I had the opportunity to speak to the Olney (Illinois) Quilt Guild this week. I'm ALWAYS really nervous (and excited) before I speak, but once I get started I usually calm down. These quilters were VERY nice to me; they were warm and welcoming. They listened attentively, asked questions, and made me feel right at home. Several people came up to me after my talk to get a closer look at some of the pieces and to tell me how much they enjoyed the lecture and trunk show. I even received a couple of really nice emails afterwards. Cynthia was nice enough to send me these pictures. (Thanks Cynthia!)
I spoke about my journey as a quilter which began with VERY traditional work.
These are some Lori Smith quilts that I made awhile back. I brought ten of those along to share with the ladies. They really seemed to like them. I explained how much I learned about piecing and cutting as I worked on these small quilts. I also told them how I improved my machine quilting skills with each one--practice, practice, practice.
I showed string quilts, mystery quilts, baby quilts, seasonal quilts, animal quilts, modern quilts, Christmas quilts, table runners, miniature quilts, and more. I discussed following the "rules" and breaking the "rules." (Breaking the "rules" is a lot more fun!)
I showed an English paper pieced hexagon quilt of my own design. It isn't finished (and it might never be)!
I showed one of my most recent hand quilted pieces. (It is a bit blurry, but you get the idea.)
I showed a framed "extreme embroidery" piece and told its story. (I think some of them thought I was crazy to do so much hand embroidery on one piece. They wanted to know how long it took me.)
I really enjoyed my time with these ladies. I'm always scared to do these talks, but I'm a firm believer that doing things that scare me helps me to learn and grow. I just saw a quote (don't know the author) that really hit home--Give every opportunity a chance; leave NO room for regrets. Have you done anything that scared you a bit lately?
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2 comments:
I always hate the thought of public speaking. I used to give butterfly talks. I have done some bird talks too. Each time I dreaded it and each time I enjoyed the experience. I haven't done anything like that for years though. The next time you pass by where I live please stop in if even for just a pit stop. Would love to chat. Your hexi quilt is looking great.
I bet it helps when you are in a room of quilters. =) We are generally kind and gracious, though I've known exceptions to that rule. I loved seeing these pictures, so very many thanks to Cynthia for taking them and sharing them with you. It's great to see you in motion, so to speak. I'll bet that was a wonderfully interesting lecture! Are you doing a class there, too?
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