Blog Celebration

Thanks to everyone out there in internet-land who subscribes to and visits my blog!

Here's what happened today:

50,000 page views!!  There have been visitors from 131 countries!!

I started blogging because both my kids told me that anyone who's in business these days absolutely must have a blog.  I resisted for quite a while.  My impression of the blogging world was one of boring, self-serving rambles.  And I had no idea that I could come up with anything worthwhile to post about.

But eventually, they convinced me to get started.  And now I really enjoy blogging!  I do like to write.  I enjoy being able to document and share the wonderful quilts and vintage garments that pass through my studio.  I enjoy sharing design and technique ideas - mostly because I've gained lots of knowledge and inspiration from other people's postings, so I feel good giving ideas as well as taking them.  And finally, my kids were right, blogging has been good for business.  It helps introduce me and what I do, which is especially important for me, because lots of my business comes via my website and the internet.  

About the quilt:

Lighten Up!side Down

Made in 2001

41" x 42"

Fabrics - cotton, organza, velvet, acetate, lamé, polyester, floss. 

Techniques - machine appliquéd and quilted. hand embroidered.

I was given the challenge to make a quilt about joy. In this self-portrait, I am wearing some silly clothes I wore to go trick-or-treating with my kids.  I'm not really this good at cartwheels, though!  I inherited many of the fabrics from the stash of folksinger Gerry Armstrong.  I grew up listening to her glorious voice and the folk music of her family.  She showed up unexpectedly at my little quilting circle one evening, and became a friend.  One of my most treasured memories is the time she sang my newborn daughter to sleep.  She taught me alot about many things in life, joy included, so this quilt is also a tribute to her.