The Tao of Ed and Quilter Manure

[caption id="attachment_2571" align="alignleft" width="266"] Ed[/caption]

This is Ed.  He is the new sock monkey I purchased at a serendipitous stop at a church rummage sale.

On Saturday I drove up to Lowell, Massachusetts,  to visit my career alma mater the The New England Quilt Museum.  It was with mixed emotions - I miss the place terribly but the looong commute, the price of gas and the combined toll it took on my body and pocketbook made the decision for me.  As I pulled off  I-93 and began the storybook-beautiful drive down Rte. 133 I remembered Saturday mornings were prime-time for yard sales all along the route but I could never stop and poke around (as I would be late for work) so for five long years I resisted the temptation.

HAH.

That was all behind me as I cruised along and spied a lovely church lawn cluttered with tables and merchandise and  people swarming about.  The first table I walked up to was managed by a quilter who was selling off her book collection and had some fantastic books all selling for a mere $5 a pop.  I love it when karma happens.  I managed to restrict myself to an armful and wandered to the next table where I found ED.  Ed had to come home with me. I've wanted a sock monkey doll fah-evah (local Gloucester dialect) and he was adorable.  I didn't name him, he just told me his name when I tucked him in to the passenger seat among my new/old books.  It happens that way with me, I swear.

Ed and I continued on to the museum for a wonderful reunion with co-workers and quilts. I was completely blown away by the Fenway Park Centennial show - Rosemary Baun is a tremendously talented quilter. Even if you're not a die-hard Red Sox fan (and I'm not)  it was well worth a visit.  The imagination and creativity were rockin'!  The quilts up in the permanent collection room(s) were breathtaking.  It was all good.  What made it better was the special program presented by Shelly Zegart who created and produced the DVD documentary Why Quilts Matter - History, Art and Politics .  I've been a big fan and supporter of this important and alternately hysterically funny and sobering work for ages and it pleased me no end to see a room full of people  become enlightened and engaged too. Bonus - I finally got to meet Shelly and she is a peach, as was her husband, sister and brother-in-law. (Apparently they have a family requirement to be bright, intelligent and maintain a rippin' sense of humor.) I'm sure their website was inundated with people wanting to watch segments online and learn more about the program.  Guild reps in attendance perked right up when, after seeing segment samples, they realized the programing value inherent in the production. A win-win and bang for the buck. What's not to love?

On the drive home Ed and I talked about the responsibility quilters have to support each other in their work.  It applies to supporting any of the arts - it doesn't just fall out of the sky, people. The expression, "Money is like manure -  if you leave it in a pile it rots, you have to spread it around to do any good" has been attributed to many people but it doesn't lessen the truth or importance of the statement. We all want the quilting culture  and industry to thrive.  Ed says that while few of us have Medici money to be patrons we can buy a ticket or a book, throw a few bucks into a membership (even if it is far away and we can't visit often), support research and programing and - GET  A LOAD OF THIS - benefit ourselves from what we have fertilized.  Sometimes this means paying a few dollars more for a book or a pattern than we would if we could find it for on, say, Amazon.  To be truthful, Amazon doesn't need my money and doesn't support my community. Besides, after they tack on inflated shipping and "handling" fees the difference really. isn't. that. much.   I'd rather buy it directly from the quilter, the author, the designer - you get my drift.  The quilting industry is a THREE AND A HALF BILLION DOLLAR A YEAR BUSINESS.  That is not a typo.  Ladies and gentlemen of quilt nation that is a LOT of manure.  Look at where you spread it very carefully.  Pay attention to where leave it.  Spread it in worthy places but most important of all: SPREAD IT.  I guarantee by doing so not only the scholarship, books, patterns, fabric and RESPECT for your most beloved art will bloom and grow and thrive, but YOU will bloom and grow and thrive as a  quilter, quilt artist, historian, academic.....

Why Quilts Matter DVD Give-Away

 

EDIT:  Carla Langendoen of Cora Quilts was the DVD winner. Hope to see you blog your thoughts about the series, Cora!

 

When working at the New England Quilt Museum I was fortunate enough to get a peek at a DVD called Why Quilts Matter: History, Art and Politics from Shelly Zegart and the Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc.  I loved it.  I talked to the TV while I watched it. I wrote a blog entry about it and was later asked to write a guest blog for their website.  Before any of that happened I purchased two copies of the DVD so I could own one and donate the other to my local library. I feel that strongly about it, and  continue to encourage others to do the same. (BTW, there is no monetary compensation involved here)

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the Why Quilts Matter people (who are kickass fun, BTW) and asked to view one section of the documentary and write some study-group type questions for a new Continuing the Conversation guide to the series. I was delighted to do so, and was sent a copy of the DVD as a "thank you" gift.  Since I already have a copy I decided to give away the gift copy.  I really don't like the whole blog "give-away" thing, mostly because I never win and  really think some of you guys are all up in your head when you require people to jump through hoops and do 94 things in order to qualify.  There, I said it.  THIS will be a very simple, straightforward give-away.

To enter:   Send me a fat quarter of Liberty of London fabric.

HAH! See what I did there?  Okay, seriously, go check out their website - you are on your honor. Then, leave a comment with your fantasy quilting or sewing notion.  For example: my fantasy sewing notion is a bobbin that works with a spool of thread. You throw a spool on top of the machine, snap a spool in the bobbin case and you sew like a maniac for days - no stopping to reload the )(#&*()@#&$ bobbin.  What is your fantasy notion? Maybe some genius out there will create it and we'll all be happy.

In about a week I'll holler downstairs (to my husband), "Pick a number between 1 and ----" and that will be the winner. (I'll have to do it a couple of times because he is deaf as a haddock and I have to repeat everything about three times.) Sigh.

Okay, let's have it - what are your brilliant ideas?  PS - the DVD is great for individuals or guilds or groups - lots of topics and good information. (But you knew that from going to their website, right?)

My Quilted Consolation

A few days ago while guiding a cruise ship land tour I was in the process of crossing the street when I caught my front toe on the edge of a curb and went flying. As luck would have it my head missed an angled granite flower box by about a half an inch (I'd be getting coloring books for Christmas for the rest of my life if I had connected with that thing) but still managed to land on my right hand, arm and shoulder. One of the other guides came to my rescue (thank you LINN!) and  as luck would have it, one of the passengers in my group was a nurse.   We bagged it with ice & I finished the tour, mostly through gritted teeth. I went home, repacked the ice, took a fistful of ibuprofen, crawled into bed and slept until about 9PM when my husband woke me to eat something and repack the ice.  Since I had a physical scheduled the next day I was able to get x-rays to make sure nothing serious was broken or fractured.

I'm sporting a ghoulish bruise that extends from the palm of my right hand to almost halfway down my arm - eeewww.  I have it wrapped for support and camouflage. I can type for about an hour and that is IT.  Fingers, wrist, elbow just ACHE.  I carry around one of those little blue picnic bricks of ice like an accessory clutch purse, but covered by a zip lock bag so it doesn't sweat or drip. It's a look.

I can't dry my hair or put on makeup without looking clown-like.   When I forget the injury and try to pick up an empty  coffee cup or plate I drop it and thunk the edge on my granite counter tops. ( I now have a matched set of chipped Dansk Bistro dinner plates.) I can't begin to hold a needle or  sew, and frankly I'm starting to spiral up in my head about if or how much nerve damage is going to be part of the prize package that comes with me being such a klutz.



I am bitchy, crabby and sore, so you can imagine my happiness when my treasure arrived in the mail. Not long ago I decided to gift myself with one of  Dave Grunenwald's  QuiltBoxes.  He donated one to the Lowell Quilt Festival last year and when it arrived it stayed on my desk for an embarrassingly long time before I was forced to give it up to the committee.  These boxes are made by a talented, master craftsman who appreciates the art of quilting and surgically duplicates the perfect points and curves in a natural and beautiful medium. He is truly an artist.

I wanted to come up with something that would serve as a  bit of a commemorative piece. My mother, the quilter, has been gone ten years next month. My dear dad,  the hobby woodworker, has only been gone for six months.  I needed something that was a bit of both of them and a bit of me. Hence, the beautifully handcrafted wooden box with a quilt block design.  But which design? Dave makes it nearly impossible to choose - you want all of them.  After months of indecision I chose the mariner's compass block as an homage to my life by the sea in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  So all 3 of us are here in this one magnificent treasure. I'm not sure what I will put inside it yet - the bottom of the box is lined in black velvet so it must be something special. I had him add a little knob to it because my well-known OCD "issue" with hand lotion would gum up this little beauty in a NY minute.

I feel better just looking at it, touching the top, marveling at the silky smooth finish. It smells like wood and a bit of varnish, kind of like my dad's hardware store.  Within my limited means I try to support artists and craftspeople like Dave so that we continue to have beautiful, hand-made things in this world. Do the same - you will not be disappointed, I promise.

PS - It has taken me over 3 hours to put together this post. See how we suffer for our "art"? :)

PPSS -  I took the liberty of using Dave's photo as I can't begin to take a picture or wrestle the cords into the slots with this stupid damn hand all messed up.  Note to all you lurking grammar police and spell check Nazi's  -  I'm doing the best I can so take it elsewhere, m'kay?  A better use of your time would be to go to Dave's website and check these out. Seriously, you know you want one......

Pot Holder Quilts? Seriously?

Thankfully, not  so much.   About a year and a half ago at a staff meeting (I work at the New England Quilt Museum)  we were discussing upcoming exhibits when the topic of "pot holder quilts" came up as one of our future exhibitions.  I was appalled - POT HOLDERS?  Seriously?  That sounds like a Ronco / Ron Popeil Pocket Fisherman Gadget Making Thingie.  And talk about tacky - POT HOLDER QUILTS? Sheesh. It is hard enough to get respect as a quilter without people thinking we make  quilts out of sewing potholders together.  Further discussion revealed that they were NOT made out of potholders, but utilized the same technique as in  making pot holders.  Each individual block was  about one foot square, quilted, then bound.  (The binding is what sets them apart from the quilt-as-you-go quilts that have the back and front seams joined without binding.)  Who knew?  I sure did not.

[caption id="attachment_1736" align="alignleft" width="263" caption="by Emily (Wiley) Munroe, c. 1865 Collection of the New England Quilt Museum"][/caption]

You can imagine my delight when I realized one of my favorite quilts in the entire NEQM collection  (the Emily Munroe quilt, pictured here) is  - wait for it - a potholder quilt!  It is actually a pretty intriguing idea, certainly portable, and SO much easier (as a hand quilter) to get up close and personal with your blocks when there isn't an armload of  fabric to wrestle in and out of a frame.  (I'm sure I could quilt 15 stitches to the inch if I could get that close to my needle...  or not.) The quilts that have arrived have been much older (starting in 1837) than I would have ever believed possible.  One quilt has small, stamped signature blocks with elegant, inked calligraphy.  I haven't seen the  more contemporary ones yet, they are set up in the workroom undergoing prep and condition reports before the exhibit goes up later this week.  I love sneaking in there for a peek.  It's a job perk.

Thankfully, we are not calling it "Yee Haw, Pot Holder Quilts - Come and Get Your Dinner!"

One Foot Square, Quilted and Bound opens at the New England Quilt Museum on April 14 and runs through July 10, 2011.   LOADS of Civil War references and stories in the older quilts. I'll include a link to the website because there are  lectures and even a demo of  techniques scheduled for later this month.  If you live far away and cannot visit in person I encourage you to  look in to this interesting technique.  It offers some intriguing possibilities.  On the down side,  my #1 job hazard is that every time we open a new show  I become utterly convinced I MUST MAKE ONE  of whatever type of quilt the show is featuring.  It's exhausting.  This time, however, if I lose interest I can always use them as .......potholders.  #WINNING !

Quilting's Not-So-Civil War

With the approaching anniversary,  Civil War quilts and reproductions are all the rage.  Kind of ironic that a not-so-Civil-War appears to be raging among quilters.   I  am not surprised by it - I have found many  quilters to be either the best or worst of people.  Yeah,   I said it.  I went there.   I will confess to being a former quilt snob but never a QB (Quilt Bitch).

Quilt Bitch - (noun). \ˈkwil-t\ \ˈbich\.  1) A person convinced of their self-superior knowledge of quilting.  2) An omnipotent judge of everyone else's inferior quilting taste, techniques, color and fabric. 3) A snarky, self-absorbed person who is compelled to "grade the paper" of everyone else's work with  LOUD and unsolicited criticism. 4) A person who believes in the paramount value and superiority of everything they themselves create.

QB's.  We all know one, and if we're honest - we'd admit to knowing several.  They are out there, those trolls who seek to suck the inherent joy and satisfaction that quilting brings to all who undertake it with open hearts. The latest salvo in the quilting wars has caused quite a stir. Apparently, there is someone out there proclaiming that contemporary quilts aren't "hard" or "complicated" enough to qualify as "real" quilts.  (I won't give the blowhard/nimrod  blog space, just Google it if you want to know more.)

My question - why do people need to do this? Why are they so driven to pass judgment?  I haven't a clue why anyone would want to make a Sunbonnet Sue quilt (and I mourn the waste of good fabric) but hell, if it floats your boat go nuts.  Sometimes I look at quilts I have made in years past and wonder what the hell I was thinking. I confess I used to look on anything that wasn't made of traditional or historic reproduction fabrics as "meh" but I never once dissed them.  I just did not understand them.  Thankfully that has changed and now I'm open to just about anything. I may not like it but I can always learn something from looking at it and reading about what the quilter had in mind.

So how to deal with QB's?  I offer the following:

1. Refer them to the SMUG ALERT episode of South Park.  (hysterical, wicked pissah funny)


2. Avoid them.  You can never "hug it out" with a QB. Don't feed the trolls.


3. Stare at them.  Don't say a word.  Just stare at them. Silence best conveys your opinion of theirs.


4. If you are one or see yourself in the definition above, knock it the hell off.

It is difficult to get props for being a quilter - there are enough people out there who think we are all  grannys in long dresses and white lacy caps and have no teeth.  Those who attack from within our ranks are a cancer and need to be starved of attention so they will shrivel and fade away.

Think a QB is harsh? Meh.  When I hear one of them crush the fledgling spirit of a new quilter I can't find my purse-sized  photon torpedo launcher fast enough.  If  you QB's want a war, you have one.  And it won't be civil.

Looky Looky - A Thing of Beauty!

When I came in to work this past Wednesday I saw this on my desk and nearly fainted. I've been dropping (okay, throwing) hints around that I wanted one of these for my birthday and I THOUGHT somebody finally took the hint (okay, broadcast).

Wrong.

It was the next best thing, though. The artist who makes these - Dave Grunewald - is a craftsman living in upstate New York.  His website QuiltBoxes is a thing of beauty and if you go looking I recommend you tie a bib around your neck because you will drool over these things.   He also has a wonderful Facebook page  where you can read the reviews of his admiring fans (including me) and get updates on new designs.

Back to the quilt box - he actually DONATED one of these to be raffled off at the Lowell Quilt Festival that is coming up in just a few short weeks.  Talk about a stand-up guy!  I loved the feel and the smell (oh the wood!) and precise detail of this piece.  Inside is a series of divided spaces to put whatever you like - and every edge is shaped, every joint is perfect.  It is a thing of beauty I would display on mantle at home - seriously. Quilters everywhere appreciate the time and patience and devotion it takes to create a quilt. These boxes are an extraordinary complement to quilting and serve an equally beautiful and useful purpose.

The festival committee had a meeting that afternoon and scooped up the box and put it away for safe keeping.  Not that they don't trust me.  Okay, they don't trust me.  (They had to wrestle it away from me.)   I'm giving my husband one more chance to gift me with one of these things for our anniversary, and if he fails again I'll just gift myself one.  With his credit card.  Work with me, people.

Non-Profit Rant - Schooling the Universe on Reality

My work is never done.  Strong language warning disclosure - stop reading if you can't deal.

About 3 years ago I was in Lincoln, Nebraska at one of those Ten Thousand Villages shops buying some trip treats.  They were just for me, and I knew they had to get mushed up and put in a suitcase so I was thinking about that strategy while watching the  young woman ringing up the purchases of the person ahead of me in line.   She took each necklace (retailing at about $15) and put it in a little cotton cushioned jewelry box (embossed with their logo).  Then she wrapped each of the boxes in colored tissue paper and put them in a cub bag (the kind with handles and again with the imprinted logo.)  The person paid for her necklaces with a credit card.  I'm standing there doing the cost-of-sales math in my head (an affliction of being in retail for 17 years) and I'm thinking, "wow, they lost money on that sale."  When it came to my turn, I said, "You can skip the boxes,  just wrap them up in one piece of tissue and  put them in that paper bag," as I pointed to a stack of flat bags.  There, I thought, that will save them some money and allow me to just place the bag  in my suitcase.  "Oh no," twittered the woman, "we are happy to package these up beautifully for you!" So I paused and took a deep de-bitching breath and said, "Listen,  I'm traveling and I'll just throw away those boxes so I can fit it these in to my luggage - besides, it's expensive to do all that packaging and I just don't need it."

Honest, I was very nice about it.

She kept up with her boxing and tissuing and said, "Well, we're a non-profit, so it's really okay."    I had used up my last non-bitchy breath on her a minute ago, so I leaned in and said,  "Listen, non-profit is a tax status, not a business plan. You are loosing money on every sale with all that excess packaging,  it's bad for the environment, and if you keep loosing money you will have to close your doors. Is that your business plan?"  She looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights. I paid for my stuff and left, shaking my head and wondering why it seems to be my job in the universe to run in to every nimrod who thinks "non-profit" means "we don't have to make money."

The worst offenders?  People who serve on non-profit boards and non-profit workers themselves. Honestly.  It's mind-boggling.  The tax status awarded to non-profits is because of the nature of their business.  It's supposed to be for educational, social  service and arts organizations.  It is also granted (for some unknown reason) to those thieving shark debt consolidation businesses who screw over both the credit card companies owed and the people over their heads in debt.  Noble, huh.  You think they don't want to make money?

Here is a little test:

1. If you are a non-profit and at the end of the year you break even (if you are extremely lucky - but it won't happen, trust me), what exactly do you use to continue your business on January 2?


2. Can you pay your bills, utilities, staff and vendors with Monopoly money? (This is important!)


3. Is there someone humming or playing "Kumbaya" in the background of your offices / sales floor, just because it's so meaningful?


4. Have you sat at a board meeting and  absolved yourself from any fiduciary responsibility about chronic under staffing and ridiculously low salaries by saying, "well, we are non-profit......"?

A little "eye of the tiger" needs to be shot in to the veins of every non-profit worker and board member, and frankly - to the public at large.   I seem to be the only one around willing to do it - and frankly, I'm exhausted and I could use some help.