Connected to Quiltart

Recently I stumbled into a site (www.quiltart.com) that offered a mailing list forum for art quilters. It sounded good so I signed up. What ensued was an avalanche of emails carrying a variety of information about quilting techniques and materials, deadlines for entering juried shows, how to transition quilting from hobby to business, celebratory notices about work completed, angst-ridden missives describing rough patches, encouragements, congratulations, heated discussions on the nature of art quilts: is it art?

I was overwhelmed and overjoyed. So much information to process, and yet, here is a community addressing the very issues I think about on my own. Denise (wildthreadstudio.blogspot.com/), a member of Quiltart, encapsulated this world of art quilting best when she wrote: "I think we are on the cusp of a very exciting time in the art world. The attraction of art quilts extends to people of all ages, genders and socio-economic backgrounds. Both a 73 yr old retired truck driver & a 22 yr old college student are equally fascinated with this art form. Lucky, lucky us...."

I sent out an email introducing myself to the forum and received a warm welcome. And now, for the first time in my quilting life, I feel connected.