In our life, we meet many people. All of them touch our lives in some way or the other. But some stay on more and actually make a huge change in your life and there comes a moment that you realize, if it were not for them you would not be where you are! Today I am going to talk about five, out of the many individuals, on the other side of the world from me, who played a huge role (even when they did not know it) to make me who I am today!
I clearly remember the time before I started Quilting. I was tired. I was disappointed in myself. For not being the kind of wife and mother I thought I should be. For the dreams that I could not achieve for myself. For all my plans – I was planning of applying for a post-graduate degree and then a doctorate – not going where I wanted them to, at a pace I had wanted them to.
It was at that time that I Stumbled upon something beautiful. It helped me heal my mind and my body, one stitch at a time. It was a treasure beyond any other. And there were some people who made it more precious than it would otherwise have been. I was fortunate enough to meet a few of them on my two trips to QuiltCon!
1. Elizabeth Hartman
My first brush with quilting came when I stumbled on Elizabeth Hartman’s blog Oh! Fransson. I was looking for a new sewing machine to replace my Grandma’s machine and she had written a review about hers. I loved the pictures on her blog and her language. I saw a beginner quilting tutorial section (I don’t remember what it was called) and just read through it. I thought to myself That is definitely something that I can try! And it began. I made stuff from the numerous tutorials that she had written. Nothing that I made looked anything like hers! But I learnt a lot. I woke up everyday, excited to try something new. I woke up with a positive attitude. With a purpose. Very soon, my disappointment faded away to give way to the new excited student.
2. Faith Jones
Elizabeth’s blog then exposed me to a whole big world of online quilters! One of the first ones I followed was Faith Jones of Fresh Lemon Quilts. She started out just before me (though her work was on a whole new level altogether) and so I could relate a lot more with her work (Read – it did not scare me).I also loved her bright and cheerful selection of colors. I haven’t been lucky enough to meet Faith in real life. I am hoping I will meet her some day!
3. Jacquie Gering
Next, I stumbled across Jacquie Gering from Tallgrass Prairie Studio. She totally amazed me! The things she could do with such little variety of fabric was absolutely amazing. Her quilts were so dynamic. The architect in me totally enjoyed watching her ‘build’ them! Plus she is the most humble human being I have ever met! She is someone I want to be when I grow up!
4. Alissa Haight Carlton
Alissa Haight Carlton was also one of the wonderful people I met. Once again, this lively, energetic lady barged into my life through my computer and took my brain on a spin! Her quilts were absolutely mind blowingly simple! She used mostly solids which was totally up my alley because I got a lot of solids in my local market!
5. Pat Sloan
I first heard of Pat Sloan when I heard about her Podcast. I loved listening to her interviews of guests. I dreamt of being on her show every time I went into my studio. My dream did come true last year in July! She does so much work, writing books, patterns, doing blog hops that till I actually spoke with her I was wondering if she is even a real person! I have’t had the fortune of meeting her yet, but I am hoping to meet her someday too!
I will be back next month with 5 more people who have inspired me. Who has been you inspiration? Have they changed your life without even realizing?
