I’M HERE FOR THE PARTY!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Just log onto www.toginet.com for a brand-new,
LIVE, 2-hour
Creative Mojo with Mark Lipinski!
3 pm -5 pm EST 2 pm – 4 pm CST 1 pm – 3 pm MST 12 pm – 2 pm PST
Call into the live show with your questions or comments for my guests
(877) 864-4869
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MEET MY CO-HOST
Author, Quilter
MARIE BOSTWICK
About MARIE…
On the path to becoming a novelist, Marie Bostwick worked in the bean fields of Oregon, sang and danced in musical productions, acted in TV commercials, taught religion to deaf children, ran an event-planning business, worked as the scheduler for a U.S. Senator and directed women’s ministries for a large church.
But as diverse and enriching as these experiences were, it was a conversation with a stranger that pointed Marie toward her true calling.
With her third book, ON WINGS OF THE MORNING, going into its fourth printing, Marie stopped to tell the story of a day in 1994. Then the mother to three active young sons, Marie went on a much-needed vacation to a resort with some girlfriends. While there, she decided to attend a writer’s workshop, “not from any desire to become a writer,” she said, “but as a way to avoid playing tennis with my friends. I’m hopelessly unathletic.” At the end of the week the instructor approached her, and thinking she was a professional writer, asked what she’d published.
“I just laughed. I told him that I was a mom, and the only thing I wrote was grocery lists.” The instructor insisted that whether Marie knew it or not, she was a writer. Marie thanked him for the compliment, saying she wasn’t a writer, just someone who hadn’t fired her imaginary friends when she grew up. “Then he leaned toward me and said, ‘Well, what do you think writers are?’ That got my attention. I think I realized then that he was onto something, that my secret identity had finally been unmasked.”
The signs were there from an early age. A voracious reader by the age of three, Marie said one of her first literary endeavors was a screenplay she wrote for “Camelot” before she was old enough to attend public school. The musical was a favorite of Marie’s, and, not having seen the movie, she wrote her own story to go with the music she’d heard on her grandmother’s record player. In high school, Marie wrote short stories and “a lot of sad, self-absorbed teenage poetry,” which earned her the school English award.
Marie’s eclectic reading provides endless inspiration for her stories. Her first two books, FIELDS OF GOLD and RIVER’S EDGE, are set in the years surrounding World War II. Though she received frequent letters from readers asking for a sequel to FIELDS OF GOLD, Marie wasn’t sure if she should write another book set in that period. Then she picked up a book about the Women Air Force Service Pilots, the WASP, who flew thousands of non-combat missions during World War II, and knew she had to write about them.
As Marie learned about the history of the WASP, the story of Georgia June Carter, the heroine of ON WINGS OF THE MORNING, became clear in her mind. Library Journal published a Q & A with Marie and a review of the November 2008 book. The same month her first contemporary story, “A High Kicking Christmas,” appeared in COMFORT AND JOY, a Christmas anthology with Fern Michaels.
Born in Eugene, Oregon, the youngest of four sisters experienced a life of comfort in her early years, then financial hardships after her parents’ divorce. But childhood summers spent working in the fields taught her industry and the dignity of good, hard work. They also provided the insight into the hearts and minds of small communities, the settings for her novels.
Marie dedicated four years to writing FIELDS OF GOLD. Published in 2005 by Kensington Books, FIELDS OF GOLD was a finalist for the prestigious Oklahoma Book Award and for RT BOOKclub magazine’s Best Historical Saga Award. RIVER’S EDGE won the Golden Quill Award, was a finalist for a National Readers’ Choice Award and was an alternate selection of the Literary Guild.
Marie enjoys volunteering to help others. When she was twenty-five, she became the first president of a new chapter of Habitat for Humanity in Georgia. Living in Colorado in her early thirties, she managed Promise Keepers seminars designed to train ministers to better understand the needs of men in their congregations. Then, in Mexico, she was the volunteer director of development for Manos de Ayuda (Helping Hands), a medical mission to the poor.
“It feels like the rest of my life and experiences were the lessons that I had to master so I could do this thing I was truly meant to do,” Marie said, adding, “I can’t imagine being anything but a writer.”
Today Marie lives in Connecticut with Brad, her husband, and their one son still in high school. When not writing or volunteering for her church, she enjoys quilting, watching movies and sipping tea on the front porch with her friends and spending time with her family.
Marie’s literary output is amazing!
And her newest novel is beach-reading-ready!
CLICK HERE for Marie’s website!
Marie’s on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and PINTEREST!
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MEET
Designer, Quilter, Author, Collector, Mistress of Miniature
MARY ELIZABETH KINCH
About MARY ELIZABETH…
Mary Elizabeth says, “As a ten-year-old sewing on my mother’s turquoise Singer, I was passionate and curious about the creative process. My home economics teacher would remember me as the student with the insatiable appetite for sewing projects and likely regretted agreeing that I could take home my dress project to work on over a weekend … I arrived on the Monday with it completed! As a teenager I worked as an historical interpreter at Black Creek Pioneer Village during the summers, and it was there, demonstrating crafts, in full historic costume, that I was introduced to spinning, rug hooking, weaving, and best of all, quilting. Thus the love affair began!
Colour and fabric have always fascinated me. Some of my earliest memories as a child are studying the varied greens and golds of the lichen and moss that covered the rocks on our summer island, and of the fabrics my mother fashioned into curtains or had made into dresses. I loved looking through her sewing basket at the tools and tidbits that had been passed on to her; artifacts from an age that held a deep respect for the art of the needle. This fascination led me to complete one of my degrees in fashion design. I couldn’t have escaped the appreciation of all things historical and artistic if I’d tried. I am the daughter of avid antique collectors and history enthusiasts, and creativity runs deep on both sides of my family. I bought my first antique when I was nine – a Scottish twelve spoke spinning wheel. It is the wheel I learned to spin on, and I still have it. Interestingly enough though, we did not have any antique quilts on the beds or the walls of my home growing up, nor at any of my grandparent’s homes. I slept under an old English eiderdown for years!
Collecting antique quilts is a recent thing for me and is all about studying and appreciating the art of quiltmaking. I love how quilts divulge their history and the stories of their makers’ ingenuity. The ah-ha moments, when I am in a museum archive studying a quilt and “get” how the quilter put a block together or did a certain technique, puts a smile of delight on my face. They were intrepid creators! My favourite quilt is Susan McCord’s Vine Quilt. Hands down. And although collecting antique quilts has given me great satisfaction, my true passion lies in designing and making quilts. I found an instant connection with Gwen Marston, renowned for her influence on the quilting world and can still remember the exact moment and the exact place I was standing when I first picked up her landmark book Liberated Quiltmaking. The celebrated quilts of Gee’s Bend also have left an impression on me. I was very fortunate to spend an afternoon in Gee’s Bend (now known as Boykin) with the legendary quilters Mary Lee Bendolph and Arlonzia Pettway, and have fond memories of the stories they shared about their lives. So, I have to admit that I have a streak of the “modern-style quilt renegade” in me too. It is only natural, as a result of the various influences in my life and my work as an interior designer, that my quilts are a blend of influences – the remarkable quilts from the past, as well as the objects and places of everyday life.
Gwen Marston’s influence goes beyond mere admiration; she is friend and mentor. In fact, it was Gwen herself who inspired us to write our first book. Biz Storms and I had spent about a year literally tripping over antique small block/pieced quilt after quilt. At one of Gwen’s Beaver Island Quilt Retreats, Biz mentioned to Gwen that we thought she should do a book on full-sized quilts made with small blocks. Gwen said, ‘no, YOU should do one.’ Biz asked me if I was game and I, of course, said yes. The rest, as they say, is history! Biz and I wrote two best-selling books together and enjoyed a wonderful collaborative partnership. At the moment, Biz has stepped aside from quilting.
I am currently designing interior environments, and when I am not doing that I am making quilts, teaching and encouraging others to tap into their own creative abilities, and spending time with my most cherished treasures, my three children.”
Mary Elizabeth’s latest book elevates small pieces to mega-beauty!
Staggering artistry that reveres quilters past…
CLICK HERE for Mary Elizabeth’s website!
Follow her BLOG!
Mary Elizabeth’s on PINTEREST!
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MEET
Artist, Author, Teacher
SUE BLEIWEISS
About SUE. . .
A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, Sue Bleiweiss has been a full time artist for over 10 years. Self-taught, her medium of choice is fiber and she is particularly fond of working with silk. Sue has published an extensive array of articles for several internationally popular fiber and craft magazines and has had her work featured in numerous books. Her work resides in numerous private collections all over the world. Sue is a 2012 Niche Award Finalists in the Fiber Decorative category.
Books:
The Sketchbook Challenge: Technique, Prompts and Inspiration for Achieving your Creative Goals (Random House/Potter Craft Publishing)
Creative Ways with Books and Journals
Creative Ways with Fibre&Stitch
Additional work featured in:
Adventures in Mixed Media: Collage, Stitch, Fuse, and Journal Your Way to a More Creative Life by Jane Davies
Creative Paper Quilts by Terri Stegmiller
1000 Artisan Textiles:Contemporary Fiber Art, Quilts, & Wearables by S Salamony & G Brown
Magazine Articles:
Cloth Paper Scissors Studios, Cloth Paper Scissors, Altered Couture, Belle Armoire, Bound & Lettered, The Crafts Report, Crafts N Things, Get Creative, Handcrafted, Handwoven Magazine, Quilting Arts Gifts, The Quilting Quarterly, Sew Somerset, Somerset Studio and Somerset Wedding
Juried Shows:
Infinity Art Gallery 2011 Fiber Arts Show, Fantastic Fibers 2011, Volusia Wrapped in Fiber 2011, One Passion, Many Voices 2011, Images – Lowell Quilt Festival 2010
Professional Affiliations:
Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA); Surface Design Association (SDA); 8 That Create Fine Arts Group
Sue’s new book brings sketchbooking to life!
CLICK HERE for Sue’s website!
Sue blogs HERE!
Sue’s on FACEBOOK & ETSY!
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MEET
Designer, Author, Laundry Basket Quilt-er, Teacher
EDYTA SITAR
About EDYTA…
Edyta’s love for fabric began at a very young age – when she used her mother’s newly hung drapes to create her first fabric project! Fortunately for all of us, her mother recognized her passion for fabric and thus began the journey with fabric and sewing. Creating beautiful gowns ushered Edyta into creative textile design and established the building blocks which led her into a quilting adventure.
One of Edyta’s biggest blessings is her marriage to husband, Michael. She not only fell in love, she was introduced to the family tradition of quilting by her mother-in-law, Carol, and grandmother-in-law, Anna.With more than 64 years of quilting experience to share, Grandma Anna taught Edyta the basics for hand quilting and scrap piecing. Her first sewing machine was a wedding gift from her Mother-in-law, Carol, which Edyta still has and her daughters, Anna and Delfina, love to use. “Mom (Carol) is my biggest fan, always cheering me on, encouraging me to take steps beyond limits and take on any project.”
Quilting has enabled Edyta to express herself; her designs are the avenue to release artistic passion! The combination of inspiration from nature, a love for fabric, a keen eye for color, and her family teachings blended into the recipe for developing a flourishing talent for designing quilts and quilting patterns.
“My children and my husband are my greatest motivation, providing the basis that you can accomplish anything you want if you just set your mind to it. Being able to do what I love and share this love with others is the greatest feeling and reward I could imagine! This is the Cinderella dream for me.”
Edyta’s newest book is makin’ some noise!
Award-winning, best-selling author and fabric designer Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts shares five of her favorite quilting techniques including how to make 8 pointed stars, create a bulk-free binding, making and using strip panels and half square triangles, and her favorite fusible applique method. This newest book Scrappy Firework Quilts features 19 gorgeous projects including full-size bed quilts, throws, wall hangings and a sewing box to hold all of your favorite sewing tools. 5 of Edyta’s favorite quilting techniques. Beautifully photographed in Shipshewana, Indiana – one of the author’s favorite places to travel for inspiration and to visit with good friends.
Edyta has many more titles and wondrous designs that’ll wow you!
CLICK HERE for Laundry Basket Quilts, Edyta’s shop and info center!
Edyta’s BLOG gives lots of advice and inspiration!
Edyta’s new book is HERE!
Edyta’s on FACEBOOK!
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MEET
Writer, Editor, Handmade Heroine
KELLY RAND
About KELLY…
Kelly Rand is Arts Editor for DCist and is former editor of Crafting a Green World. Kelly has been published by Bust Magazine and you can also find her byline at Indie Fixx and Etsy’s Storque. She has taught in Etsy’s virtual lab on the topic of green crafting.
Kelly helps organize Crafty Bastards: Arts and Crafts Fair, one of the largest indie craft fairs on the east coast and has served on the Craft Bastard’s jury since 2007. Kelly is also co-founder of Hello Craft a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the advancement of independent crafters and the handmade movement. She is an author of Handmade to Sell: Hello Craft’s Guide to Owning, Running, and Growing Your Crafty Biz. Kelly resides in Washington, D.C. and believes that handmade will save the world.
In a recent interview, Kelly said, “I have basically been crafty all of my life. I loved painting, drawing and even convinced my parents to get me a small child’s play pottery wheel. I loved creating and eventually went to art school. Afterwards my mother taught me how to knit and it’s been down hill ever since…. I love knowing where my materials are made and how. It adds another layer to the story of your items, when you can say that your special knits are made with wool from a CSA or was dyed using solar power. There are great stories there that deserve to be told.”
Can’t wait to chat about Kelly’s new book!
Kelly knows where to find the awesome…
CLICK HERE for Kelly’s website!
Kelly’s blog is HERE!
Info about Kelly’s book is HERE!
Hello Craft is on FACEBOOK & TWITTER!
Crafty Bastards is on FACEBOOK, TWITTER & PINTEREST!
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And when your MOJO listening’s done. . .
If you’ve never used Auriful Thread. . .
. . . then you haven’t really sewn!
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Many thanks to Nessa Reifsnyder of Fabricate, for assistance with Mark Lipinski’s Blog!
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