eQuilter Blog

In "the old days" children were brought up to go into the family business. They were raised in the soup of the trade chosen by their father, and steeped in the traditions of what was often a multi-generational occupation. Choosing one's own livelihood was a luxury.

These days kids are encouraged to follow their passion to find true success. So now when one's offspring express a desire to follow in the parents' independent vocational footsteps, it is a bit ironic.

Our daughter Sophie didn't inherit her entrepreneurial moxie from our DNA (she was adopted from China in 2003) but she has plenty of her own ambition. She has certainly been soaking up the love of fabrics since she was a toddler. For quite some time now, she's come to the office several days a week, and especially likes to have the run of the fabric warehouse on the weekends. Many years ago she declared that when we retire, she'll take over running the business for us.

That may or may not happen – who's to say? – but she definitely has the fabric bug, and the appreciation for beautiful works of fabric art.

Do you remember your first fervent gushing and unabashed appreciation of beautiful fabrics and quilts? Sophie often belly-laughs out loud at a whimsical quilt, as you will see in the first 2 videos we made at the Long Beach Quilt Festival. She will gasp out loud "How did she DO that?!" along with the grownups at a quilt show.

She wanted to make these videos to share her favorite quilts with other kids, but I bet you grownups will enjoy them too! We made 4 of her "Kids Eye Review" videos in Long Beach… the 3rd and 4th will be posted later this week!

I was very lucky as a kid. Nobody told me that I should follow a particular "practical" career. I started off as a music major, then switched to art and design. It never occurred to me that I wouldn't have success….because I was following my heart. Our business is a living embodiment of that passion for beauty, and the fabrics we ship around the world are like a global group hug …shared between members of the Secret Society of International Fabriholics. Tee hee!

Saturday night I'll be writing to you from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England. Last year the big hit at this show was the Tentmakers of Cairo…and now we have the book from this exhibit as well!

* This quilt was made by Timna Tarr, and was shown at the Long Beach Quilt Festival in July 2012. Sophie is 10 years old, and is starting 5th grade today!

If you are a long time reader of our newsletter, you may know that I am a classically trained musician. I was a music performance major at CU here in Boulder, before I went on to get my fashion design degree at FIDM in Los Angeles. I still have a passion for classical music, and attending a live performance is one of my great creative energizers.

Last Friday was the season finale of the Colorado Music Festival at the Chautauqua auditorium, which is at the base of our scenic Flatirons here in Boulder. I have a connection to the festival because the founding conductor (Giora Bernstein) was my conductor in the CU orchestra.

Anyway, here's what I wanted to share:
There is a magic moment, toward the end of the last piece of a concert, on the final performance at the end of the season, when the musicians hearts are full, and they play with such emotion and passion, that it hangs in the air like a thunder cloud that is ready to release a lightning bolt.

Being a musician, I like to be part of that moment. Often the center front seat in front of the conductor is actually a cheaper seat, and it's as close as you can get to being in the orchestra during the performance. So last night I saw their eyes become moist, I saw the bittersweet smiles and glances exchanged as they entered the last dramatic section of Beethoven's 5th. At the end, as the audience leapt to their feet for a standing ovation for the whole season, I saw the musicians embrace and say good-bye and good luck in the next year.

Over the years, living in LA, Hong Kong and NYC… and for many years now in Boulder….I've had musician friends whose craft requires a heart full of soul and passion, which is expressed through their art. Sound familiar? Often they help me to see things from another point of view, or their artistic passions inspire me to create in my own medium.

Many of you use music in your studio or workspace to motivate and inspire, but I have to share that experiencing a live performance, when possible, casts a golden creative glow that lasts for a long time. (and it is extended when I play a CD of the same inspiring music)

When I was a young designer, some of my greatest inspiration came from the street musicians playing down in the New York subway platforms…their improvised music echoing through the tubular acoustics of the underground chambers. Those were bittersweet moments too – seeing such talent being expressed by a lonely musician on a sweltering train platform.

Try adding some music to your creative process – live music or perhaps some unusual world music CDs – and see what happens!

Sometimes you have a week that just stops you in your tracks, and makes you ask yourself… what really matters?

Monday morning I started thinking really hard about an old friend of mine. It seemed random at the time, but a couple hours later I got the message that she had died 24 hours earlier. I felt very close to her in that moment: I felt Kathy had somehow come to say good-bye.

Kathy, Bonnie and I worked together at Joseph Magnin's for one year, when we were all 19 years old. Before the year was up, Bonnie had died in a head-on car collision on a mountain road – from a drunk driver. Now Kathy is gone – her breast cancer had turned into bone cancer – her remission suddenly turned on her a couple weeks ago. She leaves behind 3 biological children and 7 adopted children from Russia and Eastern Europe.

So this month when we mail out our check to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, it will be sent in her name. However, every month when we send out those checks to our charity recipients, we know that there are unspoken names attached that represent our customers' loved ones. When you make a choice to support a charity, there is a story, and often a name attached to your choice.

I looked on Kathy's Facebook page to copy some photos of her, and there was no "portrait" photo with her alone. In every photo she was leaning in to hug another person in the image. In every single photo she was giving her love to another person.

She had found one of the basic truths in life – that true happiness is found by giving to others, by supporting others, and by focusing on others' needs. This is also what quilters do. They make quilts that comfort, heal and express love. We can see that so clearly in the large pile of comfort quilts that has arrived in our office in the last couple weeks, for the Fire Victims of Colorado. The stitches are just vibrating with love and care.

This last weekend we stopped at the Long Beach Quilt Festival on the way home from Hawaii. After visiting 2 elder relatives who were in the hospital in Honolulu, we were in a contemplative mood at the quilt show. I was thinking about the cycles of life – how we care for our children and our elders – and then the wheel turns and we ourselves are getting older.

This exquisitely detailed 3-D nature study by Holly Altman really reminded me of the Tides of Life…and how even as the Tide recedes, life flourishes in the changing waters. Holly's piece was hanging at the entry to the show, so if you attended the show I am sure it caught your eye.

Every day is a gift, and I thank Kathy today, for reminding me of that treasure. For an artist or creative person, every day is an opportunity to express beauty and truth, and heal a little piece of the world around us.

As the Olympics kick off in London, we dream of peace and brotherhood, and the prosperity of spirit that arrives with the games.

Last night, after the kids and I attended the Long Beach Quilt Festival, we snuggled into our hotel room to watch the Parade of Nations, the athletes and their flags, as they came smiling and waving into the Olympic Stadium. The lighting of the torch still brings a bittersweet tear, as we dare to hope, dare to wish that this peaceful spirit might infect the population of the world.

Sophie was excited to see all the athletes from China, and I just had a great time seeing all the smiling faces of the flagbearers and athletes from 205 countries.

If these are games you wish to commemorate with a quilt, you may already know that the Olympic logo of the 5 colored rings, are a closely-guarded copyright. However we have many sport-themed prints, and you can always re-create that image yourself with 5 circles. Whether you follow the swimmers, gymnasts, equestrians, track athletes, baseball, soccer or basketball…we have fabrics for almost every sport.

We've been stockpiling British and London-themed prints for months now, so you can mix together English, international and sport designs for your own commemorative Olympic quilt project!

During the Long Beach Quilt Festival, we worked with Pam Holland to film a "Kids Eye Review" of the quilt show with Sophie, so you can look forward to that video in the near future.

I wish you the infectious idealism and many smiles from the Summer Olympic Games. As the athletes give their personal best, we can all ponder how to apply that attitude and enthusiasm to our own creative work. I know I will!