“A Piece of my Mind” - Notes from the Editor
Spring is definitely in the air. This morning as I sat down to breakfast I marveled at the fun the flock of robins was having in my yard, dancing and chasing each other. And the bulbs I planted in the fall are showing their green tips. And, that magnolia outside my office window that’s usually in bloom, well, it’s a bit late this year.
Spring also heralds our annual Teacher of the Year award, with this our 22nd year recognizing an outstanding teacher. We had a balance among traditional, art and longarm quilters in the group. Our recipient this year is Susan Shie, self-defined outsider artist from Wooster, Ohio. After reading her responses to the questionnaire, I can see why the judges selected her. I hope you enjoy learning a bit more about her teaching philosophy.
A special thanks goes to our three judges, Dixie Haywood, Jeannie Spears and last year’s Teacher of the Year, Rosemary Eichorn. It’s not an easy job evaluating all the candidates, and I appreciate the effort they put into this.
We are also continuing our series of quilters’ studios with a visit to Connecticut quilt artist, teacher and designer Karen Eckmeier’s studio. We got a lot of positive feedback about this series and Karen has some great tips to share.
Copyright continues to be an issue that confronts quilters on the Web. I don’t think it’s a hard concept to get: if you don’t own the rights to the work, you don’t have the right to copy. We know that people infringe flagrantly, not expecting to get caught, and if they do, not expecting anyone to take legal action. And, of course it happens all around us. A couple of months ago I read an article in The Washington Post about several incidents where people’s photos on their Web sites actually ended up as advertising on billboards or on television. Gloria Hansen shares a recent experience with copyright infringement and offers tips on how to protect your images on the Web.
For us, spring also means a return to a busy show season. By the time you’ve read, this I will have vended and taught a business class at Quilters Heritage Celebration in Lancaster and probably lectured and taught a business class at Quilt Festival outside Chicago. Up after that is a trip to Portland for Quilt Market. We’ll have a booth (#2421), and I’ll present a lecture about Internet marketing. Hope you’ll stop and say hi!
Morna McEver Golletz