Some friendships start in the most unlikely of ways.
I'd been reading the blog Bumblebeans for quite a long time. It's author lives in Manhatten and she made quilts that made my heart race... awesome color, amazing construction.. and she was fast. Plus she knew some of my buddies.. but we'd not really chatted.
Then she put out a call for Roses. She needed ROSE fabric for her lady quilt... and I emailed her that I had some rose fabric.
Fast Forward and my good friend Victoria Findlay Wolfe is a first time author and her book ROCKS! 15 minutes of play is all about working your fabric, trying new things plus using up scraps.
WHAT COULD BE BETTER?? (yes.. I'm yelling!)
I interviewed Victoria on 11/12/2012 about being a new author. CLICK HERE to listen!
These are photos from her presentation at the Trade show in Houston
Shelly and I got to play "Vanna" and hold quilts for Victoria!
It was not lost on the audience that her outfit matched MANY of her quilts.... Who but Victoria can wear Canary yellow pants? NOT I that's for sure!
I asked Victoria a few questions about life in the city and how it inspires her design work, I know you are going to enjoying learning a bit more about her...
let's get to it...
Pat - NYC is a busy bustling place. You
didn't grow up there, but wanted to move there as a young artist. What is it
about the city that fuels your creative energy?
Victoria - Living in NYC, there is a feeling that you are never alone
or far from whatever you need. It's also the hub of the art world, which was
the reason I moved here in the first place. I was a serious artist, and I was
told, that's were artists go, NYC...
I was very naive when I moved here and
have many great early NYC stories... One gets street smart quick, when you come
off the farm! I do love NYC, and I love
that any sort of Artistic FORM is accessible here...
Pat - where is your favorite place in the city to
walk?
Victoria - Anywhere... You constantly feel like a tourist when you live
here, you have to look up and soak it all in, it changes very quickly, yet, it
can be very "small town" when you start to know all your local people
by first names.. some of them are shop workers, and some are people you see
daily on the street going to and fro.
You make these amazing connections purely because, you recognize them
from the day or week before...
If I had to pick one place though, it
would be walking near Strawberry Fields in Central Park. I got engaged
there, and we go there every year on Christmas day. This year will be
the first time in 18 years, that I don't make there on the day. We will
still be in Africa!
Pat - You have traveled around the world to visit
family, work, and vacation. Do you have one trip that really stands out
for you
Victoria - I've
traveled quite a lot, and have made so many amazing memories. One trip,
we were in Italy. While we were walking
around in Sienna, I see a client of mine, (from an old job) just
strolling
through... completely random. I've ran into people in the strangest
parts of the earth...
But, a favorite trip was for the Millennium. We
went
up to Inverness, Scotland, to an artist friends place for New Years. We
figured, if the computers,lights etc were going to go dark, (as they had
thought) Scotland was the place we'd want to be stuck. That trip was
packed full of strange, hilarious, surprising, life threatening,
fantastic memories...
It's almost like a dream.
I've been to China three times, and each trip
has been life changing, Peru, Fantastic...That is what I love about
traveling; Surprising blips of "Wow!
Did that just happen?"
Pat - I love dogs, you love dogs ... I feel dogs
are the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae of life! What antics do your dogs
do that really crack you up?
Victoria - I have two dogs. One cavalier, named Kia, and the other is a
Schnoodle, named Jenny Egg. They are
such polar opposites, they constantly have us cracking up. Jenny Egg lives up
to her goofy name. She loves to sit in my studio when I am working. She
will whine and cry, (while sitting next to a box of scraps) because she wants me to pick her up, and put
her in the scrap bin. She usually has
quilt dropping attached to her all day... just like me. LOL.
They are a
little bit crazy... We call them "the pillow squashers", as they are
always on top of my couch cushions, and usually end up falling behind
the cushions on top of each other while they sleep. Poor Kia is usually
on the bottom.
Pat - And I know you are a fabulous cook, while we
are all doing "15 Minutes of Play"... what recipe would you recommend
we cook so we can be ready to go!
Victoria - I'm a big fan of my crock pot, especially this time of year.
I
actually have an anthology of recipe blog, where you can find this
Colombian Pulled Pork recipe with cilantro sauce. Put it on in the
morning, let it sit all day, Wa-La! Easy dinner! More time to sew!
http://trythisyourself.blogspot.com/2011/10/colombian-pulled-pork.html
For a chance to win a copy of Victoria's book tell me...
"What time of the day is best for you to sew?"
Winner's name pulled Dec 12!
GIVEAWAY CLOSED>> WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON>>
click the top of my blog and enter the others.. THANK YOU!
ps.. Her lady quilt is in the book.. yeah!
Can't WAIT to see if you win a copy? CLICK HERE to buy at my AMAZON link!
Visit Victoria's blog http://www.bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/
and her 15 minutes of Play blog too, great inspiration there! http://www.15minutesplay.com/
And tour stops are...
Nov: 26: "Victoria Findlay Wolfe", http://www.15minutesplay.com/
Nov 27: "Bonnie K Hunter", http://quiltville.blogspot.com/
Nov 28: "Alissa Haight Carlton, http://www.handmadebyalissa.com/
Nov 29: "Pat Sloan", http://patsloan.typepad.com/
Nov 30: "Kimberly," http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/
Dec 1st: "Karen Griska",http://selvageblog.blogspot.com/
Dec 2nd: "Angela Walters", http://www.quiltingismytherapy.com/
Dec 3rd: Generation Q, http://generationqmagazine.com/
Dec 4th: "Tonya Ricucci", http://www.lazygalquilting.blogspot.com/
Dec 5th: "Michele Foster",http://quiltinggallery.com/blog-posts/
Dec 6th: "Scott Hansen",http://bluenickelstudios.com/
Dec 7th:"Amy Ellis", http://amyscreativeside.com/blog/
Dec 8th: "Rachaeldaisy",http://bluemountaindaisy.blogspot.com/
Dec 9th:"Jackie Kunkel", http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/
Dec. 10th: http://www.ctpubblog.com/
