Throughout my life, I have been inspired by many female mentors who have made a huge difference in my life.
Tonight at the Association for Sewing and Design Professionals Conference in Vancouver BC, my teacher and mentor Connie Crawford is receiving a Lifetime Achievement award. We will be posting a video related to this, later tonight or tomorrow.
Connie was my tough pattern-making and draping teacher at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising) and I was her A student. Without her support and guidance, I don’t know where I’d be today.
More recently I had a new mentor, Meg Hansson, who at 94 years old had known every single president since Roosevelt. She was one of the early women to shatter the glass ceiling in the 70s and 80s, and was an inspiring combination of visionary businesswoman and philanthropist.
Meg died this week, but she was able to finally vote for a woman for president the day before she left us. She hung on until she got her ballot. She voted…and moved on. I met her when our daughter was poisoned in school, and it seemed like nobody wanted to hear our story. She listened, and as we got to know each other, she told me her stories. I am so lucky to have known her.
So no matter what your preference in this election, I urge you to celebrate the right to vote by filling out your ballot, for all those who came before us, who fought to give us this right ….including the 19th Amendment. (Please no political comments.) I filled out my early ballot, dropped it off, and with all my travels to countries around the world… with varying states of democracy (or not!)….it is still a right I cherish.
Today Sophie and my mom and I went to World Singing Day in Boulder. We joined a group of several hundred people, basically a huge karaoke jam on the lawn of the courthouse on Pearl St. We finished with “Imagine” and “Wonderful World”. We danced, we cried, we sang “Na Na Na” (Hey Jude), we played air guitar, we embarrassed our kids. It was great. Look it up for next year…find or start a chapter in your community.
Next Saturday I will be writing to you from Quilt Market in Houston. I have 2 quilts on exhibit this year, and I will be making videos again at Quilt Festival. I hope to see many of you at the award ceremony Tues Nov 1!
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana
Linda Lampson writes to us:
I was privileged to teach with Connie (then Connie
Amaden) at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in Pasadena in the early 1970’s.
She was an amazing sewing teacher there and her students turned out beautifully tailored coats!!!!!
I may be too late to send her wishes via Luana, but say hello if there is a chance.