Life Lesson - doing good

Sometimes life gives you a mission and you don't have a choice...so you just do what ya gotta do. My daughters car has been inoperable for over a week and she needs rides to and from work. Everyone is pitching in. I've been lucky to get some of the early (I'm talkin' leaving here at 6:45AM) for a 40 minute ride to pick her up.
I've decided when you gotta do stuff, you have to look for the positive. So on one of my rides I took my camera and left a few minutes early. And there it was...the prize for doing something good.



It was actually a dreary kind of day, but as I crested the hill the sun was just peeking thru the clouds. I park, I shot, and this is what I got.
On the way back I stopped to see what I could get from this strange piece of farm equipment...


Another great find...just by moving and changing the point of view.



So my mission on a daily basis? Look for the beauty wherever it might be. Sometimes ya just gotta keep looking for the shot...or the beauty in whatever you have to do...
Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Location:Beach Lake, PA

Beading DVD by Lyric Kinard - a Review

Do you want to know lots of great beading techniques? Lyric Kinard has a brand new DVD out called "Bead It Like You Mean It".
http://lyrickinard.com/bead_it_like_you_mean_it_.html



This DVD is fantastic...and I know because I filmed it. Lyric shows you step-by-step how to add single beads, stacks, lines of beads, curved lines, turning the corner, the secrets of using bugle beads, a couple of fast tricks to apply beads, beading on top of a finished quilt and lots more. Lyric is thorough in her explanations and demonstrates everything so you can see exactly what she's talking about.



"But I don't have time to bead by hand" some would say. Not Lyric Kinard. She says "I don't have time not to." This busy woman is a wife, mother of five children, artist, and teacher. Her children range from kindergarten to college. But she balances is all with incredible grace. While sitting at any of the mom-waiting-for kids events Lyric always has a project with her. In fact she"ll show you how she packs it all up in a tiny carry along box with everything you need for the project so you never miss the chance to add a few more beads.

After I filmed her DVD all I wanted to do was go home and bead and I'm sure you will too. Check out the video clip on her website...she's adorable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnk10hDvdwc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
You'll have to click on the link above or go to Lyrics website.


Check it out and tell her Bonnie sent you...
Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Day 2 UK Festival of Quilts

The day started with filming the Tentmakers of Cairo. All I can say is WOW. Wait til you see the VidCast. Hasom and Tarek showed me how they create their beautiful quilts. You'll also get to see how FAST they do their Applique stitch. I guess if you do it every day, all day to make a living with it, you would get faster too.



The Meerkat Cat quilt is one of my favorites. I was lucky ton catch several of the makers on video. It is the best interview...
I had a lovely lunch with my dear friend Melinda Schwakofer-Coxon. A bit more filming and then my camera battery got tired and so did I. I decided to ditch the camera and just walk around to see what they were selling. Besides the usual fabric, thread and sewing machines, there was a booth where you could buy a kit to make a fascinator...you know, the little English hat topper worn at the Royal weddings. Supplies to do gold work (which always intrigues me), a gadget to make cording (we used to use a spool with some nails and a crochet hook), and so much more.


Topped off the evening with a Bollywood night...good food, good people, great dancing, and a talk about Kaantha embroidery. I dream of going to India so this was a perfect night for me.
Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Location:Birmingham UK

UK Festival of Quilts Day 1

German quilter Grietje van der Veen had a beautiful gallery space. This day was packed full. I filmed a VidCast with UK artist Yvonne Brown...Took lots of photos and video...


Watch for a video clip in Septembers VidCast as Pauline Barnes talks about her felt quilt.



My friend and UK artist Maggie Davies was demoing needle felting and her NEW Christmas book.



Today is my interview with the Tentmakers from Cairo. This exhibit is SPECTACULAR! And the prices for these pieces was amazingly affordable. I was going to go to Egypt to film a great piece about the Tentmakers. Just after I purchased my ticket it went crazy in Egypt and I had to cancel my trip. Watch for this VidCast in the future.
Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Location:Birmingham UK

Birmingham, UK Here I Come

It has been 3 years since I last went to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England. I did several great VidCast interviews while i was there. Here's the VidCast from the 2008 Festival. http://www.bonniemccaffery.com/vidcasts/027.html
Well my bags are packed and I'm ready to go back to Festival of Quilts.

I'll be doing lots of videos while I'm there. I'm very excited to finally get to film the Tentmakers of Cairo. I was actually planning on doing a documentary about them and even scheduled my flight to meet Jenny Bowker in Egypt....in February. A few days later it all went crazy in Egypt and I had to cancel. So maybe not a documentary, but I will be doing a VidCast about them.

I met Jenny many years ago when I was teaching in New Zealand. She is one of those people you get blessed to meet. I filmed a VidCast with her in NZ. When I see her she laughs about the fact that when she saw the VidCast of the New Zealand Symposium and didn't see any footage of herself, she figured she ended up on the cutting room floor...she didn't realize I had done a a whole VidCast just about her. :)
http://www.bonniemccaffery.com/vidcasts/010.html



I have several other VidCast stars lined up to film and who knows what other creative people I'll find that I will need to do a VidCast of.
I'll also be meeting up with Luana Rubin from eQuilter.com to film a little for her.


And of course I'll be doing a VidCast of the Festival itself. . ..stay tuned...it should be up on September 1. If you're at the show and have a quilt, be sure to find me so I can get a photo of you with your quilt.
I'll blog if I can, but ya never know if you can get Internet access...
Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Location:Hawley, PA

Painted Face for Beginners

These students were fantastic.



Julie's face came out great.



In fact the whole group did great.



The next opportunity to take this class will be in Portland OR at MQX West in October...



Denise, a previous student, stopped by to show us what she had been up to since she took the class. All I can say is WOW!
Everyone really can learn to paint a face...
Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Location:Maine Quilts

DoodleZenDotZ

Even though this is a new class (which means I must really be on my toes) I loved teaching this. We did lots of very quick doodle exercises, did one design as bobbin embroidery and then played with dots of paint. I think the results are gorgeous.


I'll be doing this class in Jupiter, FL in September and in Portland, OR at MQX in October. Come have some fun doodling with me...


Bonnie McCaffery
Http://bonniemccaffery.com
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Location:Maine Quilts