This remark at a chapter meeting this past Saturday, made as part of an explanation of a remarkable piece created by a SAQA board member, caused the entire audience to burst out in laughter. There was a palpable sense of ‘been there, done that!’ that reminded me how happy I am to have found my tribe.
Remember way back in elementary school when the teachers (or, in my case, nuns) would hand out fill-in-the-blanks tests and tell us multiple times, READ the ENTIRE page before beginning the quiz? How many of you, like me, blasted our way through each answer only to find the line at the bottom of the page, “do not take this quiz”?
I am grateful to have begun my quilting journey in the realm of traditional quilting (and marvel at the incredible pieces each year in Houston). But, somewhere along the way, thanks in very large part to Quilting Arts magazine, I began to leave many of the traditional rules behind. Pinning, marking, basting…nah, that’s why we have MistyFuse ;). And, each time I try to do a piece by “following” the assigned theme of a contest or show, I find that the works are not nearly as successful as the ones that spring from that “I just have to make this quilt” gut instinct.
So…here’s to learning by listening to instructions…and then knowing which ones to follow!
neonkittyquilts 