My morning began at the monthly Birmingham Quilters' Guild meeting, where a memorial quilt three years in the making was presented to the surviving daughter of Dr. Tom Caldwell. I know very little about Dr. Caldwell, but he was an avid member of the Guild and much loved by all the members who remember him. The memorial quilt is a period piece and is absolutely stunning. Sewn based on the standards in practice between 1743 and 1793, it was magnificent to behold. More than twenty women participated in the fabric choice, appliqué, piecing, hand-quilting and binding of the quilt.
It has been three years since I took up needle, thread and fabric in Poland in search of community in relation to sewing, and today, as I walked about the room of 100+ members, I was struck by the dear friends I have made in the short time I have been a member of the BQG. I have become a cog in this delightful whirly-gig of a community. These women and men truly care about one another. We are part of a larger whole and we find ways to work together in service to community, while sharing our love of fabric and sewing and creating. I know this is a gush-pile, but you will forgive me as I sing with my angels.
After Guild meeting, I met my father at his studio to go over a few things before heading to a meeting at the old firehouse a few blocks away. A musician lives in the upstairs of the firehouse and gives music lessons in the downstairs portion. We met today to discuss a partnership in the future. I will leave this thread semi-veiled as we work out the details. Just know that today I met a lovely kindred spirit and look forward to collaborations with him in the future.
Following my firehouse meeting, I ventured further East into Woodlawn. I had a productive and idea-generating meeting with a business consultant through Mainstreet Birmingham, talking marketing strategies, business plans and budgets. She gave me homework, several potential new contacts and lots of energy.
Sadly, she told me a story while we were getting to know one another that I feel I've heard all too often. A few times she made a clear distinction between creative minds (myself) and non-creative minds (herself). I noticed this after perhaps the second or third time and made mention of it. I told her that she could be an artist, is an artist for that matter. She responded that no, she is not capable of making art. She then amended her statement to suggest that a traumatic experience when she was quite young might be the culprit of her mindset against calling herself capable of "art". When she was very small, perhaps still in pre-school, she made a picture of a cat - the perspective being from the back of the cat with its tail in the foreground. Apparently her teacher thought the drawing no good and did not select it to be in an exhibition of the class' best creations. Do you see how fragile we are when we are young, people? To this day, a grown, incredibly capable woman remembers such an experience. And how many times have you heard a similar story? People! Ignore the taste of others. Create, create, create!
Following my fantastic session with Trudy, the can-do business coach, I made a trip to Molly Green, which I left at 10:45pm last night after a day begun at 1pm helping re-arrange the store. As some of you might know, we are putting a Workroom inside Molly Green and thanks to the industriousness of Brittany and Anna, it is becoming a truly great space. After such an inspiring day, a few moments chatting with B&A led to what we all think is a truly great idea and collaboration. More details forthcoming...
Okay, so my angels are a bit cryptic today. Well then...enjoy this fantastic wall in The Workroom and check out that cutting table - so delightfully large and mod-podged (decorator's type: mod-podge is fun and makes you feel like a professional...here we used old pattern pieces). Also, the chair was my great-grandmother's and the sewing machine was given to my mother by her mother. Now there are some angels...
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