Daily Blog

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First day is over, it went by so fast! If I could rate the day on a scale of one to ten, it would clearly be a twelve! As you can imagine, we were all a little on edge (in a good way) last night, but today it came together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Before we went on set this morning, were hanging in the hall listening to the audience and the sound of the crowd was electric. We felt the energy all the way up the stairs and through out the entire buildng. I thought you might enjoy our first offical photo taken moments before the first show, taken by The Quilt Show's official photgrapher, 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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In between the two great iconic American cities, New York and Los Angeles, is a place derogatorily referred to as “flyover” country. Flyover as in there’s nothing worth paying attention to down there. Most Midwest folks don’t seem to give much credence to that thought—they are too busy living productive lives to be concerned about what those big city folks think.

Years ago, near one of those iconic American cities, Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen’s manager, said when he first saw “the Boss” on stage, “I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen.”

Today, in flyover country, I’ve seen the future of quilting and its name is the ubiquitous Internet. This is verified by the fact that you are reading this article, on-line, via The Quilt Show on a web blog. I am betting three years ago, you weren’t reading web blogs about quilting. Additional proof is seen in the popularity of on-line stores, such as, the Fat Quarter Shop, which exist only on-line. Welcome to the future.

Today, Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson, in rural Colorado, specifically La Veta, are betting they’ve seen the future and they want to help shape the quilting future. They are the hosts of a new internet-based “TV-like” show and web site called The Quilt Show (www.thequiltshow.com). Their aim is to create a web “space” where current and future quilters can join in a virtual community to experience and revel in quilts, fabric, teaching, playing and loving quilting.

Alex Anderson, formerly of HGTV’s Simply Quilts, and Ricky Tims, well-known quilter and musician, have known each other for over five years. Last year they started numerous conversations about what they wanted to do together and out of those conversations begat The Quilt Show. The first six shows, which will be taped before a live studio audience, will happen this Friday – Sunday at Ricky Tims' Art Quilt Studio & Gallery in La Veta, CO.

As a quilt and textile photographer, I’ve been blessed to be a part of this experience. I am photographing/documenting and blogging the “behind the scenes” of the show and will be featured in their first taping.

While I was documenting the events of the day, Justin, Ricky’s partner, sent over a photo of a table he was looking at for the set, via his cell phone, while shopping in another city in Colorado. Alex and Ricky looked at the piece of furniture via Ricky’s cell phone and decided whether or not to buy the table (picture here). That’s when it occurred to me—that singular event encapsulated the impact of technology on our lives--they were making a purchasing decision for their new studio, for an internet-based program, that quilters would view via their personal computer, when and where ever they want. In that moment, it was clear: by the creative use of existing communication tools, Ricky and Alex are helping to create an exciting future for you and me.

(Part one of two)

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We have spoken in the past of our dream team, now it is time to put faces to the names. Beverly Price, on the left, comes to us from Chicago. She has many years of producing under her belt with a list of impressive credits including Harpo, ABC and Access Hollywood. Angel Hawthorn, to the right, was my boss at HGTV. Angel left HGTV a year before I did and in fact, she was the shows champion. Because of Angel, we enjoyed SQ for 11 seasons. By the way, because of SQ she is now a quilter. Man oh man, are we glad they are both on the team. Welcome to La Veta ladies!

Photo by Gregory Case 

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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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Several have asked, where are we taping? If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Ricky and Justin's art quilt gallery in La Veta CO, then you know what a fabulous space they have.While La Veta is a bit off the beaten trail, it is worth the effort to get here. The quilts from the gallery have been cleared and the set has been put up. To get a sneak peek of the gallery, visit Ricky's gallery page on his website at www.rickytims.com and browse around. You won't see the set for the show, but you will see the space. It is spectacular. The producers and crew start arriving Wednesday, it's a new day and the new day is NOW!

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So who cares it was SSOO cold last week when I arrived, even us California girls know how to pack! Ricky assured me that this was nothing compared to the first of the year (you might remember the blog with the snow VERY high).

But apparently the word got to the powers that be and Mother Nature is cooperating. Both Shirley and Gretchen are preparing the path for our guests, the crew and parents. That's right, both Ricky's folks and mine plan to be here. This is going to be a TRUE family affair!

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Story Submitted by: RickyTims