Daily Blog

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Retreat group admires an oversize Kool Kaleidoscope made as an opportunity quilt in Californina.

Hey everybody! Today I'm sitting at my table in our workshop space looking at empty tables. Yesterday they were flourishing with sewing machines and fabric and creativity was oozing out of every student. However, today they have all gone. It is always sad after a week of amazing bonding, creativity, energy, and good food! However, the memories and rich exchange of ideas made us better, so for that, we rejoice - and, we start anothe retreat Monday night! Whoo-hoo.

So, many of you were confused about our move - and what did our taping space and my retreats have to do with each other. I'll try to make it short. In 2002, Justin and I purchased a 40 acre ranch in a specatular area of Colorado (near La Veta). It was purchased specifically so we could build a home with lodging and sewing spaces for quilters. We call it Autumn Rock. You can see photos of Autumn Rock on my webite.

The architects began work right away and Justin and I moved to La Veta so we would not be living 3 hours away from our building site. That was in December 2003. By mid-2004, we put the skids on actually building as getting a loan was getting tough - so we decided to regroup.

In June of 2005 we purchased the current building so we could expand our business, do retreats, etc. But it was meant to be temporary - a stepping stone if you will.

Then came TQS. The building was a terrific place to tape the shows - but please remember - we only tape in the building for 12-13 days per year. It was a great place for us to start TQS.

Now, Justin and I are ramping up our efforts to get the loan for building at Autumn Rock. We cannot keep the building and have the new place - so it is time to put the current building back on the market and make every effort to move forward. So TQS can have assurance of a place to tape in September, and because of all the logistics with making a set of tapings happen - we decided to not take the risk of being in La Veta for September, but rather moving to Boulder, CO. Our production company, Daylight Productions, is based out of Boulder. This decision allows us to keep our crew (family) together and the area will provide more opportunities for visitors who attend the shows.

Who knows what the future holds, but we won't hit a home run if we never swing the bat - so - we're swinging our bat once again and hoping for the best. Pray - light a candle - keep your fingers crossed - rattle some chicken bones - read some tea leaves - whatever it takes! Did I miss anything?

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A couple of weeks ago we let you tell the story of how Libby broke her ankle. We figured it was time to reveal the less than fantastic story of how it happened. Libby had gone to collect our dinner so we could all eat prior to my concert. She had one more thing in the car to get but this time she slipped on the wet grass and down she went. Alex began helping her put ice on her ankle. Libby said she was not in much pain (although, I know Libby and she's tough - so she wouldn't admit it if she was). Finally, we encouraged her to go to the emergency care to have it looked at. Alex did the deed and drove her there. Yes, a fracture.

The next day Libby was put into a temporary cast and still made it back to the seminar in time to teach her sessions - from a wheel chair!!! What a trooper!

Libby had to cancel a few visits to Bernina shops, but she is home now sewing like crazy. There is no need for surgery - thank goodness - and she'll be out and about in no time with a stack of new quilts in tow!

Let's hear it for Libby!!!! Give her your best wishes by commenting here.

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Caryl Bryer Fallert (in her studio) shared a few tips with my class.

I'm currently in Paducah, KY - no, not for the show - it was over last week. Then there was the drive to Maryland to present the Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar in Frederick (yeah) and that is where Libby broke her ankle. Now I'm BACK in Paducah teaching at the National Quilt Museum - formerly the Museum of the American Quilter's Society.

The 12 students have been fantastic. Yesterday we were invited to have lunch in the home of Caryl Bryer Fallert and she gave the group a personal tour of her fantastic home and studio. Then, after class, Caryl and I had a great Italian dinner downtown. Usually I only get to visit with Caryl when we are in crowds so, to have an evening together sharing ideas and thoughts was awesome.

If you could have an evening with ANY quilter (Alex and myself excluded) - who would it be, and what would you enjoy discussing?

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Fifteen images of houses, buildings, and scenes from La Veta, Colorado on Easter Sunday 2009. (90 seconds)

We'll the snow continued well into the afternoon! In the meantime, I took the opportunity to photograph some really great houses in our tiny town. Look closely - you'll seel Justin in front of our house on the hill with Katie, Wanda, Raisin, and Mabel.

The colors of Easter mixed with the delicate snow was a treat for my eyes. I hope you will enjoy it too. Collecting these phots was like collecting colored eggs. What did you find in your Easter basket today?

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Indeed! La Veta woke up today to a gentle snow. This time of year our snows are very wet - and always much needed! It's not that cold. It's just barely cold enough to snow. So - Happy Easter everyone. What was it like today in your neck of the woods?

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It was 30 years ago today on April 10, 1979. My hometown of Wichita Falls, TX was struck by what was - at the time - the most destructive tornado in US history. The storm sat down just west of our city limits and became a mile wide tornado plowing through the town and staying on the ground for over an hour and traveling a distance of 47 miles. Wichita Falls is a town with a population of 100,000. On that day more than 5000 homes were destroyed, 1700 people were injured, nearly 25,000 people lost their homes, and 47 people were killed.

I was 23 years old, attending our local university (Midwestern State), and living at home when it hit. I was away that evening doing a concert a few hours from Wichita Falls, but my parents survived the storm by getting into a storm cellar just 15 seconds before it hit. This tornado was so large that it actually had a calm eye in the center. Many people were injured because they came out from safety during the eye only to be blindsided by the next wave of winds -which were estimated to be about 220-240 miles per hour.

In less than two minutes our home was gone. What was left of it is pictured above. I had traveled with friends so my car was parked in our front car port which was framed with tall hedges. The carport, hedges and most of the house was gone. My car had been tossed into the living room and was pushed into my brand new Yamaha grand piano.

Electricity and phone service was immediately completely shut down due to all the destruction. In those days there were no cell phones - so I had no way of knowing the fate of my family. I arrived home early the next morning to see destruction so devastating that I could not easily find my own street in a neighborhood I grew up in. When I found my house, I also found my parents sifting through the rubble trying to salvage anything they could. One of the greatest joys of my life was seeing them alive.

One of my best friends, Holly, was also a music student at the university and she managed to ride the storm out inside a bedroom closet holding her dog. When the tornado had passed, she pushed open the closet door and saw that nothing, literally nothing, was left of her home except the closet she was in. As she stood up she bumped her head on a 2x4 that was piercing the closet just inches above her head. I'm thankful she was not seriously injured - we are still great friends today.

My parents later had the piano repaired as best was possible and that is the same piano that you have seen in the Christmas concert videos and on the TQS shows when I play. The scars on the piano are a constant reminder of that day. I would say that day, along with April 24, 2000 (the day I had quadruppel heart bypass surgery) are the two most significant days in my life.

So - what would one remember about such a horrible event? We'll for me - more than the memories of physical destruction - and the phenomenal oddities associated with tornado violence - it was the lessons learned; that material things don't matter as much as family - and the love for life and living. In the days that followed, everyone who was connected with this tragedy witnessed how the human spirit rose to it's highest level and began - with sheer determination - not to be beaten down - but to rise again - to be better - stronger. When any tragedy strikes - such as the recent earthquake in Italy - I feel my heart tug in ways it might not if I had not experienced such devastating loss in my own life.

Facebook recently started a group called 1979 Wichita Falls Tornado - Terrible Tuesday. It is a group open to all - but over a hundred personal stories, impressions and memories of that day are posted. If you are on Facebook, I encourage you to join the group and read some of the post. You will be stunned at the stories that unfolded in those brief life changing moments. If you are not on Facebook, do a google search as well as a YouTube search and learn more about Terrible Tuesday in Wichita Falls, TX.

Today, I count my blessings. I'm thankful I was not at home when it happened, but I have always felt I should have been there and have guilt that my family had to survive it directly. Nonetheless, I believe I was meant to be away - for who knows where I might have been - and I might not be here today if by the grace of God I was not away playing a concert. My prayers today are with those who lost loved ones that day.

Here is a short video recently created to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Terrible Tuesday.

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Thanks everyone for all the great ideas. You have sparked an incredible idea - so stay tuned. By end of the day, here is what the room looked like. Not a winner - but much better. The 'fabric' on the ceiling is there to dampen the echo when we are taping. The floor is painted concrete, and the carpet remnants are there to absorb sound as well. My budget has not included new carpeting - or other flooring, but we have to deal with 'sound' issues for whatever I do.

Today I am shooting some video - more on that in my next blog - perhaps tomorrow, maybe Thursday.

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Before you started reading this you were already gasping and the horror displayed in the photos. Before you start judging - offer some help! Here's the situation.

This room is multi-functional. Most of the time it serves as my sewing space. I don't have an official "studio" or sewing room. Unfortunately, I never have. Over the years, I've had to work in multi-purpose spaces such as my bedroom, my dining room, my office, and even my recording studio. This current space is also used for the production meetings for The Quilt Show during tapings. It is also used to shoot video projects such as Kool Kaleidoscope. You may have also noticed that we use it for taping the short Bernina Today videos with Nina McVeigh and Susan Beck.

In the first photo you will see the main part of the room. There is a large sewing table that also serves as cutting and pressing. There are two folding tables still set up from our recent taping (production meetings), and they are covered with all sorts of odds and ends. You'll see dozens of rolls of fabrics - these are my Red Rooster fabrics (the come to me on a roll). The love quilt is on a temporary design wall that was put up because my main design wall was needed for another project. In the other photo, you'll see an open shelve with a small supply of my fabric stash, er, I mean collection - and various quilting products such as freezer paper, fusible, etc. There is a make up mirror (for Alex) and a box of makeup used when production starts up. My main design wall, is to the left of this open shelf. This is not a complete list of stuff in the photos, but will help you identify some of the things you are seeing.

This room goes from organized (somewhat) to out of control several times a year. This in my first day back into this room since taping - so later today it WILL look MUCH better - but I also know this room will be a disaster again in a few weeks. Before I give you my take on the situation/problem, I'll let you chime in with your advice. What would you do? How do you fix it? What organizational tips/tricks can you suggest. What's missing here that you think will fix it? "Won't you Pleeease Pleeease Help Me?"

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A photo taken during the concert at the Omaha Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar.

We'll Justin and I finish our four day drive today and will arrive in Ocala, Florida sometime after lunch. It was four days because we took one day with my folks in Wichita Falls, TX, then drove to visit his mom near Houston, then last night we stayed in Milton, Florida. Alex and John fly in today and Libby Lehman and the rest of our crew arrive today as well. Tomorrow morning and early afternoon is set up and then the Ocala Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar begins. We know many of you are coming! yeah.

The seminars are becoming destination events for many quilters. If you are interested in attending one, we will be near Seattle, WA in August and the LA area in California in December. Check my website for details.

Heads up - In 2010 (registration and dates for 2010 are not listed on my site yet) we will be in Cleveland, Ohio, Sacramento, CA, and the Cape Cod, MA area.

Who will we see in Ocala? Chime in.

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My roots are in Texas and I'm a Texan through and through. Even though I've been living outside of Texas since 1988, there's nothing like finding things from 'home' that make one wax nostalgic.

As we drove through Texas yesterday it was evident that Spring had sprung there and the bluebonnets were in abundance. The bluebonnet (in the Lupin family) is the Texas state flower and I never cease to get a great deal of pleasure when I'm able to see them growing/blooming on Texas highways. In Colorado we have lupins that are similar - Justin and I saw a vine-like lupin at Machu Picchu that reminded me of bluebonnets, but nothing beats the real deal. So at a gas station stop I found a small patch and took about 100 photos in 5 minutes. The photo above was taken at that stop.

What is your state/provincial/country flower? Have you ever stitched it in a quilt - or do you have a desire to do so?