About a month ago I had the pleasure of meeting Lilo Bowman, the Editor-in-chief and Production Manager for The Quilt Show. She met me at the Dixon Garden and Gallery exhibit featuring my work. It was a crazy day. I had actually added the meeting date and time to my calendar for Saturday. When I received her call on Friday asking me where I was I fell into an abyss of mortification (note to self, always double check dates and times). Needless to say I rushed to my car and drove a bit above the speed limit to get to the museum. Halfway there I realized I did not brush my hair or put on a clean blouse. I looked disheveled and disoriented.

Lilo is a pro. She overlooked my tardiness, made me feel comfortable in an instant and asked informed questions about my work. I was delighted to meet her.

The result of that harried day actually ended up as a blog post on their website today.

And here is a link to the video she filmed after our meeting. Please ignore the badly tied scarf and red sweatshirt. I am not known for my fashion sense. I'm glad that the lighting focused on the quilt.

Thank you Lilo, for your interest in my work, your professionalism and your understanding.

I met some great folks this week. And I felt the love from friends and family at the opening night of my show at Dixon Gallery and Gardens here in Memphis.

I think it was right after this shot that I started losing my grip on that wine glass.

Though I felt a little like a ping pong ball bouncing from one interesting conversation to another I don't think I embarrassed myself in the process. I know I held the same wine glass for two hours. And I also know that I am glad I wore a black shirt because it smelled a little like Pinot Noir the next day. I don't remember drinking anything. And that's probably a good thing as I would probably would have dribbled and drooled in the excitement.

The most rewarding take away is that people were excited about the medium. Many had never seen stitched works like these. Many were curious about how I make them. And I don't think I had one conversation about grandmother quilts all night. The audience looked at the art as art. Maybe it was the venue? Maybe it was the audience? Whatever it was I think I passed the test.

I spent the next 4 days preparing my noon luncheon presentation for the venue. I've done these presentations before but I am never really really ready. I edit and edit and edit the slides, practice in front of a mirror, print out a script and hold my breath. This time there was a wrinkle that made it even more challenging. The final draft (I think it was number 14) did not get downloaded properly and I had to use the first draft instead. Jokes on me. That draft was SIGNIFICANTLY different from the final. So, up on stage, without a script, I paced and played. I think I made sense. I'm not sure what I said. I know it wasn't on the script. But people seemed genuinely interested.

I learned something: Throw out the script.

And, now, that milestone for this exhibit is in my rear view mirror. whew.

Back to work.

Classes coming in 2024

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