Another Record Month

A chart of all-time page views - click photo to enlarge.

One of the things I like about using Blogger is the statistics. Blogger tracks things like the number of page views, audience locations, referring URLs, and most popular posts. Statistics can be pulled for the hour, day, week, month, and all-time. In April, Wonkyworld had a record number of views with 7,165. In May,  the blog reached the 100,000 milestone and set a monthly record - 7,524 views!

The map shows where most of the traffic has come from over two years

It's always nice to know people are reading the blog, and it helps me stay motivated to post new content regularly. The thing that surprises me is the international audience. The world map has countries shaded in light to dark green, depending on the volume of traffic from that country. Darkest represents the most traffic, and to be expected, the United States is where most of the audience is. The other countries in the top ten of my blog audience are: Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, France, Russia, India, and Italy. Very Cool!

Anyway, another big thank-you to the readers of Wonkyworld. Keep on reading, and I'll keep on blogging!

Quilts, by Roderick Kiracofe

Oh, Happy Day! Roderick Kiracofe's new book has just been released. I've been eagerly anticipating it for several months, since I learned about it from him through Facebook. Recently, I learned he would be self-publishing the book through Blurb, and that got me even more excited! The book is simply called "Quilts" and it's the first book we have seen from Kiracofe since 1994, when he authored "Cloth and Comfort: Pieces of Women's Lives from Their Quilts and Diaries" (Clarkson Potter).

The previous year he authored the seminal book, "The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950"(also Clarkson Potter). Kiracofe also wrote the introductions for "A Quilter's Wisdom" (1994, Chronicle Books) and "Going West! Quilts and Community" (2007, Smithsonian American Art Museum). And of course, he also produced five editions of "The Quilt Digest" with Michael Kile, between 1983 and 1987.

The new book examines the visually sophisticated, improvisational quilts of the second half of the 20th century, and it's full of eye candy! In the introduction, he calls the quilts "the extraordinary made from the ordinary" and considers their context within the world of art.

"Much has been made of the particular threshold between a consideration of quilts as artworks and their value in the home as masterpieces of make-do that bring warmth and beauty to a quotidian context," said Kiracofe in his introduction. "This presentation of quilts, representing the different dreams and different voices of the makers, is absolutely in the interest of feeding the momentum of the ever-expanding appreciation for the innovative quiltmaking and allowing the conversations to continue with all the nuance that these works of art merit."

I agree, wholeheartedly.

The book is available in hard cover, soft cover, and e-book, and you can order it through Blurb. To preview and purchase the book, click here.

Flashback: My First Block

Several years ago, I decided it would be fun to try to make a quilt block. So I went to the fabric store, bought several batik fabrics, and made a block. Just one block. It was a disaster. I think I was trying to make an Ohio Star. After forcing the thing through my machine, I looked at it and thought, "This is not good." So I stashed it away and pretended it never happened.

Just last night I found the block in a file with receipts of quilts I had purchased. I have no idea why I put it there, but there it was. Still bad, after all these years, although I do like the colors. I suppose the front of the block isn't that terrible, but the real story is on the back of the block.

Oy vey! What a mess!! Now you all know why I was reluctant to start making quilts. It's kind of funny looking at it now. Not that I'd do any better at an Ohio Star block today, but at least I've learned enough to know not to try it again until I've learned a lot more!

Tidal Treasures: Tillamook Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival

Best in Show - quilt by Gail Desjarlais

The Tillamook Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival took place on Saturday and Sunday at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds, and I was there doing a lecture each day. It's a wonderful event, which includes a quilt exhibit, demonstrations by local artisans, vendors, raffles, and lectures. I had done one lecture at this event a couple years ago, but this time I did one each day. At the end of day two, I finally got a chance to look at the quilts, and I saw a lot of quilts made by friends who served on the Board of the Friends of Latimer Quilt and Textile Center during my time as a board member.

"Line Art" by Carol Weber

"Frosty Friends" by Cathie Favret

"Favorite Quilt" by LaRayme Woodward

"Spring Flight" by Faye Jacques

"Concentricities" by LaRayne Woodward

"Button Baskets" by Cathie Favret

I'm always pleasantly surprised when I get to see the quilts made by people I know. Usually I don't get to see their quilts until long after I've gotten to know their makers, and my reaction is often, "You made THAT? Wow!!" The back corner of the space is where I did the lectures, and I had a couple of the quilts on display most of the weekend.

It's a nice size show, held every other year, and I'm considering being a vendor in the future. There aren't enough appraisers around, and I think it would be a nice addition to offer the service at the show. Good thing about that is the booths are affordable and I don't have a lot of inventory to bring in and set up. I could hang a quilt or two, pull up a couple tables and chairs, and I'd be in business.

Once again I would like to thank the Tillamook County Quilters for including me in a wonderful weekend, and a special shout out to Faye Jacques who assisted holding up quilts during the lectures. Great job, all!!