The writer's conference is over. I'd made eleven little quilts to decorate the tables. The speaker, Jane Kirkpatrick, even brought a quilt. She writes historical fiction but has a coffeetable book about quilts. I asked that no one make a big deal about the decorations, but the woman who was the MC wanted to buy one, and she had to tell everyone that I'd made them, and the next thing I knew people were holding out money. I sold five of them in about fifteen minutes.I've not tried to sell my quilts. Once someone asked me to make a baby quilt for her second daughter because the older one would not share her quilt. She paid me for it, but that was the only time anyone even offered to purchase. Yesterday was a total surprise.
The MC liked the little round one "Pieced but still Blue and Broken" because it spoke to an important experience in her life. Another person liked the colors of "October Hearts" and another wanted "Rose in my Heart" because she thought it was beautiful. One writer debated -- should she buy one for her daughter or be selfish and get "Heart in Woven Ribbons" for herself? She finally said, "I'm going to be selfish" and paid the higher price for the one she liked. Jane Kirkpatrick bought "Confetti Heart" because she "just loved it."
Funny, I don't do this to sell them, and while it felt good to make those sales, what was even better was the delight people had with their choices. Quilts make people happy, certainly for various reasons, but making people happy is incredibly delightful.
Now that the conference is done (and I am off the executive), I've already named my next quilt and haven't even started it yet!
