One of the things I love about being in this industry is watching a newcomer experience the vast abundance of visual stimulation, eye candy, and creative genius that flows constantly through textile and quilt design. There are so many great ideas and colorful expressions that are being pumped through the pipeline every month, that it can be difficult to choose a part of it for oneself!
There is a real "changing of the guard" occurring in the quilt industry now, as the founding mothers and fathers, and industry icons are reaching 30+ years in this business, and are now empowering their kids, their staff and their fans to pick up the banner, restitch the details, and carry it forward into a brave new social media world.
30 years goes by pretty quick, and I am seeing young adults come into the industry with the same starry eyes and big dreams that I had when I took my first design job at the age of 20. I hear them say some of the exact same things that I said in my twenties, and I want to encourage them to follow their dreams and think BIG.
I have been in the quilt industry for 13 years now, although I've worked in textile and fashion design for over 30 years. I've been quilting for 21 years, but I've been sewing since I was a little girl. In the fashion industry it is a given that you have to be tough to get ahead…but I really love that in this industry people actually support each other, share ideas, and see their competitors' health as part of the strength of the overall industry. I feel very lucky to have found my way into this end of the textile business.
(Photo: Luana 22 yrs old, at a garment factory opening in Hong Kong, 1982)
I wanted to share this great TED talk about following your dreams. Josh articulates pretty much my own philosophy about creating success… or creating art for that matter. Sometimes it helps to hear someone talk about a pure concept, then take the philosophy and the symbolism, and apply it to your own life.
Every week as our new shipments come in, I feel the same excitement that I had the first time I went to Quilt Market, and then a month later opened the first boxes full of beautiful new fabrics. We now have a wonderful staff at eQuilter who share the same enthusiasm, from Customer Service up front, to those in the warehouse Cutting Department who "ooh" and "ahhh" as hundreds of bolts every day are pulled, orders cut, fabric folded and shipped out to our wonderful customers – You!
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Check out our new eQuilter Facebook page!
(Sneak peaks of new collections throughout the week)
Visit my photo page for the latest travel photos.
Follow me on Twitter or Luana's Facebook for creative ideas and trends…
clips of my Quilting Arts TV segments on my video page.
The Emerald Isle Tour – June 5 – 15, 2012
Travel with Luana Rubin on this 11-day tour of Ireland visiting Galway, Dublin, Cobh, Killarney, the Dingle Peninsula, Adare, and we will be spending 3-days in the Galway area for the festivities that surround the very first International Quilt Festival of Ireland!
