Roc-Lon Multi-Purpose Cloth - Quilt Market 2010 in Houston, TX

Going to Quilt Market is more than just seeing what is new, for me it is a reunion of friends.  My face lights up and my heart does too when I find my friends in their booths and some of them wandering on the floor.  I feel privileged because my work is about walking the floor while many of them work their booths and don't have the opportunity to walk around and meet others.  Darlene and Steve from Rockland Industries are some of the friendliest folks I know.  I'm always greeted with a smile and Darlene has started to spoil me with a cup of coffee!!!  I can not think of a friendlier community to work in honestly.

I met Steve and Darlene in Pittsburgh for Spring Quilt Market 2009.  I had no idea what Multi-Purpose Cloth was and honestly didn't care either.  But Steve was so friendly and took his time to educate me....I said thank you and walked off.  Then I ran into an artist who was demonstrating mixed media techniques and I asked her if she knew about Roc-lon Multi Purpose Cloth.  She said no; so I ran over to Steve and told him I thought he needed to meet this Gal because she was a mixed media artist and she might benefit from knowing about the cloth.  I keep coming up with more and more ideas for using the Multi-Purpose Cloth because I find it to be very interesting and versatile.

This is an old photo of their booth.  I held a Roc-lon Multi-Purpose Cloth Challenge  on the IHAN blog last year and I felt badly that I had asked everyone to make something/anything from a piece of Roc-lon Multi Purpose Cloth and I didn't make a thing.  So the night before I thought I better make something....anything...small of course.  I picked up my piece of cloth and thought to myself, "it is flexible and soft what can I make that is small, flexible and soft?"  The first thing that came to my mind was a baby booty.  So I whipped one up quickly.  When I say quickly....I mean quickly.  Since it was only supposed to be for the photo I didn't even bother to finish the bottom correctly.  I'm sooooo bad.  I used some Mistyfuse and Art Paper to the Multi-Purpose Cloth and cut out the shape of a booty.  I took it with me to Houston to give to Darlene as a gesture of ....insanity....I guess.  I was so embarrassed when she asked if I would leave it in their booth.  I agreed but begged her not to let anyone pick it up.  I had signed the bottom and it was not finished ....could you just die?  I was told that the folks from Michael Miller Fabrics came by and saw it....they liked it.  If I could have dug a hole and crawled in I would have.

I still cringe......except for the last part of the story.  I heard that someone is manufacturing baby booties from the Multi-Purpose Cloth now.  How cool is that?  What a serendipitous chain of events.

This year I took my camera strap to show Darlene and Steve.  Because the Multi-Purpose Cloth is flexible and soft I used it in the camera strap I made the night before going to Quilt Market in Minneapolis.  I guess I could brag that my work has been shown in Houston....but only to those who have no clue what I'm talking about....ROFL :)

Fast forward to 2010 Fall Quilt Market in Houston now :) 
Rockland Industries had an artist demonstrating in their booth.  Her name is Cynthia Davis and she was using a stencil to embellish a large piece of Multi-Purpose Cloth. 

She used a simple template and dobbed paint over the entire surface.  Below you can see a photo where she painted on every other row.  The ideas are limitless!!!  I think that is why I'm fascinated by the Multi-Purpose Cloth....it is so versatile.  I've read a blog post where people could not afford a movie projector screen so they used the Multi-Purpose Cloth.  Very smart people!!!

 

This is a photo of the stencil Cynthia was using. 

I really, really, really....did I say really....I meant to say REALLY like the texture Cynthia added before she painted the Multi-Purpose Cloth here.  See what I mean....the ideas are limitless!!!

I think this is an excellent idea for decorating that would be cheap and portable.  Get some Panel Track, like blinds or shades come on (you know me....I'd be recycling one from the Salvation Army or someones trash) and attach several panels of Multi-Purpose Cloth.  Prior to hanging them you could use paint, fabric, art paper, stencils, Mod Podge and old photographs, children's art, significant events in the newspaper, ....anything your mind can think of ....and decorate the panels.  Then you can move the panels back and forth or leave them in a series.  I like the idea of hanging several tracks and creating depth in the scene you create.  The best part is when you get tired of it, just roll it up and put it away....make something something else :) 

If I were artistically talented I would have painted a some Multi-Purpose Cloth and made a pair of wild chaps and worn them to Market in Houston.  After all....its Texas....anything goes in Texas right?

Thank you for reading!!!  I love reading the comments that you post.  I'd love to hear what your ideas are for using Multi-Purpose Cloth....let your imagination run wild....this is a virtual Texas here on the IHAN blog :)  LOL

Smiles,

Kelly