Playing catch up and pattern for Organized Chaos

I am not even sure where I had left off. Almost three months after coming back from India, I have started sewing and I can say, that is a clear sign of being settling down. 

Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild asked if I could send them the samples for my upcoming workshops in July. Since I needed the original quilt for couple of presentations and workshops between now and July, I decided to make a new sample.

I pulled first box of fabrics out and it happened to be full of red and orange fabrics and so began the Marigold quilt. Needless to say, I got a bit carried away. There was no way I was going to finish another large quilt in time so I make a smaller sample and sent it it.

While I was working on the sample, I decided to make a smaller version of Rail Fence quilt too.. Just in case, I need another sample!

Yes, that's a shower curtain as a temporary design wall. These days, anything goes as long as I can continue working.

Gwen's baskets are in the making on the side too. I will come back with this post later because it deserves a post by itself.

Meanwhile there is a lot of work, social/family events and just plain old goofing around going on.
I presented at Stitch Modern event back in April, hosted by East Bay Modern Quilt Guild.
I also visited Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild and Baltimore Heritage quilt guild early in May. It was the best time I had on the east coast since I moved out.

I am looking forward to everyone's finished projects from both of those workshops.

Amy showed her finished Hourglass Twist quilt she made at my MAQ 2015workshop in Maryland.

Here are some pictures of wild life my backyard.

 

Oh and back to quilting for a very important news!

You can order Organized Chaos quilt pattern from my etsy shop.  Click on the link below.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Rangolidesigns?ref=l2-shopheader-name 

It sure feels like I am back to sewing whenever time permits. I will be at Santa Clara Quilt guild in June and at Sisters, Orgeon and Ann Arbor, MI in July. I hope to see some of you there! 

Have a great week!

Sujata

Birthdays and upcoming classes in St. Loius and Seattle area

and all sorts of randomness...

On Monday night I received a text from an old friend/neighbor which I have to share today.

Unfortunately, I have not gone to many quilt shops and book stores to check if they are carrying my book so it is always nice to see when someone mentions seeing it at a shop.

She was visiting a quilt shop in McMinneville, Oregon and spotted my book!

There it is! Just sitting happily!

Speaking of quilt shops, In addition to Organized Chaos I have added another class while I am in Seattle. For those of you who have asked, here is the link to the website for the class at Quiltworks Northwest in Bellevue, WA. This is the place I worked and taught classes before moving to PA. I can not wait to go back and teach there.

I hope to see you there!

We just got back from visiting Toronto for few days. My sister surprised her husband for his 60th birthday.  All of his close friends were there along with most of the family members. His party happened to be the day before Shail and my birthday. It was nice to be able to see my son on our birthday. We needed to have our selfie to mark his 24th and my 52nd birthday don't you agree?

Kavita joined us from her month long trip on the west coast. She spent volunteering on farms in Oregon and Washington state as her summer experience. I am pretty proud of her.

At the end of the trip she visited her brother Gautam, who sent me this cutest little elephant for a birthday gift.. He printed it on his 3D printer! I am still baffled and impressed by it! This thing came out of a printer!!!

I think he is a yogi!

and a kid at heart!

 A new quilt is in the making!

Last week I made a little quilt for my younger sister. Like me, she loves house plants and gardening. Last time I visited her, she had asked me to bring something small to put under her planter on the fireplace.

All the scraps came out of this quilt. Now bits and pieces of Daffodils and Winter quilts live at my sister's house.

Speaking of Daffodils, I have hired backyard birds to keep an eye on my garden this year.  

 

I am off to St. Louis to speak at Thimbles and Thread quilt guild for the weekend. We are making Rail Fence quilt. Can't wait!

Have a wonderful rest of the week and weekend!
 

a visit with Gwen Marston

It was a totally unexpected but it happend!

My visit to Ithaca at Tompkins County Quilters was full of happy co-incidences. I was approached by Laurie Buck, a member at the guild and also a follower of this blog. With my new mantra of saying yes to whatever life brings has got me to more places than I ever imagined. Accepting to speak and teach at the guild was a start of many new friendships.

Before the official release of the book in November 2014; as soon as the first box of complimentary copies of my books arrived, I sent a copy to Gwen Marston to share my enthusiasm. Gwen was evenly excited about my happiness and she let me know via email and a snail mail. I was over the moon with her response.

In a little time since then, Gwen and I have corresponded many times via emails. Our common topics of conversations have ranged from quilts of India, visit to my native country as well as our use of inspirations from antique quilts in our modern quilts. Knowing that I have her blessings for everything I believe when it comes to quilting, means a great deal to me. Our meeting in Ithaca was a true ''meant to be'' event. She happened to be in Ithaca during my visit and Laurie made it all possible for me and Gwen to spend an entire day together.

It was an honor sharing my book, quilts and exchange ideas. We talked quilts and more quilts over the coffee, cookies and delicious lunch prepared by Laurie. Ithaca has always had a special place in my heart for all these 29 years for being my first home, but this visit was another important mark in my journey.

I will never forget those moments when we finished each others sentences while speaking the same language.

Picture perfect moments were captured by gracious and sweet Laurie Buck.

Couple of years back, Laurie was in a workshop with Gwen for her Small Studies quilts based on her book, 37 SHETCHES.

Laurie's small study

Gwen and I went on a virtual visit to India through my slide show.

Sitting at a kitchen table with Gwen, I showed her my ways of working with free-form blocks.

I had to share the Organized Chaos quilt with her.

We could have gone on talking but it was time to pack away the quilts and drive back home.

Gwen had a lot to say about my book and our ways of quilting. I am keeping it all in my head for now.. I loved meeting my favorite improv quilter of our time and show her the fire she started in me.

On my way back from Ithaca, I was so high from our visit, I am not sure if it was me or the car that was floating.. My visit through the scenic routes of Tompkins County, NY brought more than natural beauty to me.

It made me believe in endless possibilities.

Laurie, You were a huge part of this day. Thank you for making this memorable experience possible.   Your studio is an amazing and inspiring space, perfect for quilt retreats. 

Gwen, Thank you for being who you are. Since we met, you have been a constant happy energy in my head from the time I wake up to the time I start stitching and all those moments in between.

Feeling grateful,
Sujata
 

Quilter's Affair and Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

What a week it has been! My brain is saturated with colors and inspiration and filled with best of the best memories.

My classes were filled with individuals wanting to try something new. I learned so much from watching them work on freeform blocks, try different combinations of colors and share their stories and thought process as they worked each day.

Here are some collages of their work.

Students' Work - Crossroads

Students' Work - Organized Chaos

Students' Work - Hourglass Twist

Students' Work - Windmills

On the day of the show I woke up early to watch the firemen hang the quilts on the walls of The Stitching Post. It was an experience not to be missed!

On Friday, storm clouds brought a lot of rain and winds which forced the picnic to be moved to the to Sisters' high school instead of the park. Some clouds decided to linger around on Saturday to watch the hanging of the quilts too. Early morning Sun started to warm us all up and colors and textures of the quilts all around town took care of the rest.

Photo by Valori Wells

We were ready to check out every single quilt in the show. I have been posting the pictures on my facebook page since the first day in Sisters. Click on the link to see them.
www.facebook.com/TheRootConnection 

After seeing everyone working so passionately, I am eager to get back to my design wall. So happy and thankful to have experienced being part of the teaching staff at Quilter's Affair. I am specially thankful for those who signed up for my classes. I met many fb friends, teachers and artists I have  admired for many years in person for the first time.

What an amazing experience! Thank you Jean and Valori Wells!

   




   

My Presentation at MAQ

It's been already a week since my speech at MAQ. Friday the 10th was a long day! I was scheduled to teach a full day class followed by the presentation in the evening in front of a large audience. There were 270 quilters that gathered at the seminar. It was a successful event for the organizers and teachers. I taught three classes during the weekend.

I don't consider myself as an expert at public speaking. Some people are just natural at it. When I was in grade school, I loved participating in dance programs, which also involved annual presentations at an auditorium. I remember those days very well. Participating in more than two or three numbers,  being on the stage wearing makeup and costumes, I would become someone else. I do not remember fear or anxiety from that time of my life. But when you are older and not in your costumes - things can be different.
 
In 2005, I was asked to teach at such an event in Seattle area for the first time. I was a beginning teacher but my store manager had faith in my abilities to offer me that option. I was not sure if I shared the same confidence at the time, I respectfully declined that offer.
I was also invited to a guild in Seattle by my good friends to give a presentation. Which I had reluctantly accepted. It was fun to see all the quilters admiring my quilts but did I deserve to be one the stage? Hmmm... Not sure about that.

But ten years is a long time for personal growth. As I wrote in previous post,  six months ago I accepted both speaking and teaching opportunities at MAQ.

Back to the long day -

I taught Windmills on Friday. Any teacher will tell you that the most gratifying thing about teaching is to see that sparkle in the eyes and faces of both, experienced and non experienced quilters in your classroom. I not only saw that but they made me forget about my anxiety for most of the day about my speech. My classroom was colorful no mater which direction I looked at.

It would be pretentious of me to say that I wasn't nervous. As soon as the class was over I started preparing for my speech - physically and mentally. Before this event, I had presented at only two guilds. This was a big deal! I did not want to fail myself or disappoint those who came to listen and see.

A really nice, young woman helped me set up the power point. I was introduced by the president of MAQ. I took the stage and introduced myself. I asked the lights to be turned off and there was completely dark! I could sense the eager eyes and ears but saw nothing.

From there on, everything happened as expected. By that, I mean nothing went as I had planned. I was nervous and I forgot my words. In that moment I decided to be true to who I am. In that moment I thought of nothing better than being honest and up front. I told my audience that I was nervous standing in front of them and I needed a moment or two to gather my thoughts. They were kinder than I can ever imagine. It took a sip or water and less than 10 seconds to recover. From that point on, I enjoyed speaking about my home country, my journey through colors and textiles of India.

Next two days of classes were spent in making connections with people at personal level. I made many friends and hope to continue being friends and see them again.

MAQ - An organization I knew nothing about up until six months ago!  It is a quilters' retreat for Mid Appalachian states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Each year in July, it is held at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland. It's spans to a three days' weekend where quilters and teachers gather to teach and learn. There is an open studio space with an instructor available to help those who need it. Classes can range anywhere from one to three days. Everyone boards in the dorm rooms. Having three kids through college I have seen plenty and these dorm rooms were better than any other dorm rooms I had seen in the past. 

I later found out, MAQ does not do any advertizing for their programs. It is a great volunteer based organization which attracts many regulars for years to teach and learn. Check out their blog and website here.
http://www.maqonline.org/

Now you are wondering about the photos.. right?

Well, that was also one of those planned thing that did not happen. I had planned to take the picture of my audience.. I forgot!

I had thought I would ask my friends to take a picture of me on the stage - I forgot. But that's why we call them friends - They remembered! Thank you!

Here I am during the presentation talking about unpredictability and negative and positive space of free-form blocks. 

I had planned to post the pictures of classes in session - I did not connect my phone Wi-Fi on time. So here I am almost a week later with few shots from the MAQ workshops and lecture.

Click below to see some pictures of my classes.
https://www.facebook.com/TheRootConnection/posts/876846599019544

Saturday night was the general meeting where students got to show their work from past two days of classes and teachers had an opportunity to propose for their future classes.

Here are few pictures of students showing off their work. 

As you can see, there was something for every kind of quilter and designer. And there were total of 27 teachers. This was just a glimpse of what was being offered.

Thanks everyone for participating and making the time to see my presentation.

Ann Giglio and everyone at MAQ - Thank you for that nice email and invite. I had a great time!

I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses over the weekend. I had forgotten how much I enjoy teaching. It brought back many memories of my days in Seattle. When I published the book, I was unsure if I was willing to travel, speak and teach but this weekend was a true eye opener. My friends then kept reminding me that at some point I will have to decide if I was willing to do all that because the guild will start asking. Now I know. I do want to travel, speak and teach. 

I will be in St. Louis MO in August. They have requested to teach Rail Fence class. I can not wait!
14 August - Presentation - Thimble and Thread Quilt Guild of Greater St. Louis
15 August - Workshop - Thimble and Thread Quilt Guild of Greater St. Louis

If you are in the area, I would love to see you there! I believe there are some spots left for the workshop.

I will be visiting Seattle in early September and teaching Organized Chaos. You all know how much I love that place. It's going to be fun!

Have a great weekend you all!