Well, I’m a bit of a dolt… here I get to teach in Houston at Quilt Festival, which frankly is a GINORMOUS career leap, and I forget to take the camera to take pictures of my classes not just Monday, but Tuesday as well!  So, I only have a couple pictures from Fine Finishes (the bindings class) and Machine Applique 3 Ways.  Sigh….   This picture is of the front of the room.  I was lucky to be in the Janome classroom, the same one, all four days, so I could just lock up my stuff at night and didn’t have to pack and move.  The IQA staff are the ONLY ones with the keys–not even the convention center has them for the duration–so your stuff is safe!

Of course, I took home the laptop, videocam (for live demos projected up on the foam-core in lieu of screen) and digital projector.  Have I mentioned that a prime requirement to being a quilt teacher is a strong back and wheeled everything?  I think the worst thing about traveling to teach quilting is airports and air travel; the second worst thing is schlepping stuff everywhere…being a human pack mule!  Anyway, I did something fun (inspired by Jan Krentz‘s classroom intro), and did up a pre-class slide show set on autoplay of Where I Live… how many miles from Camden, ME to Houston, TX, what our neighborhood looks like, and our lovely town and, since everyone is always curious, my studio/workspace (with the requisite  pics of the adorable pug).  I’m happy to say it went over well.  As soon as class began at 8, that show went off and class began.  FUN!

This is the “store” area with my book, patterns and assorted stuff folks might need (but forgot to bring) in class. I ONLY sell things I will use, so if they don’t sell, I have a goodly supply of stuff I like!

The ironing station, as you can see, is just to the left.

Here’s a view of the classroom from behind my table, at the front:

Since I have a TON of pictures from the Wednesday class, Tame Fussy Fiddly Threads, I think I’ll do a separate post tomorrow with those, then later in the weekend the Thursday postcards class.  The latter was small but boy did those ladies have fun! So did I!

When I wasn’t working in a booth to promote my book, I got to dash around Market madly getting an overview of things, dropping off my pattern packets for the distributors and meeting old and new friends.

I FINALLY got to meet Susan Brubaker Knapp, an amazingly talented woman, internet friend, and fellow working mom.  Here is her website and blog, and a picture of happy Susan at Market:

We have written back and forth for several years.  Our careers are both taking off on parallel but forward-moving tracks.  Check out Susan’s blog and booklet/pattern Applique Petal Party from C&T (I’ll have more on that and a give-away of a copy in the not too distant future!).

A few moments later, the ever-lovely Bonnie McCaffrey came by; she is now the official videographer for IQA, so if you see any cool videos on the Quilts, Inc., website about festival, they are Bonnie’s handiwork (click on that link to get to various videos).  She is also an amazingly talented art quilter and teacher!  Here we all are:

Later, I happened by Linda McGehee’s booth, and fell into severe zipper lust:

I can see a Frayed Edges zipper challenge (and an order to Linda’s website, Ghee‘s)!

One of the best things about Houston is meeting on-line friends in person.  Since Marie was home this year (she is my regular roomie!) I got lucky, and roomed with Larkin Van Horn.  Larkin lives out near where I used to live and Marie still lives, and she stayed with me when she came out to San Juan Island to teach six or so years ago.  During Market, we went to dinner in the hotel, so here we are (well, I’m behind the camera):  Larkin on the left, Bonnie across from Larkin, and Lyric Kinard (author of Art + Quilt, just released   and in my reading pile–I’ll review it when I get it read but so far it looks great!) in red:

We talked books, and I am currently REALLY enjoying some mysteries (recommended by either Larkin or Lyric?) by Julia Spencer Fleming… some much needed mental R&R!

Quilt Market is THE trade show for the quilt industry.  It takes place every fall in Houston, and in spring at a sequence of cities around the U.S.  I had only been once before–in 2003 I think it was–in Portland, Oregon, with my dearest friend Marie.  What an overwheleming experience and eye-opener!  I knew within 30 minutes that I did NOT want to do the “designer and have a booth at Market” thing for my career, but that I DID want to be a part of the industry.

This year, AQS really  put on the extra push to get my book into print in time for Market, and arranged book signings both in their booth and in Peterson-Arne, one of the major distributors to quilt shops.  The photo above is the AQS booth, and you can see that they included two of my quilts on their wall, including The Wall right under the AQS banner (with my book smack dab under it!), and Tea over on the right.  The two projects on the table are in the book!

Marge Boyle, the AQS marketing person, put together some very nice name cards and easel-display thingies which I was able to use later when doing book signings at Festival, in my booth, and later here in Maine at book-signings.  Thanks Marge!  Here is the close-up of the center of the booth’s wall:

The booth was at the back of the hall….right near the ladies room!  As Libby Lehman walked by while I was signing, one of the editors immediately went over to say hello, brought to introduce her to me, and we gave her one of my books.  Needless to say, I felt quite sheepish–I mean, I’m just me, and she is the Queen, Master…Empress??? of Thread (except she is so nice and friendly those all sound too uppity–she’s just the master!).

To my utter delight, on Thursday one of my students from MOnday came dashing in…she was in Libby’s class that day, and of the three books Libby recommended for machine quilting, MINE was one of them!   MY OH MY!!!!   It is SO AFFIRMING to have someone with Libby’s expertise and stature say good things–after all, she doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall, and for her to think I’ve done well… WOW!   I know I did my best, but it sure makes you feel wonderful to know that someone who is THE expert agrees that I’ve done a good job.  PHEW!

And a view of another table in the booth:

Life is good!

Last minute preparations for going to Houston included packets to give to the major distributors (the folks from whom Quilt shops buy their patterns, notions, books and whatnot) with my line of patterns and letting them know about my book, ThreadWork Unraveled.  Of course, none of the regular envelopes was the correct size..too large, too small, none just right.

So I decided to think like my friend Deborah, who is amazing at putting together lovely package presentations.  I decided to use cloth ties or tags or something…and went looking for white envelopes, not boring manila.  I wanted my package to stand out. Then I measured and sewed up the tyvek envelopes so the contents wouldn’t slop around, punched holes to add the tag which has a custom “Sarah by the Sea” stamp on one side and a hand-written “thank you” on the other side, and tied things up!

So far, EE Schenck (out in Oregon) gets the prize for the most prompt reply (alas a thanks but no thanks).  Will have to follow up with the others.

And, inspired by Margarete Steinhauer’s jewelry bag in the current 2009-2010 Quilting Arts Gifts magazine, I decided to make my own.  Margarete’s cinches up into a little snug ball.   Of course, my suitcases are always crammed, and I am so intensely visual I want my jewelry case to open up flat.  So I made this:

Here it is open:

I used an idea from Diane Rusin Doran (who had two awesome projects in the same issue, won a third place in the same category as I did in Houston, and is just cool and fun!), to wit:  paint white velcro so it matches your project—reject the tyranny of white-black-beige!  Diane suggested using a thin, ink-consistency paint.  I didn’t have any so I thinned some leaf green Setacolor.  Kinda blotchy, so while in Houston I bought some Jacquard Ink! From Jane Davila’s Flourish booth to try next; you can find these items at her website store, here (if you don’t find it on the website…e-mail her….they have it and you can order it for sure!).

This project is definitely a prototype…the long zipper (which I had on hand) allows the bag to open flat but is a nuisance in real life, so I’ve got an idea for an improvement.  Then maybe I’ll submit it to Quilting Arts Gifts for next year’s issue and see if I can finally get a pattern in it!

Back next with pictures from the show floor and my classes!

Sheesh…ya think my life has been on fast forward?  Just checked and I have photos for blogposts from July and August….. posts I never had time to write!  So before I get to Houston and Festival and the Frayed Edges in October, I’ll share the summer fun!

We were a small group in August.  Deborah, of course, was in the beastly heat of Texas, and Hannah was home with four girls, so she didn’t make it to our August get-together.  But Kate, Kathy and I finally had our “dyeing day” which we had originally planned for last summer (!).  AND we got to celebrate Kathy’s birthday (photo above).

Then we got to the fun, messy stuff!  I set up tables in the back yard, and mostly forgot to take pictures, but thankfully Eli took a few, especially the following day when I had more time to putter. He got one of me on the “mixing table.”

(Marie…don’t those rasty clothes I’m wearing look familiar?  Marie and I used to dye in our garage in Friday Harbor before I left Wash. for Maine!)

Here is one of the mottled pieces I did.  On the right you can see the edge of the trampoline, which (covered with plastic) held our dyed wonders!

Here’s the same piece, dry:

I wanted to try a bit of shibori, cloth that is tied to create resists.  I used those glass “pebbles” that you can buy to  put in the bottom of vases or for mosaics and crafts, and tied them with yarn.  It took nearly 3 hours after Kate and Kathy left to tie up a yard of fabric.

I  deliberately didn’t tie some of the pebbles too tight, as I am not fond of white fabric showing on my dyed fabrics.  I wanted just a bit of dye to seep under the ties so the resist would show, but not too much.  Here is the cloth batching in a plastic tub:

And looking at the bottom of the tub:

Finally, it was done, and I LOVE it!

I even ended up using it as the backdrop for a photo in my book (to order, click on the link in the left sidebar, and yes, I ship outside the US)!

Here are the socks and shirt I did the day after the Frayeds….  the purple socks went to Deborah, since she couldn’t be with us.  You can see them on here feet here Teeheee!  The pink and yellow socks were for Hannah for her birthday in late September, and the upside-down rainbows and shirt are for me!

And here is the rest of my dyeing days results.  I find that for my art quilts, I prefer “blendy” fabrics, not hand-dyeds with sharp crystallization patterns–at least for most things.  You’ll find that many of my fabrics from this session are blendy and “stash fillers” to plug gaps in my selection.  without further commentary:

Hope you enjoyed…I sure did!  Now to find time to quilt with it!