Hi!
I'm writing this from the garage at Long Island's twin brother's house. The floor is littered with tiny screws, nuts, bolts, and engine parts. Not exactly very quilty, huh? It smells like engine grease in here and I couldn't feel more at home.
My dad was/is a greaser- always tinkering around on something. Behind our house on our property lied a 40 foot brick red building that my dad called The Shop. He'd spend hours in the shop, fixing the lawn mower, or one of the family cars- tinkering, really. Sometimes I wish I would have paid more attention to what he was doing. Once in a while I'd hang out in The Shop with my dad- as a wee kid I'd sort nuts and bolts for candy/toy money. As an older child, I'd hang out there while he replaced my brakes, half-paying attention to what he was teaching me. He'd show me the rotors and tell me that they were still in great shape and didn't need to be replaced quite yet, and so on and so forth.
As I watch Long Island tinkering on his dirtbike, I can't help but make a creepy correlation between the two which kind of freaks me out a little bit.
Houston is warmer than I expected it to be, and my suitcase does not quite reflect warm weather. I brought all sweaters and long sleeves and flannels. My goal was to coax Winter out of her hiding place, beckoning her with my cable knits and calf-length boots. Come, my lady. She's a stubborn one, that Winter, especially in Texas.
This is the first Quilt Market in two years that hasn't given me total anxiety. I don't have to worry about whether the store is being burnt down or not, or leaving it unattended for 10 days while I travel. It's such a relief to be able to just pick up and go.
I had the pleasure of attending Fabric 2.0 this evening. Fabric 2.0 is a networking event for bloggers, designers, and fabric lovers that are in the industry. I had a blast looking thru the crowd and finding familiar faces.
I had two very important people tell me in passing "oh yeah, I read that on your blog..."
.....people are reading my blog? I thought to myself.
Maybe it's the years I spent as Fat Jessica as a youth, or the fact that I was a hopelessly emo drama geek in high school, it still amazes me that people take the time and energy to engage in my life and to take care in what I'm doing, even when it's not fabric related.
I promised myself that I'd take more time to write about fabric and quilting, and more about the artistic process and the visual transformations in which I'm engaging. I fully intend to do that, but I also feel that by sharing who I really am with all of you and being as transparent as possible, it gives the art meaning. Plus, I know a lot of you, like me, went thru many trials and tribulations this year. I was incredibly nervous to come to Market this season. I felt like damaged goods- with the passing of my mom, the divorce, the head injury....I'm like a walking Lifetime movie here. Maybe I'm egotistical (aren't we all?!), but I was afraid that there was a neon sign above my head, blinking, that said HOT MESS. The funny thing is, the most popular remark this evening was "Wow, you look great, you look so happy."
And you know the funny thing about it?
I am.
So.
Incredibly happy.
I wake up in the morning and turn on my Gammill first thing and get her warmed up. I walk 20 feet from my bed to my machine. I live with my best friend, who is considerate, generous, thoughtful, loving, and hilarious. I live 7 minutes away from the most interesting man I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I have shared custody of the sweetest dog on earth. I talk to my sister Sammy every Tuesday and Thursday. I have the largest fabric stash of anyone I know under the age of 30. (It's kind of sickening, really. ) All of these things, collectively, facilitate the abundance of love that I feel everyday for the life I'm living. Thanks, Boomerang.
Back to Market!
I'm sure you're wondering what I'm actually doing at Market this year. I have 3 new patterns with Villa Rosa Designs from my new Homegrown label, and I'm also demo'ing in the Coats and Clark booth! You can learn how to play with Phoomph and make a really cool luggage tag. All the cool kids are doing it- you should too. My first demo is tomorrow at 10am- please stop by and say hi if you are in the area! Booth 717 for Coats and Clark and 1061 for Villa Rosa Designs.
You can also tweet me @fiber_culture and I'll be sure to meet up and give you a hug. No, really, I will, unless you hate hugs, and in that case I will probably still hug you.
The clock is taunting me and I must rest. I told myself I'd get up at 5am to squeeze in my daily run- ha! Pipe dream.
Goodnite moon, goodnite quilters everywhere.