Back and Forward

This has been an exciting week back, well five days.  It’s always good to get home from a trip, nest with my stuff, rearrange and revisit projects and possibilities.
We did the usual re-hanging of quilts, in new spots, and  sorting of fabrics,  promotional discounting, cutting, stitching, teaching, greeting of customers – lots of newbies this week ( we love that our network continues to expand .)

(Breath)

Our plans for helping the Chinese Orphanages grows exponentially.   A quiet mention of the idea  has  more individuals and an entire class of young volunteers committing to the project. Here is an excerpt of an email I received from PL upon returning with her new baby.

“…the SWI director decided to hang (the quilt I sent with P) on the wall, so all the

children could see and touch it. It is currently the only source of

visual and tactile stimulation for these kids, which is so needed…The

orphanage walls are bare, but this quilt brightens up the area. You

know, Roxanne, you handed me the quilt, which was one of the many

beautiful ones you have, as a gesture of generosity. I don’t think

either one of us could have ever imagined the magnitude of its worth to

these people. Just amazing. You made a lot of people happy!”

This is a hard act to follow, but we also received a generous donation of fabric and a sewing machine which will go to Community Service Club of New Fairfield, Healing Hands Quilters. I think the end of summer is a call to organize our lives for the coming season.  These gifts were from two separate sources, both this week.

Finally, as the Quilter’s Alley  was closing for one of our few remaining 2-day weekends ( we reopen on Sunday from 11-3 after Labor Day), we were graced with a visit from Sheila Hicks, weaver (and her friend, Joyce).  I recognized her as someone who had been to our shop a few months earlier by her enormous smile.  Her smile is like a hug that laps you into her energy.  Never has anyone complimented my needle selection with such joy.  It is so precious to be around people who revel in such simple beauty.  From a case in her purse, like treasures, she pulled out the scissor I sold her last time and a graceful latch-hook  tool that she uses to pull threads through the weaving ends.  As the interaction unfolded, we were on the metallic threads, ribbons and anything I might have for her minature weavings, Paris studio  (?) website?  Before long, we circled Stu’s computer screen to see the amazing work she has produced over the last 40 years, all over the world.  Wow!  I feel so lucky!

Lowell and behold…

Here’s a glimpse of our trip to Lowell Quilt Festival, Images 2010 this past weekend.  This is the front of the Memorial Auditorium.

Honoring fallen soldiers with a special quilt

Antique Blue and White Quilts hung around arena

Fat quarters cut in hotel room to keep up with the demand for Aboriginal

Wonderfil... Colorful

Cherrywood Hand Dyed

My hand-dyed wools

Blooming Stu

Our return to reality

Thanks for taking the time to look.  We’d love to hear your comments.

Two Weekends (and the week between)

When I’m busy entertaining and working, working and entertaining, blog posts go on hold for a bit.  The photos stay in the camera a bit longer than usual, but the camera is always present (someone’s).

Without further delay, here are Ally and her friends who visited the last weekend of April.

Saturday AM

Rebes, Erica, Jordan, Ally

with Gracie

They brought us this beautiful color-wheel plate.

They even sent a “thank you” note.  What manners!

and the guy.

I wish I had a shot of the assembly-line t-shirt quilt making.

Later that day…Justine finished her quilt.

Much hard work and love went into this.

Then, during the week…

Carole's quilt on the long arm frame

Carole's quilt finished.

Mrs. C's Redwork

Another pretty quilt pieced and quilted

Another pretty quilt quilted

Vintage quilt, new quilting design

Then this past weekend, the Northern Star Quilt Guild Show…

We sold lots of WonderFil Thread

Lots of Cherrywood Hand Dyes
A couple of Husqvarna VIKINGS

A friendly vendor barbecue (Jim’s camera)   The ribs were prepared on Friday night to save time.  On Saturday, some of the guests arrived before we did.
We were all very hungry.

The chef and his burgers

The guests (minus the camera guy)

The camera guy

Where am I?

I know where, but some of my loyal followers are probably wondering where I’ve been.  That’s because I’ve been spending (too brief)  time with my Israeli daughter,( and my New England daughter, ) learning a new language, quilting, entertaining textile dignitaries, sewing, flea marketing and resizing all the photographs that document these activities.  Not time to post until now.

We’re excited that crisp autumn air is bringing people to their sewing senses and creativity is again in season.  The recently added fabrics are getting fabulous feedback and, with that, selling well.  The students are flocking for pillow and drawstring bag projects and we’re please to be collaborating for another year with the Ridgefield Consumer Science departments.

With Sundays off  this summer, we have taken to making up for all the tag sales we haven’t made it to in the last four years.  Hence, Elephant’s Trunk!   Our visit to Brimfield was actually an offshoot of this favorite diversion of ours.  This week I took the camera:

Some vendors create vignettes of home sweet home.

Most just put it all out there for the viewing.

Most stuff is used.

Some stuff is unusual.  We have since added to our garden sculpture collection.  When you run out of room inside, dress outside. I was even motivated by our exterior decorating, to do some overdue pruning.  My poor, neglected garden!

Hi to (another) Roxy, our fave waitress, at the Windmill Diner, our after-flea breakfast spot.

On an indoor note: We were visited by one of the Metropolitan’s  Textile Curators.  Wow!  And she bought fabric.  “Which fabric?”  you ask.  The reproduction of the Brimfield circus print.  How interesting.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Textiles

Shara arrived on July something, something, a bit of a blur, a few short days until she flew to Phoenix and drove to Colorado.  I am happy she finally got to see the Grand Canyon on her way to friends’ wedding.  Love the shoe shot.

Here in no particular order:

New York, former roomie

We did some super cool cultural city things like MOMA.  An Israeli artist is installed there at the moment.  “Coincidence is the messenger of truth.”  And the coincidences just keep coming.  I love museums and am drowning in the artistic overflow at the moment.  No time, but to work.

Some of the inspiration:

Scraps of a China exhibit

What a paradox; he's amazingly disciplined!

Fiber overload!

I got to the city, said, “I want to buy something on the street,” saw an amazing artist who had original pieces that almost looked like quilts and I bought a beautiful blue and gold piece that I absolutely love, and discovered Martha Murphy.  I didn’t really discover her, but am now aware of her talent and love it.

Pieces of Israel, now in NJ

Family Reunion

Teddy Bears in my repertoire

So a few more quilts, good feedback, artistic license, stress and joy, the ever-persistent balancing act of life.

Brimming

A good and exhausting experience and brief getaway from the  shop

We got there very early, because we wanted to bring the dogs

Then it started to get crowded

So much stuff

My big find at Brimfield

I’m making an adorable wall hanging from part of it.

Stu's big find (on someone's car)

Stu walked Nellie and Pippin a lot

I love vacations because I love coming back home.

There’s a sign

 

posted inside the glass of the front door of our shop.  It says: “No cameras or recording devices…”  We adopted this manner of managing uncontrolled photographing of quilts to protect the rights of the designer-in-absentia, by giving everyone who enters our store fair warning to our belief that creative work has value.  While ideas cannot be copyrighted, in-the-flesh samples, with kits and patterns made readily available for sale are!  Therefore, photographing on digital camera or cell phone is like stealing the unseen time and thought that went into a design and with it, the potential profit to the creator. Haven’t these hard times of late, given pause to the folks who still think it’s okay to take the food from someone else’s mouth, possibly literally?

 

We spent the  weekend vending at the Empire Quilt Guild’s, bi-annual quilt show.  It’s a terrific opportunity for us to make the public aware of the creative possibilities we offer to the crafts of quilting and sewing.   We love meeting new folks and hearing that what we’ve put  together is beautiful or just what their project has been waiting for.  We’re on our feet for three days,  packing, loading the car, unloading while dodging NY City taxis and making everything look pretty, so that it can be picked over and hopefully purchased before the show ends.

Snowing on the First Day of Spring

 

10 by 20 and counting

Voila!

 

 

We see friends  from our local Ridgefield area, who make us feel like we’re really home.  Thanks Dorma, Annie, Laura, Susan, Janice , Tasha etc.  Thanks also to our guild friends who really make us feel NOT like out-of-towners.  We’ve developed a lot of  good  relationships in the time we’ve had our store and the Empire Guild is one such.

Folks are allowed to photograph, but NOT touch the quilts in the show.  We watch and wonder, what-all they will do with all the memorabilia they collect.  The cameras are out and snapping the whole time.  Occasionally, someone visiting our booth will ask to shoot one of our display quilts and they may if they purchase the pattern and just want a better shot to help them while making it.  Another type of person takes the picture without asking, and I fault my lack of vigilance.  But  it’s the person, who when you tell them that the quilt design is copyrighted and “I would appreciate if you don’t take a photo.  The pattern is available for sale, if you’re interested,” and she proceeds to blatantly shoot away,  that I wonder if  trace of conscience exists.

 

We got permission/Miss Fanny Apron happily modeled

 

 

 

I really do believe that most people are good, and even more are good when they know someone is watching.  So I decided to try to capture the culprit on film myself, and hope that if she realizes we actually are watching and just trying to pay the rent and feed ourselves, she might recognize how inconsiderate she has been.  We’re not just objects of entertainment, but real.

 

Still At-Large

 

Making their Get-Away

We love Manhattan and we’ll be back undaunted!

 

George Washington Bridge in Sunshine

Tuesday on Martha

Susie Flynn and I visited the Martha Stewart Show. We spent a good half-hour waiting on line.  The advice to “dress to impress”  which comes with your email confirmation was taken very seriously by the girl behind us.  Her five-inch heels were too much for walking in the city, but she donned them as we waited to go inside to the show.  

 

Dressing to impress at the last second

 Susie and I took pictures of one another to remember the day.  I included this one to save space and to demonstrate how psychic Susie is.( Notice what Martha is wearing below.)
These are shots as we inched our way up the line and through security.

 

Larger than Life

 

Aqua is the color of the day

 

 

The Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond was featured with some gorgeous Thread Velvet. (You can see a sliver of the Designer Diamond behind Martha.) We were on the Cooking Side of the set.  Diane Lane was the guest and she’s gorgeous too.  We had lots of fun under the lights and dodging the camera-on-the-crane. (Technical term) We received a book on survival, some Martha mags and a voucher for her new Embroidery Collection.

Then we took a walk to the (delightful) City Quilter which hosts the most inspiring collection of fabrics outside of our own.(if I say so myself) Kathy, the owner, made us feel at home and Judy Doenias popped up between classes.  What a surprise for me!  Judy taught at our store about a year ago and I’m trying to convince her to do another round. They brought us downstairs to see the floorcloths they’re working on,  and we had a chance to meet Kathy’s business partner at his computer (also downstairs) her husband! Stu and I are not the only couple who can work together successfully, but I’d love to share stories with Kathy.

 

Kathy (blinking) & Dale

Our day off: Part 2

We had a busy but fun day from top to bottom. Besides the smell of sausage and peppers and zeppole, the games, the lights the people, there was fabric to peruse at the St. Gennaro Festival in Little Italy. But the best part was spending a bit more time with David and Shara.  David left for Israel yesterday.  He should be home by now.  (Shara leaves on the 25th.) But we will have these cherished moments and memories of some fun times.  (Sorry, no pics of Derek Jeter’s record breaking hit last night – a final Yankee Stadium visit for Daughter and Dad.)

 

S&D in front of Old Cemetery Door

Bib Boys

 

Correction: I do have the Derek Jeter Shot

Blog Heaven

We’ve been watching the Martha Stewart Blog all week, waiting to see when the photos from the VIKING Convention would appear.  Well, if you scroll way down, you’ll see us, but I’ve taken the liberty to borrow a couple that we are very proud of. Meanwhile, Martha did a great job capturing what we experienced at the convention.