Anelie’s Blog An informational page on events, fun adventures, and quilting tips.  Check this page often to see what interesting new things have been posted.   Previous Posts:    SlideShow for The Quilt Show Good Morning Sacramento Quilt Market Getting first copy of my book The Quilt Show

February 10, 2009 - Quilt made by American Association of University Women

The Amador chapter of AAUW made this “Dresden Block” quilt for their annual fund raiser for scholarships for girls and women. The pattern comes from my book Thoroughly Modern Dresden. The quilt is made up of three rings of blades floating on three different background fabrics.

There are seventeen different batik fabrics, in an array of rich colors.  The innermost background is merlot, the next is indigo and the outermost background is a batik fabric that echoes the colors used to make the Dresden blades.  The batik blades include such colors as burnt umber, lichen, indigo, ocher, apricot blush and taupe, to name a few.  Blades in a solid light blue fabric provide a pleasing contrast to the array of colors found in the batik. The Quilt is 72”x 80 1/2”

The mission of AAUW is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.  The Amador County Branch of AAUW is holding its 38^th Annual Home Tour on April 17, 2010 to raise money for scholarships for girls and women.  All the funds raised through the sale of opportunity quilt tickets goes towards these scholarships and are fully tax deductible.  Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.  Mail money and request for tickets to:  AAWU Quilt, 11925 Clinton Peak Ct., Jackson 95642.  Please include your name, address and phone number with area code.  More information about the Home Tour is available at:  www.aauwamador.org

My episode on The Quilt Show starts Monday, but you can go behind the scenes, with photographer Gregory Case, this weekend.  Click on the picture below to go to the slide show.

I am movin' on up to big time TV!! My daughter sent my book information to Channel 13 and their sister Channel 31 wanted to do a spot on me. What fun!!! We both went down to the studio with quilts in hand. Cody interviewed me and admitted he likes to knit and sew during the break. Here is a link so you can see the interview  ...  Good Morning Sacramento.

May 18, 2009 - Quilt Market

The Spring Quilt Market is the first time my book will be presented to stores for purchase. This was held in Pittsburgh and I just had to go and see how it all went down. I was fortunate to have my friend and primo webmaster, Cheryl Ehlman, come with me. She now has stepped into the duties of photographer also.

It was a very exciting time!! I was in the Moda- United Notions Booth and at C&T to sign and promote the book. It seemed unreal to see my book on the shelf and watch people thumb through it and buy it!!!

Cheryl and I celebrated with wine and Pizza. We do go all out! Now we wait and see how the book sales go.

May 15, 2009 Getting first copy of the book

The day has finally come…. My book is here. C&T had called me to let me know it was on it’s way so I had them send it to The Sewing Cottage where I would be teaching. Every time the door would open I would check to see if it was the UPS guy. Finally here it is. I ripped open the box and could hardly wait to flip through the pages. One of my students captured a few pictures for me. WOW…. It is here!

I was invited to film a segment on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.  What an experience it was!  I am on Episode 502, which premiers this July 20th.

My Friend Beverly and I drove from Durango to Le Veta which took us through the La Veta pass that is about 11,000 feet in elevation.  Fortunately the snow coming down was minimal so the roads stayed clear. As we pulled into the small town of La Veta  we noticed the La Veta Inn and the Quilt Show Studio right away. They were the biggest buildings amongst the small shops, art galleries and gas station. La Veta may be a small town but is is full of character and charm which we sensed immediately.

We checked into our room and settled in.  As we unpacked I modeled my 8 different outfits, jewelry and shoes so Beverly could help me to choose the best outfit for the show. At some point I announced none of them would do and we would have to go shopping. Beverly reminded me of the slim pickings of clothing stores and assured me I had something I could wear. This marked my first panic attack.

That evening we joined the filming crew and cast for dinner in the dining area which was designated for The Quilt Show. We felt privileged to be allowed to dine with the crew along with feelings of awkwardness as everyone entered the room and we did not know anyone. Until Ricky, Justin and Alex walked in. Ricky sat down next to Beverly and began to answer our questions and fill us in on all sorts of information.  By the time dinner was done we had met the entire crew and felt right at home.

After dinner Lilo gave us a tour of The Quilt Show studio and set.  We found the box of my quilts I sent and laid them on a table so they could relax. At that point I questioned which table I was to lay on as I felt I needed to relax more than the quilts did! Lilo requested I bring my step out samples over and place them in their designated spot.  I felt a brief sense of panic as I wanted to review them one more time…. But Beverly assured me I would do just fine.

We went back to the Hotel room and I emptied the bag of step outs onto the bed. Each step was neatly packed in a zip lock bag and numbered as to the order they were in.  I think Beverly was impressed by my organization which is not part of my character. I stepped back into character as I discovered step 2 was missing. This marked my second panic attack and I lost all sense of organization. As I mumbled, ”I can make this work.”, over and over again I scrambled and was able to divert the crises by getting what was needed out of the extra parts I had brought with.

By 8:00pm we were dead dog tired and got ready for bed. We tried to read but our conversation was full of excitement and anticipation in the day of filming that was ahead. After discussing every aspect of the upcoming day we were able to fall asleep.

The next morning we woke up bright and early. We got quickly dressed in our “Dress-em-up” clothes, wearing our  “Tuck-em-in” pants and “Push-em-up” Bra. Of course the hair had a mind of its own, which warranted another panic attack, and I couldn’t find my make –up. Done up as much as possible we went down for breakfast and then to the Studio to see the taping of the first show. I was happy to see how it all worked before doing my segment. Justin coached the audience through the appropriate applause, smiling, listening intently and laughing we were to do throughout the show. He kept the audience entertained as the camera crew and the staff worked through the filming details. The show was fun to watch and it all went by so fast.

After our lunch break it was my turn to start filming. This is when I began to have the stomach flutters and my mind was reeling so fast I couldn’t keep my thoughts straight. As I was briefing Alex and the crew my explanation of the step outs, someone asked me a simple question and I my mind went blank. I was actually asking myself “Do I even have a brain in there?” As we went on and Alex and Ricky made me feel so comfortable during the entire filming and I soon felt very calm. The entire crew was a pleasure to work with!

The day just rushed by and as we were eating dinner with everyone, we noticed the guests which would be filming tomorrow, entered the room. I was now the experienced one and it was their turn to get up on the set for the first time. I rested well that night and looked forward to the beautiful drive to Durango and one more day to visit before flying back home.

I encourage you to check out The Quilt Show by visiting their website at www.thequiltshow.com. It is truly a wealth of information with the newest in products and quilting technique that you can watch at any time!