Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Quilt Show, Part Two

That first part got posted before I was finished with it.

I wanted to note the excitement of an event like this quilt show. There is a passing parade of every kind of adult American woman you can imagine, all sizes, ages, colors, physiques. And once in awhile, a man. Most of the men are walking puzzled or overwhelmed in the shadow of their wives, though there is the occasional male who is there because he quilts, too.

Over the mutter of voices, there is the buzz and whir of the long-armed quilters, a machine that does the fancy stitching over a quilt to hold the top, batting, and back together. They are fun to try out, you can grab the double handles of the suspended part and spell your name on the place where the fabric goes.

Most vendors sell fabric or thread (fat quarters, anyone?), but at this show there was a vendor selling sturdy, colorful baskets of many sizes. There were vendors selling clothing with a quilting theme, and one selling clay jewelry that looks like miniature quilts.

So much of what an author does is in a room by oneself. It’s refreshing to the spirit to get a look at the kind of people who are buying the kind of books you write, and ego-boosting when one stops to tell you how much she loves your books. It’s equally fun when someone stops out of curiosity and you get to introduce a prospective new fan to your work.

5 comments:

Terri Thayer said...

Quilt shows are hotbeds of creativity, aren't they? I attended a smaller show a couple of weekends ago in Virginia and came away so inspired. And yes, with new fabric.

BTW, more and more men are getting into quilting themselves.

Monica Ferris said...

You are so right! These are amazing works of art, and very inspirational. They seem to imbue quilters with a highly-refined sense of design and color. It's a craft I wish I had learned about years ago. But then I'd be writing mysteries like Sandra Dallas or Earlene Fowler. LOL

Betty Hechtman said...

What a nice photo of you, Monica. Watching all the people go by must have been fascinating.

Monica Ferris said...

Oh, I'm a people watcher from way back. Sometimes a passer-by will spark a description of a character in one of my books. I'm very sure I'm not alone in that!

Linda O. Johnston said...

Looks and sounds delightful, Monica!