Welcome!
I’ve always been slow to catch onto anything hip (proven by the fact that I’ve yet to watch a single episode of “Project Runway”). Yet I’d get email after email from friends and colleagues who’d apprise me that they were journaling on the Net, and for me to come visit. Finally, I gave into curiosity when Lesley Riley told me that I absolutely must read Loretta Marvel’s expressive and inspiring tidbits of wisdom or she’d smack me with one of her fabric books. From then on, my morning ritual was forever altered as I now wake up thirty minutes earlier, sip coffee in bed, and slowly wake to the musings of others.
Hoards of artists are putting out wonderful, insightful, inspiring blogs reminiscent of “morning pages,” or warm–ups––ways for artists to work out their artistic fears and discover their dreams as they slowly, word after word, psyche themselves into a creative place. I discovered that blogs were a way to stay connected with the larger artistic community, to share works in progress (one of my favorite aspects of blogging), and to get feedback from friends.
In this blog I’ll be sharing a little bit about myself as an editor/quilter and using this informal, relaxed venue to ask you questions and share with you what we’re up to at Quilting Arts, LLC. I’ll share sneak peaks on reader challenges and updates on submissions. I’ll also post some reviews on the latest books and products that we weren’t able to fit into our magazines. Lastly, I promise to impart the latest information on calls for entries and upcoming events.
Speaking of events, I hope many of you are making your hotel reservations for the International Quilt Festival-Spring in Chicago, April 7-9. Make It U! with Cloth Paper Scissors is shaping up to be an exhilarating event at this spectacular quilt festival. If you’ve never been to this quilt show, you’re missing out. The quilts are mind-blowing in their creativity and sheer number—everything from traditional to art quilts with all kinds of media, and aisle after aisle of vendors, selling a myriad of fabrics and embellishments. (I spend ALL my hard-earned money at these shows.)
And you’re hearing it on this blog first: If you send in up to five ATCS for the ATC Trade that will be taking place right on the show floor, whether or not you can come to Chicago to get your trades, there is a very, very high probability that your ATCs will be published––in a book, no less. So I hope that you can sneak some time in this week to make up to five mixed-media ATCs and mail them to us to make the March 6th deadline. 
Happy creating,
Patricia
Great first post!
Posted by: Rich Brooks | February 10, 2006 at 01:56 PM
POKEY'S GOT A BLOG!!! Wooooeeee! Welcome to the wonderful world of Blogs, and I look forward to reading what you have to say. Love ya work, babe! (<-- to be read in Hollywood accent, if there is such a thing). My local post office won't put my copies of QA or CPS in my box, they make me come in and get them over the counter so they can have a peek at them too!!
Posted by: Caitlin O'Connor | February 28, 2006 at 12:41 AM
A terrific first blog entry and I look forward to reading your blog regularly. I'm a huge fan of your magazines and I think this is a great way to supplement us with what's happening in "Quilting Arts" world during those long months between issues !
Posted by: sue b | March 01, 2006 at 12:36 PM
Love to read and see that you too now have a blog! Welcome!
Posted by: Melly | March 02, 2006 at 10:11 PM
I finally had time to check up on your blog! Great beginnings.
Posted by: Lesley | March 09, 2006 at 06:09 PM
Welcome to the blogging world, Pokey! I've subscribed in Awasu so I don't miss anything...
Posted by: Liz | March 18, 2006 at 07:57 AM
I didn't know you had a blog! Welcome to the blogosphere. It's very addictive -watch out or you'll find yourself doing nothing else and then we won't have those gorgeous magazines to devour!
Posted by: Loretta | March 27, 2006 at 07:11 AM