Things come full circle
I knew when I made a career change and left American Patchwork & Quilting magazine that the people and products would always be a part of my life. There is really no way to walk away from something that was the heart and soul of my life for so many years and never see it again. I just always envisioned that I would see it from a different perspective...a subscriber, a potential advertiser, and a fan.
Well yesterday when the February 2008 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting arrived in my mailbox, I got to look at the issue for the first time as a subscriber. For the first time since 1993 the pages didn't look familiar as an editor would look at them, but rather, I got to see them how an everyday, non-editor quilter would look at them. How exciting. My first stop of course was the editor's page. After years of writing this, I had to see how my friend Jennifer Keltner took the reigns. Well, she was more than generous in her comments about me. I consider Jennifer a dear and close friend. I still can see her sitting in my office during her interview nearly seven years ago. She had brought a quilt to share (it was a scrappy Nine-Patch quilt with iris fabric) and she knew about Thimbleberries fabrics. I can still start laughing so hard I'll cry over our trip to Cape May, New Jersey. No one had said anything about taking a ferry. Or the trip to Wisconsin that truly identified our warehousing problem for our fabric, not the fact that we bought too much! The warm hugs and support she has given me as a friend and a mother of her own three children, as I crossed bumps in the road on my way to having three children. I hope I can be as good of a mother as she. I am so happy for her to now be the Group Editor of American Patchwork & Quilting. She deserves it.
I loved the story on Kaye England. She has such a wonderful spirit and I've admired her for years, so to finally see an article about her in APQ was wonderful. And isn't Laura Boehnke, the quilt tester, the best. I, too, have admired her ability to create myriad designs for more than 15 years. Incredible!
Then, I turned to page 87 and there I was. Yes, me! I'm featured in an advertisement for APQ U. Not long after I had left to take my new job at APQS, I got an invitation from Creative Collection editor-in-chief Deb Ohrn to teach a class at APQ U. Wow! I was so excited at the new opportunity and said "Yes" with the eagerness of a little kid in a candy store. My first teaching gig. And, on-line, even cooler.
I've been in to the APQ offices to tape segments for my class. Here I am after we got done taping.
Well yesterday when the February 2008 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting arrived in my mailbox, I got to look at the issue for the first time as a subscriber. For the first time since 1993 the pages didn't look familiar as an editor would look at them, but rather, I got to see them how an everyday, non-editor quilter would look at them. How exciting. My first stop of course was the editor's page. After years of writing this, I had to see how my friend Jennifer Keltner took the reigns. Well, she was more than generous in her comments about me. I consider Jennifer a dear and close friend. I still can see her sitting in my office during her interview nearly seven years ago. She had brought a quilt to share (it was a scrappy Nine-Patch quilt with iris fabric) and she knew about Thimbleberries fabrics. I can still start laughing so hard I'll cry over our trip to Cape May, New Jersey. No one had said anything about taking a ferry. Or the trip to Wisconsin that truly identified our warehousing problem for our fabric, not the fact that we bought too much! The warm hugs and support she has given me as a friend and a mother of her own three children, as I crossed bumps in the road on my way to having three children. I hope I can be as good of a mother as she. I am so happy for her to now be the Group Editor of American Patchwork & Quilting. She deserves it.
I loved the story on Kaye England. She has such a wonderful spirit and I've admired her for years, so to finally see an article about her in APQ was wonderful. And isn't Laura Boehnke, the quilt tester, the best. I, too, have admired her ability to create myriad designs for more than 15 years. Incredible!
Then, I turned to page 87 and there I was. Yes, me! I'm featured in an advertisement for APQ U. Not long after I had left to take my new job at APQS, I got an invitation from Creative Collection editor-in-chief Deb Ohrn to teach a class at APQ U. Wow! I was so excited at the new opportunity and said "Yes" with the eagerness of a little kid in a candy store. My first teaching gig. And, on-line, even cooler.
I've been in to the APQ offices to tape segments for my class. Here I am after we got done taping.
APQ U is scheduled for February. And to continue bringing that circle around, I was so excited this week to learn that the company I'm working for (APQS) is going to sponsor my APQ U class. That was so nice of them. I hope I can make them proud. And, I hope you take the class and enjoy it. It will be based on my twin daughter's baby quilts made from cotton and wool--my too favorite addicitions. I'll offer lots of tips and suggestions for having fun with wool. And, just to throw in another interesting fact. The girls' baby quilts were machine quilted by Sue Urich, who happens to quilt on an APQS machine.
I think this story might have made a couple full circles!
I saw that last night reading my APQ and thought about how glad I was to still see your face in the magazine!
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I haven't received my issue of APQ but I can't wait to read it cover to cover. You'll be missed on the editorial page, but Jennifer is the perfect person to take your place. Your new career sounds so exciting! Can't wait to see all the things you do for APQS! Congratulations!!!!
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