eQuilter Blog

Ahhhh….nothing like a good quilt show to get those creative juices blasting!

What could be better than that? – Interviewing the top quilter in Australia (according to the 2012 Best of the Best award at the AQC last week) and asking her what goes on in that brilliant head of hers when she is making another award-winning quilt!

While we are waiting for our video interviews from the show, I can share with you that Merelyn Pearce found an inspiration (the artwork of Australian printmaker Margaret Preston) and turned it into a series of eye-popping masterpieces.

Creating a body of work requires diligence, patience, passion, and lets be frank here…maybe sometimes a little OCD? (Read about famous creative people with OCD here.) I don't know if that includes Merelyn, but I must admit I got a little short of breath when inspecting the minute applique and stitching details on her large intricate quilts!

One of the things I enjoy at quilt shows is watching and listening to people admiring the quilts. In the case of Merelyn's work, they get up VERY close, gasp, hold their breath, then gasp again and say "How did she DO that?!" Well gosh we all know what it takes – *wink* – tens of thousands of hours of practice, infinite patience, good eyesight (or good glasses!), a steady hand, and the willingness to do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes.

The reason it blows us away is because it is hard to imagine taking on any commitment that will take that much time…as our lives get busier and our days are filled with more information, more obligations, more more MORE….

And yet, there comes a point where we have no choice but to give it all up just so we can take the time to do something that makes us happy…something that will heal our body, mind and soul.

So why wait? Start sewing now! *grin*

Trip and quilt images will be posted all week on my photo page.

Many sincere and humble thanks to all the quilters who opened their hearts and homes during my visit to Australia – special thanks to Pam, Leslie, Sue and Jenny!

This weekend there is an Yves Saint Laurent retrospective opening at the Denver Art Museum. The NY Times comments that Denver is an unlikely place for such an exhibit, but I am sure it will be mobbed. I can't attend the opening this weekend because I'll be on my way to visit my friends Nicole and Michael in Sarasota, Florida…which is like visiting a museum.

When I met Nicole, she was the head patternmaker for Oscar de La Renta and we were both working out of the same silk dress factory in Hong Kong. Her background as a couture patternmaker includes working with Christian Dior, Adri, and she was the head patternmaker for Halston's NY runway shows.

Nicole has a closet full of couture clothes and evening gowns. The last time I visited, she said "I don't know why I keep them – none of them fit anymore." However, we both know why she keeps them. That closet is a museum-worthy treasure trove.

I'll be staying at their house, which is full of art, antiques, textiles and stories. The two of them met in the 80's, when we all lived in Hong Kong. (Nicole and I were flatmates for awhile too.) They've lived all over the world, and their home is a reflection of their past and ongoing travels. Nicole especially likes to show Sophie the antique jewelry from China….

We love to hear their stories. The one I like to hear again and again is when they went to a royal wedding in India, which lasted for over a week in a historic palace. I have lots of good stories about living and traveling abroad, but this couple definitely tops me, with tales of traveling in the USSR in the 60's, and visiting the interior of China before it opened up to Nixon.

Nicole is a fanatic textile collector, and whenever I visit, she always manages to bring out another vintage treasure with a detailed story to match. Every time I stay there, I learn something new about museum quality antique textiles. Handmade lace tablecloths, embroidered silk robes from the Qing Dynasty…there's always something new to explore in her closets. Nicole was the first person to show me what it is to be a feverishly passionate textile fanatic, and I've been collecting ever since. Gives the word "Stash" a whole new meaning, hmm?

Lately I've been reading various articles about brain research and creativity. It is quite entertaining to learn about various studies which prove music, color and fragrance can stimulate our creativity and memory. We've known for awhile that Bach and Mozart can stimulate the brain and potentially raise the IQ, but we are just now valuing creativity enough so that researchers have to spend time and money to prove what we creative-types already know: sensory stimulation lights up the creative centers of the brain!

Every artist and creative person I know, has figured this out. This ranges from taking a dance class, to aromatherapy, and having an "Artist's Date" – i.e. going to a gallery, art museum or concert.

I have always wondered, why do we have to get permission from a book or a scientist to accept what we already know – that being exposed to a live performance or viewing art in person is incredibly inspiring.

Whether you go the opera, attend gallery openings, listen to street musicians, or watch a painting demo… to witness creative expression is to light the creative fire within…and apparently also lights up the creative centers of the brain.

Because of my background as a classically trained musician, I love to expose my kids to classical music, and then allow them to fall in love with the composer or genre of their choice. This last week I was playing Bizet's "Carmen" in the car, and then the kids were whistling the famous theme melody the rest of the week. Sneaky huh?

I am sure most of you have seen the classic movie "Room With a View". (If not, go download it now!) There is a famous haunting aria in this film – from a seldom-performed short opera by Puccini. You have probably never hear this piece anywhere else but the movie, but if you heard the melody you'd instantly remember that famously luscious visual of the Italian countryside. The scene has such sensual depth that you can almost smell the Italian countryside fragrance when the aria is played.

Sophie and I went to see our local university's opera company Sunday afternoon, and much to my surprise, this was one of the short operas performed. It is called "Gianni Schicchi" and only lasts about an hour. When the soprano began to sing this aria, there was an audible gasp from the audience, and their delight in hearing this piece performed was as deliciously heavy as night-blooming jasmine.

How do you stimulate your brain's creativity?

While on the coast of Thailand last month, I snapped this image of an egret browsing the fishing nets for snack opportunities. It reminded me of how we go shopping for fabrics, jewelry or even fresh produce. We switch into this highly focused visual mode, and when we see what we want, we *pounce*!

Here at eQuilter, we've been stocking the fishing nets for 13 years, and we sure get a kick out of the creativity that is displayed in your orders. Because we have the largest quantity of products online and ready to ship (22,000 in stock – and over 1200 new products per month) the combinations of fabric and color are endless…and constantly changing.

Sometimes on the weekend, or in the evening when everyone has gone home, I like to walk through our warehouse and really have a close look. Although we merchandise our products by color and motif on our website (so you can find similar groups of coordinating fabrics faster), they are organized by manufacturer on our shelves.

Sometimes I just like to walk down one of the batik rows, to breathe in the saturated colors and exotic designs. Sometimes I stand in a row with lots of shimmering Asian prints that are loaded with opulent gold metallic. It still takes my breath away to walk through the rows of gorgeous artwork, and marvel at the vast range of talent and beauty that exists in this industry.

I admit, I am a fabriholic, and I am really lucky that I turned my fabric "problem" into an asset, with my husband as business partner, and I can share it with all of you! In addition we have a lot of fabric heads working at eQuilter, so when the crates arrive daily and the colors tumble out, we can all ooh and ahhh together as the day's treasures are revealed.

In March 1999, we made our little website public, with a few hundred batiks and Asian prints, and started shipping from the basement of our home. Paul had finished the basement for my 40th birthday so I could have a nice big studio at home, and then we filled it up with bolts of fabric for what I thought would be a little part time home business. Ha!

Now our basement is back to being my sewing studio, and Sophie is working down here on a quilt for the next batch of orphanage gifts…but I still write the newsletter in the basement just like I did 13 years ago when we sent out the first email. Some things never change, and the love of fabric that I share with all of you, is one of those enduring truths that brings us all such pleasure. Now I think I'll go pet my stash….