~The Man On Pickle Road~

You can’t imagine my surprise when I received an email from a 'man', about my Quilt Necklace. And he asked that I call him, as he was the editor of a quilting magazine, Quilter’s Home. Not in the habit of calling men who email me out-of-the-blue, it only took a second for me to realize that if this man truly WAS the editor….this could be a good thing. So I called him.

My next surprise came when he apologized for the background ‘noise’, as he was feeding his chickens. Okay. He had me right there. You gotta love any man who’s the editor of a quilting magazine and has chickens. Oh…and did I mention he lives on Pickle Road? I was putty in the palm of his hands. I fastened my seatbelt. Or so I thought!

As we talked, Mark explained that he had stumbled on my vintage dictionary definition Quilt Necklace on Etsy. And he loved it. He wanted to include it in his Jan-Feb issue. I thought the timing was perfect: right after the Holiday Rush. I’d have time to stock up on them. Silly girl……Jan-Feb issues come out in……….you guessed it: December. So when the email orders began flooding my mailbox yesterday, I wasn’t ready. Not in the least!

Getting back to my phone call in the fall, I immediately called one of my quilter friends, who shouted into the phone: “Carol…..is it Mark Lipinski? I mean, is it THE Mark Lipinski??” Well, yeah….I supposed so. Why?

I quickly came to learn that this was a man whose dream was to start a quilting magazine that was not the usual, boring quilting magazine. He wanted it to be something a whole lot more. Something exciting. Current. Up-to-the-minute. A magazine that would make you anxious to turn the page to see what was next. And that, it is!

Until 3 years ago, Mark had been an Emmy-nominated daytime tv producer for several shows including The View. He had been a producer in daytime television for 25 years. He knew his audience: women, and to quote him, “When I started teaching quilting, I knew those ladies were just wild and out-of-control. They were fun and irreverent. They were successful in their own right…..”. Just like him!

The other thing I think you need to know about Mark, is that he’s zany. Fun-loving. Quirky-in-a-delightful-way. Funny. Another friend quickly told me she was always ‘closed out’ of his quilting classes at Quilt Market each year. I think it’s safe to say she actually has a ‘crush’ on Mark Lipinski…and has never even met him!

QH articles range from decorating, to relationships (“Is He Cheating While You’re Quilting?”), recipes, fitness and fashion (“Hide Your Quilter’s Spread”). What Mark wants his readers to know, is that quilting is fun. And he has accomplished just that!

Thank you, Mark. As much as I've been literally 'slammed' with orders this month….I am honored to be a part of your wonderfully zany, fun-filled publication! My necklaces are already winging their way to Sweden, the UK, Germany, Finland, Australia and to many homes and quilt shops around the US because of your magazine.

Oh... watch out: Someday I may just show up as you’re feeding your chickens on Pickle Road! I'd love to meet the man behind this creative work-of-art!