So, five members of the Quilting Army are headed to Paducah:  Edith Gross, Gigi Baay, Hilary Harrison, Mary Ellen Ramirez Leingang, and Judy Walker.  I was supposed to go but had some last minute issues arise.  But I know our project is in good hands.  Yesterday they left from New Orleans, and drove 5 hours to Memphis, where Hilary put them up for the night.

 We did a short podcast about the drive up and their th...

I met Gigi when I went to Uptown Needle and CraftWorks. They have days where you can bring your sewing machine and go sew. She was there working. I went because I had to make three (yes!) very complicated (for me) jackets for cosplay for my daughter and her friends. I had never put in sleeves or made a jacket before. She was wonderful! She previously had her own sewing business. Now, she works at Uptown. She is also a quilter....

Yes, she did!  She invented the Mondo bag!  She's soooo cool.  She sent research samples.  I made a double wedding ring quilt -- yes, I did!  Her interface technique means even someone like me can make really cool quilts.

Bob Ruggiero is the Director of Publications and Public Information at Quilts, Inc., the company that puts on Quilt Market show and the Quilt Festival. Bob and I had a delightful conversation about the evolution of the Quilt Market, the Quilt Festival, and the exhibitions at these events. Check out the interview on Bob's Just Wanna Quilt Page!