Luana Rubin

I now have 7 videos uploaded from the Australasian Quilt Conference in Melbourne Australia - including interviews with the top winner Merelyn Pearce!

http://www.youtube.com/user/quiltfairy?feature=mhee

Creative Nudge - An Open Eye

Hey fellow Sci-Fi Nerds!
Star Wars is back in stock!
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As I write this, I am finishing up another week on the road: Quilt Market in Kansas City, and a few days in New York at a design show, and visiting the Metropolitan Art Museum.

I've had enough visual input to last me for quite awhile, and I am sorting through the list of images in my head: Modern Quilts from Kansas City, artwork trends from the design show, Prada and Schiaparelli from the Met's Costume Institute, and the new Islamic wing at the Met.

Sometimes it is the most simple things that are the most inspiring. I come back to New York once a year (I used to live here), and every few years, if I am lucky, it rains while I am visiting. Then I grab my camera and run over to Times Square, so I can photograph the lights reflecting off the wet pavement. I come to New York without expectation, but with a plan for my time here. Then I wait to see what will happen.

So today an old friend (who is a sculptor) met me at the Met so we could see the costume exhibit and take a tour of the new Islamic wing. After lunch, she said she had to go visit some pieces she had found on an archaeological dig in the south of France, 35 years ago. She said whenever she visits the Met she has to go visit these pieces that she dug up. They are old Viking artifacts from burial sites, and after listening to her wax rhapsodic on the topic of bronze buckles and glass beads, I got excited about something there that I never knew existed.

Expectations can be a Creativity Killer. Setting goals is great, but being attached to expectations can put blinders on your creative vision. I try to start every day with an open mind - releasing unconscious expectations - so I can truly be present to fully experience what the day brings. When I am traveling, and especially when I go to a trade show or an art museum, the day is full of endless delightful possibilities, as a result.

When I snapped this photo on a rainy night in Times Square, I had no expectation of the outcome. I just captured the reflected colors, and then opened myself to the possibilities. After playing around with filters in Photoshop, I exceeded my goals with this photo. All I needed was a little rain, and an open eye.

(The photo above was taken by Luana in Times Square, New York City, and edited in Photoshop.)

Happy Mothers Day!

The measure of a mother's love for her children is often far beyond what can be perceived or measured by her offspring.

Often that intense love is channeled into a project - like making a quilt!

We watch our parents grow old - our children watch us grow middle-aged ....and we wonder what the future holds.

As I grow older and my children grow taller...
as another school year comes to an end...
I can almost hear the audible *swish* as my kids finish another year of their education.

This weekend we are celebrating a 2-for-1 holiday on Sunday:
Mothers Day, and our wedding anniversary.

Paul and I are so appreciative of all that we have, and its value comes from that fact that we created all of this together - our business, our kids, our partnership. We often speak about how blessed we are - and we never take it for granted.

Much of who we are came from our mothers, and we are grateful to have the matriarchs of the family available to our children. My love of art and sewing comes from my 2 grandmothers, and my great-grandmother. Paul was introduced to fabric shopping when he was trundled into the backseat when his mom and sister went out to hunt and gather textile treasures. My photographer's eye came from my grandpa, who was a shutterbug from the 1920's. I see how all of this flows through me and into my children.

My love of sewing and fabric came into sharp focus when I decided to get a degree in fashion design. In the seventies, I discovered Yves Saint Laurent in the pages of Vogue magazine in the library of my small town. He was the first designer to use ethnic models in his runway shows, and the first to reference other non-European cultures in his work. (Japan, China, India, etc.)

Ten years after I picked up my first copy of Vogue from the smalltown library shelves, I was jetting from Hong Kong to New York as an import design specialist, but the seed was planted when I first looked at those photographs of YSL's couture garments.

When Yves Saint Laurent died, I was just finishing my garment for the last Bernina Fashion Show. I realized that the colors and design were inspired by my youthful fascination with YSL, and so I dedicated my entry to his memory.

Now the retrospective of his work has opened at the Denver Art Museum. This last week Donna Wilder and I went to see the exhibit. We spent 2 1/2 hours just in this one exhibit, and could have easily stayed longer. We both expect to go back at least once. We agreed at the end, that it was as good as the Alexander McQueen exhibit in NYC last year! So if you are coming to Denver before July 8, plan to visit the Denver Art Museum to see this absolutely stunning tribute to YSL's creative brilliance.

We now have 4 video interviews up from the Australia show, with 2 more being posted in the next day or two.

Happy Mothers Day!

Creative Nudge - Goodbye Maurice

Yesterday I heard that author/illustrator Maurice Sendak was gone, and it sent me into a wave of nostalgia for when my boys were little, and loved to read "Where the Wild Things Are."

Our oldest son, who is now 22 and a senior in college, was the original owner of this classic tale of wild monsters and little boy fantasies. He got so excited reading the book that he drew all over the pages and even ripped out a few. Later when he was older, he said "Yeah, I remember that. I thought that's what you were supposed to do when you read that book: roar, gnash your teeth and wildly consume the book."

Well duh, how did I miss that? Of course he was right. I taped the pages back together and read the book to Sam 7 years later. As far as Sam knew, that's the way the book was supposed to look.... wild and deconstructed and reconstructed. At the time it was mauled I was not happy - thinking of the cost of replacing the book - but then I realised that it was now a piece of family history.

So this is a picture of Sam, our middle child, at age 5 which was about the time we were reading the taped-up version of Where the Wild Things Are. This was his response to the book. Make a costume and pretend to fight Wild Things.

At what point do we stop making costumes, stop pretending to fight (or dance) with monsters, and when do we stop imagining ourselves as the hero of our own story? I think there is a hero in every child, and a child in every adult, just waiting to dress up and act out the fantasy. How many adults dress up as Klingons, wear kilts to weddings, join Civil War re-enactments, dress up for Renaissance Faires, wear special outfits for special athletic activities, put on old clothes for a "vintage" style photo, and the list goes on...

Just like Max, we want to put on our wolf costume and sail across the ocean where we can be the wildest one of all. Maurice was a genius, because he tapped into not just a child's fantasy, but that place we all want to go when the world is just a little too oppressive and dark. Whether it is a long session in our studio, a cabin in the woods, a long hike to a mountaintop, a marathon run, a wild scrap quilt, or twirling crazily under a starry sky...we want to have a space of time to be wild and free and out of control.

Good-bye Maurice. We'll miss you.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

Creative Nudge - Smitten

As an animal lover and photographer, I've always been thrilled to capture images of wildlife, especially when I am traveling. I am still working my way through all of my photos from Australia, but today I wanted to share this image of the Blue-Winged Kookaburra.

Although I snapped this fellow at a Wildlife Sanctuary, it was still exciting to see one of these large terrestrial kingfishers up close. The sparkle of turquoise on his wing with the contrasting yellow breast feathers, and the graphic black and white stripes on his head, were only topped by the twinkle in his eye.

My first day in Australia, I was asked if I had heard the Kookaburra laugh yet. Aha! That old song from gradeschool echoed back in my deepest of memories, and then the tune was stuck in my head for the rest of the trip. ("Laugh Kookaburra...")

To be honest, I've become a bit of a bird nut since this trip! I've visited with a flock of Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos and had one land on my shoulder...I've seen a flock of pink and grey Galahs hanging out on a golf course...got eye to eye with an emu....had a warbling conversation with the handsome and charming magpies (not the same as the magpies in the US) in front of our beachside cottage. I'm smitten.

After I saw "The Big Year" in a movie theater (the sweeping vistas needed to be seen on a really big screen!) I started thinking about photographing birds for my color and design inspiration.

I know that many of you are hardcore Bird Nuts...or I should say passionate Birders?...because you snap up every bird design we offer! With the huge trend of bird designs over the last year, we've had a lot of fun seeing the evolution of Bird Artwork in our industry!

More inspirational images from Australia will be posted throughout this week on my photo page!

Sweet Anticipation - QuiltCon Sponsor

For those of you who are my age or older, do you remember when you were a kid and would cut out a coupon or ad in the back of a magazine, put a few dollars in an envelope, mail it off and then wait expectantly for the package to come back?

That's how I feel today. I have sent all the video footage and photos of the Melbourne quilt show to Bonnie McCaffery (who has produced almost all of our other videos) and she is going to be the Video Fairy and send back our Australian videos. No pressure Bonnie! *grin* Today as I went through all my quilt photos from the show, I was just so tickled with anticipation. I had a blast sharing images of American quilts with the Aussie quilters, and soon you'll hear my interviews with some Down Under quilters who will open your eyes to the talent in the Southern Hemisphere.

I must admit the trip back was rather brutal. Due to United's recent merger I wasn't able to use my miles to upgrade (*grrr!*) so I had 3 flights in coach...29 hours door to door. So I have been kind of wasted this week...still trying to catch up on emails and phone calls! However the experience was so stellar that I can't possibly complain. Be sure to check out my photo page for new images from Australia.

We are very excited about the Modern Quilt Guild and the Modern Quilt movement. I had many conversations about this during my trip, and I expect that you'll be seeing more MQG guilds popping up very soon in Australia and New Zealand.

eQuilter is proud to be a sponsor of the QuiltCon show next Feb 2013 in Austin, and I will be giving a color/trend presentation there as well. We are committed to stocking the fabrics, books and patterns by and for Modern Quilters, so stay tuned to this fast growing phenomenon!

 

Photo above is me with Brenda Gael Smith (curator of Beneath Southern Sky exhibit) and SAQA artist Lisa Walton.

Creative Nudge - Body Mind and Soul

Ahhhh....nothing like a good quilt show to get those creative juices blasting!

What could be better than that? - Interviewing the top quilter in Australia (according to the 2012 Best of the Best award at the AQC last week) and asking her what goes on in that brilliant head of hers when she is making another award-winning quilt!

While we are waiting for our video interviews from the show, I can share with you that Merelyn Pearce found an inspiration (the artwork of Australian printmaker Margaret Preston) and turned it into a series of eye-popping masterpieces.

Creating a body of work requires diligence, patience, passion, and lets be frank here...maybe sometimes a little OCD? (Read about famous creative people with OCD here.) I don't know if that includes Merelyn, but I must admit I got a little short of breath when inspecting the minute applique and stitching details on her large intricate quilts!

One of the things I enjoy at quilt shows is watching and listening to people admiring the quilts. In the case of Merelyn's work, they get up VERY close, gasp, hold their breath, then gasp again and say "How did she DO that?!" Well gosh we all know what it takes - *wink* - tens of thousands of hours of practice, infinite patience, good eyesight (or good glasses!), a steady hand, and the willingness to do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes.

The reason it blows us away is because it is hard to imagine taking on any commitment that will take that much time...as our lives get busier and our days are filled with more information, more obligations, more more MORE....

And yet, there comes a point where we have no choice but to give it all up just so we can take the time to do something that makes us happy...something that will heal our body, mind and soul.

So why wait? Start sewing now! *grin*

Trip and quilt images will be posted all week on my photo page.

Many sincere and humble thanks to all the quilters who opened their hearts and homes during my visit to Australia - special thanks to Pam, Leslie, Sue and Jenny!

Creative Nudge - Report from Australia

I've always said that travel is a true test of one's character, and the only thing that can disappoint you on a trip is your expectations.

For my first trip to Australia, I had a very few, if any expectations...just that I would meet a handful of friends at the Melbourne show, and the rest would unfold spontaneously.

My visit to the quilt festival in Melbourne was fascinating, because it uncovered expectations I didn't know that I had! There were a few surprises, but I reminded myself of my travel motto about having no expectations, and then I could just enjoy the ride. I was delighted to meet so many of our customers who just walked up, said hello and gave me a hug!

My subsequent road trip down the coast to the Great Ocean Road was one of anticipation, but not expectations, because I truly had no idea what to expect. The first night in a remote beach/fishing town on the coast, I saw the Milky Way in all its glowing spangled glory, for the first time (really) since I was a teenager. I stood out in the pitch black night, staring dumbfounded at the sky, for a very long time.

The next morning I got up at 6 am to go down to the beach at Apollo Bay, to watch the sun come up over the water. Unfortunately there was a heavy cloud cover, but we decided to stay and just see what happened. We were rewarded by a parade of characters who played out their various morning rituals on the beach and in the water.

One of these characters was this scruffy little dog. There was a group of lifeguards who spent about an hour in the water, part of it with their rescue boards. When they went back into the water, sans boards, this dog was racing down the beach from their launch point, trying to catch them when they dropped their boards on the sand. They dove into the waves before he could reach them, and he sat by his master's board and looked forlornly out to the waves, and occasionally whimpered and howled.

Yesterday we spent up in the Beech Forest, and the surrounding pastoral countryside with gorgeous vistas of rolling green hills dotted with sheep and dairy cows. I saw huge red, green and blue lorikeets (looked like African Parrots!) flying among the towering Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus trees growing up to a canopy of 300 feet), and the primeval-looking Tree Ferns that have grown in the rainforest here for 120 million years. When I first opened the car door in the rainforest (to take a photo of a wild lilac bush) the rush of the eucalyptus air was exhilarating! We experienced the Otway skybridge through the canopy of the rainforest, and took a very long hike to a waterfall afterwards.

At sunset the sun was glowing a fierce red, through a *HUGE* plume of mauve/brown smoke billowing up in the distance. The hilltops and treetops all glowed bright red in the final hour of the day, as the light of the sun shot through the smoky haze. We found out this morning that it was a controlled burn - sheesh! If this is a controlled burn I can't even imagine what the real fires are like.

Today we are traveling out to Cape Otway to see koalas and kangaroos, then on to the 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. Pam tells me there are millions of Roos in the country - so many in fact that they are often killed on the roads like deer are in my home state. I've seen a flock of white cockatiels hunting for food on a green lawn (darn! - didn't get that photo!) and hope to see and photograph more of the gorgeous local birds.

Tomorrow I'll be meeting Leesa Chandler back in Melbourne for dinner, after another sight-seeing day through wine country. Friday I'll be flying to Canberra and Saturday is my presentation at the Jerrabomberra Community Centre for the Queanbeyan Quilters Guild. Hope to see many of you there!

I've posted some images from the Great Ocean Road, on my photo page, and will be adding more in the next few days.

Creative Nudge - Hemispheres and Applique

Today as I was making final preparations for my long journey Down Under, I tried to explain to Sophie that since I was going south of the Equator, the season would be the opposite of our current season here in the US.

"It's Spring here, so it is Fall there" I explained. "They've had their first snow in the mountains."

"So even though we have new Spring flowers here, the leaves are turning colors there?"

"Yes, and the birds fly North for winter, instead of flying South as they do here."

Then I tried to explain to her how I'd be traveling to "tomorrow" since I was crossing the Date Line, and that when I flew home I would be traveling for 24 hours, but arrive home just a few hours later than I left. (departng in the afternoon, and landing the evening of the same day...after crossing the Date Line again)

Fortunately Sophie has seen "Around the World in 80 Days" so she sort of gets the part about gaining a day by crossing the Date Line.

These mysteries of the Universe are no less puzzling than the mysteries of sewing:

Why is it that when you are on a deadline for a project, both your main machine and your backup sewing machine will break?

Why is it that you always run out of the matching fabric at the very end when you are almost finished?

Why is it that we always prick our finger when working with solid white fabric?

The remedy for all three of these mysteries, in my opinion, is a floral applique. Hand-sewing an applique over a mistake is where that saying "Necessity is the mother of invention" came from. Is that how Baltimore Albums first started, I sometimes wonder...? Haha, ok I am kidding, so don't bombard me with emails about the history of Baltimore Albums. *smile*

Anyway, when life hands you a broken sewing machine, a fabric shortage, or a spot of blood, there's nothing like a good old fashioned appliqued flower to fix up everything. I say this tongue in cheek, but you'd be surprised how many lovely applique quilts are born of this necessity. This is where keeping your sense of humor comes in handy, when encountering frustrations in the quilted garden. After awhile one starts coming up with creative variations like Broderie Perse and 3-D multi-petaled blossoms!

I am departing Wednesday night, and landing in Melbourne on Friday the 13th. You can follow me on Facebook, or watch for my next few newsletters.

I'll be at the Melbourne Australasian show April 14-15 (walking the show, and hopefully meeting many of you!), and I will be giving a presentation in the Canberra area on Saturday April 21st at the Jerrabomberra Community Centre in Queanbeyan.

(photo: Spring flowers at Pike Place Market in Seattle)

A French Twist

It is kind of surreal that in a few days I'll be starting my long journey to Australia. I leave Weds night, and arrive Friday the 13th! Ha!

In case you missed my Creative Nudge Weds, I wanted to let you know that I've posted several photos from my brief visit to Miami last weekend.

My visit to Australia is going to be very busy, but the first 3 days I will be at the Melbourne Australasian Quilt Convention. I'll be walking the show, taking lots of photos, and will be very happy to visit with any of you who are also at the show!

Then Pam Holland (who is recreating the Bayeaux Tapestry, among many other things!) and I will be doing a quilty girlfriend road trip up the Great Ocean Road. Leesa Chandler (talented Kaufman designer) will take us to a wildlife park, then I'll be off to Canberra. As I've mentioned before, I'll be giving a presentation there at the Jerrabomberra Community Centre in Queanbeyan on Sat April 21st, and I look forward to meeting many of you there!

The last couple days have had a decidedly French twist, although I didn't plan it that way. Yesterday I had lunch with a single mom who teaches French language and cooking classes, but now wants to open a new French-themed business. Today I went to see the French opera "Manon" which was a live streaming HD performance from the Met in New York.

The movie theater was PACKED (!) and I ended up sitting down in front where you can't really see the subtitles, but then I discovered that's where a bunch of the French-speaking opera lovers had settled. I decided to brush up on my rusty French... between the opera libretto and the whispered francais all around me. The opera was tres fantastique, and the costumes were magnifique!

Now I've got to brush up on my Australian slang...

Happy Passover, Happy Easter, and Happy Spring!