Taping the Quilt Show
Back in March of this year I was able to cross off one of the top items on my bucket list! I got to tape an episode of The Quilt Show with Ricky and Alex. I was actually supposed to tape back in 2020, but as with a lot of things, COVID got in the way. So, I was absolutely thrilled to hear that taping was back on for March. I loaded up the van and hit the road for Dallas. I wish I could share pictures of the lobby of the studio where they tape, but pictures weren’t allowed outside their sound stage. Suffice to say even my kids were jealous. I got to see the original R2D2, C3PO and a few other truly iconic film props.
The Quilt Show tapes several episodes at a time, so I was there with three other quilters. It was really exciting to watch the process as the others taped, and a little nerve wracking. Public speaking always makes me nervous and knowing I was being filmed only made it worse. I was the last to tape on Sunday afternoon. By that time, I had a fairly good idea of the process. Everyone there was super nice and went out of their way to make me feel welcome and at ease. Shelly the producer even let me sit in the control room and watch the magic behind the scenes.
Like many film productions, they don’t tape in order. The first thing we taped was a short chat session. They want to introduce you to the audience and highlight things about you both quilting and non-quilting related. I made the mistake of telling their producer on one of our phone chats that I played the fiddle and she wanted me to bring it with me. It had been a long time since I played in front of anyone, and I fiddle like I talk. The more nervous and excited I am the faster I go. As this was the first thing we taped, I might be rushing Devil’s Dream just a little (Whoops!).
After that, we moved on to talking about garments. They taped four different segments and switched off between Ricky and Alex. It’s pretty much a one take situation, but they do occasionally tape something over if you really flub. The hardest thing for me was not picking things up. Because of how the cameras are angled you need to remember to point to things on the table and not move them around. As I can’t seem to talk without my hands, this was difficult for me. Fortunately, if you forget, Ricky or Alex will politely take it from you and put it back on the table without missing a beat.
Next up I taped a segment with Alex talking about how to combat the dreaded “quilt as desired”. We talked about how to pick your quilting designs, how to audition them using a draw program on your computer, and I got to show off my new book.
Then we moved on to talk about Borders, Bindings, and More, my new book. Those of you that know me well know that I work best on a deadline, and this gave me the perfect deadline. The book I am holding up during the segment is mostly blank inside. Knowing that the show would air in September, I figured I had plenty of time to finish it. When Lilo let me know they changed the air date to August, I had to kick it into high gear. I finished the book on August 3, with no time to spare. One of these days I am going to stop coming in right at the wire, but I don’t think it’s going to be anytime soon.
After we finished taping, I packed up and headed home. Now the only thing left to do was wait for them to do their editing magic. Now that wait is finally over, I wanted to share with you that my episode, #2905, will air Sunday August 28th. You can watch the trailer here https://thequiltshow.com/blog/trailer-2905-learn-finishing-techniques-and-how-to-quilt-your-garments-with-kris-vierra
If you subscribe to my blog, make sure and check your email for a code for a week’s free subscription to TQS so you can watch the whole show. I will also be sharing the link on Facebook and Instagram.
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