Those of you who have older kids have probably
experienced "story fatigue" – when you tell a family legend
and they roll their eyes and start reciting the tale along with you.
But hey, some stories
are worth telling again and again. There are some very special memoirs
that are worth saving – whether it is writing it down, recording the verbal
storytelling, or filming
the storyteller.
A couple weeks ago I had the honor to interview Jinny
Beyer for the Quilters' 'Save Our Stories' project – the quilting world's
version of Story Corps. At the Not Fade Away conference, we recorded an interview
with Jinny that will be archived in the Library of Congress.
She talked about how she got into quilting, how the time she lived in India
had such
a profound effect on her color sense, and then she told the history of the
9/11-inspired quilt which was hanging as our backdrop. (photo above)
The last time I had seen Jinny was at the Australasian
Quilt Convention in Melbourne Australia
last year. I saw her very briefly because she was teaching, and as we parted I
said "We'll talk the next time I see you!" Little did I know that the
next time we spoke, I'd be interviewing her in front of a crowd!
Life as a traveling quilter can be funny like that…
Today was my last day before my big trip to the UK, and Sophie had an
appointment with her orthodontist. She found out today that it is time for her
to get braces,
so next week while I am at the Birmingham Quilt Festival, Paul will take Sophie
for her first prep appointment, and then the braces
go on when I return, 2 days before school
starts. That sounds like a story in the making, doesn't it?
I know many of you will be coming from all over the UK and Europe to the Birmingham
Festival of Quilts this week. I will be at these events, and hope to see
some of you there:
Thursday night – Mary Fisher dinner
Friday night – Fashion Show
Saturday night – Shakespeare in Stratford
Bonnie McCaffery and I will be filming
our videos at the show Friday and Saturday, so perhaps we'll see you on the
show floor? (You can see videos
from our previous years at the Birmingham show, on our video page.)
The first year I went, we photographed
the Tentmakers
of Cairo, and these quilts have gone on to wow quilters at Paducah and
other venues.
Have a great day!
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