On Friday, the day before Quilt Market opens to buyers, I presented a schoolhouse session called, "The Whole 9 Yards with Daisy Janie's Organic Fabrics."
I talked about the basics of organic cotton, what the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is, and why I've chosen to produce Daisy Janie's fabrics in accordance with this standard.
Technical difficulties aside, the information was rich and the schoolhouse went very well. I was in a robotic daze as I went through my notes & the powerpoint slides, and yet I felt very at ease and confident with what I was saying. I considered it a success when a number of attendees sought out my booth over the next couple days to tell me how much they learned, how much they appreciated the content and how important the message is to keep putting out there! Very gratifying to know I contributed to someone's change of heart or second thoughts about their buying habits for organic cotton. Just doing my job!
I am planning to record some sort of audio/video version of my schoolhouse in the coming weeks. Can't wait to share it with you!
Some notes of thanks:
- Thank you to Jill Guffy and Marny Buck of Modern Quilt Relish for speaking at the schoolhouse on behalf of their fantastic quilt patterns for Tilly! (more on the pattern coming soon)
- Thank you to Mr. Betz White - he knows who he is - for jumping in to help when my computer locked up. Check out Betz's beautiful booth for her new organic collection, Stitch.
- Thank you to Cara Wilson of Cara Quilts and Talkin' Tuesdays for also jumping in to lend a hand during the laptop lock-up AND for staying close-by during the presentation to help transition from one segment to the next. Truly, that presentation would not have been the same without your assistance! This community of sewers and quilters amazes me with their gracious ways!! People you never met in person just raising their hand to say, "I can help!"
Click on over to Katy's post at Monkey Do to see / read more about the other schoolhouse sessions, and her summary of mine. Thanks for coming Katy!
[ image c/o Katy Jones, @ImAGingerMonkey ]
Comparatively, this 30-minute session was 1/50th or 2% of my total official business commitment to Quilt Market, yet I'm certain my preparation for it represented 49/50ths of my total work and stress ahead of Quilt Market! Nonetheless, I will do another and another b/c ideas for future sessions kept coming as I jotted notes for this one.
[ image c/o Fat Quarter Shop ]
Above: "Salad Bar" quilt by Modern Quilt Relish.
Below: Marny Buck and Jill Guffy discussing the Salad Bar pattern they created.
[ image c/o Fat Quarter Shop ]
Just some food for thought in that slide below!
