Rally Day With Kimberly Einmo

One of Kimberly Einmo's modern quilts that she used

to illustrate her point that quilting plays a really

important part because of the ample white space.  

Kim explained how Judy Madsen's heavy quilting with double batting and
labor-intensive ruler work can take 40 to 50 hours' worth of work to complete,
thereby raising the price considerably.  

I went with a couple of friends to the Dallas quilt guild meeting Thursday to hear Kimberly Einmo talk about sewing rooms and creative spaces.

On the way back to Fort Worth, I was wondering whether this what Dallas typically looks like on a Thursday evening. Flashing lights of police cars downtown and lining Interstate-30 through Grand Prairie and Arlington. Such a delightful evening turned a sad, shocking corner with unspeakable ... I don't have the words. Grace and love to Dallas.

So, after too many hours watching the news (I worked in newspapers for 20 years), I was really in the mood to go to Rally Day, which is put on annually by the Texas Association of Quilt Guilds, this time in Mesquite.

We got a chance to buy tickets for so many local guilds' donation quilts, win prizes, shop, visit, laugh and be together.

The speaker, Kimberly Einmo, was so cheerful, informative and entertaining. We were treated to a trunk show, not only of her quilt designs, but inherently to the work of a range of machine quilters: her usual quilter, Birgit Schuller of Germany, Leah Day, Judy Madsen and others.

She emphasized the importance of quilting in modern quilts, whose ample white space naturally sets the stage for over-the-top quilting. She did us longarmers a favor, encouraging quilt toppers to "get out your credit cards" and take those stacks of tops to quilters for hire and get them done -- and come to grips with the cost of labor-intensive work.

Kim's Website is at kimberlyeinmo.com

A lot of ruler work here by Judy Madsen on another of Kim's simple but striking quilts.

Kim was kind enough to pose for a photo with me. Thanks, Kim, for a wonderful day.