An animated morning with Herring Run Quilt Guild

A little over a month ago I had the pleasure of visiting Herring Run Quilt Guild in Norwell MA and giving them my song, dance, and general floorshow. As much as I love the lecture part of my business and audiences really seem to enjoy it, I always have a moment or two of panic beforehand that no one will show up; this particular booking I had an even bigger panic attack because I knew I was competing with Mark Lipinski being at the quilting mecca of New England, Keepsake Quilting, at the exact same time on the exact same day. Clearly his people did not call my people.

Imagine my surprise when the hall was filled on that rainy Saturday morning. Hey, maybe the rain kept people from driving the 2.5 hours to Keepsake, but I'll take it. Herring Run was an awesome group of quilters and I had so much fun with them. One of their members took a bunch of photos and sent them to me on a CD (so sweet) and have to say I had an hysterical laughing fit looking at them, so I thought "What the heck. Let's share my dorkiness with the world." So prepare to be amused/disgusted by the montage of bizarre facial expressions I exhibited to Herring Run.
I love this photo. Standing where I am and lining my head up with that doorframe, it looks like I have a mohawk. Awesome. It also shows that I have not gotten over the pigeon-toedness that gave my pediatrician fits at age 4. While you are looking at my feet though, be sure to admire my beaded shoes.

These lovely ladies got quite a workout during the lecture. They were amazing quilt holders and probably only held a quilt upside down once or twice, which is fabulous. I love showing how color and fabric choices can really change the look of a pattern, and I always bring as many colorways of my quilts as I can.

Yeah, I like to talk with my hands. And apparently also with my eyes closed.

People always love the back of this quilt. It really is an adorable panel fabric from the "Life's a Hoot" line by Adorn-it Fabrics.

I promise I don't THINK I usually yell at my audiences. My apologies to Herring Run.

Air quotes are so awesome. Was I suggesting all self proclaimed "Quilt Police" leave the room? Did I use the word "embellishmenty" properly? Was I mocking the idea of "perfection" in quilting? I guess we will never know.

Cardinal rule of public speaking -YOU be the one to grimace rather than your audience members.

This just kills me. I have a look on my face like "These people are hopeless." Nothing could have been further from the truth. This was a hugely talented group who were unbelievably welcoming and fabulous in all ways.

Want to see what amazing faces I can make for your guild? Be sure to contact me for a lecture booking and I'll be sure to give it my best shot. While wearing some fabulous beaded shoes, of course.

Dear Mark Lipinski,

I truly love that you commandeered the pink "Quilting Hottie" button right off the person of my friend Linda Pearl at Keepsake Quilting yesterday. I can think of no hottie more deserving of his own official badge of Quilting Hottiedom than you.
Love seeing you sporting it in this photo. Love that quilt too.

Clearly it is preaching to the choir to tell you that hottiedom is a state of mind. Just remember..... with great power comes great responsibility. And the power of the hottie button is great indeed. Among the many powers I have discovered:

- Wearing of the hottie button while picking up dinner at your local Chinese place will lead you to find an extra order of crab rangoons in your bag. It's certainly possible that you actually are bringing home someone else's food, but you will prefer to believe the button made you completely irresistable to the staff.

- Wearing of the hottie button when a boy scout arrives to sell you popcorn will lead to said boy scout asking his father as he walks away "Dad, what's a Quilting Hottie?" and allow you to hear the dad say "I'll explain later." And would you ever love be invited to that conversation, but sadly the powers of the button don't seem to extend to "fly on the wall" status. Yet.

- Wearing of the hottie button will inspire real quilters to real greatness, as in the team of walkers I'm so proud have adopted my pin to wear for their breast cancer walk later this month.
-Wearing of the hottie button will periodically cause you to be irritated that the state of Massachusetts only allows 6 spaces on their license plates, so QLTN HTY is not an option for your car, even though it would be awesome. (Of course, you will have to be irritated for me in this case. I have no idea how many spaces NJ has on their plates, but I feel you've probably already got a cool CUPCAK plate anyway.)

Wear it well, sir. I know you will.

Much love from the original Quilting Hottie to a true original.