Craft Napa 2018 came and went, and frankly, it was such an amazing time–so much so–I needed a little rest afterwards, and hence the late recap. For this past third edition, we had 17 teachers, 41 workshops held over four days, with 230 students–more than double the amount the first year.

Whether it was politics or natural disasters, most everyone came off a hard 2017. To be able to kickstart 2018 in such a positive, color- and stitch-filled, creative way, definitely felt incredibly gratifying.

We built a wall—a community Graffiti wall–where over the course of the four days people freely added their creative hopes, dreams, drawings, and doodles. (Special thanks to Dharma Trading for providing materials and paint supplies.)

Before:

During:

After:

We also hosted the Stay Pawsitive art benefit for Friends for Life, Houston’s premiere no-kill animal rescue that provided safe haven, triage and vet care during Hurricane Harvey at one of the largest emergency shelters (and home to Quilt Festival)—the George R Brown Convention Center. Through artwork created and purchased, we raised $4000 for them!

When I say Craft Napans took over the Embassy Suites, I mean, we took over the entire hotel, including outdoor spaces as well. Some shibori with the swans in the courtyard:

We offered 3-hour, 6-hour, 9-hour, and two-day workshops, both at the Embassy Suites and in my art barn. A copious amount of art was produced—from art quilts, mixed media, modern and improv quilts—to books, assemblages, dyed and painted fabrics, monoprints, and encaustic work.

On Friday night of the event we hosted an artist market with our teachers, non-profit organizations, local shops, and an extra bonus: a quilt guild raffle quilt. Our Artists’ View Luncheon went well, too, where teachers candidly shared ideas and inspired all to set the tone for a year filled with creating.

I see a lot of opportunity for growth for Craft Napa, and making this event even more meaningful, and so that is what I am working on right now for both next year and beyond for (gulp!) the 5^th anniversary edition.

I want to sincerely thank the sponsors, swag and door prize donators, because these companies proved themselves in gold for their generosity. I hope everyone who reads this blog will support them, check out their websites to see what they have to offer, buy from them, stop at their booths at quilt, trade, and craft shows, and follow them on social media:

Meissner’s Sewing (Northern CA’s premiere sewing and vacuum company that facilitated and provided the BERNINA sewing machines for classroom use)

BERNINA of America (My hands-down favorite machine!)

Dharma Trading

Pro-Chemical & Dye

QuiltFolk Magazine

Mistyfuse

Havel’s Sewing

Quilter’s Select

Craft Industry Alliance

Windham Fabrics

RJR Fabrics

Aurifil Threads

SOAK

Tacony Corporation

Lastly, thanks to all who made the trek to join us! It’s you who make this community come alive and make this event so special!

Next year’s dates for Craft Napa are January 9-13, 2019, and if you want to join us for our five-year anniversary, the dates for 2020 will be January 8-12, 2020.

Thank you Pantone for choosing such a gorgeous Color of the Year for 2017:

Pantone deems “Greenery” a color that is “life-affirming, emblematic of the pursuits of personal passions and vitality.”

I agree. Green has always been my very favorite color that I have found both calming yet invigorating. And in dealing with the stress of today’s heated political climate, I find myself more than ever going to my studio at night and immersing myself in this leafy color that celebrates the promises of flourishing, hope, and growth.

Thanks to one of the most precipitous winters ever on record in California, we are reaping the rewards of green in Napa. Below is a view from the top of my street in Napa. In the distance you can see where the San Pablo Bay (which is a part of the San Francisco Bay) meets the shoreline at its most northern tip.

The Pantone websites offers “pairings” for their featured color of the year– fitting language for wine country! I like the Transitions pairing the most:

The county of Napa concurs; I snapped the following recently here at my place:

Here is to warm, springtime, verdant days ahead for all.

Happy Spring,

QuiltCon East just transpired and for those of us who didn’t go, maybe you were like me: sitting in your kitchen compulsively eating microwave popcorn, refreshing your Instagram feed, eagerly awaiting to see friends and colleagues at the meet-ups, read about their observations of the show, and of course, to see the winning quilts! I also wanted to see how teaching was going for my friends, especially those new to teaching.

Just last week, working out at my local gym here in Napa, a quilting friend of mine waved at a distance and shouted, “I did two classes today in readying for a shrimp and grits feast in Savannah!”

She was QuiltCon bound, and I was so jealous!

I was jealous because of the camaraderie, the networking, the inspiration I have found at QuiltCon. I have been to every edition, and this past one in 2016 in Pasadena, frankly, bowled me over. I am very impressed with the production of this show and how quickly they have been able to develop it in a very sophisticated, forward-thinking manner, not to mention the excitement that manufacturers and movers and shakers in this industry have for it.

The reason I didn’t go to QuiltCon this year was because I got another upcoming invitation that was a conflict: an invitation to…well…Disneyworld.

When you can only be away so much, and only take so many transcontinental treks…it’s family first. So instead of seeing the best in show quilt in person at QuiltCon, in a couple of days, my niece and/or nephew will be my seat mate on the Crush ‘n Gusher…or The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Underground Adventure–whatever they choose.

In the meantime, today I was interviewed by Abby Glassenburg, co-founder of Craft Industry Alliance and founder/host of the While She Naps podcast. We have a shared history; we both were public school teachers and taught in the same school district nearly at the same time in Massachusetts. She is a true journalist, she asks questions and seeks answers in order to gain an understanding to issues that have not been previously addressed in this industry, with the designer, the crafter, the author, the teacher, the talent in mind. I wish we had a couple more hours to talk. Her podcast with me as a guest will go live this Monday, March 6th.

So tomorrow I head east–not to view amazing quilts–but to raise my arms high above my head, screaming at the top of my lungs at the peak of Expedition Everest, smiling, with a niece or nephew by my side. Because in five or so years, they will be moving on,  and I won’t be asked to sit next to them on a roller coaster probably ever again.

QuiltCon will still be there, but for this year, I am trading the viewing of quilts and quilter camaraderie for a pair of Mickey Mouse ears.

And I am totally good with that.

What a month of weather in Northern CA! Today, it was confirmed by officials: this is the wettest winter ever on record for the state of California, and we certainly felt that in Napa. MY AT&T services (Internet, microcell tower so I can make and accept calls, alarm, etc.) were out for nine straight days, and mudslides and road closures were rampant in my Mt. Veeder/Browns Valley neighborhood, as were downed trees. Case in point:

When I moved here, I had a prized olive tree in my garden.

But last week…my olive tree couldn’t take the constant winds and pressure from the rains and it split, limb by limb. Notice where my power line is (a bit anxiety-provoking). But fortunately through the app Next Door, I found someone who is a woodworker in my neighborhood, and with the help of a friend with a chainsaw, they cut most of it up. Now my neighbor has a lot of wood to make furniture, and I have wood for my pizza oven and leaves for monoprinting.

Meteorologists predict that the heavy rains for the most part have ended for the season, as has the historic drought in CA! I am truly looking forward to brighter, sunnier days ahead. This view the other day from my art barn was a very welcomed site:

And speaking of bright and sunny days, this special individual (below) is coming to lead a very small, intensive, 4-day retreat in June! I am very honored to be working with the Modern Quilt Guild to bring Denyse Schmidt to Napa for improvisational quilting. All of the information and retreat particulars can be found on the Modern Quilt Masters website.

Cheers to a creative weekend! Pretty soon this is what my BBQ area will look like again, and I am looking forward to enjoying the fruits of Napa Valley, olives included (even if they aren’t my own).  🙂

I have finally recovered! Our second edition of CRAFT NAPA went so well, and it was a welcomed bit of respite from the outside world for a few days.  Some fun facts: We had nearly 200 students (up from 113 last year), 12 teachers for 33 workshops, an Artists’ Market, Wine Blending Competition, and a three-hour tour on the Wine Train to close the four-day event.

A few of us after a day of workshops:

So grateful to BERNINA of America and Meissner’s Sewing for providing BERNINAs for 3 full classrooms and sewing stations in others. Below is Jennifer Gigas, tireless as always, on the opening night of the event, offering up a free BERNINA sewing machine.

There was a lot of opining at the Artists’ View Luncheon where our teachers fielded honest and candid questions from students about manufacturers, supplies, inspiration, best practices, and copyright issues. I took so many things away from this luncheon, but here is a fun fact, explained by Victoria Findlay Wolfe: If you have Accuquilt dies, they will work on your Sizzix machines. Sizzix dyes will not work on your Accuquilt machines, so if you have both, the take-away is Sizzix can handle both!

What some old UFO’s morphed into after Lynn Krawczyk’s UFO workshop…

THANK YOU BERNINA of America and Meissner’s…these machines for free-motion quilting and piecing worked like a dream.

During CRAFT NAPA, we discussed a lot about design and color, including how to repurpose vintage blocks:

Leslie Jenison explaining how to use vintage blocks to turn into a modern quilt.

We studied art history and challenged ourselves to make mini-collages with minimal tools like strips of paper from brown paper bags:

We blended wine led by a vintner who gave each team some measuring cups, beakers, bottles of Merlot, Malbec, Cab Franc, and Cab Sauvignon to create a winning blend (chosen by blind judging).

We took this wine blending pretty seriously; the winning team got to have their wine bottled and given to all participants. (It turns out my team, “The Crafting Winos” won…but I swear it was not rigged!)

We studied shapes and movement in art (and admired Carrie Bloomston’s arm muscles).

We sold LOTS of fabric and supplies at the Artists’ Market. A peek at Jennifer Sampou’s booth…

40 of us closed the event with a wine train excursion, a three-hour tour up Napa Valley and back on a vintage Pullman train.

This was an incredibly fun time together.

But for me, one of the shining moments was hosting Open Studios with Melanie Testa and Carol Soderlund, the two authors for PLAYFUL FABRIC PRINTING. On Saturday these two artists turned the central area at the Embassy Suites into a dye studio and signed books for the masses.

Totally normal to sign books while donning dust masks and mixing dyes, right?

I surprised them with a cake that included the cover of their book…

They loved it, and I made them cry (there is a video of that on Facebook). It was my goal to make them cry. 😉

What made me cry was the ENTIRE cake was eaten, and it hurt me immensely to cut up the cover. But the cake was dee-lish (yellow cake with vanilla icing and a lemon filling).

All in all, it was a such a fun time together. Craft Napa was about making art and embracing our community. Next year’s dates are January 10-14, 2018, and I have plans to change things up. Please save the dates. Until then, thank you, and CHEERS!

Wow, 2016, I have to give you credit. You sure were interesting! This was certainly a year of extremes, and I am choosing to focus on the positives, because– with much gratitude–I can say I had a lot of them.

A few examples…

My dream of building and completing the dream studio space and to share it with friends has become a reality. My studio space/ art barn is done.

The inaugural Craft Napa took place at the Embassy Suites/Napa this past January! We had about 120 students for the first go, and thanks to Meissner’s Sewing and BERNINA of America, we had such a successful first retreat!

We screen-printed, made improvisational quilts, free-motion quilted, collaged, laughed, cried, ate great food, and made wine together.

And students made some incredible art:

Soy wax batik examples from Melly Testa’s workshop.

And for those of us who have spent time together in this industry over the years, we reminisced during the reception in my art barn.

When it was over, some of us took a silly picture to commemorate the success. Yes, I am sitting in a piñata I commissioned to thank BERNINA for sponsoring. I had filled this piñata with Aurifil thread that every student had a chance to whack and grab during the retreat.

A few months later…we had a photo shoot for our first book: Playful Fabric Printing by Melanie Testa and Carol Soderlund. Picture below shows all of the step-out piles, in order (by chapter) to be shot.

It took nearly a full week to shoot and we were inspired during the shoot to take some other artful shots, too, like reflections of tiny mason jars filled with dye placed on cement.

Indigo Perez, location photographer and artist, doing her thing:

A detail of this styled shot ended up on the cover.

And as all good photo shoots should wrap, we had a pizza party with wine, swimming, and a dog on a fruit floatie.

This year, too, I was able to create a few quilts. Here are three that were extra special to me. One for a dear friend and special former colleague of mine, Carmen Beck for her newborn daughter…

Quilt in the piecing stage; I got the pattern from the magazine Quilt Moderne, by Michelle of Sew Demented.

This kid is going to be BOSS of quilting someday…look at the confident expression as she stares at the Best in Show quilt at Quilt Festival!

I made this too, for my new Godson, Hunter (pattern by Elizabeth Hartman, baby by Lindsey and Fergal McLelland).

I was very worried I would drop him during the baptism…

Thankfully, I did not.

And there was this art quilt, my quilt to honor Yvonne Porcella, for an exhibit I put together to celebrate her life. I dubbed this quilt, “Go Forth and Fruit.” Yvonne has been one of my greatest mentors and someone who challenged me and guided me in my career over the years.

One of Yvonne’s sons, Greg and his wife to see the exhibit debut at Quilting in the Garden at Alden Lane this past September.

And finally, just yesterday, I got one advance copy of Playful Fabric Printing. I am pretty happy with it.

Lastly, I feel so blessed I live here in Napa. I took this picture in early February of this year of the budding mustard flowers. I can’t wait to have everyone for the next edition of Craft Napa in less than two weeks.

I wish everyone a blessed new year!
Pokey Bolton

The short answer is if someone asks: “It’ ALIVE!”

I have poured myself into this event–blood, sweat,  tears, social media, etc.–and taken into account what people want at a focused retreat  in this digital day and age, and that is community.

I’ve launched the registration for CRAFT NAPA 2017 this afternoon and classes are filling quickly. I am so thrilled and trying to spread the word as much as I can about this event with the goal to make this retreat experience even better and more meaningful for all in the future.

Here’s one new edition where Craft Napans have the opportunity to ask candid questions of the teacher panel regarding favorite materials, best practices for studio work, favorite shows to enter, etc.

And another excursion to close out the event and be together one last time (on a choo choo train with wine):

Hope you can join us,

Pokey

I love the above borrowed quote from “Sex and the City.” (Thanks to a good friend for recently reminding me of it!)

In reference to this quote, I’m not tired exactly, but I have been restless for a long while and I’m ready to run my own gig again. I’ve leaked via social media what my initial plans are, but here’s the full deal:

In 2015 I am moving to Napa and I’m launching a media and event business.

The name of the business is Crafting A Life, LLC. It will focus on quilting, sewing, mixed media, cooking, journaling, fitness and of course—being in Napa—oenology (wine). There are  also plans for children’s crafting programs too (sans wine).

The initial phase of Crafting A Life, LLC, will consist of boutique-style retreats—small classes in an artful, inspiring environment. For these retreats—while learning skills and perfecting techniques—there will be fun diversions, short hikes with incredible views of Napa Valley, music breaks, great food and drink, and discussions (taking place in rocking chairs) to collectively share studio and art tips.

I am also building an art barn to host retreats (date TBA ). However, the website for Crafting A Life, LLC, will launch within a few weeks.

So if you would like to join me for these retreats starting next year, and maybe take a nap-a while here, you are welcome to. After all, I plan on investing in a number of hammocks. 🙂

#craftingalife

#homeofthepokeypour

I recently was invited to New York City for the weekend, and wanting to keep my mind occupied (more on that in a minute), I couldn’t have picked a a more picture-perfect weekend to go!

A view of the Freedom Tower in the distance. (Picture taken from the top of the Empire State Building.)

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I took advantage of three beautiful days in the city, starting every day with a run through Central Park…

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…where I came across a most ambitious (and strong) dog walker. (That’s 10 dogs she is walking together.)

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I also visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, spending a somber three hours there. There are no words for this…

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On a more cheerful note, I also went to Mood Fabrics of “Project Runway” fame, and I was so overwhelmed by the stacks and stacks of bolts towering over me, I didn’t buy a single thing. I also went to the Museum of Sex because 1) such a museum actually exists, and 2) you never know of you will learn something. 😉

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And on a G-rated note, I saw my best friend’s little sister perform as Mary Poppins in “Mary Poppins, the Musical.” If you are in the tri-state area in the next couple of months, I highly recommend bringing your family to see this production!

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Lauren Blackman as Mary Poppins, playing at the Westchester Theatre in Elmsford, NY.

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I also spotted someone in Times Square who has gained so much notoriety for playing his guitar in nothing but tighty whities,  he recently gained national endorsements from Fruit of the Loom. Yes, I’m talking about the Naked Cowboy. Below we are scheming a pose for a picture.

And here’s my 2014 Christmas card!

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That’s a joke by the way! (And if you are wondering if I had any Purell in my purse, I am always packing.)

All in all, a great trip! One of the reasons I was trying to keep my mind occupied for the past few days is I had just made an offer on a property in Northern California, my homeland.  Knowing that it could take several days to hear anything back, I was very glad for the Big Apple distraction.

Just a couple days ago I found out my offer was accepted, and I am now back in California for two days to begin the due diligence process. This property isn’t just a place where I can live, but where I can work, too. (Hey, I can’t play and travel forever!)

The zip code? 94558.

Napa Valley.

I hope this works out,