Rickys "Titanic" Newsletter
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| In This Newsletter! | ||
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| Fantastic Fabric Specials for May | ||
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 SPRING FLING BUNDLE - $29.95The Spring Fling bundle features half yard pieces of Caveman Pastel and Lemon Tart and fat eights of Cotton Candy, Caveman Brite, Key Lime Pie, and Sunflower Power - totaling 1.5 yards of Ricky's hand-dyed fabric. A FREE pattern, Bullseye Blooms, by Mickey Depre, will be included with each purchase of the Spring Fling bundle. As an added bonus, anyone ordering the Spring Fling bundle will receive a FREE back issue of Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson's The Quilt Life magazine! This offer is only available while supplies last. If you see "notify me" it means we have sold out.
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| Remembering the Titanic | ||
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For decades I have been a Titanic buff. The Titanic was built by Harland and Wolf in Belfast, Northern Ireland and sank 100 years ago on April 15, 1912. My trip culminated with a personal visit to Belfast. I wanted to be there to participate in the various centennial events commemorating the Titanic. First up was The Wireless Room, a dramatization presented in the magnificent Belfast City Hall. The play was scripted using the actual telegraph transmissions between ships on the night the Titanic sank.  I also attended the final performance of Titanic: The Musical. The last performance started at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, the same time the Titanic struck the iceberg. The show ended just after 2:20 a.m. on April 15, the exact moment when the Titanic took her final breath and plunged beneath the dark icy waters. My quilting connection in Belfast, Margaret McCrory (who also sang in the musical), was able to secure prime seats for the evening. I sat on the front row in the center seat! I could hardly believe it!Below Ricky Visits Titanic Belfast
 The Grand Opera House in Belfast
On April 16 we visited the newly-opened Titanic Belfast, the world's largest permanent Titanic visitor experience. It was built as a tribute to the Titanic, the lives of those who built it, and to those whose lives were lost. This amazing architectural attraction is located on the actual site where the Titanic was built. You can learn more about Titanic Belfast here. Watch a video about the opening of Titanic Belfast.   Margaret's husband, Bill, took me to see the old Harland and Wolf offices and drawing rooms which are now abandoned and derelict. We were admitted by a guide but we were the only two people there. It was an eerie, yet awesome experience. Inside I saw the famous vaulted rooms where the drafters worked. I saw the meeting room where the fateful decision was made to reduce the number of lifeboats on the Titanic. However, the most remarkable thing I saw was the actual drawing table of Thomas Andrews, the chief designer of the Titanic. Andrews perished on the Titanic.   The Harland and Wolf drawing office then and now
 My friend (quilter and musician) Margaret McCrory sent me this photo and I had to share it with you. She is dressed in her period costume from Titanic: The Musical. She is pictured here standing in front of the Grand Staircase replica inside the new Titainc Belfast visitor experience. The replica staircase is not part of the visitor experience, but is in an area for private events.  My new quilt, Titanic Star (shown at the start of this article and below left), resulted from my passion for 'all things Titanic'. I chose to commemorate the 100th anniversary by designing and making a quilt based on floor tiles which were on the Titanic. The black and white tiles were at the bottom of the Grand Staircase. The smaller floor tiles were also on the Titanic. Some were green and cream and others were red and cream. I used the green and cream version for my quilt. You will see a red and cream tile in the eerie photo below. Both versions were used in various places in the ship including the barber shop and second class staterooms. The article and pattern for the quilt is in the April 2012 issue of The Quilt Life.   Titanic Star (68" x 68") by Ricky Tims  Above: The black and white star floor tile at Titanic's grand stair case Shown right: Today, tiles from second class state rooms (replica from Titanic Belfast shown) lay on the ocean floor next to passenger shoes. |
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| The American Quilter's Society Report | ||
 This year in Padukah, Kentucky quilters from all around the world, from novice to masters, assembled for the prestigous American Quilter's Society Show and Contest. This year was Rickys 20th year attending and he was just as amazed as he was his first time.You may recall "Fire Dragon Rhapsody" won Best Machine Quilt in 2006. It now hangs in the National Quilt Museum. To see a full view of "Fire Dragon Rhapsody" click the picture of Ricky standing next to his "old friend" in the The National Quilt Museum.  This year Ricky had many wonderful stories to share, one being about a FLASH MOB! The "MOB" of quilters were led by a marching band parading through the aisles of the show. It was a fun and refreshing entertainment due to its spontanaity and originality. See the Flash Mob in action at thequiltshow.com. Click the button below.
 This year Ricky taught a Rhapsody Quilts class and presented one of his famous concerts. Check out some of Ricky's music videos. You can purchase Ricky's CDs in our online store. In 2011 at AQS Justin struck a deal with Gavin (pictured left), a young quilter from Peveley, MO. The deal was over a piece of Caveman Brite multi-colored fabric. Part of the deal was that Gavin would return the following year and show us what he made with it. Gavin kept his word and the quilt looks fantastic! Congratulations Gavin!  During his performance Ricky was wearing a hand-tailored coat made by none other than Lorraine Torrence. See more of Lorraine Torrence's work. Thanks AQS for another memorable show. Below is a video of with this year's winners.
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| The Lakota Star Quilts | ||
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| Meet Ricky in Shipshewana, IN | ||
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 Mark your calendars for June 20-23. Ricky will be teaching and performing at the 2012 Shipshewana Quilt Festival. The Shipshewana Quilt Festival has been selected by the American Bus Association to be one of the top 100 events to visit this year! You can find enrollment, food, lodging, and a full list of classes and instructors at www.shipshewanaquiltfest.com. Also if you are interested in entering a quilt in this year's Shipshewana Quilt Festival you can submit your entry - but hurry deadline is May 15th! For more information check out the Shipshewana web page. |
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| Where in the World is Ricky? | ||
| June 2012
2-7 - Sew Many Places' Ireland Tour - Ireland 8-10 - International Quilt Festival - Galway, Ireland 20-23 - Shipshewana Quilt Festival - Shipshewana, IN 12-14 - Ricky Tims' Super Seminar - Rochester, NY 24-25 - Ricky Tims Solo Quilt Seminar - Socorro, NM September 2012
28-1 - Australian Machine Quilting Festival - Adelaide, Australia 1-4 - International Quilt Festival - Houston, TX |
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