…San Antonio, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe over the next 8 days. Teresa, in a comment last week asked what I travel with. Here you go:

I travel with 2 suitcases and I do my best to keep them under 30 lbs. each. I know that a lot of professional quilters travel with huge, heavy suitcases. I do not. I have enough problems with my arm/shoulder joints and I'm not going to push my luck by hefting huge suitcases. That means that I must pack carefully.

Clothes take up 1/3 of the space in my bags. Toiletries, my tripod, granola, neti pot, shoes, make-up bag, etc., take up some space. Quilts easily take up 1/2 the space in my checked bags. I use Eagle Creek packing cubes for my clothes and quilts and this is something you might like to have yourself:

I always fold my quilts on the bias. Always. Above, the packing cube is mostly open. Below, it is closed.

And because I have watched suitcases being soaked by rain, I always put my packing cubes into those big ziplock bags, one cube per bag:

They fit perfectly into my orange Eagle Creek suitcases:

I can fit two packing cubes per bag, with other stuff. I split the quilts and clothes between bags. Yes, I have had bags go missing, but they have turned up later. Yes, theft can happen from bags but honestly I think that my quilts look like clothes when they are packed this way. Electonics in a suitcase are more likely to be stolen. This system works for me.

I do have a small but heavy carry-on with my electronics. It makes my head hurt to think about the value of the stuff in this little bag. The equipment is insured which is the only thing that makes me a little calm on the rare occasions that I have to gate-check this bag. It and my big purse I carry on.

I always travel with stitching. You can carry scissors with blades 4" long, but I always travel with a smaller scissor. You can travel with needles. BUT if you are traveling internationally that can vary. From the US to wherever, this is mostly true. From overseas to home, you can lose all scissors and needles. It has happened to me.

In my stitching bag tomorrow:

…pencils (the Sewline Trio is on the left, the General's charcoal in white on the right, always go with me), the glue pen because I'm working on a paper pieced project this trip, some bobbins with bikinis, my small Perfect scissors. The needle nanny is good on a plane because it gives me a place to park my small scissors as I sew. The pin cushion for pins. (The pattern for that needle caddy will be available to you soon… it has pockets. You will want to make one :-).)

I found a nice plastic box to carry the paper piecing project I am working on:

I think everything I need will fit in this sandwich-sized box, in my purse. Yay!

Now here's the thing: I don't stitch on planes. The light is bad, the space is close. I read or I work on my laptop when I fly. I've even started buying access to wifi. BUT I cannot travel without something that I can stitch on in case of calamity.

Trust me, if I am stuck on the tarmac for hours, I will need stitching or I could turn into one of those crazy people you see on the news. Stitching keeps me calm and just knowing I have it, makes traveling OK. Plane delayed, if I'm stuck somewhere… fine. I'll just sew. And I'm a happier traveler because of it. 

Linda and I have been friends for 26 yerars and business partners for nearly 20 years. Amazing, don't you think?

When I was in Grand Junction, we were asked by the fine folks at Handi Quilter if we would like to be featured in their upcoming ad campaign celebrating friendship and quilting. Of course we wanted to! Not only are we friend and quilters (see 1st paragraph) but we both love our Sweet Sixteens.

The photographer came (on my birthday) to Linda's house. Linda had set the stage, I got to tweak at the last minute. Here is my photo of the 'stage':

Here's the ad you will be seeing in many magazines:

And, even better, here is the truck you might see us on! I'm not showing the other side, but it's good too (however, we're not on it, sigh).

Does this not crack you up?! It does me. If you happen to see the Handi Quilter truck out and about and have time to take a photo, please do send it to me. I am imagining us looking good at 70 mph on the highway :-).

In all seriousness, I can say two things. Quilting does bring friends together and the Sweet Sixteen is an amazing machine.

Or, rather, weighing Bear. Lorna, Chris, and I were curious to know whether Bear had gained or lost weight. I have a very accurate scale that we use when we package your orders. The question was how to get Bear onto the postal scale. This may be the most creative way I have used a Moda box yet…

He looks uncomfortable but in fact he did not seem to mind being in the box, on the scale. He likes being all bunched up so this posture is his default position.

He's not quite back up to his birth weight, which is normal for breast-fed babies. I'm guessing he is going to outgrow this box very soon. 

I think you will like this TED Talk from Jarrett J Krosocza. He's a children's book author and illustrator and his story is not what you think it will be.

As is true with so many TED Talks, I was reminded of things I already know – but these insights came at a good time for me. 

• All children need encouragement – especially the ones who tend to follow their own drumbeat. I wish I could say I had been better at this as a parent.
• Words of encouragement are always appreciated – whether to children or adults. You never know how what you say will impact the person you say it to. 
• It takes work to be successful. Even if you are talented.
• Be open to new ideas but also be true to your own style.

I am not yet meditating, but I am spending small bits of time each day focusing on something that is not work. Today, it was this.

And, for those of you who know I had surgery, I'm doing fine. I'm mostly back to normal. My eye is sore but he did drill a new lacrimal duct. I'm not as sore as I thought I'd be. I'm not supposed to exercise for a week and I am enjoying that part – I slept in this morning and plan to again tomorrow. 

I have a part in the Vagina Monologues Wednesday night. Rehearsals started last night, there's one tonight and then the performance. If you've never seen this play, you might look to see if there is a performance in your area. It would be this week. Let's face it, men have no problem identifying with their 'parts', their manhood so to speak. This is about women embracing the female experience. The stories are moving. 

There is an exhibit of my quilts hanging in the Dennis Gallery at Austin College. This is a lovely space, part of the new art building (the Betsy Dennis Forster Art Studio Complex) on the north side of the campus. Click here to read the official press release. The exhibit is open M-F from 9:00-4:30 and it ends March 15. If you find yourself in north Texas, I hope you can come see it.

It is interesting for me to see so many of my quilts hanging together. In fact, it is a new experience for me. When they are home, my quilts are rolled up and stored on high shelves. I mostly see the ones that travel with me and the few that hang in the house.

I've made a lot of quilts in the last 25 years and many of them are in this exhibit. Simply Delicious is in the show:

And so is Stars in the Garden:

And so are newer quilts like Lorna's Vine, Tree O' Life, and Picasso's Garden:

I find it rewarding to see these quilts that are the result of years of work hanging there, for all to see. It makes me smile! And then it makes me want to get back to work. Isn't that the way of it for all of us? Making quilts is the best part!