Ongoing Mastery Podcast with Kirsten Rourke

I had the great pleasure of learning from presenting and speaking coach Kirsten Rourke for an episode of her podcast, Ongoing Mastery. (Podcast website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts)

How Can I Be My Best Guest?

I love being a guest on podcasts, and I wanted to get some tips on how I can get better at it. My goals are to be as easy as possible for podcasters to work with, and to show up ready to have genuine conversations.

Listen to the episode here: How can I be a better podcast guest? Coaching with Sarah Atlee, Improvisational Quilter.

You can also listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

For the full audio-visual experience, check it out on YouTube.

Read the transcript here.

From the show notes:

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten gives Sarah Atlee tips for a smoother experience as a podcast guest. Once your lighting is all set and you’re making eye contact with the camera, think about what might go wrong and be prepared with alternatives, just in case. They also discover that they’re both fans of online role-playing games!

Key take-aways:

• Have a genuine conversation, don’t just deliver your planned talking points

• Know how your material intersects with the podcast’s audience

• Consider having a QR code for your website, etc, rather than sharing a long web address

Thank you, Kirsten!

Kirsten Rourke gave me such wonderful advice that will bring me value for years to come. Her clear, succinct tips on how to be a better speaker and storyteller are helping me to expand my audience and move my business to the next level. Thank you for your fabulous conversation!

Connect with Kirsten Rourke, presenting and speaking coach, at her website, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

The Cure Dream

My first concert was The Cure. Fall of 1996. I dyed my hair purple the day before and sweated purple dye all over my new dress but it didn't matter because The Cure.

They've occupied a special place in my heart since 1993. So imagine my delight when I heard that they were bringing their intimate backyard/living room tour to my town!*

* Okay, not really. This happened in a dream. But in the dream, they came to my city and I was going to see them again in concert!

Bare Beds

Well, when they got here, they encountered a snafu. Apparently, their fixer had bungled their accommodation arrangements. When they checked into their AirBnB, all the beds were bare. No sheets, no blankets, nothing.

Luckily, I had just arrived to check on them and make sure they had everything they needed. I'm considerate like that. Robert Smith spotted the quilt I keep in the back of my car (you know, in case of snowdrifts).

He said, "Could we borrow some quilts?"

I flew into ecstasies and yelled, "Sure! This one's extra warm! This one's extra long! This one's extra colorful!" Basically I threw my entire inventory of quilts at The Cure.

A lady can dream, right?

Actually, this dream can come true.

Are you an AirBnB host? Do you own vacation rental properties? Is it time to spruce up your space with placemats, table runners, and new quilts on the beds? Let's talk.

Log Cabin, cotton fabrics with fleece batting, machine pieced, hand tied. 2006-2012 (Yes, it took that long to finish. Quilts have no statute of limitations.)

Technical Note

This quilt really is extra soft. Why? Because as a novice quilter, I knew my limits. Because this quilt is queen size, I knew I wouldn't be able to quilt it on my domestic machine. Hence the yarn ties. It also has fleece for batting. It would absolutely keep Robert Smith warm.

Have Quilt, Will Travel

I typically travel with a quilt.* Hotel blankets tend to be too lightweight for my taste. Snuggling up under the weight & comfort of my handmade quilt makes sleeping away from home easier, even in warm weather.

Usually I take this log cabin quilt I started in 2006 and finished ...later. (Remember, quilts have no statute of limitations.)

It’s rumpled because it normally lives folded up in my car. You know, in case of snowdrifts.

When I made this queen-size quilt, I didn’t yet have access to a longarm quilting machine, so I tied it.

Also, I didn’t know a lot about seam allowances. We live and learn.

What If...

What if I didn't have to bring my own quilt?

What if I booked a stay at a gorgeous getaway, and arrived to find beautiful, one-of-a-kind quilts already there?

On the bed.

Draped over the couch.

Placemats on the table.

Potholders in the kitchen.

I can make this happen for you.

Whether you operate a vacation property or just want to feel that level of luxury in your home sweet home, I'm here to help.

Start your custom quilt project by visiting the Commissions page and booking your Customization Session with me today!

* I know I'm not alone. Luke Haynes does this too. Do you travel with a quilt? Tell us about it! #HaveQuiltWillTravel

Repetition: E

Repetition: E

Reclaimed garments, vintage sheet, and other cotton and wool fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 44" H x 39" W, 2022. $850 Click here to purchase.

Quilt Blocks Are Small Problems.

A small problem, created and solved, over and over. That's how I think about making a quilt. Build the blocks, then build with the blocks.

But wait - Sarah, aren't you an improv quilter? I thought you didn't make quilt blocks.

I actually make a ton of quilt blocks. I just don't make them all the same size or shape or color. That's where the improvisation comes in.

In Repetition: E, the building blocks are easier to see.

This is one of the quilts I started in early 2022 during the Abstract Piecing workshop series with Sherri Lynn Wood. It had snowed that week, and I was noticing the shapes made by different tire treads in the show.

The blocks are composed from very simple elements. All rectangles, one horizontal, the rest perpendicular to that one. Most of them are only two colors, to make the brain read the shapes as letter E's. Kinda like those charts at the opthamologist's office.

As with Don't Stop Me Now, I challenged myself to use mostly striped fabrics, which enforced the rectangular motif.

More Rule-Breaking

I could have made all of the E blocks the same size and shape. But my curious mind says, "Never make a rule unless you intent to break it." And rubs its little brainy hands together a-la-Mr.-Burns.

What if this block had 3 colors instead of 2? What if this one had 4 stripes, or 5, or 6? What if this one didn't make the E shape? What if this one was longer, or shorter, or wider? And so on. I can't help myself. I gotta try everything.

Basic Split is another example of this approach: Start with a very simple block construction, and make multiple variations on that theme.

Repetition: E is now available in my web store!

Click here to bring this bit of coziness into your own home.

Not Quite Right? Commission Your Own!

Like what you see, but want it in a different size? Different colors? Another variation? Let's talk about your custom quilt! Check out my Commissions page and book your Quilt Customization Session today.

Quarter Inch Seam Allowances (Bwa Ha Ha)

This one goes out to all my fellow quilters who get frustrated when their piecing isn't perfect. Which, for me, is always.

Okay hear me out. When I first learned to make quilts, I was taught to use quarter-inch seam allowances.

What's a seam allowance? That's the amount of fabric left on the inside of a seam.

By PKM - Own original work, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In quilting, seam allowances are usually about a quarter inch wide. That's enough fabric to anchor the stitches and prevent them from easily pulling apart.

It's also a convenient measurement for those of us still stuck with the antiquated Imperial measurement system.

Sewing quarter inch seams is good practice. You want those seams to hold together. It's an especially good practice if you are making a quilt from a fixed pattern - that is, a plan that depends on precise measurements, and blocks that all come out the same size.

I don't do that.

I'm an improvisational quilter.

So I don't worry so much about quarter inch seam allowances.

See this quilt top in progress:

Looks fairly nice and neat, doesn't it? What do you see when I turn it over?

WHOA NELLY THE CHAOS.

I MEAN WHAT EVEN IS THAT.

Here's another example:

NERP.

I'm working with a whole lot of fabric pieces that are leftovers, cut off from other bits, scraps, or otherwise irregular. None of these were measured or previously cut to a specific size. That's how I work.

Working with what I have, whether created with or without intention, is where the magic lives. It's in the pleasure of the present moment. It's play.

So, if you are just starting down the quilted path, learning to use quarter inch seams is a good skill to have. Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts can help you.

But, once you know the rules...

You can break them :)

Happy stitching!