Whirlwind!

My oh MY, Friday was fully of excitement right from the start. No sooner did I sit down to get into my day's work, I get an email from Linda Lum DeBono, talented craft designer, who also works with Henry Glass, subject line: CALL ME! While I'm on the phone with her, I get an email from my partner, Gina, subject line: CALL ME! A few moments later, I get another email subject line: CALL ME! from the subject of the other two emails, Mark Lipinski.

Seems Mark needed a textile designer for a panel discussion for his new show, Quilt Out Loud! on QNNtv.com for a segment on what it's like being a textile designer, how we work, opinions on what's in the market, what directs trends, etc. Well, Mark, I'm always nervous as hell whenever I'm in front of a crowd, but I'LL DO IT! Catch is, he tells me, it's TOMORROW (meaning yesterday)- gulp! (Thanks to Linda for referring me to him!)

So, I commit- the shoot is in Doylestown, PA, and it means rearranging our Saturday, which was miraculously easy considering I had to unload two boys. I spent the rest of Friday in a daze and gathering sample and settling my mind of nerves. Saturday morning it was up and at 'em and putting on make-up for the first time in what seems like AGES- not to mention the use of hair goo and spray. (boy, I'm stuck in the WAHM void-of-style rut). Thankfully I had a nice top to wear.

The shoot was taking place at the Byrne Sewing Connection and even had a small audience of local quilting enthusiasts. We were supposed to be there for 12:15, we didn't shoot until closer to 4. Mark Lipinski is an absolute HOOT. You get it from his magazine, but until you experience him in person, you just don't see all the energy that is there. Jodie Davis (right of me, above) is his charming co-host. Michelle (standing behind me above) is the producer and director, who called me 3 times on Friday to ask me preliminary interview questions which I was excited about. Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting Gail Kessler (pictured below with me and her Golden, Rosie) from Ladyfingers Studio and Marketing Director and Designer for Andover Fabrics, who was the other designer on the panel, and she was yin to my yang- she being very entrenched in the quilt fabric market and much more in the know of the business end (and now I see how much it's like the garment industry in many ways), and me just flying by the seat of my pants.

No sooner did we start shooting, and Mark tossed his first question at me, I felt numb, tongue-tied and fumbled - it wasn't really a question I was qualified to answer... but the powers that be turned it all around, we re-shot the scene having Gail field the question and we were off and running... The show airs sometime in October.

All in all, it was a crazy whirlwind of an experience (a little like Mark, himself!), which just reaffirms the notion that I'm good on the fly... had I had a week or two to think about it I'd probably had been a whole lot more anxiety-ridden and a lot less confident. It was a fabulous experience, I learned a lot about quilting and quilters (which you'd THINK I'd know, but sadly didn't), I met many lovely people, got to see a show being filmed, had a nice ride to Pennsylvania, some time to chat with my husband alone.

Thanks to Linda, Mark, Jodie, Michelle and Gail for the opportunity and the camaraderie and my husband for supporting me in this very "me" moment.