Whirlwind Trip Highlights and Lowlights

I am back from my whirlwind 3 day trip to Cleveland (side note- jumping 3 time zones is not great for a whirlwind trip!) But I had an amazing time taping both a Quilting Arts Episode and a Quilting Arts Workshop DVD and wanted to share some highlights and lowlights!

Highlights

Finally getting to check into my hotel after a LONG red eye-the best shower ever!

Getting to hang out for two days in the Beachwood Studios Green Room with Pokey Bolton and Helen Gregory from QA and CPS - This was not the first time I have worked with them on projects and certainly not the last! I seriously love these gals and if I lived near them I would insist on hanging out all the time!

Getting to meet and spend two days in the green room with Project Runway winner (which I am pretty sure he probably is OVER being refered to!)- Jay McCarroll and his sister Janet- OMG- two days with this guy was a HOOT- he is crazy...but in a really good way! He is super creative, entertaining and an all around rockin' guy! Jay has all kinds of irons in the fire like

 

promoting his new fabric line for Free Spirit Fabric, his own clothing line and a documentry called 11 Minutes that was just released- it looks like a pretty cool movie- documenting a year preparing his first runway show at NCY's fashion week.

 

Jay with grommets on his eyes and Jamie's heavy metal mouse this  was out green room experience!

Getting to use a Bernina sewing machine for the first time- OH MY GOODNESS- it was wonderful!! For non sewers you will have idea what I am talking about but it is a little like driving a high performance car for the first time- I sewed on the simplest model on set (too nervous to try anything else) I think it was called the Aurora 440 Quilters addition- it was like butter- REALLY!!  I have been experimenting on my own simple machines at home with free motion sewing but on the Bernina I was able to use the machine as a drawing tool-

a little something that I created

Having dinner with the two "J's"- Jeannie Sumrall-Ajero of Kaleidoscope Collections

and Jeanne Cook-Delpit from Bernina.  Not only was the food great but we had the best time sharing creative ideas and experiences!

Hanging with the rockin' Jamie Fingal in the green room (the green room was really "the"place to be!) She demoed her aprons as personal armor (that were featured in CPS this month) a little like punk rock meets artist apron- SUPER COOL! Jamie is also a riot and so much fun to be around!!

Of course getting to film an episode for Quilting Arts tv was truly THE highlight of my trip- Pokey is such a wonderful host and the whole crew, Kathie Stull and Katherine Lamancusa-EVERYONE was SUPER easy to work with!  It was also great getting to film my QA Workshop DVD but really challenging to teach on camera for 1 hour by myself! (see low light below!)

Lowlights

Taking the red- it was difficult but thankfully I was able to sleep but it never felt like it helped!

7 degree weather

Not getting to check into my hotel until 3pm after arriving at 9am- But I did get to hang at the studios all day instead of checking into the hotel

Non smoking hotel rooms that still smell like smoke!

Taping the introduction of my workshop DVD- all of a sudden I went blank and totally freaked and had to do couple of takes.

Fake talking with Pokey as the segment starts was also really difficult- its hard to fake talk when there is a camera on you!

Being on east coast time- uggghh- challenging for 3 days!

Travel with lots of layovers. 

I had an AWESOME 3 days and am so inspired and excited to get to work on some new ideas AND incredibly thankful to have so many wonderful opportunities to connect with amazing people!!