Today was a big day. Today I took the last stitches in the last piece for Soft Earth, my April Foster/White show. It’s been five months of concentrated work: planning, forming, dyeing, stitching. I’ve been pretty hard on myself (and my family, too) but now I’ve got twenty-one new pieces, thirteen Blades and eight Cotyledons. That averages out to about a piece per week! A good bit of work I’d say.

The other big thing that happened today was a studio visit from Marci McDade, the editor of Fiberarts. We’ve been in touch recently because I’m going to write an article about the workshop I’m teaching next week with Larry Calkins. I was really excited about her coming because, well, she’s the editor of Fiberarts! And because I feel really good about my work and in a good place to share it.

Marci was like a curious honeybee visiting every flower in the studio. She was drawn to  my stash of fabrics, petting the velvets and full of questions about technique and concept. We talked about the magazine and staying relevant in the changing world of fiber. We talked about process and journaling and maybe putting together an article for the magazine on blogging. We talked about balancing parenting with work. We talked about good places to eat while she’s in Seattle. And all the while she was taking photos of everything, arranging them in still lifes, standing on a stool so she could get a better shot, and having me hold up drawings and fabric.

It’s really great when someone who holds a place of power in the art world is so accessible. Curators, gallery owners, magazine editors, they’re all people like you and me. They have knowledge, for sure, and they have influence but there’s no point in being afraid to talk to them. You might make a new friend.