Quilters in Jacksonville

On Monday and Tuesday this week, I was with quilters from the All Star Quilter's Guild in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a wonderful experience for me.

The guild meets the third Monday of each month at 10 am, and this meeting found 91 members in attendance!

My 50-minute, 92-slide presentation about domestic machine quilting was followed by a trunk show of 14 of my quilts, and I think it went well. At least no one complained!

It was nice to revisit some of my "oldies," particularly Snowflake Medallion. That's the quilt that really set me on my free motion quilting adventure.

The quilt-holders didn't complain about holding up Scrap Vortex which weighs a ton - it's big, and has thousands of seams.

That afternoon, and again on Tuesday morning, I taught domestic machine quilting to 20 (maybe only 17 attended?) quilters. Since I this is the first time I've free motion quilting with a class of seasoned quilters - mostly new and newer quilters through The Lifelong Learning College - I discovered a difference not only in the level of student abilities, but in their expectations. 

While some of them have the same self-doubts about their capabilities - just as new quilters do - in general they seemed more determined to learn. They asked and remarked about their concerns, and I quickly learned that I needed to step up my game to keep ahead of their thoughtful questions. Teaching and sharing what I know was very rewarding!

The photo collage pictures were taken with my cell phone because after the presentation pictures were taken, my camera's telescopic lens wouldn't retract.

Since I use this camera all the time, I pursued the problem through the Canon website which revealed a common lens problem for my particular model and serial number.

So, even though the camera is out of warranty, all I need do is ship it to Newport News, Virginia, for a no-cost repair. Well, shipping it cost $26, but it's a better deal than having to buy a new camera... if this is the fix.

Anyway, it's good to be home again, after a whirlwind few days. As much as I enjoyed the trip and meeting super-nice quilters, I do wonder how in-demand quilting instructors do it. Preparations, and often being on the go is tiring. Maybe it's all about one's age.

Tomorrow - Good Friday - I have another leg angiogram. It's time to have my 70-80 percent plaque-blocked right leg femoral artery reopened. The visit to Dr. Q's cath lab for a procedure marks the eight time I've been there. Oh boy! I'm getting so close to ten reward points and that new toaster I've been promised! (Ha, ha.) Linda