(Pearl bracelet cookies from today's Lizzy House meeting made by someone fabulous and creative within the Seacoast or Boston Modern Guilds).
I just got back from attending a lecture by Andover designer Lizzy House. It was something I had really been looking forward to because I very much admire her work. She talked about her journey to designing fabric and was such a wonderful speaker. She really has a gift for captivating the audience and for making you feel happy and excited to be sewing, quilting, and just participating in this "modern movement" when bright, unique fabrics and quilt designs have really come into their own.
I really got into sewing around early 2009 when I was expecting my first child and working full time as a social worker. I started discovering sewing blogs and etsy and soon realized there was this world of beautiful fabric that really spoke to me. I loaded up on FreshCut but really fell hard for Pop Garden. I tried to keep up with all the gorgeous collections but soon learned I needed to be a little more selective because there was so much to choose from.
I joined a traditional guild and bought traditional books. I tried to garner what I could from these sources and reinterpret things to fit my own aesthetic. It's amazing how much things have changed in just a few years. Modern quilting books are plentiful, the modern fabric market continues to grow, and now modern guilds are popping up everywhere. I am also amazed that within a space of about one month, I have attended lectures by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Denyse Schmidt, and now Lizzy House- all less than a 45 minute drive from my house.
Lizzy House ended her lecture by encouraging us to support each other and never be critical of others work. By only being positive, we lift ourselves up and being negative really only hurts ourselves. I really liked this. Everyone has their own design style and personal preferences, I can appreciate it even if it is different than what I choose to do. We are not in competition with each other- I really do think there is room for everyone. I loved that she urged us to be kind - she is a deep thinker and used her time well in exhorting us to not only follow our passion but also to be considerate of others.
Hopefully all of this rambling makes sense - I just had to write down what I was thinking and share my excitement about what I have been thinking today. Thanks for reading and thank you for your kind support of my blog and my work.
3 comments:
Thank you for sharing! I missed the event so I'm glad to have a recap. As you mentionedI think it's awesome that we've had these great artists coming to visit so near us. It is a testament to the modern quilting movement and to the dedication of the Boston and Seacoast guilds!
It was wonderful to finally meet you I person Laurie! And I completely agree with your recap! Lizzy was a captivating speaker. The sincere emotion she displayed for her journey as an artist, her appreciation for the people who helped her along the way and commitment to us, her customers was wonderful to see. I just love to hear the story of someone who worked so hard (often against the naysayers) to follow through on her passion. Her final story about the artist community (do you remember the name of the village?) was lovely. Yes, we all have something to offer, let us be thankful for that diversity of talent!
Your writing is very inspiring. Thanks for sharing. I like the positive message too. When I hear negative comments about quilts at a show, I cringe. What if the maker is standing right THERE?
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