Rooted in Mississippi

Okay, I did not get regular exercise at seminar, I did not eat regular meals, and I did not belly dance.  Sunday was my first day back home, but I did not really get back into the swing of things.  I started my day by working on the most recent issue of CQMagOnline, before I went to brunch with my husband.  I came back and finished working on the magazine…behold; the latest issue has been published! 

I also managed to get several loads of laundry done.  I even pulled one of my down comforters out of storage, put on a fresh duvet and put it on the bed.  It has finally cooled off here in Jackson.  We made a trip to the grocery and did all of those mundane household things.  I even went to my regular belly dance class.  It was so wonderful to get back into a routine, even if I have to interrupt it again for the TVR Board Meeting later in the week.

Yesterday morning we took the dogs in for their annual check-up and shots.  They need to have their teeth cleaned, so we will be taking them back for that some time soon.  It was a minor drama.  They were stressed and were puny all day long, so I stayed with them instead of going to the gym or running errands.  I did get caught up on email and my blog reading.  I did get my education report done for the TVR Board meeting, but not the newsletter for Mississippi NeedleArts.  Oh, well. 

I am going to the gym today, no matter how much I would like to be a couch potato.  I can’t believe how easy it is to fall out of the good habits and fall into the bad ones!

Speaking of bad habits, any recommendations for needlework and/or knit shops in Birmingham or Huntsville?  I already know about Knit Nouveau, but this will be my first visit to her new shop. 

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It was wonderful to spend a week with people who all share a common interest in needle work, but I am exhausted.  The car trip to and from Richmond was really too much, but I can’t imagine how I would have fit all of my stuff on to a plane.  I guess I need to learn to get by on less, but I sure do like having everything there when I need it.  I also like to dress up for banquets, because I really never get a chance to do that at home.  I did manage to walk a lot of stairs, including two trips up twelve flights! 

I like taking classes for two reasons, for the technique or for the teacher.  I fell in love with the alphabet at the bottom of the 17th.Century Whitework piece in Atlanta.  I love needle lace and I love historical needlwork, so it was not surprising that I was so drawn to that project.  I actually tried to pre-register for a different class (Elizabethan Pond), but instead of going to lottery for that class, I decided that I wanted to learn something new.  I had a few problems with my pre-work, but it all worked out in the end.  I decided that I would remove the fifth band and move the basting lines up for the needle lace alphabet.  I need to put it on my large scroll bars to continue working on it.  I was planning to cut out my work on the needle case and start over with linen thread instead of the silk, but the teacher gave us separate directions for it and permission to make as many of them as we wanted, so I will finish this one and do it over in linen.

I pre-registered for classes for next year in Chicago, but I will not know if I get it until December.  I am hoping that I will be lucky enough to get a class with Jane Nicholas.  I lost the lottery for her classes when she was here for the national seminar in Rye, NY.  Maybe 2007 will be my year to finally get into on of her classes.  I really liked some of the crewel projects too, but I will not really get excited until I see the catalog and start making real plans.

I just started talking with the rest of the CyberStitchers board members about trying to arrange something at seminar next year or at the 50th Anniversary in Louisville.  We need to find a better way for all of us to get together than just trying to meet for lunch, especially if they are going to have lunch in shifts.  We need to work harder to retain members and meeting one another goes a long way toward establishing those bonds.  It has been wonderful to be able to meet with folks I have chatted with online for months and years.  I hope we can figure out something for future national seminars.

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Before I get into posting about the EGA National Seminar, I decided to respond to an Arty Meme on Bayou Quilts.  So the first five people to respond to the challenge via comments on this blog will get a small piece of fiber art from me, either an Artist Trading Card (ATC) or a fabric postcard.  The catch is, you also have to make the same sort of offer in a post on your own blog.  That means, this is not an exchange, you do not have to send me anything in return, but you must try to pay it forward though your own blog. 

I noticed that my neighbor Rhonda over at Art/Quilts is doing this too. 

Any thoughts?  Anyone want to take me up on the challenge?

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I am finally home, but it is too late for me to really post any more news of the EGA National Seminar.  I will do my best to get online tomorrow AM and finish up the latest issue CQMagOnline.com and post a little to the blog!

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This year instead of Merchandise Night they had a vendor Emporium that was open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM!  There were a lot of people there both times I made the rounds, but there was not a throng of folks all walking through the door at once.  I actually got to see almost all of the merchandise for the first time! I think I made more purchases with more vendors than in years past and it was a more relaxed environment.  I prefer being able to browse, rather than all of that rush-rush, hurry-hurry business.  There was also considerably less jostling and people could even carry backpacks or rolling carts along with them for purchases.  There was a water station and chairs available for shoppers, giving them a chance to rest or prop up their feet for a bit.
 
So here it is 7:00 PM and I am already back in my room, reviewing my purchases and getting ready to work on my stitching before class resumes in the morning! 
 
I also spent some quality time at the Education exhibit this afternoon.    I met some absolutely lovely people and the volunteers could not have been more gracious. It was fun to browse and chat.  If it is all about attitude, the Richmond folks are winners!  In fact, with very few exceptions, everyone has been just lovely.
 
I looked at all of the Group and Independent Correspondence Courses, the winners of the Bobby Pilling awards and the projects being offered at Seminar 2007 in Chicago.  I did preregister, but I have no idea if I will get the class I wanted, no one will until after December 4, 2006.   There were several classes that really, really interested me. There is a good variety of projects and techniques available in Chicago, I am sure there will be something for everyone.  I heard lots of chatter but nothing stood out as a favorite, in fact I only heard one or teacher mentioned twice.  Of course, I have not seen the registration forms, except for my own. 
 
Oh, and on a personal note, my non-stitching friend from DC came down to spend a little time with me.  Of course I dragged her through the Emporium between coffee and lunch. LOL  The great thing about true friends is how the years evaporate when you get together.

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There is something about EGA’s National Seminar.  All the people, all the exhibits, all of the classes, and the knowledge that virtually everyone you see is interested in needlework.  Okay, the occasional hotel staff or business man pops into and out of your field of vision, but for the most part, there are more than 500 folks surging around the place all for the same reason.

I have been a little disconnected here, because Internet use is pretty darn expensive, but I have access for the next 20+ hours, so I wanted to let y’all know that I was alive and well!  I will post again later with some details about the whole seminar experience!

Until then….

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Each one, reach one, teach one.

We need to keep needle arts alive, but more than that, to find a way to see them thrive. Except for a number of lifelong enthusiasts, crafts seem to go in cycles of interest.  Right now knitting is in vogue, but personally, I think it has peaked.  Quilting is farther along on the downside of the cycle, which is evidenced by the dwindling number of books published on the subject.  Just five years ago, quilting books constituted the majority of the craft section in most bookstores.

I remember the last cycle for needlework.  There was a big surge in crewel and needlepoint when I was young.  Then by time I was in high school and college, there were hundreds of books on cross stitch.  There seems to be a small, but consistent market out there for historical needlework, but even that seems to fall victim to the vagaries of time.  Let’s face it, most of us have multiple interests and our focus is subject to change.

Maybe that is why needlework and yarn shops seem to come and go.  Only a very few have managed to last for more than twenty years, and those are usually shops that diversify, do framing or have figured out their niche in a world of big box craft stores.  Some managed to handle specialty items and do mail order and internet sales.  Amazingly, they manage to hang on during the hard times, catering to those few dedicated customers until the market changes and they get more general hobbyists. 

I am hoping we are on the precipice of a new trend, one that will mark the resurgence of needlework and stitching.  There is a way to help that along, reach out to just one person and teach them something. 

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What do you have to offer?

Take an assessment of your skills and talents.  What do you have that is worth sharing?  With whom do you want to share your knowledge?  How do you want to share it?  You don’t have to become a teacher to teach.  What I mean is, you don’t have to develop classes and submit proposals in order to be a teacher.   Don’t be stingy with your talent and knowledge; find a way to share it.

My spinning and weaving guild participates in demonstrations.  I am not teaching those kids how to spin or card, but I am sharing my knowledge with them.  Some of them will be interested.  Some will just be surprised.  Most of them will wonder why anyone would spin wool, when you can buy a sweater.  Others will be fascinated when they realize there was a time before large chain stores. 

Share your knowledge in any way your can.  Teach someone to spin, teach someone how to graft the toe of a sock, teach someone the basket weave stitch, teach someone how to add a link to the sidebar of their blog, teach someone a quilter’s knot, or teach someone how to use a waste knot. Just share what you know and help when you can, in any way you can.

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Join a guild.

Some of my best friends are the people with whom I stitch.  I am a life member of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America, but I belong to more than one chapter, in fact I am a member of three different chapters, including CyberStitchers, and two different regions. 

I also belong to the Chimneyville Weavers and Spinners Guild and the Thread ArtistsGuild. 

It helps to find people who share your common interests.  In the four years since I decided to start an EGA Chapter in Mississippi, I have become good friends with several of the members.  Cynthia, Lisa and I all hang out together whenever we get the chance.  We even take our husbands along with us and go out to dinner together after most meetings. Cynthia lives out of town, so after we got the house habitable, she even spends the night at my place sometime.  We are all going to seminar together too. 

We all stitch and knit.  We all have an interest in most things fiber and craft related.  We all are interested in Belly Dance.  We all seem to enjoy each others company and we never would have met had it not been for EGA.  We found common ground that opened the door to what I hope will be very long lasting relationships. 

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Join a craft related Yahoo Group or email list.

I have met some wonderful people online.  People who I met though different craft related yahoo groups.  No matter what craft you love, there is a Yahoo Group dedicated to it.  It is a great way to have a sounding board for your questions and to get inspiration from other people.  It is also a good place to find out about available resources and information on the art and craft you love.

I have had the good fortune to meet many of the people from my groups in person.  One of them, Cass, lived just forty-five minutes away in Yazoo City!  I went out to Texas for a crazy quilt retreat and was able to meet a bunch of the girls in person.  Now I think of Shay, Barb E, Becky and the gang as family.  I plan vacations out there as often as I plan vacations to see my families. 

I found Cynthia through the EGA National Yahoo Group, even though she was not actively posting there back then.  When I contacted people about starting a chapter in Mississippi, Marie Campbell put me in touch with her friend who had moved to the southern part of the state a few years earlier.  We chatted online and in emails for a while before she came up to Jackson for that first informational meeting in 2002. 

The online groups are an excellent way to meet people who share common interests.  They are a good way to share you work and knowledge.  They are also an excellent place to get inspiration and get new ideas.  Often one interest will lead into another; if you like knitting, you might get interested in spinning.  If you are interested in spinning, you might discover felting.  If you are interested in embroidery, you might want to explore crazy quilting.  If you are already interesting in crazy quilting, you will want to try everything!

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