Do you travel with quilts? Guilty! I take quilts on vacations, retreats, even short hotel stays…for warmth and beauty, to work on, to photograph, and to just enjoy.
Last week I had the pleasure of taking 40 quilts and a power point guild presentation to Memphis, TN (Cordova, to be exact) to the home of the PUPS (Pickin’ Up the Pieces) Quilt Guild.
I find it fascinating to see the differences between different quilting groups. Size alone can change the dynamics of a group. Meeting location is another factor. Personalities of the members can change how a guild operates. What seems to be constant, though, among all guilds is that the love of quilting, creating, and discovering new opportunities outweighs any of the challenges brought to a group of women (with a sprinkling of men).
A few take-aways I recall from visiting PUPS include:
Show and Tell:
I didn’t get all the details, but there was this Master List of projects that the members must have filled out earlier in the year and when a show and tell item from that list was completed, that quilter got credit and, I think, entered into a drawing for retreat funds! How cool is THAT? Look at all this SHOW AND TELL from only 22 members present!!! I really liked being able to go around and look at each quilt closely during the break! I did later find out that this particular meeting was their LAST CHANCE to complete those projects and that may have contributed to their prolific quilting!
Block-of-the-Month:
Being in charge of Block-of-the-Month for my guild (blatant promotion to follow), I was surprised when their quilters showed up with their blocks dutifully completed for that month and laid them in a pile on a table. The PUPS gals take those blocks and make them up into quilts for their community. It’s a really nice way to help the community while quilters learn new techniques.
Virtual Retreats:
I thought this sounded like loads of fun! Pick a weekend (pretty far in advance for planning purposes). Choose your projects, your favorite jammies, and snacks and have your own retreats at home – but shared with pictures and videos on the guild Facebook page! Sounds like a winter thing to me…although my studio feels like winter year round, so I am game whenever!
I’m always a bit nervous before giving a presentation, not because I’m not prepared…but because I might go off script (“I am not a THIEF?”) ugh! Thankfully, I didn’t know before I got to town that I had SUCH BIG SHOES to fill: Marie Bostwick (My Favorite Author) had spoken the month before. Had I known that, I would’ve driven there a month earlier! Thankfully it didn’t sink in until the next day that I was following that awesomeness. (I’m pretty sure we’d be besties, if she actually knew me;)) She’s a class-act and I was honored to follow her.
A big shout-out and thank-you to the PUPS Quilt Guild for their hospitality!
Blatant Advertising for BOM and some summertime quilt patterns:
May 30, 2018 at 10:07 pm
New email – nfjwilson@gmail.com
Thanks
May 31, 2018 at 7:48 am
Karla, concerning your presentation, I feel that awesomeness followed awesomeness! I enjoy your website and the account of your travels and the awesomeness of your lively designs.
June 4, 2018 at 9:22 am
Ahhhh! Thank you so much!