Quilting Guilds
Posted on May 11, 2014 2 Comments
Being an aforementioned tumbleweed I’ve had the privilege of visiting and belonging to some great quilting guilds. If you want to enrich your creative experience I highly recommend finding one and getting involved! I have a few ideas to share if you’re at all interested in finding, serving, or perhaps volunteering in one.
2014 Capital of Texas QuiltFest Raffle Quilt
Pattern – Fiesta Mexico by Karen Kay Buckley
Made by Members of The Austin Area Quilt Guild (hand appliquéd)
Quilting by Angela McCorkle – Quilts With a Heart
Photos by Harry Cabluck
Raffle tickets still available for sale $1 for 1 ticket, $5 for 6 tickets.
Check the website www.captxquiltfest.org for raffle quilt locations.
Does size matter?
While living in Austin I had the pleasure of joining the Austin Area Quilt Guild. It’s a really great guild and I believe at the time, had over 500 members. The benefit of such a large group is not only the expansive talent pool available to share, as evident in their Capital of Texas 2014 Raffle Quilt pictured above, but also the funds such a group can raise for guest speakers, workshops, and charitable organizations is impressive. One draw back is it’s easy to feel like a guppy in a big pond. Those truly interested will need to spend a little more time getting involved by consistent attendance, volunteering, and trying out different bees in order to find a good fit.
I also had the tiniest of guild experiences in New Hampshire at the Souhegan Valley Quilt Guild and, it was one of my favorites. While funding and talent pool available to share may have been limited due to size, members were incredibly warm and seemed willing to share what they could whenever they could and that certainly made up for the lack in size. Again, the environment was incredibly warm and inviting.
Fall retreat photo of SVQG, 2/2013
What’s your temp?
LIke any organization, you can either draw in or repel potential members and involvement with the warmth or coldness of your group. Energy is infectious, good or bad. The best guilds have a basis of positivity, are warm to visitors, and work hard keeping clicks or cold- aloofness at bay. Boards that serve with close friends seem to have the best time. Their ease in planning, organizing, and serving with happy hearts is evident. They understand one another and their excitement is contagious. I’ve attended a guild where the board wasn’t cohesive and their energy and bickering was very obvious. Membership and attendance tends to suffer under such leadership.
Keep’m coming!
Once ya hook’m how do you reel’m in? Well, with a variety of offerings like opening icebreakers, games, interesting challenges, lighthearted bees, (which I will cover in a future post) great classes, interesting guest speakers, and fun filled retreats! I’ve just recently joined the Fort Worth Modern Quilt Guild and they hooked me with the first meeting, positive energy, activities, challenges, just an all around fun group of young quilters! I’m excited to see what my creative journey will be with them in it. Remember, ya get out of life what you put in. The same is true with creative groups like guilds. Want to GROW in your creative experience? Then go find one to join! 🙂
Quilting Acres
Posted on May 10, 2014 1 Comment
While living in the Portland area I met an incredibly sweet soul, another fiber creative, Errin Rissberger. She’s been successfully operating an Etsy shop, Quilting Acres from her lovely home on a tree farm outside of Portland, Oregon since 2008.
Errin’s a busy mom of two very young boys one she refers to as, “Mr. Busy Pants.” But she always seems to find time for her passion, hand dyed wool. A friend and I stayed with she and her family on our way to Sister’s Outdoor Quilt show last July. It had been a few years since I was in her home and to my delight I was allowed to drool, from a distance, over her fantastic wool collection and oh my the yummy hand of her hand-dyed wools, they’re like butta! She was kind and actually allowed me pet her fabric. If you’re into fiber at all, it’s a calming habit we tactile “fiber enthusiast” have. To the outside world we might appear nuts but to us, well, we get it.
This was just one corner of her studio! Oh my. Can you say drool? So here’s my unsolicted plug, go check out her little shop on Esty, Quilting Acres. You won’t be disappointed.
What is a Creative Gypsy?
Posted on May 8, 2014 2 Comments
What is a Creative Gypsy? Well, for me it’s the life of an artistic tumbleweed. Yep, I said tumbleweed. Combine Texas roots with an Air Force brat, and that’s what you get! I learned early, sinking down deep roots was tricky because the next wind that blew could land you in a new location. That said, I married a handsome, wonderfully, supportive man who seems to have adapted to the tumbleweed lifestyle. We’ve moved quite a bit in recent years, from Aledo Texas, to Oregon, to Austin, to New Hampshire. Now finally, we’re back home in DFW, Texas. I’m currently on my 5th studio in 7 years. Yup, that’s about it. I’m facing 50 this month and looking forward to embracing the possibilities life affords.
If it’s fiber related I’m in! From decorating to quilting, knitting, crochet, mixed media, internet creative challenges, you name it, I’ll try it. If you’d like to share your journey well chime in!
I hope you’ll join me in my creative journey. 🙂
-lk
Creative Gypsy 