compounded interests

I've been doing a little travelling recently, and there's been a lot of planning and preparation for these trips. First were some classes I taught at Farmhouse Fabrics in South Carolina, and now I'm out in Colorado to tape a segment for a PBS sewing program (details to come). Samples needed to be made, lessons prepared, and clothing that isn't black or grey needed to be found. (My New York wardrobe is appropriately neutral in color--I fit right in here, but neutral colors and TV aren't so great together.)

In between those two trips total chaos ensued. S had spring break (and her first research paper to write--in Kindergarten--complete with trips to the library, index cards, and a lot of whining and cajoling on the part of various parties involved); we constructed, packed up, and shipped a brand new booth for Quilt Market; fall 2011 fabric collections for Oliver + S and for Lisette arrived and needed to be kitted up and sent off for sample making; and the fall patterns went off to the grader. Not to mention all the usual stuff that goes on day-to-day.

It was a little too much for one week. All the construction and packing made it difficult to move around in the studio. S spent a good deal of the week hanging out with us, "helping" and keeping herself very busy making things, and she loved every minute of it. (You can see her "art installation, named Sara, below.) We ran errands, traced patterns, stepped over boxes and around paint cans, shuffled piles and piles of fabric, and had a few good laughs in the process. On Friday I negotiated my way around the studio with the camera, just to document a bit of the mess.