Market Mash-Up

Wow - it's really been almost three weeks since I had a chance to sit down and do a blog post. That is what happens when one goes on vacation four weeks before Market, like a complete idiot, and said vacation turns into a bit of a people version of that movie "Homeward Bound" where the dogs try to find their way across California. In this version, my family of five became trapped in Chicago/en route home for three extra days of a week long trip when we chose to spend spring break in Chicago the same week of the Boston bombings and a 36 hour melee of Midwest weather and flooding that together made it next to impossible to fly between the two cities. So that was fun.

The part of the grumpy cat was alternately played by me and Mr. QH, depending on what the airlines had to tell us at any given moment.

 

There was more than one moment where I wished people really could fly.

 In all seriousness though, I am thankful this was the only "bad" thing that happened to my family last week, as I know plenty of victims of the marathon bombings would be thrilled to have had our trials and tribulations. My thoughts are with all of them as we all struggle to make sense of random evil in our world. I am proud to call Boston home and am glad the world has seen that we really are a people full of heart. Or haaaht. Either way, you have to admit we totally rock a National Anthem.

Since we had arranged for the post office to start delivering our mail again on Thursday, but didn't get home until Sunday evening, I must take this moment to thank the 11 year old girl across the street for bringing us three loads of mail via her bike and backpack like an adjunct member of the USPS last night. Most exciting to me was a parcel containing this fabric from Art Gallery:

I. Love. Them. And Art Gallery as they are the nicest people ever.

 I have actually already whipped them into most of a quilt top today. I needed a smaller version of "Garden's Gate" for my booth at Market, as it is the smallest booth one can get (ie "Barbie's Dream Booth"), so this one will be gorgeous and modern and not take up an entire wall.

Look at me go. It's more fun than laundry, after all.

 In other mail news, I also received two enormous boxes from Smartpress.com, my favorite printers, and I now officially have all of my patterns in paper form and after a stuffing festival of immense proportions this evening, I will be ready to ship all the paper products to my Portland hotel. Yay! Checking things off the list!

All I can say is Castle better be good tonight to alleviate the horror of stuffing 9 million patterns.

Having now exhausted the theme of what I got in the real mail while I was gone, let's move on to the ever popular topic of "What I got in my email that was exciting and Market related" today.

1. Room C121, 1:55pm on May 16. Be there for my Schoolhouse Presentation "Kickin' Stash and Taking Names." Woo hoo!
2. This cool badge so I can post it on things (like my blog, my FB page, and even I suppose my forehead if I wanted to) and remind everyone of my commitment to twice in a month fly across America and hope to God I make it home again, as apparently this is no longer a given when flying in 2013.

It's quite official, no?

  3. And just now, while I was madly typing away, Market Slave East Renae Mathe sent me a photo of the new Sunflower and Sky sample I begged her to make for me out of a pile of purple and yellow batiks I handed her at school pickup one day. Squeee! Moral of the story - don't offer to help me or you will get a job.

She claims it is better in person, which I am sure it is, but I am loving it even now. In large part because I didn't have to make it.

Did I make my mail sound as exciting as yours? One can hope.

Giving back to where it all began - special lecture offer

It's October, which means it's EPQD's birthday month. I'm registered at Bunkhouse quilt shop if you care to send a gift. (Totally kidding! But I'll shamelessly plug http://www.bunkhousequiltshop.com/ because it is awesome.)

Anyway, birthdays generally do mean gifts, but in this case I'd like to give a gift if possible in memory of my next door neighbor, Kimberly Francis, who died five years ago next month at the age of 41 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Kim was a great neighbor, but also a great big reason that I took the plunge from hobby quilter to designer and I've really never had the ability to give back in a quilty way until now.

In the spring of 2005, Kim showed up at my door and said "I have a job for you." I wasn't looking for a job, but I trusted her and listened to her proposal. She had a friend who needed a t-shirt quilt made for her daughter, an accomplished amateur figure skater. Did I want to help out? What the heck, I figured, it'll give me something to do besides sing "The Wheels on the Bus" 56 times a day.

I made the quilt and GOT PAID for doing something I enjoy. Holy cow. It was a revelation. A few months later "Feelin' Hot Hot Pink", my first pattern and still one of my faves, was born when I decided to try my hand at designing. I had started something I never knew I was going to, and it began with a nudge from an unexpected place.

Kim was diagnosed that next winter and unfortunately succumbed very quickly to this awful disease. We miss her in the neighborhood, and on the five year anniversary of her passing, I feel strongly about doing something to honor her memory and the part she played in the birth of EPQD.

To celebrate Kim's memory, I am hoping to donate the lecture fee ($300) from any lectures booked in November and December to the ALS Association Massachusetts chapter. I know most guilds probably have plans in those months, but if yours doesn't, or you know a guild who is in need of a program, this is a great way to help both of us give back, so please spread the word!**

In addition, from now until the end of 2011, I will donate 20% of all sales of my "Sunflower and Sky" pattern and/or kits to ALS Association of Massachusetts, the sunflower being the adopted symbol of hope for ALS patients. Patterns are $9.00, kits containing all you need for the top and binding are $30. Wholesale orders (pattern only) will also apply to this donation.

Thank you as always for your support. Please spread the word if you can!

**Donation of entire lecture fee of $300 only. Guild pays for lecture, moneys are then donated by me to ALS. Copies of proof of donation will be sent to guild. Mileage, housing, per diem, product sales (other than sunflower), etc not included in donation.