Hrumph

I want to show you pictures, of my quilts at the show and of what I am working on, but my computer isn’t playing. For some reason it doesn’t like my new big memory card. I do have a plan for getting the pictures off, it involves trying to smile sweetly at others to do it for me, so bear with me. The pictures will be here eventually.

Tuesday I went into London, primarily to get new chair arms, but while I was there I felt I needed to get value for money out of my travel card so a minor shopping trip followed. The most arty purchase was a book of art. I’ve seen a few pieces by Ilene Meyer in other books, but I now have a whole book of them. They are very surreal but I think they have a lot of great quilt concepts in them. If you haven’t seen any do go and have a look at at Meyer World. I will warn you that it is a site that needs flash to view it, something I am normally very much against, but in the case of artists I will sometimes make an exception. I think this particular site is worth the effort.

I don’t know if it is common knowledge but in London we have free papers given away to commuters every evening. There are vendors clustered around all the central London tube stations. I find them very annoying, they block the pavement and seem to really enjoy thwacking me with their papers. I used to try taking one paper to see if it would at least stop the others of the same time assaulting me, but it doesn’t so mostly I just try to catch their arms before I get hit in the chest. I got hit by three in a short walk Tuesday. Not my best effort. However that was nothing, just outside Leicester Square station there were several vendors and I was working hard trying to dodge them. I didn’t see the packing straps they had left on the floor (and were standing on the end of) and I caught my foot. I went flying. Apparently it looked very impressive. From my point of view I had long enough to think “why isn’t my foot moving?” “It’s caught, feels like plastic strapping” “OUCH!”. Followed by lying on the pavement then thinking I needed to move before I got trampled. I hit my elbow, breast and knee. The first two are annoying but my knee is something of a concern. I’ve knocked my knees about a lot and they are very unforgiving these days. Even at the time I knew this was going to be trouble. I did take the time to suggest (OK I wasn’t that polite, I was annoyed) that they might like to use their rubbish bags instead of just dropping the litter on the floor. I don’t know if they took any notice.

Anyway there was a point to that, I can’t stand for any length of time at the moment. My knee just isn’t playing that game. It is bruised and swollen and I can’t even wear my braces without causing it more pain. This is not ideal for a longarm quilter, and actually it isn’t too good for drawing designs. I often kneel on my chair, and always with my right knee. I didn’t know I was right kneed until today. I have tried to rest on it so many times it is just silly.

I have managed to trace off my wings design in two sizes, which is good. I’ve prepared my design for Hever, and the Guild Challenge at the NEC. It’s all things I needed to do, but I would have like to have been able to plan my own work order. Still I have lots more sitting work to do, so I think that is what I will be doing the next few days.

Enlightened

Today has been a day to learn things. I finally got a chance to talk to some of the traders at the show and ask lots of probably dumb questions. I’ve been trying to convince myself I didn’t want to self publish the books I am working on, and I will finally admit defeat. Being who I am with my issues of working for others and having control of my work it is the solution that should fit me best. It will be a lot more work, I will be doing the work of the whole publishing team with the aid of Tet, and I then need to do the work of the marketing team as well. It’s a tall order and a little daunting but I think it is how it has to be. Of course it means I get to gamble my own money on my own idea which is downright scary, but I think if I was prepared for someone else to take the gamble I aught to be prepared to do it myself.

I’ve been thrilled with the response to my patterns. I need to get some more prepared tonight ready for tomorrow. I will be making them available online early next week. The hard work and late nights is so worthwhile went you watch people choosing fabric to make your design. I hope I get to see some of the finished quilts. I am now fretting that there might have been errors that escaped the testing and proof reading. I guess there is nothing I can do about it now though so I will just have to see if I get irate phone calls, and deal with it if it happens.

The show was a lot more lively today. I don’t know if there were more people, or if there were just more excited people, either way it was fun. Where yesterday I was seeing a lot of people I had met before, today I made a lot of new friends, and it was great. I got to give some very short lessons in machine quilting and people who had said they couldn’t do it left with samples proving they could. I really like proving people wrong on that point. I hope they do go home and play some more. I am sure they can produce some great work with a little practice.

Anyway I should shut up and go and draw up some designs. I’ll take a camera tomorrow and try to get some pictures.

And now backwards a little.

I’ve got loads of things done today. A quilt has come together well and I really think it is going where I want it to. The one on the frame though isn’t playing ball and I have a lot of unpicking to do tomorrow. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at it and I think I have to undo a little more than half the work I have done today. On the bright side I think I can alternate quilting with un-quilting. I have areas I can fill in then unpick some more then quilt again. I hope this will make it less depressing as I will be able to see it growing still even as I take it out. I am also hoping it will use different muscles so I won’t get as tired. I can hope right.