That's a Wrap!

I did it!  Whew.  There I am on the set of Quilting Arts TV.  What you can't see is the butterflies that were fluttering about in my stomach.  I had such a sleepless night - tossing and turning - complete with major anxiety dreams.  My "call time" was 9:30am, but I didn't tape anything until about 4pm.  All that waiting time meant a wild roller coaster of nerves and calmness.

I was the last one to arrive at the studio.  The green room was full of chattering quilty ladies when I arrived.  And they all seemed to know each other.  Super intimidating.  (And truth be told, I recognized quite a few of them from their books, DVDs, etc.)  So, I slunk in rather quietly and waited for my turn in the makeup chair.  Here's a close up of me all dolled up with more makeup than I've ever worn in my life!

I'm strictly a moisturizer and chapstick kind of gal, so it's fun to see this (somewhat foreign) version of myself. 

After makeup (and a bit of hairspray), I chatted with some of the other amazing guests (including Frieda Anderson, Maria Elkins, Yvonne Porcella, Loralie Harris, and Laura Wasilowski) in the green room.  At lunch, Laura passed on some excellent advice.  When she was younger, an older artist became frustrated with Laura's complaining about not having time to do her art. Laura had young children at the time and felt very stretched by all the demands of life.  The older artist said, "Either you're an artist or not.  Your family may need you, but they don't need you all the time."  Laura went on to say that it's a choice.  And she's been very happy with the one she made.

Everyone's work was gloriously cool.  (When you're in the green room, you can watch the segments being taped on the monitor.)  I didn't manage to get photos (I got shy around all that famous-ness and didn't want to be a silly fan girl), but Maria Elkins' husband was showing off this quilt of hers, and I couldn't resist a snapshot:

Um...she's kind of amazing.

The taping itself went really well.  Host Pokey Bolton, was so sweet.  She had a hectic day, taping all the openings and working with six different guests!  I know there were photos taken of the two of us on set, and a few of me with the other amazing guests  But, they were all taken with other people's cameras, so I'll have to wait to get my hands on those! 

And I have to thank producer Kathie Stull and her assistant, Katherine Lamanscu, who always make sure the day goes smoothly.  They both made me feel very, very relaxed, as did the entire crew.  Helen Gregory, Quilting Arts Magazine's Managing Editor was also there, keeping an eye on things in the green room.  Thanks, all around!

You can check out some bits and pieces from the set below....

It's very Martha Stewart or Pottery Barn, don't you think?

And how's this for awesome good news?  Pokey took three of my quilts for publishing in Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine, and my ribbon cuff, two scarves, two different necklaces, and a pair of earrings for publishing in Quilting Arts Magazine's Gift Issue!  I have to write the corresponding articles now, but I'm totally thrilled!  It will be my first time in both magazines. I subscribe to both of them, but I've never considered my work "good enough" to submit.  It took all of my strength not to giggle uncontrollably when she asked if I minded her taking them!

Well, thanks for letting me share!  Now that it's all over, I feel relaxed and maybe just a little sad that it's all over.  The episodes should air starting in June 2009 on PBS.  You can check local listings for it.

Thanks for stopping by!