This weekend, my husband and I attended the Road to California quilt show. The mood of the attendees was contagious, starting all the way back in the parking lot. There is something about this group, this hobby, that is so unique and wonderful. I saw total strangers striking up conversations with each other about quilts, moving on to where they are from and tales of travel adventures just getting to the show. At one point I heard a woman ask a group of ladies if she could tag along as they toured the show because they kept bumping into each other on every row and striking up conversations. They all cheerfully welcomed her to their gang, introducing themselves to one another and just having fun. I saw this over and over again. I talked to quilter Vickie Lynn about her beautiful applique work, and she told us about how she did it while recovering from treatment for cancer (she is now cancer free!) and how therapeutic the process was in her recovery. We were stunned to hear that she only made her first quilt in 2006, noting that she felt that her long history of garment and home sewing gave her a great foundation for quilting. There is hope! :-)
Being surrounded by so many creative people at one time was such a joy and so inspiring. My goal isn't to win a prize or entry into a show, but just to get going on creativity. I found so many things to inspire me - awesome fabric, great books, and artists' stories of their creative inspirations.
My favourite vendor was there - Pamela from Treasure of the Gypsy - and it was a good thing, because I found out that she is not going to be at the International Quilt Show in Long Beach this summer. I was able to add to my stash of her awesome fabrics for projects unknown and yet-to-be determined project. If this kind of scene doesn't inspire, what could?
Today I will spend a little time working on my personal resolution for this year, an art journal, and look forward to making a mess.
If only I had the patience to create a quilt.
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