stripper’s Knot Pattern

Pam and Lynn are engaging, funny, and kind, and their quilts are BEAUTIFUL. “The Stripper’s Knot” was hanging behind their Stitch TV Show set, and if I hadn’t been quite so self-conscious, I think I could have gotten lost in the piecing and quilting for hours. I loved seeing the variations of the “Time After Time” table runner and the asymmetrical border of “Belinda” (a copy of this pattern is hanging happily over my sewing machine now!). Rae, Kelly, and Mike comprise The Stitch’s production staff, and I enjoyed talking to them as well (over delicious cake no less!). Rae and I talked quite a bit about pattern editing and production. Speaking of, if you are an Indie designer looking for a way to get your quilt patterns into the world, go look her up at 77Peaches!

Pam and Lynn with cake
Pam and Lynn with cake

Before I left, I was sure to get some pictures of Pam and Lynn doing their thing—posing with quilts, laughing, and generally having a wonderful time. Congrats, y’all, on a fabulous pattern release, and thanks for welcoming this “newbie” into the party!

Bio:
HollyAnne Knight is a 20-something wife, mama, and artist. She has a life-long background in visual arts, over a decade of knitting experience, and training in several types on dance from classical ballet to ballroom to Zumba. She has been married to the Hubster (John) for 3 years, and they have two boys, Jem (December 2014) and Ian (March 2016). They live in the Greater Atlanta Area near Holly Anne’s parents and enjoy being outside, sharing meals and adventures with friends, and singing silly songs.

While Holly Anne’s first exposure to machine sewing was at the young age of 8, it was much more recently that she returned to it. She began with a t-shirt quilt for her Mama, and she continues to make t-shirt quilts for customers all over the United States. She also sews modern quilts and is the first Modern Impressionist Quilter, combining the imagery of art quilts with the functionality of other modern quilts. Her style of quilting is strongly influenced by her love of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters, her own work with paints, and her familiarity with knitting patterns

Holly Anne can be reached on Instagram at @mesaventureshak and at @stringandstory or via email at stringandstory [@] gmail.com.

Hunter’s Star

Cathy's Hunter's Star
Cathy’s Hunter’s Star

SIL made a Hunter’s Star. She did a really great job and it came out gorgeous. She used her Accuquilt Go! cutter to cut the pieces and said the piecing went really well. She used Pointillist Palette fabrics.

I really liked the way she combined the fabrics and did kind of gradated placement of the colors.

This is the first quilt she has made since moving back home.

Sharing Julie’s Thunder

Friend Julie and I went to drop off a quilt at Colleen’s last week. Thursday? Friday? One of those days. 

Julie's Tumbler
Julie’s Tumbler

It wasn’t my quilt, but I do feel some ownership as I cut a lot of patches for the top in exchange for some Eye Spy patches.

I was pretty excited to see the piece. I really find scrappy quilts to be much more interesting, often, than super matchy-matchy quilts. It is pretty much a charm quilt as well. 


Colleen figured out that the top has over 1700 patches. Isn’t that amazing?

BAMQG Orlando Pulse Quilts

The BAMQG meeting was last Saturday. Mike and Jaime brought the Pulse tops we all worked, and they sewed together, on at the last meeting. I was thrilled to see them. Both Jaime and Mike are very talented quiltmakers and they did a great job, quickly, with blocks contributed by members.

BAMQG Pulse Quilt by Jaime
BAMQG Pulse Quilt by Jaime

Jaime created a simple setting with a bit of sashing between the blocks. The sashing sets off the colors and fabrics of the blocks, which was a great idea. It is also looks very bright. A couple of my blocks are towards the bottom. Angela is going to quilt this quilt.

BAMQG Pulse Quilt by Mike
BAMQG Pulse Quilt by Mike

Mike infused some additional meaning into his design, which made me tear up. He left some blank spaces to remind us of those killed in the shooting. Great idea, but sad he had to think of it. Mike has a longarm and will quilt his quilt and send it off. I think a couple of my blocks made it into this quilt as well.

Pulse Quilt Wallhanging by Mike
Pulse Quilt Wallhanging by Mike

Finally, Mike made a quilt for himself and his partner. This commemorates the losses, but also the contribution of the first responders. I really appreciate Mike remembering them. I am not sure I think beyond them just going in and doing their job, but I can’t believe they are not affected.

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild is posting blocks and quilts they have received. There are a great variety of really interesting designs. The guild also posted a lot of information about the efforts in the minutes of their July meeting. I was pleased to hear they already have 48 finished quilts and 600 blocks. their process for distributing received blocks is genius. The information also gives readers an idea of how you can still help.

Kathy M, quilt writer for ChicagoNow, writes about and shows the process of making her Pulse Quilt. I love the design.

Thanksgiving Napkins Progress

Two leaf napkins
Two leaf napkins

A few weeks ago I wrote about Thanksgiving napkins that SIL and I** were in the process of making. We have finished some of them.

There is some trial and error in the process, but SIL is working hard to minimize the loss of any napkins. So far so good.

Progress is good.

 

The process is

  • wash napkins
  • press and starch napkins
  • pick embroidery designs
  • figure out thread colors
  • test embroidery
  • embroider on napkins
  • rip off excess embroidery
  • wash
  • iron
  • Repeat
Warm leaf napkins
Warm leaf napkins

I did the washing and ironing. As I do with all of my fabric, I washed these napkins in hot water. Hot water is the worst than can be done to them, I think, in terms of washing. I ironed them with Mary Ellen’s Best Press, mostly. I used some Flatter, but I really don’t like the smell of the one I bought.

SIL had a few embroidery designs in her library that were suitable. I went looking at a couple of sites she suggested and bought a few. We plan to reuse the designs. I don’t want or need 30 different designs. using different threads and stitching them out on different colored napkins makes the designs different enough.

We do all the napkins we are doing to do with one design before we switch to the next design.

We had to simplify some of the thread choices, because SIL has a machine that can accommodate 6 thread colors. It is easier not to have to deal with thread changes in the middle of stitching out a design. I kind of wish she had bought the 10 needle machine, but I wasn’t laying out the cash. 😉 Also, I wouldn’t be doing this at all if she hadn’t brought her machine to live around the corner from me. I had planned to make napkins the normal way I make them, which is odious at the best of times. It would have been a ton of work as well as a ton of money for Thanksgiving appropriate fabric. If my math is right (1/2 yard of fabric for each napkin), I would have needed 15 yards of fabric. I love buying fabric, but this is much easier and much more cost effective.

More leaves
More leaves

SIL had some tension issues at the beginning. After much fiddling, she resolved them, but thinks the machine may need a spa day.

So far, we have about 6 done. Fortunately, once the machine is set up, it stitches the designs out without someone standing over it pressing a foot pedal. It is still a lot of work and I am trying to help as much as I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Nota bene: Most of my part is making color choices and buying stuff. I also wash and iron the napkins as needed. She is operating her massive embroidery machine.

The Stitch TV Show Pattern Launch Accessory Post

Lynn Rinehart's Winning Challenge Quilt
Lynn Rinehart’s Winning Challenge Quilt

This post is like a matching handbag and shoes when you get dressed. It adds a final polish. This post adds a final polish to the StitchTV Pattern Launch Extravaganza being held at the Red Hen in Georgia.

It is a little too far for me to pop in in person, so I interviewed Pam and Lynn the brains and brawn behind the StitchTV Show and am bringing that interview to you. Check out their new patterns on their site.

1.       How did you meet?

  • Lynn: We met at the Atlanta Modern Quilt Guild.  I attended a couple of meetings and the board tackled me and asked me to be on the board.  I said yes because I am still learning how to say “no” to people.  The only ones I am good at saying no to are my dogs and only because they don’t have reasonable arguments.
  • Pam: We met through the Atlanta Modern Quilters Guild. My first memory of Lynn is when she won one of the prizes in a quilt challenge, an I thought, “Who is this new person that swept in and won a prize and I’ve never met her?” I was a little taken aback, frankly, and then as we got to know each other through sew-ins and other events, I remember thinking that she was so nice that I would probably be a bad influence on her and I should watch my language more. And then we started carpooling to meetings and we’ve been buddies every since (despite my occasional bad language)!

2.       If you won a $500 million lottery, what would you do that would surprise people?

  • Lynn: I would go to Art School or, for that matter, buy an Art School.  I was kicked out of Art Class in High School because they needed people in the Band.  So apparently playing the flute was more important in my later life than drawing.  Who knew?
  • Pam: I am very boring (ed. note: nobody thinks this except Pam herself, IMO) and would do things like pay off my house and get a car that’s less than 3 years old. To no one’s surprise, I would also donate a chunk to the cat shelter I regularly volunteer for. Then I’d put together a business plan to open a quilt retreat center so I could teach without traveling, but talk to Lynn first and make sure I wasn’t talking crazy. 

3.       What strength(s) do you bring to your business?

  • Lynn: None.  Pam does everything well!  I just mostly laugh with her, not at her. I would never do that.  🙂  Oh and I am married to the tech department so that helps.  Honestly I think that I bring creativity to the partnership that complements her creativity.  We are so opposite in so many ways but it works.  I couldn’t ask for a greater friend or partner in this adventure.
  • Pam: I’m a giant nerd and don’t mind doing business “stuff”, although I still have a lot to learn.  As a trained engineer, I’m very process focused, so I’m all about streamlining things and making them run smooth and nailing down details. As a trained marketing person, I like to think I’m pretty good at creative promotion and stringing words together.  As a quilter who’s been sewing since she was 5, I know how to put fabric together, quickly, so I’m good at making samples.

4.       If you woke up tomorrow with a superpower, what would it be?

  • Lynn: Time travel.  It totally fascinates me!  The thought of traveling to historical events or experiences would be so cool.  My “fly on the wall” dream would be to be “in the room where it happens” on so much history that affected the world and our culture.  Which is why both my obsessions right now are “Outlander” and “Hamilton” 🙂
  • Pam: In an ideal world, it would be the ability to spot cat vomit in the dark before stepping on it. (ed. note: gross, but useful)

5.       What is your dream for the business?

  • Lynn: Pinky: What are we going to do today?Brain: The same thing we do everyday, Pinky. Try and take over the world.That pretty much sums it up.
  • Pam: I’d love to grow our business to a point where we can set a teaching schedule to travel once a month, and invite groups in to our own retreat center to teach there.  I’m eagerly anticipating the time when Lynn and I collaborate on show quilts, too, which may happen sooner than that whole capital-investment-in-real-estate thing that a retreat center requires.

6.       Describe your perfect home. Number of bedrooms? Chef managing the kitchen? Separate pet apartments?

  • Lynn: OH! I am a home body.  Huge house on the waterfront.  Beach or secluded lake, I love the water.  At least 5 bedrooms.  Not that we need 5 bedrooms but people will want to come visit and I would love to have the space.  Also large entertainment areas for people  and an amazing chef’s kitchen.  I do love to cook and enjoy cooking for big parties.  Pam makes fun of me but I do make new table cloths and napkins for parties to go with the theme.  I have been known to do that the night before the party.  🙂  Cloth napkins are important to me,  I love them.  Especially if they are embroidered.  🙂 Oh and I need a pool with a swim lane to do laps. 
  • Pam: Ranch style with 4 bedrooms (so I’ve actually got a guest room) and a daylight basement for a sewing room. I actually like cooking, so no chef for me, but definitely want a maid! We’d also need a shop out back for my husband and son so they can tinker on go-karts, airplanes, and whatever else their little hearts desire.

7.       Describe your perfect studio and let readers know if your perfect home would be attached to your perfect studio.

  • Lynn: Studio will be in the house, that way I don’t have to leave.  🙂  I currently have most of our basement as the studio but I would like a much bigger space.  I would like all the sewing machines in one room and would love to have additional space to setup our filming studio where it isn’t so crammed. I also need a chill space where I can curl up and read or watch a good movie.  
  • Pam:I would absolutely want my studio attached to my perfect home since I hate driving. Too many years of horrible Atlanta commuting traffic ruined car travel for me, so I’d love to live in a place where I could walk or bike most places I need to go.In terms of equipment, I’d go for a regular domestic machine and a sit-down mid/long-arm. I’d like to have my fabric storage be behind glass to cut down on the cat hair, a 4’x8′ cutting table I could walk all the way around, and actually room for a design wall.

8.       If you could photograph a quilt you made anywhere in the world, where would it be and what quilt would it be?

Lynn's First Saluki Quilt
Lynn’s First Saluki Quilt

The photo above depicts Lynn’s first two Salukis, Bailey and Boaz. It is a mosaic raw edge fused technique.

Lynn's Salukis: Josie on left and Giacomo on right
Lynn’s Salukis: Josie on left and Giacomo on right
  • Lynn: I have done several of quilts that represent my dogs.  Salukis they [sic] are the royal dog of Egypt.  I would love to have them displayed around relics of ancient Egypt.  It would be amazing to see my love for this breed and the passion of quilts to be together in one photo.
  • Droid Quilt by Pam
    Droid Quilt by Pam

    Pam: I would take my Droid quilt to Skywalker Ranch with the 501st Stormtrooper legion and have a field day.

9.       What is your dream project? Are you working towards it now?

  • Lynn: One of our dream projects is to work full time in the quilting industry and get to work with fabrics, quilts and the quilting people that we love.  We both enjoy teaching and giving lectures at guilds.  As we release the new pattern line for The Stitch TV Show, I think that we share our love for this art form as well as a love for the community of quilters.  I think that The Stitch TV Show is really designed to share community with other quilters.  
  • Pam: I’m not sure; there are “some day” quilts I’m planning in my head, but not sure I’d call them “dream projects”. I’d love to explore wholecloth quilting more, and have the patience to do more with intricate applique. I’d also love it if my applique circles didn’t have corners.

10.   Tell us about your favorite quilt? Did you make it? Do you still have it?

Lynn's Open Doors Quilt
Lynn’s Open Doors Quilt
  • Lynn: I don’t know that I have a favorite.  I love so many.  I have the same issue with what is my favorite movie question.  My favorite, quilt that I have made is Open Doors.  I still own it and it hangs in my house.
  • Pam: Hmm. That’s a bit like choosing your favorite child.  Not to say I haven’t picked a favorite (quilt or child) but it feels disloyal to call it out.  My favorite types of quilts are controlled scrappy ones.

11.   Anything else you want to tell my readers?

  • Lynn: My husband is flippin’ awesome.  (he wanted everyone to know)
  • Pam: The hole in a wooden spoon in the kitchen is supposed to measure one serving of spaghetti, but I’ll be darned if I can ever make spaghetti where I don’t have either three times more than I need, or one serving short. Maybe it’s a character flaw, or maybe I need to rethink that personal chef in the dream house!