keynote

  • Keynote Delivered

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I just returned from Utah where I delivered the keynote address at this year's Sewing Summit
    in Salt Lake City. What a great experience. And what a fun respite from
    the whirlwind of work I have this month. I was there for the entire
    event which gave me the chance to get to know a lot of the
    attendees—such an inspiring group.

    And the Salt Lake City food! That was a surprise. It helped that I went out to eat with some local foodies. Take Note: Bruges Waffles, Settebello Pizzeria, Plum Alley, Gracie's Bar, Hatch Family Chocolates & Ruby Snap Cookies.

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    I'm back in the studio now and I have to tear right into my class project for Thursday's Creative Bug shoot. I haven't forgotten about the Lottie Da fat-quarters giveaway. We will go through those entries and select our random winner this week, then post it here on the blog.

    I just wanted to pop in with a quick hello and an update. I'm excited
    to tell you more about this great event and the thoughts and stories I
    shared at the closing dinner after I get through this next swirl of
    sewing.

    Thanks to @cailamade and @hotpinkstitches for letting me snag photos from your Instagram feeds.

  • |

    Pause. Wait. Go. Go Fast!

    ByHeather Bailey

    Are you in Utah? I will be at The Material Girls quilt shop in South Jordan THIS Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm. Stop by and let's meet.

    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    I had such a quaint little weekend. I pieced a lap quilt, made cherry
    muffins, did the laundry, went to a movie. I even slept at night.
    Nothing nearly reflective of my high-energy obligations this week and
    next. (High-energy is code for compressed and quickly becoming
    stressful.) My True Colors fabric hadn't arrived yet for next week's Creative Bug shoot, so I made lemonade of the situation and relaxed. I meditated on this week's keynote and did some prep for next month's needs. And I completed an entire quilt top.

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    My quiet activities took place in a stir of remodeling. Isaac and
    Elijah shuffled furniture out of our family room to make way for
    wainscoting and new flooring. I have a number of great vintage pieces
    that will need reupholstering or rebuilding in some way, but we'll deal
    with the furniture and trimmings later. Certainly no sooner than
    November.

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    My True Colors fabric was delivered this afternoon. The race is now on. I leave for The Sewing Summit
    in Utah in two days and must resolve the Creative Bug project before I
    go, get my kids squared away, and keep a number of other projects moving
    forward.

    Some of you have asked for an update on my upcoming embroidery
    patterns. They will be ready soon. A few of these other obligations
    pushed their way forward in line. The work is 98% complete on the
    embroidery patterns, so my hope is to complete them once we've wrapped
    up the Creative Bug shoot. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know
    we're making progress on that despite my hectic schedule. We had planned
    to keep the embroidery patterns quiet till this Fall, but went ahead
    with previews earlier this year when my Lottie Da fabric collection was
    delayed for Spring Quilt Market. We had arranged a booth, but we weren't
    going to have fabrics. So, embroidery!

    Okay. Time for me to go, go go.

    If you missed the announcement at the top of this post, I will be at The Material Girls quilt shop in South Jordan, UT this Wednesday night from 6pm to 8pm. Come by for a hello. And see Lottie Da in person.

  • |

    It’s Official

    ByHeather Bailey

    As I hinted last week, I'll be heading to Utah in three weeks to give the keynote address at The Sewing Summit 2013. The announcement was made yesterday on The Sewing Summit blog and throughout their social media outlets. Click on the image below to read the full article.

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    SewingSummitWWhat
    is The Sewing Summit? As they put it, "We’re a cross between a
    traditional sewing retreat and a social
    media and blogging conference… With hands-on workshops, networking
    events, inspiring speakers,
    informative lecture sessions and enough down-time to connect with
    friends new and old—Sewing Summit is the only event of its kind. Join us
    for a weekend of skill-building, networking, laughing and
    reconnecting!"

    I'm excited to meet everyone and share. The event has been sold out for a while. However! They have added a handful of spaces this week. If you are interested in attending, jump on it. Just have a look at these great classes and teachers.
    I hear the sewing labs will be open till 2am or so. You can sew in your
    pjs with friends. Doesn't that sound dreamy? Of course, I'm a serious
    night owl.

    So then, whether you're attending or not, what would you like to hear
    from me at an event like this? The conference covers such diverse
    topics: fashion, quilting, blogging, photography, business and more. I want to do a bang-up job for you all.

  • Revive

    ByHeather Bailey

    This weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the Revive blog conference in Phoenix, Arizona. It was put on by two cool ladies, Coley and Lindsey,
    who run an outdoor antique market twice a year called Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market. The next one is April 27th at Westworld—and I will SO be there.

    They wanted to reembrace their blog and improve
    their approach, so instead of waiting to attend a remote conference or researching
    the subject online, they decided to assemble an event to educate others while getting an education
    themselves.

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    I was asked to
    give a keynote address, but because I am in the throes of designing
    another fabric collection—yes!—that is due this week—we decided
    on a Q &A
    instead. That way, the audience could glean what they most wanted from
    my being there. The other speakers joined in as well— it was great.

    It's always nice to step out of the studio for a break when I'm in the thick of a big project. Time
    away helps me gain perspective on where I'm at. And more
    than that, this time, I got to meet and help some wonderful and creative women in my own area.

    So, as I was posting images from the conference on Instagram during
    the event, a couple of women commented on Instagram that they felt like
    the only bloggers in their states. (It was Maine and South Carolina, I
    think.) They wished there were meet-ups in their areas as well.

    If you feel this way too, can I just take a moment to empower you to make it happen!?
    You can rent a small space or see if the city has a meeting room you
    can use, ask a couple of bigger bloggers to do a shout-out for you, see
    who might be willing to come speak. Bring in some food. Or keep things
    super simple with a round-table discussion amongst the attendees. The
    fact is, if you're feeling alone in your area, the chances are that
    others around are feeling the same way. You can be the solution.

    And you don't have to make things all fancy and froo-froo. Just get
    started and see what becomes. You will likely return home with a few new
    friends, some great ideas, and a good helping of fresh energy.

    Photos above are from my Instagram feed: www.Instagram.com/heatherbailey or @heatherbailey if you're in the app. Sign up for Instagram, it's awesome.

  • The Creative Connection

    ByHeather Bailey

    I'm in Minneapolis, MN for The Creative Connection this week.  What
    an amazing crowd of bloggers and business women!  All brought together
    by Nancy Soriano, Jo Packham, and their fantastic friends and staff.

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    is an honor to be invited as a speaker and panelist. They have put
    together a perfect schedule of business-fodder, food, and fun, along
    with an impressive Handmade Market.

    The event kicks off tomorrow
    morning with a variety of classes for the attendees. At lunchtime, The
    Pioneer Woman    , Ree Drummond, will join in for some Q & A. Then MaryJane Butters and Amy Butler will speak at the kick-off
    dinner.  I have an autograph party tomorrow night and two panels on
    Friday, centered on business development, with some meals and meetings
    in there as well. Saturday morning I'm listening in on another panel,
    then heading back home.  It's a full schedule. 

    I can't wait.

    (It looks like the bio and pig-tailed photo of me on the Creative Connection site
    are both several years out-of-date. Oops. (No, I'm not introducing my
    first line of fabric this year.) Here's a more up-to-date portrait courtesy of Charlotte.)