What do you do when you meet a rock star?

Excuse my "star" worship for a bit...but I got to meet and talk to Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy this past weekend. I got to attend Quilt Market in Portland, Oregon this past weekend. I had to go...just had to. I thought that there was an outside chance that Mr. Fassett would be there. He is giving a whole WEEK of workshops in Sisters this week. (we will not speak of the funk I sunk into last week when I realized that he was going to be so close and that I could not wheedle my way into a class.)

I love his work. After I read "Glorious Patchwork", I no longer wanted to quilt, I wanted to QUILT ! So, I grabbed my copy and shoved it in my bag on the off chance HE would be at Market. He was and I did.

I sat down and talked to both Kaffe and Liza about quilting. Liza and I spoke of our love of "ugly" fabric and the gloriously "ugly" quilts that use fabrics available to quilters during different time periods. It felt amazing to articulate to them what their work had done for me as an artist. I think that they appreciated my gratitude, which also felt amazing to me. I did get an autograph...it feels like a bookmark in time for me. A memento of a moment when I stepped outside my fear bubble and did what I really wanted to and was free from that self-consciousness that is becoming a less constant companion. I look at it and it feels good.Quilt Market proved to be QUITE the eye opening experience. It was great to see EVERYTHING. It also took away some of the scary mystique about being a part of the business of quilting.

When I turned 30, maybe it was when I decided to quit my other life as a Wastewater Analyst (boo--there's something scary for you), I started to ask people about their jobs. For curiosity's sake, yes...but also because I never had a clue what I wanted to do and I wondered if other people did. So, for 6 hours on Saturday I just wandered around Quilt Market, asking different designers and publishers why they got in to the industry and what they would recommend for some new starting out...I got some great responses.

Sue Spargo was so friendly. She said that people need to stick to and cultivate their own distinctive style. I like that. (Thanks to this blog...I had just been introduced and admiring one of her patterns a few weeks ago.) By the way she is coming to do a class/es at the Sisters quilt show in 2009...I am DEFINITELY going to be there.

I am getting sleepy and I still have the niece's quilt to finish so here are some other things at Market that I enjoyed:
Anna Maria Horner--I love her Drawing Room line, but I can't wait for the Garden Party. What a beautiful booth and a lovely person!
Keri Beyer's Urban Farm Fabric line --polka dots on cows...need I say more?
M&S Textiles Australia--I know, maybe I am the last one to know...GREAT prints.
Waterpail designs--Beautiful hand-dyed woolens...gorgeous colors.
Oliver + S--cute patterns for kids (mostly girls, but some new boy patterns in the fall)
Curved piecing foot--I really want to try this, but REALLY, how much curved piecing do I do? Maybe more, if I had this foot...she made it look really easy.
Banafana patterns--new designer from Idaho--She was a really sweetie, it was her first Market too. Her booth was OVER THE TOP!!! I liked the quilt she made with a huge guitar on it...it had rick-rack strings...need I say more?
Blue Underground Studios--Zany color combos for her patterns--nice lady, very friendly and funny too!

What will I do with all of my new found info??

Probably wake up in the middle of the night for weeks with the ol' noodle working overtime-- who knows?

JMB

PS

I also bought a LOT o' fabric...

Hey...

Since I was too zonked to celebrate my 100th post--what if we celebrated the 118th post together?

Yeah 118!!!

I have some fat quarters, a zany mix CD and assorted other goodies for a lucky bloggy friend. To be the winner why don't you all leave a comment here and tell me who is the "rock star" that you would most like to meet. (they don't have to be musical, but it would be fun if you picked someone that was actually living, so then maybe you could really meet them.) I will pick (totally randomly) someone June 1 @ high noon PST.

Yes, let's do that!

JMB