Well, I don’t have a hot date tonight, so I may as well write something.  My friend Terri and I are getting serious about selling our art – textile art.  We have been quilting for friends and family for several years now.  My husband has admonished me as he watches the beautiful quilts walk out the door – “why aren’t you selling these?”  Or, conversely,  “why aren’t you keeping these?”  I admit, as does Terri, it is difficult to say goodbye to our works of art, we place a bit of our very souls in each piece we design and create.   

Although we make block quilts at times, Terri and I like to let our creative imaginations run amok and make what we call “art quilts.”  As an example, Terri has made a quilt of Yosemite Valley for her son, complete with rock climbing routes up El Capitan stitched into it.  One of my favorites that I made was a music-themed baby quilt.  I made it for a resident at a nursing home where I worked.  Her daughter was having a baby and the parents were both musicians.  So I designed a quilt with the cutest little cartoon kids playing all kinds of instruments (my favorite was the little drummer – he was GROOVIN’) and all kinds of wonderful musical fabric; the middle of the quilt was two “pages” of music notation, and the title of the “song” was the name of the baby-to-be; music and lyrics by Doreen and Paul; copyright 2009.  You get the idea.  It just turned out beautifully and my friend was delighted, as was her daughter. 

Terri and I have decided to start selling.  We even have a name: Terramar Designs.  Because we do not have a long arm sewing machine (any donations?) we are going to have to steer away from anything larger than a baby quilt.  For the silent auction at the parish carnival next week we have created some very cool Halloween and Christmas placemats.  I was pleased that when I was purchasing some fabric for the Halloween placemats, the woman at the cutting counter asked what I was making.  When I responded, a mother with three kids next to me blurted out “That’s cuter than the ones at Pottery Barn for Kids.”  Talk about encouragement!  

We are not quitting our day jobs, but we are definitely moving forward.  Terri and I have a keen partnership – we rarely disagree on what should be done, our collaboration is based on give and take and respect, and we have the same reactions to combinations of colors and fabrics and patterns.  Without an art background, we nevertheless know what we like and we often will say “Perfect!” at the same time, casting aside whatever our first draft fabric or design might have been.  We bring different “likes” to the table – Terri is all about geometrics and bright colors, I’m all about flowers and pastels, and we’ve taught each other the grace of each style. 

Today we met up at the fabric store at lunch time for a quick pick up of a bit more material (always more material) to finish off our project.   Warning:  If you see Terri and I together at a fabric store, guard your wallet, get out of the way, and don’t eavesdrop lest you start laughing and have to run to the bathroom quick-like.   Two kids in a candy store doesn’t come close to describing our little field trips, more like the bull in a china shop analogy.   We were choosing Halloween fabric for napkins and the next thing you know Terri is pulling out autumn themed fabric and shaking it in my face: “Wouldn’t this make a great table runner?”  “Stop looking at the fall fabric, Terri.”  “I was waiting for you to say that – focus!”  We arrived with the inspiration fabric of our Christmas placemats that was previously purchased, and have to take turns pulling each other away from unrelated Christmas fabric that is “so great!”  At one point I get waylaid by a dollar bin with doodads  “Isn’t this cute? I’m going to get this for my Mother.”  “See, Mary, you notice things like that, I didn’t even see it there…”  “Oh well, that’s not why we’re here” (as I put it back).   “Why don’t you get it?”  “OK you’re right, I’ll come back and it will be gone.”  No checks and balances here.  We are a crazy team, an unholy alliance, a fabulous fabric duo.

I had to leave before Terri did so she was left behind to have the fabric cut and purchase it.  She also was purchasing a  product called Wonder Under.  It is a fusible fabric that allows for easy appliqueing of fabric on fabric.  This was the text message I received from her two hours later…

“Got 9 yards of Wonder Under so we should be set for a decade or so.” 

I cannot leave that girl alone for a minute.