Daily Blog

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Gregory Case, the quilt show photographer, gave Alex and me a bottle of champagne when he arrived before the tapings last weekend. In all the hustle and bustle we never remembered to pop it open. So, Alex just called and suggested that our dye class celebrate our 10,000 member mark. We just did - complete with dye gloves! Justin is teaching the class today - I am tomorrow. Tonight - all of our Wolrd Quilt Community members should raise a glass! We've reached our first milestone. This is only the beginning! Whoo Hoo and here's to all of you!

(Photo by Shirley Hammond) 

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Meet Ryan Lynch from Chicago. He's now taking all the tapes and putting the shows together. What you eventually see are his magic of assembling and rearrangine camera shots to make the show flow logically. He is just another vital part of the production team. He has some great experience (Like the 2007 Bud Bowl for the Super Bowl), but we like that he's young and fresh and will bring us something a bit more unique. - thanks Ryan!

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While you may not fully understand the scope of our new project, I think most of you know there is a lot that has gone into the production of the site and the show. However, we do get emails with questions such as the one below. I hope my reply will answer the ultmiate question - Why do I have to pay?

Q: How come you are charging to watch your episodes, when we can all see your simply quilts
shows for free at HGTV and DIY websites? Seems like a waste of time when we have all seen
your techniques and different quilts made over 100 reruns a year.

A: Your question is a very good one. You might not realize that Simply Quilts did not come to you for free. You paid a cable or satellite bill and a portion of that bill each month went to HGTV or DIY. There are millions of people with cable so even if a few cents from your bill is distributed to those networks, it adds up to a significant amount of money enabling them to produce and deliver all of the shows you see on those networks.

In addition to the shows, we are producing a full-service quilt site that even without the video content is the worlds' first of it's kind and offers the opportunity for the entire quilt world to connect with each other. The entire project is unprecedented, massive, time consuming and costly.

This new site is like a virtual quilting magazine. Perhaps you don't subscribe to quilting magazines, but it's still the same - something you pay a small fee for so that it can be produced and delivered to you. All magazines function due to a combination of subscriptions and advertisers/sponsors - we are no different.

Our goal is to enrich and inspire quilters and keep the industry thriving so that quilt shops will continue to exist and that quilt shows will continue to thrive so that our craft/art will remain strong for many more years. We certainly understand that it may not be for everyone. We are offering the opportunity for those who are skeptical to watch the first episode for free once it posts.

We all pursue visions, hopes, and dreams. Whatever your dreams are, I hope that that you will pursue them with passion and that your life will be rich because of it. I hope that you will follow your heart just as we have followed ours  even if others consider it to be a waste of time.

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Whew!

It was an incredible ride getting the first six shows shot. The audience was awesome, the guests were great. The energy in each show was ourtrageous and tonight Alex and I are both having moments where we feel overwhelmed with the way it all came together.

We don't do it alone so it's time to let you see the crew.

Back Row Left to Right: Gregory Case (Photo Man), Dan Haberer (Director) Izzy Jimenez (Technical Director), Brian Day (Crew Manager, Camera/Audio), Wayne Evans (Camera), Brad Wallace (Jib Camera, Art Director), Bob Purcell (The Thead Guy), Cheryl Uribe (Gizmo Girl), Justin Shults, (Bad Bart)

Front Row: Beverly Price (Producer), Jeff Bilyeau (Videographer/Life Saver), Angel Hawthorne (Producer), Alex and Ricky

There were plenty of other people who helped in unofficial positions. It was a great few days - and now - - to editing......

photo: Elena Morera

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Meet Bad Bart - aka Justin Shults, one of the J's in ARJJ - executive producers of The Quilt Show. At a quilt retreat in La Veta about 2 years ago, the students saw this statue and just HAD to buy it because it looked so much like Justin. They dubbed it the La Veta Quilt Police.

Not only is it a spitting image of Justin (a conincidence), but it is now the "Mini Me" of Bad Bart - the crowd wrangler "entertainer" for the audience during the warm-up and break. If you read any comments from yesterdays blog posts, you'll have heard mention of of Justin and Bad Bart - one in the same. It sort of a flip flop on the idea that the rule breakers get arrested. In other words, it is the quilt police that get arrested so the rest of us can break all the rules.

Photo by Gregory Case

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I'm just finishing up lunch waiting for everone to come back and I thought you might like an update. The first show was smooth sailing without a hiccup at all! Well, okay, nothing is perfect, but when you finish up an hour early, you know it went well - Wow! - Just as we had hoped, the added dynamic of having an audience is electric.

Here is a photo of our GOBO - a light sencil - that appears on one wall at times. Who knows when we can post another blog - but stay tuned!

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It is 6:00am and I have arrived to the gallery/studio on the day of our first shoot to have a bit of personal quiet time on this momentus day. In less than an hour the crew will start arriving. In less than two hours the audience will be arriving. This quiet moment will crescendo into a noisy roar and the hub-bub of activity will rule the day.

But for now - this is my time - a quiet time. I walked into the studio turned on only our gallery lights so I could just reflect a bit on the past four months. Wow - has it only been four months since this endeavor began? I'm feeling very blessed and very thankful - okay - and maybe a bit overwhelmed.

Anyway - here is a glimps into the home of The Quilt Show. It's not Hollywood - it's just a cozy space in a small mountain town. Maybe you can imagine yourself in one of those chairs at a future taping. I like seeing them empty because no one has 'staked a claim' - which for me represents that they are open to everone - all of you will be with us in spriit today as we tape the first two shows. Thank you for helping us make this happen - we couldn't do it without you! - It truly takes a village. It's a new day - and we thank you!

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Yep - another glimpse into the future. The set is dressed - the curtains up - pillows strewn about - workstation in place - and audience chairs in place. It was time for a rest - so Alex and I took a few minutes for a newspaper interview for the Pueblo Chieftan. The producers, directors and editor arrived today - along with my mom, dad and aunt. It's a countdown to Lights - Camera - Action! (photo -Gregory Case)

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Hey, I'm not the normal guy! I DO notice things - and I have noticed that Alex has been encroaching inch by inch into my work space. Yesterday she completey invaded my side of the office. By the way - For those who have thought we must live and work in ivory towers, this should prove quite the contrary - this isn't Hollywood baby - this is real - and we LOVE it!

Yesterday Alex and I put aside the creative 'office' work and went down to the gallery to hlep Justin and our set builder, Rick, with construction. Check out Alex's blog for photos of the Quilt Show colors going up on the set! It's a New Day - Whoo Hoo!

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Ricky with a koala and Justin with a kangaroo - Australia 2005

Ricky and Justin - planting oaks in a 'wrath' on a farm in Ireland - 2006.

You might think we never change clothes! - I just realized that we are both wearing the same shirts in both places - in photos taken over a year apart. I assure you, I take a shower at least once a week and clothes get washed at least once between visits to other countries - LOL.

I LOVE traveling to far away places to learn about the culture and beauty of foreign lands. The photos above are just a sample of the many photographs from my international travels.