It took me a long time to get plugged into the quiltng community here in Germany. Not because I didn't want to, but often it was simply a matter of how? It started with a chance "online meeting" with another quilter in Germany that eventually grew into a quilting group. Then after I started posting regularly on Instagram, and eventually attending Nadelwelt, some of those online connections with other quilters in Germany became more personal.
As I mentioned in my last post, I've recently had two teaching events that were canceled because of caronavirus... and now there's another to be added to the list - a summer workshop in July with Victoria Findlay Wolfe - in Germany!
I realize that I'm not the only who has had their world turned upside down... everyone has had important things cancelled... everyone has had things that they were looking forward to that just won't happen. I'm very sad for my niece, who totally lost all the would-be memorable experiences of her senior year. In light of the magnitude of things, I know that missing a silly little class pales in comparison to what some are going through right now.
As with my teaching events that were cancelled, it's not really about any loss of income... but more about loss of contact and interaction with other quilters - you just don't find a quilter on every corner here. We had even booked a little vacation apartment with three other quilters - fantastic women, who are talented quilters and lots of fun... not to mention several other quilters that I knew were traveling to be there. It was essentially to be a big social meet-up right in my "back yard"! (instead of me having to travel south)
You may remember that last summer, I was already getting ready for this class... it might have seemed a little crazy at the time to be getting prepared so far in advance, but since I knew what was on my calendar, I didn't want to feel stressed because I had to throw something together at the last minute.
So, after I got word that the class was cancelled, I decided to pull out all those pieces and give it a whirl. Now, I never expected that this would be the kind of block that you just whip up. Since I've been sewing for so long, curves and y-seams don't scare me. I can't really say that this block is hard, per say, but it can be a patience tester. I am a big fan of sewing bigger, and trimming afterwards - it's what works for me. So, when you have to manage exact match ups on that many curves, it can be a challenge... and with nine blocks already cut, I'm kind of pretty committed!
So, during this social distancing time, I've starting climbing a Mount Everest... by myself. Are you climbing any mountains right now too?
When the quilting community where is you live is so small, it makes it worth your while to take the extra effort to make real connections happen. I think that it's safe to say, that the majority of my quilting friends and connections have come via the Internet. The even more exciting part of that, is that I've had the opportunity to turn many of those online connections to real life ones.
I have actually followed Rachel's blog, Stitched in Color for quite some time now... falling into the all too common "silent reader" category, and only later on Instagram commenting back and forth more frequently. Since she has recently moved to Europe, we now have the commonality of both being American expats. I have to admit, that I am really glad that I have some of those challenges of living in a foreign country already behind me. Each step was a process, and I know exactly what she is going through having made the brave leap.
Recently my husband and I traveled to the Netherlands for our anniversary. In the days before our trip, it dawned on me that Rachel could be somewhere close by... when I googled it, I realized it was only about an hour from where we were staying!?!
Since I had been mulling it over in my mind for months to send her one of my quilts, I decided that our travels would take us too close to not see if an in-person hand over would be possible (how awesome is that, that your husband takes a detour to listen to you "talk shop" on your anniversary trip?!?)
I found her to be very warm and pleasant, exactly as she comes across on her blog. I got the feeling that she really cared about the quilting that she was doing... especially since she knew that this was to be a very personal quilt, and planned to be used frequently in our living room!
Needless to say, I am super over the top excited about how the quilt turned out. Since I am more into organic and natural shapes, the plumage design was my first pick. I had the idea to make the design a bit bigger to give it a more modern feel. It was actually very helpful for me to talk it over in person, not to mention that we had some other fun quilty conversations too.
Welcome to this small, but open quilting community here... you might have to dig deep to find them, but when you do, you'll find that they are gold!
... and if you happen to be in Europe, Rachel is offering a €20 discount on her quilting services this week! Just use the code: jumpstart.
I'm back! What?... didn't you notice that I was gone? This year we were blessed to be able to visit my family again in the US. Usually a few months before we travel home I notice that I feel like my emotional tank is almost on empty. Expat living can have it's challenges, and while I generally do I ok for most of the year in Germany, I find that I REALLY need time that I can just be me... effortlessly. without thinking. in my own language. in familiar surroundings. with people who are just as familiar as my own face.
With three airplanes, that are sandwiched in between two long drives, it might be easy to see why our travels are planned for such a long time. While I deeply savor the down time, and sliding back into the "just being me" role, I notice that shortly after jet lag is a passing memory, that my fingers start to itch.
During the summer I was able to get together with my aunt for a little "shop talk". I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her explain that she has the same "need" to create - it just has to come out! (insert image of me nodding my head vigorously in agreement during the whole conversation, while taking pleasure in knowing that I am not the only one who feels this way)
But what's a girl who has itching fingers, but no sewing machine supposed to do? Well, when her mini iron breaks, and applique blocks are no longer an option... then she buys fabric at half price, and cuts it up!
I generally don't cut for a whole project at one time, but this one happens to fit that case. Next July I will attend a class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe. It might sound a little over the top to be preparing for it so far in advance, but since cutting fabric was just about the only thing I could do during summer break, I just had to go with it... not to mention that I pretty much have my sewing/pattern writing/teaching calendar planned through next summer!?!
So, make sure you get a good look at this project because you won't see it again until next summer. I have to say that I'm glad that I was able to get everything cut for this quilt, so I don't have to stress about prepping in the middle of an already busy schedule... when the time roles around for the class, I can just sit down and sew. Hmmm...
My favorite time of the year in Germany has to be April/May... it's when the grey veil finally rolls back, vibrant touches of spring flowers have ushered in the season, and fields of gold are to be seen everywhere you look.The golden canola blooms bring with it the beginning of the best meal that you can find in Germany... Spargel! (white asparagus.. read more about it here)
Living in the country means that such color delights for the eye are just at your back door... literally. I told my husband last week that this field, just a mere matter of steps from our house, is too perfect to pass up the opportunity for a background for a photo shoot. And what could make that field any lovelier, but a quilt in front of it... or is it the other way around that the sprawling blanket of gold is what makes the quilt lovelier?
In any case, Nadelwelt is this week, and in spite of the fact that I've been considerably absent, I wanted to share this quilt top that I finished a while back... perhaps more than that, I just wanted to share the view from my sewing room.
If you are even just a tiny bit involved in the quilting scene, then like me, you wait for the "big" quilting events like Quilt Market and Quiltcon to come around. During the event you scour the internet like a hungry lion for little sneak peeks and glimpses, and think to yourself... "oh, how I wish I was there."
It was more than a year ago that I started planning that I wanted to go to Quiltcon 2019... it fit perfectly - my cousin is in Nashville, and my family on the East Coast! But when the time to register came around, I was half way around the world on vacation, and missed my window of opportunity.
So I did what any good quilter would do... indulged myself in a consolation prize. Had I gone to Quiltcon, I would have signed up for a class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe. I immediately fell in love with her Cascade quilt from her Modern Quilt Magic book... but since I won't be Nashville bound, then I decided that her book, acrylic template, and a couple of her fabrics would be a good way to console myself for being a day late and a dollar short.
Over four weeks of idle fingers is somehow the perfect storm situation for starting a new project... just gotta cut into those newly acquired bought-while-on-vacation-fabrics. But the biggest twist in the story is that before I knew it, I had a finished top on my hands that came together faster than I could post about it. How did that happen... especially since this is curved piecing?!?
Now I've got a self imposed deadline, so this might be finished sooner rather than later. Well, keep your fingers crossed... make no promises, tell no lies, right? Do you have any come-together-faster-than-you-can-blink projects to share?
