I had the opportunity to hear Ami Simms present her "How Not To Make A Prize-Winning Quilt" lecture last evening. My sides still ache from laughing! She is a gifted speaker with a wicked sense of humor as well as being an incredibly talented quilt maker/teacher and an amazing humanitarian, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Alzheimer's research through her Art Quilt Initiative. OK, let's be honest, those of you who know me already understand that I am one of her biggest fans! Her lecture was illustrated by a slide show containing photos of her own early quilting attempts. She pointed out all the mistakes she had made along her quiltmaking "journey" and what we should avoid. That's the part that made me laugh out loud, I had made every single one of those mistakes (and then some)! She included close-ups of her mangled miters and her non-matching thread choices... yep, done that (but I never would have the courage to show them off in a crowd)! Judging by the laughter all around me, I'm guessing I wasn't alone in my admission of guilt. The underlying theme of her presentation was two-fold; don't take yourself too seriously (what fun is that?) and make quilts that you love (why wouldn't you?). If you have the chance to hear Ami speak; or better yet, take a class from her... run, don't walk, to sign up! Check her website for the class/lecture schedule and get yourself enrolled, you'll thank me later. But, a cautionary warning (for your well being): you might want to strap up your sides first... it's always good to be prepared!Life is Good!
