Oh man, I've really done it now.

Well, I've completely clogged my Facebook with posts about all of my projects, my ideas, crafty things I've bought...etc, etc, etc...I'm sure, much to the chagrin of 90% of my Facebook friends. lol. So I'm joining the thousands of ladies and gents across the wild, weird world of the Interwebs that have their very own quilting blog!

Anyway, I'll get cracking on my "About Me" section later, and get this thing current on all my projects that I've littered Facebook with, but allow me to introduce myself...My name is Lauren and I'm a (fairly new) quilter. I'm originally from Fredericksburg, VA, which no matter where I am geographically, will always be my home sweet home. Right now, I'm in Oregon, having just graduated with a B.A in Anthropology degree from WOU.

 Anyway, let's get back to the point. Technically speaking I've only been seriously quilting for about 2 years, but art and quilting have always been a part of my life. I have very vague memories of being a 3-4 year old sitting with my mom while she was quilting, with my grandfather's wooden bowl and some safety scissors, turning mom's scraps into fabric confetti and calling it quilting. When I was ~6, she tried to get me sewing by having me sew a few paper pieced hearts. I did a couple, sure, but I wasn't having any of it otherwise. I wanted to be outside instead! Well, that, and I was not loving the rapidly stabbing needle in the sewing machine. No thanks! So she kept quilting and I stayed outside playing, or in my room, or whatever.

In high school, I was an avid art student. I lived and breathed art. Seriously. All I did was listen to music, and paint, draw, sculpt, weave...whatever I could do. I didn't have a lot of support in school for my art; our art teachers were the absolute worst representation of what the art community could be -- competitive, closed-minded, "purists" that put the kibosh on the art of students whose subjects didn't agree with their own sensibilities as to what art was. I think recognizing the hits that my confidence in art kept taking, Mom tried to get me to quilt again, and I gave it a shot by making a Halloween quilt, but it frustrated me so much! I ended up quitting and sticking with my other mediums.

 Come college, I realized how much absolute and utter disdain and disgust I felt with the mainstream art society, largely because of my experience senior year. There are exceptions to every rule, to be sure, but my experience in general had been negative. My first year in college, taking pottery courses, the sentiment was still the same. It was so bad that I actually had another student sabotage my main project for class, slaking a pyramid I had spent 20+ hours carving out of greenware by hand. I was DONE. I completely quit the traditional art community, and with a sour taste in my mouth to boot.

Mom started working at a friend's quilt shop, and after 5 or so years, I gave quilting another shot at her behest. It was equally as frustrating (I mean,I didn't hurl a chair or anything, but man alive, you should have heard the colorful language flying out my mouth!) but this time, I stuck with it. A whole new world opened itself up to me. I became part of a legitimate art community that wasn't full of negativity and people out to get a name for themselves; no, this was a community of people being drawn together by a common interest and doing their own art, be it wearable, functional or just art for art's sake, while at the same time being supportive of one another. What a novel concept! It infiltrated my life to the point that I completed my Anthropological thesis (not without protest from my advisor) on quilting.

Now, Mom owns the quilt shop in Keizer, OR - the Cotton Patch - and anyone who knows me even just a little, knows I spend 98% of my time working there, or working on projects for the shop. Sure, I have another job too, and a wee social life, but most of what I do is quilt, design, quilt, design, quilt *smacks self on head* Yeah. I do that and more! Quilting has reignited my love for traditional mainstream art as well, though I am more than happy to stay in the community of quilters I love so much!

So....If you're still awake and with me...This blog is just all about my journey with art, quilting and community.

Follow me down the rabbit hole...trust me, you'll find yourself tumbling too!