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We haven't taken a real vacation in some time. A "real" vacation is one where two of the 4 days don't need to involve a Saturday & Sunday. This will be a real exercise, but we have 3 good employees who work hard and will hold down the fort. Of course, we'll be electronically connected. I just want to sit in the sand, look at the ocean, maybe sketch and have cocktails. Poor Lucky is off to the kennel. Last time, he was depressed and lost some weight. And this cat who is usually planning to attack me at any time is unusually subdued today. I think he knows it's coming.

Anyway, no pics today, as DH has the camera. I have been working on placemats for a class sample. I made 3: different styles & finishes. Then I looked at what I had originally said we would do in class and it has nothing to do with the 3 I made. I'm an idiot. So I'm going to follow my own directions and make what I promised this afternoon.

I made reservations for the American Quilt Study Group's Seminar in CT this October. I've never been to it, but am told that it will be a terrific learning experience. Although I have a hotel room for AQS in Paducah next year, I don't think I'm going. Instead, I'll go to the next Seminar that is at the Univ. of Nebraska I think. I like going to Paducah, but it is expensive and since I won't be testing for certification any time soon, I think I'll pass for 2007. Need to broaden my appraising horizons for a bit and I think Seminar is a good place to go.

So that's about it for now.

Father's Day was one for the history books. My long-suffering husband got a day-long visit to the City of Brotherly Love. First, he got to drive the "world's largest parking lot" (Schuylkill Expressway). Then a tour of the city on one of those duck boats (www.phillyducks.com), with crazy tourists quacking their duck bill whistles. Then a long walk in 90 degree heat to visit Elfreth's Alley (the oldest occupied neighborhood in America), the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, and Ben Franklin's grave.

Although I've lived near Philadelphia almost all my life, I'd never been to Betsy Ross' house. A tiny little brick house with some nifty artifacts inside. There was a beige quilted petticoat in very nice condition. There is some question whether or not Betsy really did make the first flag. Seems there really isn't any documentation just the story Betsy told about George Washington coming to visit her about making a flag. He wanted 6 pointed stars, and she said she couldn't get the flag and a dress for Martha completed, so she made the stars 5 pointed ones. Good story if nothing else. Betsy's descendents have made little flags through the years and a few were on display. It seems that her descendents were also good seamstresses, and made these little flags to show their stitching ability.

I kept thinking about how hard life was then. Old Betsy had 3 husbands during her lifetime, ran an upholstery shop, made flags for the Navy and made musket balls. Very sobering.

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Here is "Winesap". I'll be teaching my "Timid Souls" class in October at the Museum. This little wallhanging is a nifty way for beginners to learn basic quiltmaking skills. I make up kits for everyone and we complete this project in one day. Now, I'm on to make some placemats for class in September. More pics later.

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(There is actually frustrated art quilter content in this post...keep reading)
I've been up to my head lately in "Gotta Do" stuff. One was looking up an obscure quilt block in a friend's antique quilt in this book. This is one of the many books appraisers look to in identifying block designs. I also have this info in EQ5 and don't know why I'm not messing with that, considering I took 3 classes in it at Paducah this year.
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Another thing I've been doing is embroidering staff shirts for our video crew so they don't sweat their butts off this summer. This is our company logo, which I imported as a jpg into Artista Designer, punched the design, digitized it, and now it lives in my sewing machine ready to embroider shirts.
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Lastly, I promised my sister in law, Donna, that I'd fix her comforter. This is a bit of a nasty repair as Ralph Lauren didn't leave me much to work with. I think I might use some fused fabric to stabilize the edge before I sew it back together.

I've had these projects on deck for months, but the museum quilt took the #1 slot until recently. I've cleaned up the studio pretty well. Will be finished these jobs soon, studying for the kids' finals will be over this week....and then what?

The big question. I don't know. I have ideas that have been rolling around my head for months, but for some reason now that I'm confronted with actually executing them, I'm blocked. What do I do first? How should I go about it? What if it sucks? Deep down I know that the only way to get over this is to roll up my sleeves and do it. DH thinks I'm trying to go in too many directions at once. Maybe. Some things are my duties that really must be done (i.e., caring for family, trying to keep the Board of Health out of my house, taking care of the video business that is how we get to have the house, food and health insurance). Then...I have the Quilt Business (referred to lovingly as my Monkey Business). The accountant says that this business is good for our tax situation because of the amount of $ I lose over a year. Something to be proud of I guess.

I have several different areas I'm working on in the quilt biz. 1. I appraise quilts; 2. I teach; 3. I dye fabric; 4. I make quilts. As I make this list, I wonder how come "making quilts" is Number 4. Not good. None of these 4 things make boocoo's of money. That's not necessarily important...but helpful. What I would like is for these 4 things to help support my annual trip to Paducah or other events I should be going to (like Seminar at American Quilt Study Group) in a way that offsets the cost. That would be nice.

Then, there's the art. I find myself getting farther and farther away from traditional quiltmaking. While I enjoy the traditional stuff and enjoy teaching it to folks who are just getting interested, my own work is drifting. Example: The quilt I just finished for the Museum. I started with a fine design in EQ5. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it and it would have made a nice quilt that would have brought a decent price at the auction (all proceeds go to the Museum). But the more I looked at it, I just couldn't wrap my arms around doing it. Is this how your own "voice" develops (Man, I hate those cliche'd words, but you know what I mean). So I ditched the whole idea and went in another direction without a pattern of any kind other than a small drawing. It took every technical ability I had to execute it (piecing bias against straight of grain, piecing bias against bias, applique and quilting every inch of it).

So, I'm back to the question. "Now what?" The only way to find out "what" is to get my chores finished and start cranking out new pieces. As one of my lifetime goals is to get into Quilt National, I first need to make something worthy. I think I am ready for this level of rejection now.

Time to fill up the coffee cup. Donna...your comforter will be finished today. Tell Ralph Lauren that he couldn't sew his way out of a paper bag.