The Singing Quilter Newsletter

March 2014


In this issue:

.   
Students' Work
.
    Refractions: my first gallery show!
.    New Mock Mola class samples
.    Canadian Quilt Talk Podcast and newspaper article
.
    Upcoming gigs
. What I'm working on



When we were in Flagstaff we did a hike down Walnut Canyon
 with our friend Wendy.  It was a great day!


Cathy Miller and her husband John Bunge, of Victoria BC Canada travel the world singing songs about quilts, quilters and quilting.  For further information, explore the website at
www.singingquilter.com. Or email them at cmiller@nucleus.com.

Follow Cathy's blog at www.singingquilter.wordpress.com

Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathy-Miller/59712236960?ref=nf

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Greetings!

Hello from Alamogordo New Mexico, where John and I are spending the night. We have just spent 4 marvellous days in Tucson AZ, where we sang a couple of concerts for the Tucson Quilters' Guild and I taught two classes.

We have started a 3 1/2 month tour that will take us to Florida and up the Eastern seaboard.  There's a list of the next month's appearances at the bottom of this newsletter.

I hit the ground running when we returned from Australia, and this newsletter talks about the exciting month I've had.

We're following spring in our travels, and have passed through the earliest of spring - emerging daffodils, through tulips and camellias. In Tucson, the bougainvillea was in full bloom everywhere!

I hope spring is coming to you (or fall, in the Southern Hemisphere). Enjoy, and happy quilting!

Cathy
 

If this is the first newsletter from me you've seen, welcome!  I post them here on the website once a month or so, when there's something I think you'll be interested in. You can sign up for email notifications of new newsletters by sending me an email with "Subscribe" in the header.  If you'd like to follow our doings more often, join my Facebook "fan" page (link at the left) or the blog (where I often write about our travels).

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One corner of the Refractions show, featuring pieces all inspired by Eileen's painting, on the right.
My quilt is on the left.

 

Students' Work

I taught Mock Mola AND Notan classes in Tucson and want to show you what some of my students did.  There were some very interesting women in attendance, and I enjoyed meeting them.  I saw a lot of "light bulbs" going off during class too - inspiration does light up a room!

Here are a few of the pieces from the Mock Mola class.

   
   

And a few from the Notan class as well.

   
  
  

Beautiful work, everyone!
It was lovely to work with you on these pieces.

 

Refractions: Mud, Brush and Needle

My first gallery show was very exciting and it went so well!
When we got home from Australia I started and finished the last quilt for the series - number 10. 
It was finished two days before we hung the show!

Once it was all up on the walls, I just stood back and grinned. 
It's so wonderful to see your work hung in a gallery, all together (and all the real work done). 
Along with Eileen's paintings and Louise's pottery, I was so pleased with how it looked. 

We had over 50 people to the opening, and way more than 90 people after that who saw the show during its run. 
There's no way to really tell - we weren't there to count.
The show has closed now, and all the pieces have been taken down.
Thanks to everyone who attended and left their comments in our book.
Many of the comments were really complimentary and very much appreciated.

In all, there were 30 pieces: 10 paintings, 10 potteries and 10 quilts.
Here are some pictures from the opening and details of the artwork on the walls.

 
The food is ready for everyone to arrive.         Nancy is a friend of a friend in Australia.


In the foreground, that's Eileen (the painter) with her partner David.

 

 

  

 

There were a few people who came from a long way:
one from Whitehorse Yukon, and a couple who live just over the border in Washington state.
The latter came specifically to see the show, and Donna even brought two quilts that have been inspired by my workshops.

 
Donna brought her prize-winning Notan on the left and her Mock Mola Seattle-inspired quilt on the right.
You might have seen Donna's Notan in last month's newsletter!

I would love to do another gallery show again sometime, but not for a while.  Time to get back to work at non-Refractions stuff!

 

New Class Samples

After the show was hung and opened, I got back to work immediately. 
I'll be teaching Mock Mola and Notan quite a bit in the upcoming tour, and I needed a few more samples.

Here are two of them:

 
The left one is called "Tic Tac GO" and the one on the right is "The Light at the End".

These quilts are always so quick to make and so satisfying. 
I've given myself permission to use my nicest fabrics and to try new, simple designs.
Wait till you see what my students will be making on this tour!

In the News:

Just after we got home I was contacted by the local newspaper for an interview.
You can see it yourself on their website.
http://www.timescolonist.com/our-lives-quilter-stitches-a-musical-career-1.863695

Canadian Quilt Talk Podcast:

Then I did an interview with Brandy Lynn who produces Canadian Quilt Talk, a regular podcast about quilters that is available on line.
It's about a half hour interview, which you can listen to in your studio or car.

http://www.brandylynndesigns.com/quilting/fibre-art/podcast/246

Brandy Lynn has suggested that we might write some songs together - she's a writer, but doesn't write music - and has sent the first idea to me.
I think there's potential here, and I look forward to this collaboration
Do you have any ideas for songs I haven't written yet?
Send me a note and let me know!

 


What I'm Working On

 Now that the Refractions quilts are over, and we're back on the road, I'm back to working on hexagons!  That's all I'll be doing until we get back home in June.

 

"Quilting Saved My Life"

Yesterday someone told me a poignant story about how quilting has saved her life.  She was an alcoholic and has now been "clean" for 24 years as of August 17th. It was quilting that was vital in her recovery. She told me there's a box of fabric she can go to whenever she feels depressed or anxious and it will cheer her up.

Way back before the first quilting CD I had an experience where I was so disappointed with something that happened that all I could do was quilt.  Nothing else would help.

I have met a few women in our travels who have told me that quilting is a balm to their souls, or that it saved their lives.  I think there's a song to be written about this.

Do you know of a story like this that you might like share with me?  I would so appreciate hearing from you. I don't yet know what I'll write, but I think it's an important part of our story to tell.

 


 

Upcoming Tours:


A full list of this current tour is on the website under Touring - Itineraries.

Mar 11-14   Tucson AZ 2 concerts, Mock Mola and Notan classes
Mar 19-20   Houston TX concert and Mock Mola class
Mar 26        Satellite Beach, FL concert
Mar 29        Morgantown WV concert

April 1-2      The Villages, FL concert and Mock Mola class
April 3          Gainesville FL concert and Notan class
April 8          St. Augustine FL concert
                     Amelia Island FL concert (yes they're on the same day!)
April 9          Amelia Island FL Mock Mola class
Apr 10-12   Tallahassee FL concert, Mock Mola and Notan classes
April 15       Columbia SC concert
Apr 21-22   Fallston MD concert and Mock Mola class
April 28       Dover, DE concert

We continue the tour in May with dates in Ontario, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In June we'll be heading home via Nova Scotia, Ontario and Wisconsin.  We still have dates available, so get in touch if you want us to come and see you!

For details on any of these performances, please get in touch, or visit the Tour Itinerary page of the website where there are contact addresses for each performance.

Thank you for reading this newsletter.  Feel free to share it in its entirety.  If you have any suggestions of things you would like to hear about, please get in touch at cmiller@nucleus.com .
© Cathy Miller, March 2014

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