Showing Your Work: part 5 packing it up

I've worked for a number of shows, curating, hanging, organizing - climbing right up on that ladder and hanging the things on the wall. I've hung shows in public art galleries,  cafes, local and national quilt shows. I've worked with local guild shows, the International Quilt Festival (in chicago), and group shows that traveled around the country.

The part I like the least is the packing and unpacking of the quilts. I'm grateful that there have always been others to make the checklists and make sure that everyone has sent all the stuff. Let me talk just a bit about ways that you can make things easier for the show organizers and for yourself. 

You know how to roll your quilt right? Swim noodles are a textile artists best friend. Lay down a sheet or cloth, lay the quilt face down, then roll the whole thing onto the noodle, tie it up and throw on a plastic sleeve. Or -use the grey pipe insulating tubes from the hardware store - they are a bit thinner than a noodle and might let you wrap more quilt into your box. I have to say that I prefer square long boxes to tubes for ease of handling. We can stack them on top of each other or against the wall without their rolling away.

If your quilt is too long for the box, lengthen the box.


















I have heard of instances of pieces being accidentally thrown away, mistaken for garbage. If you have no other choice a garbage bag will protect your work from moisture. Just label it in great big letters. It's much better that the bag be clear.

Please don't use packing peanuts. They come out of the boxes all over the place and are a major mess to clean up. Bubble wrap is better if you need to fill some space in the box. 

(I've blurred out all names and addresses by the way - these are all well labeled!)

Here is one of the best packaged pieces I've seen. Multiple pieces were packaged in one box. Each was placed in a clear plastic bag. One quilts was wrapped on a swim noodle, wrapped in cloth. A smaller piece was creatively sandwiched between two pieces of foam core. Every last piece was labeled with the artists name, address, contact information, and the name of the quilt. Noodle, cloth, bag, box, hanging apparatus - every piece labeled!!! And (I thought this was clever) they all had a visual so that you could take a glance and know that they all belong together.

This was wonderful. A smaller piece that needed to be shipped flat was pinned to a thick piece of foam board then protected with another piece of foam board. They were held together by stick on velcro straps. It was simple for us to undo the velcro unpin the artwork and keep everything in it's box so we could find it later. 

Some other tips - include a self addressed stamped postcard for the show to send so you know your work got there safely.

Any other tips for packing quilts? 

Here are some of the nightmares:

• A quilt pinned to insulation board that we couldn't fit back into the box. Pinned every inch. (That said it was my favorite quilt in the exhibition.)
• Peanuts, peanuts, peanuts. A very large box for a small piece... peanuts, peanuts, peanuts.
• No labels anywhere. No hanging stuff. I could go on. I'm sure you could go on.

Tell me what you think. If you've been involved in the packing and unpacking process what was your best and worst? How do you pack your pieces? Did I leave anything out? Let me know.

In Paducah - still....

Weather isn't always kind to air travelers. Our little puddle jumper from Paducah to Chicago was delayed (and delayed and delayed) because of all the nasty weathery mess up there and down here and all around the country. After a quick consultation with "Mr. Mom" at home I volunteered to be one of the four passengers they needed to bump so that they could take on extra fuel to spend extra time circling up there. So here I sit in a paid hotel for an extra night or two instead of stuck in the airport up there waiting to see if my late night flight would be delayed or canceled.

So here are some more of my photos from Paducah.

For Your Inspiration: Paducah

I had a little time to wander today.

Quilt Man!!!

Student Spotlight: Paducah

I truly am THE luckiest person in the world to be able to do what I do. I shlep and huff for a week, fly for a day, then play and play and play! And I get to play with the funnest people. These lovely ladies came in singing out loud and I joined right in.

Just Foiling Around

foil, glitter, painted Wonder-Under

Surface Design Sampler Platter

Imagine my surprise and joy - that's Quilter Beth in the cupcake apron.

She's been spotlighted here as she works her way through Art + Quilt!

Here we are getting up and around, doing photo transfer, painting and stamping, 

and yes, cutting out snowflakes. It's more fun than kindergarden!

Apli-Punto to Go

What troopers! It was a night class and they stayed awake and made such beautiful things!

Couldn't quite get them all in the picture so here we have the other half.

They are laughing at me perched up high on a chair with the camera in the air.

I LOVE THIS JOB!!!

On The Road: Paducah

I’m tired enough that it’s difficult to write… long blank spaces in my brain. But it’s all good. I’m sitting in the terminal and am surrounded by quilters. I suppose there aren’t all that many flights into a small town like Paducah. The sweet girl at the check-in counter in Raleigh said “you’re the ONLY one going to Paducah.” I think she’s wrong but it made me laugh anyway. I’m looking forward to southern spring weather there and am grateful to be going there rather than farther north where it might still be grey and cold.

So what to do in the airport? 

Today it’s two of my favorite podcasts. Betty In The Sky With A Suitcase, and WNYC’s Radio Lab. Betty is a long time flight attendant with a plethora of very funny stories to tell about things that happen on planes. Radio Lab is the most interesting and entertaining science podcast I’ve ever heard. Did you know that our natural state of number understanding is logarithmic rather than linear?

Stitch. Hours of meditative hand work. Every time I get on the plane I’m a bit tired because I tend to go out on very early flights but have stayed up too late the night before. Usually I’m throwing together a few pieces of fabric with a bit of batting and then a little box of embroidery threads and some beads. Who knows what will happen by the time I’m done with it? No plan. 

Perhaps it will get done on the way home.

What a lovely way to pass the time.

Title ideas would be greatly appreciated!

running, running, running....

Whew. I still have a million things to do before the American Quilter's Society show this week. No time to post on Monday but a full day of travel on Tuesday! Am I the only person on earth who loves long travel days? No dishes to do, no children to drive, no fights about homework or chores? I can write and do handwork or read to my hearts content. I hope to post a review of ARTQUILTS:illuminations for you as well as a book review. Keep your eyes on this space.....

Fire 

by Diane English

For Your Inspiration: Spring!

This weekend I'm attending the annual spring conference of the Professional Art Quilter's Alliance - South. Next week I teach in Paducah at the American Quilter's Society show. I've arranged childcare, made a million handouts, packed one of my 50lb suitcases full of supplies, shipped four boxes and have told my other den mother I won't be at cub scouts (scrub sprouts) next week. I still have a million things to do so what did I do yesterday? 

Pulled out my camera and spent an hour in the yard glorying in the riot of color that is spring in the South. It felt like the sun was pouring into my hands - and heart.

Most of the azaleas in the yard are repeat bloomers - coming out for an encore in the fall.

This sweet little azalea has creamy white blossoms - and they don't even turn brown and yucky when the temp takes it's usual late spring quick dive.

My bleeding heart is tucked in a corner and the blossoms hide under very bright lime green foliage.

My favorite childhood flowers are lilac and iris.

A few years ago I planted one of the very few varieties that will bloom here in the south.

They usually like cold winter weather and we don't get enough of it. 

The smell is heady. The whole kitchen is full of it from one small branch.

And of course this morning instead of getting more things ready I'm sharing my spring color with you. I still have a few hours before I need to leave. I have to gather my stuff for the conference, find a ride to the airport, print out more handouts (and of COURSE the printer is out of ink) and figure out an activity for the six year old's birthday party tomorrow. I think I can squeeze in a stop at the craft store on the way there. Any ideas? Helpful hint for squeezing in more art time: convince your children that a donut tower is waaaay more fun than a decorated birthday cake!