Clear Creek Shimmer by Dana Jones
New Life in the Heat of the Summer
Today was a relaxed day spent catching up with my sister while enjoying the colors, the shapes, the richness of her massive garden right after her area's first drenching rain in weeks. Like that rain refreshed her parched flowers, trees, and fruits and vegetables, it refreshed my soul after a personally tough year and a half. I offer this blog as a thank you to all of you who have been there for me. A few of you have known my struggle as my now ex-husband surprised me with divorce papers on my 70th birthday in April 2022. The day in court has come and gone. I'm able to stay in my home — read quilt studio with a few bedrooms and kitchen — and able to keep my beloved high-maintenance BFF, Emma, who some of you know and others will learn is my 18-foot Rpod travel trailer. I bring her on many of my teaching and speaking gigs. She's my home away from home.
Even as I've faced personal struggle and change, you have been there signing up for my workshops, inviting me to speak to your guilds, sharing your amazing quilt creations with me, and lifting me up so often and so well, intentionally at times and often just because you are who you are, my fellow travelers in the quilt world. Going forward, my life will be different than it has been the past 26 years. It will be good. In many ways it will be a new life, and it will be significantly centered in quilting.
Those of you who have known me for a while, know I'm not a hugger. That said, I wold give each of you a hug if you were here in person. I so appreciate you and the beauty you bring to our world and to my life with your quilts. We are sisters and brothers in a special way. Together we create joy, comfort and care. We speak out about what matters most to us through our art. I celebrate each of you and cherish our connection. Please join me as I begin this new life in the heat of the summer. May the quilt above, Clear Creek Shimmer, bring you a touch of the coolness of this summer from my home in the Rockies. The design was inspired by my commute from my home to Golden, Colorado, when I worked for Quilters Newsletter magazine. It's made from one of Northcott's earliest Stonehenge collections. It was a UFO for too long but has now been beautifully quilted by Rita Meyerhoff and bound by me. May its sparkle and shimmer and cool colors refresh you.
On the Road
I write as I'm on the road from my home in Colorado en route to Stitch Fest in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where I'll teaching two classes next week:
Demystifying Design for Foundation Paper Piecing, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 2
Finding Your Color Sense, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, August 3
There's still some room in these classes if you'll be in the area. And there are other great classes and teachers, including my fellow Coloradans Lea McComas and David Taylor.
To register, check out the Stitch Fest website.
I had the opportunity to teach at Stitch Fest in Milwaukee earlier this year. These folks know how to put on a show. They have experience in the beading and knitting/crocheting worlds and promise great learning opportunities to all of us in the quilt world. Help them get these shows going strong. Janome is providing machines for all the quilting and sewing classes at these events. These are great machines, and the Janome reps are knowledgeable and helpful.
More Blog Posts to Come
I'll be blogging more soon so check back in from time to time over the next few weeks. I've got some new classes coming up via Zoom, so I'll be sharing those soon.
Happy Stitching!
Dana
720-654-8430