Sunday, April 29, 2007

Let me introduce myself...

I am new to blogging, and I don't feel all that computer-literate. I have thoroughly enjoyed cruising and reading the blogs of other quilters/fiber artists so I thought I'd join in on the fun based on Blogger's insistence that it's easy and free. I hope to soon be able to post pictures of the quilts I'm making, have made, or have acquired/collected. (Still have to learn the camera and how to get the pix from A to B to C!)

I have been piecing quilts since my children were toddlers in the late 1980's. Until fairly recently most of my quilts were tied rather than quilted. I enjoy piecing and embellishing more than the actual quilting. I have taught quiltmaking classes and I worked for five years at the La Conner Quilt Museum in La Conner, Washington. I am primarily self-taught, but have had the privelege of taking a handful of classes from people like David Walker, elinor peace bailey, and Robin Atkins. My favorite quilts are those Gwen Marsten refers to as "liberated." My favorite quilt artist is Jane Burch Cochran.

Two years ago I was finally diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivites. I say 'finally' because I suspect that I have been suffering from this condition for years. I suspect most of those 'sinus headaches' I had were actually reactions to chemical exposures because my first reaction to most exposures, I have learned, is a headache that feels as if it is in the sinus cavities. There are a whole host of additional reactions that I won't go into right now. They will be revealed in future posts no doubt. Suffice to say that the safest place for me to be these days is in my own home. I can no longer go shopping, put gas in my car (even if I could afford to!), attend quilt guild meetings, take classes, go on quilt retreats, go to quilt shows or art festivals, or travel. If I get foolhardy and try to do these things I invariably end up paying for it by becoming too ill to function for the next 24 hours or more. I cannot unwrap a new dvd or look through a full-color coffee table book without my mask on, and even then I may get sick anyway. I've had to find new laundry detergents, clean with baking soda, and everyone in my house uses unscented deodorants or none at all.

But enough of that. I can sew, and I delight in color and pattern and the sparkle of light that beads and sequins create on the surface of a quilt or other textile. I want to share what I can do with others, and this seems to be the best way to do that at the moment. I hope I won't bore you and that you will read my posts and come away from them inspired or enlightened in some way.

Peace.