There’s this Thing called the Universe…

I think about this a lot – and I don’t really distinguish between God and the Universe (so you get to pick which fits into your realm): If we listen to the input coming at us about what it is – WHO it is – we are intended to be, I think we’d be surprised by the reality that we are honestly, TRULY, unstoppable.

Threads of Success participants, fall 2019.

So as you know, I do everything I can to be a good steward of my blog by sharing important tidbits of places I go, people I meet, and things I learn…except that when it comes to Quilt Market, every year,

I tend to get a smidge bit overwhelmed. I tend to get tied up catching up in the shop as a result of my absence, and then a little frozen with where to start when it comes to blogging again.

The photo above is from a conference I attended in collaboration with Houston Quilt Market 2019, called Threads of Success.

I know. That was months ago.

(so moving on, because I’m not going to beat myself up for being a little imperfect)

I’ve been attending Quilt Market since 2015 anyway – for the ability to see the latest and greatest for the upcoming fabric season and meet with fabric reps to order all the great stuff to populate our shop. Whilst agreeably long overdue, I need to share about the very first ‘Threads’ conference, which was/is intended to support those working to move into the fabric industry in any one (or all) of various capacities.

Some participants were looking to learn about becoming fabric designers or shop owners, while others were already established but looking to broaden their involvement. Consider me part of the latter group: Established (as a shop owner) but looking to broaden (in my case, into pattern design).

In the grand scheme of LONG STORY SHORT – we spent three days in total – learning tricks and treasures (and ate an awful lot of fabulous desserts!) from the some of the best in the industry, from Ebony Love and Christa Watson, to Kimberly Einmo and Tula Pink, to Sue O’Very, Elizabeth Gard, and our fearless leader Cheryl Sleboda, to name just a few. We learned so much from so many. At the end of the day, I came away with

One Resounding Message.

Your only limit is yourself and the limitations you, yourself, govern.

…and it doesn’t matter what you are seeking to do or become. It’s up to us to embrace the people WE seek to BE – out in the world, and once we figure it out, it is up to us to JUMP. No one – not even God or the Universe – is going to push us.

Now, that doesn’t mean I could nor should seek to become an astrophysicist – because, like, seriously. That is the last thing I would set forth effort to become. My point is that if there is something that strikes my interest because the Universe or God or whomever plants a seed, it is up to me to take a minute to research it; and then take another minute, if it still interests me after that, and if after that – the UNIVERSE or God is still poking me in the gut to do it – I ought to do it, because I live ONE TIME.

So what did I ultimately get from Threads of Success, you ask?

Primarily, that the only person that was keeping me from designing quilt patterns to my heart’s content – was me. All the tools and input was in front of me. All I had to do was ask the right questions of the right people (who were seriously, POOF – right in front of me!), put my hands on it, make up my mind to leap.

That was last fall, friends. Before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then a little thing we know as the New Year, and a new decade. The shop kept me busy. Christmas did too – but I had little tidbits of time, of which I took advantage when they presented themselves.

Then my favorite holiday – February TWO. That was my limit, My goal. And forgive me for pausing to sing, but Charlie and Grandpa Joe say it best:

‘Cause I’ve got a golden ticket, I’ve got a golden chance to make my way!

(yep – you know I put a link up there so you could sing at the top of your lungs too…just click it. It’s my present to you so you could FEEL it in your soul while you sing!)

And I did. And I sang while I did it. And aside from pattern testing to make sure it isn’t complete and total rubbish – Piccadilly Fling, a quilt pattern will be ready to launch this spring 2020.