So… I guess I read the wrong prompt for today’s assignment.  The second-hand story was a daily writing prompt, not the blogging 101 assignment.

The assignment was actually “write and publish a “who I am and why I’m here” post.”

First of all, I am a good student, so I’m going to correct my mistake.My name is Brian Clements from Wray, Colorado.  I am a quilt artist, who does some long-arm machine quilting for customers, as well as makes quilts for my own personal use.  I’ve been quilting since I happened to watch a show on PBS in 1989.

At the time, I lived in Lincoln, Nebraska.  I was always good at math and geometry in school.  I’m good at solving puzzles, and I’m a logical thinker.  The Double Irish Chain quilt being shown on Kaye Wood’s show, seemed like something I could figure out.  I hit the local big-box fabric store, and purchased black, grey and white fabrics.  Color wasn’t always my forte.  The black fabric I chose, was from the special occasions area.  A nice shiny moire taffeta.  Now, if you’ve sewed much… you already know that wasn’t the best choice for a beginning project.  The fabric had no give or stretch to the weave, and the fabric squares I cut, were quick to begin to ravel.

Well, I finished the quilt piecing, and I “tied” my quilt sandwich, by bar-tacking satin ribbon about every six inches.  I then tied the ribbons into nifty little bows.  This quilt was destined to be a wedding gift for my Brother and Sister-in-law’s upcoming wedding.  The quilt was finished on schedule, and gifted.  They used the quilt for a long time, and it has held up remarkably well.  The ribbons are pretty tattered now.  Their cat found them irresistible.

From that humble beginning was born a love of fabric and quilts.  I have progressed, and learned so many things about the craft.  I’ve also learned quite a bit about myself, too.  I have used my journey in quilting, to create beautiful art, using techniques that come from my logical ways.  It’s opened my eyes to beauty and design, that I did not notice in my early years.

I’ve made countless friendships through quilting.  Some are near, some very far.  I’ve become much more confident in my abilities, and I’ve enjoyed sharing my talents with others.

Since moving to Wray, Colorado 18 years ago, I’ve really honed my craft.  I have a wonderful husband who supports my creativity, nudging me into the sewing room on occasion.  We joke about this, but it’s true… when I’m down, sewing is a reliable way to bring things up.

I started my blog a few years ago, as a means to share my ideas and inspiration with a new community of online artists,  Also, current and future customers can find my information here.  In reality, it’s pretty simple to blog, yet I seem to go in spurts.  My good intentions get caught up in thoughts of “what should I write” or “how do I keep it fun”, so I’m here in Blogging 101 with hopes of finding ideas to keep the blog flowing.

Thanks for reading my intro, and I hope you find something enjoyable on my pages.  I always love when people follow the blog, and or leave me comments.  Thanks for reading all of this.  Have a great day!

Fellow Quilter,

Brian