Guest Post: A Quilt With a Soul

I believe handmade quilts have a soul. It may be the quilter's soul that becomes a part of the quilt or it may be the quilt developing its own soul. But I do believe handmade quilts have a soul. Why? Because handmade quilts capture our attention and they speak to us. As a quilter, I know I share a part of my personality and being with each of my handmade quilts. I am sure other quilters also share themselves with their handmade quilts. When a quilter engages themselves in their handmade quilts, their handmade quilts develop a personality. When this occurs, the quilt develops a soul.

The personality in a quilt can be defined by color or by interest. What do I mean by interest? It is a quilt that demands your interest or captures your eye. It does this by causing you stop and take notice. For the purpose of this article, I have chosen "generate an interest in the eye of the viewer" to define the soul in a quilt. When I find an interesting quilt it speaks to me in several levels: block design, color options, or even its history. The Jane Stickle quilt "generates an interest in my eye".

What made this quilt so interesting to me? The history of the quilt first captured my attention. I love history and I particularly love to read about people making an impact on their world. MS Stickle's quilt made an impact on me and the quilt world. If you are not familiar with the Jane Stickle quilt, I recommend you purchase the "Dear Jane" book by Brenda Papadakis. I consider it a must read.

Reading the book "Dear Jane", I realized the quilt was found in an attic in St Louis, MO. Louis, MO (my home town). I was hooked immediately. As I read further I realized that a woman of modest means designed and created a quilt that is known round the world over 100 years after its creation. It is probable, thanks to MS Papadakis, that every quilter in the world has heard of Jane Stickle or the "Dear Jane" quilt, or better yet, belongs to a "Dear Jane" club. Basically, we know very little about Jane Stickle. We know she was an ordinary woman of modest means. We know she was married and that we have found no records of her having children. And we know she was not a wealthy woman. I would call her... a plain Jane. Yet she created a quilt that is known all over the world. The quilt makes me question: was she active in a home town quilt guild or quilting bee? Did she exhibit handmade quilts for sale in local fairs? What inspired Jane Stickle to make this quilt? She signed the quilt "Jane Stickle 1863 War Time". Why did she sign it? In a time, when it is rare for handmade quilts to be signed, Jane Stickle signed and dated her quilt. What significance do the words "War Time" mean? Maybe she made it for a loved one who was at war. Maybe it was created to keep her mind off the stress of war.

As I view this quilt, my eye is caught examining each block design. There are 225 blocks in the quilt. Not one block is replicated. I do not believe any of these blocks are found in any other handmade quilts for sale of the period. Did she design each block or take ideas from other handmade quilts? What was her inspiration? In 1863, quilt block patterns were not common. It is phenomenal for one person to design 225 blocks. The block size of the Jane Stickle quilt is only 4 ½ x 4 ½ inches. Why was she compelled to do so many blocks and so small in nature. How did she cut such small pieces? Ms Stickle signed the quilt: 5602 pieces. The number of pieces is another wonder. As before mentioned, handmade quilts of that era do not record the number of pieces in the quilt. I can only imagine how long it took to cut, organize, and assemble 5602 piece. Maybe she had help cutting 5602 pieces. The scissors in the 1860's can not have made the task easy. Even in 2010, cutting 5602 pieces is a fete.

As with humans handmade quilts breathe. They demonstrate character, personality, and a soul. They embrace us every time we touch, feel, or see them. The Jane Stickle quilt is only one quilt embracing my soul. Have you experienced the soul of a quilt? I hope you have.

There are a few simple ways to greatly improve your next business trip, and one is gaining elite status.

If you want to get the most out of your business trips, elite status perks significantly improve your traveling experience and, consequently, your productivity. While perks vary from airline to airline, they often include a faster line to your security checkpoint, complimentary access to airport lounges, priority boarding and more comfortable seating. You can also save money with free checked bags, in-flight Wi-Fi and meals.How can you score those coveted elite status perks? You have a few options available.

1. Earn It the Old Fashioned Way

Flying enough with one airline to reach an elite status tier is the simple way. If you’re traveling weekly or going on cross-country trips often, this method actually isn’t that difficult. For example, you could reach American Airline’s Platinum tier by traveling 50,000 miles or 60 segments annually.

Taking a status challenge accelerates the process. You pay a small fee to the airline, and then you can earn your way into elite status tiers by traveling a certain mile minimum within the challenge period. American Airlines charges a $200 fee to challenge for its Platinum tier, and you then have 90 days to travel at least 12,500 miles.

The problem with this method is that booking all those flights gets expensive, especially considering you only earn elite-qualifying miles (EQMs) when you pay with cash, not reward points or frequent flyer miles. Shooting for those elite status tiers may be worth it if you travel often or have a few trips coming up and can take a status challenge. Otherwise, it’s not the best option from a value perspective.

2. Use an Airline’s Business Credit Card

An easier way to get travel perks with an airline is applying for one of the airline’s business credit cards. Common perks that accompany these credit cards include one or more free checked bags, free access to that airline’s airport lounges, and discounts on in-flight services. You’ll also be earning frequent flyer miles with that airline on every purchase, so if your business spends enough, it’s easy to get free flights by placing all your business expenses onto your credit card.

Many airline credit cards also earn you a set number of EQMs when you spend enough. The Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card earns you 5,000 EQMs for spending $1,000 in the first 3 months, and another 10,000 EQMs for spending $25,000 within the calendar year. Delta’s Silver status tier requires 25,000 miles, so by earning those 15,000 EQMs, you’d only need to travel an additional 10,000 miles to reach elite status.

If you occasionally travel for business and you have monthly business expenses of $2,500 or more, an airline credit card can bridge that miles gap and get you into an elite status tier. Even if you don’t get in, the benefits of an airline credit card still entitle you to some of the same benefits you’d have in an elite status tier.

3. Book First-Class Tickets with Travel Rewards

One of the biggest benefits of reaching elite status with an airline is the opportunity for complimentary upgrades, but you can always just book a first-class ticket yourself. The key to purchasing is a first-class ticket is doing so with travel rewards, not cash.

It’s always better to pay using rewards, but that’s especially true for first-class tickets, as you’ll get much better redemption value out of your rewards. Flying first class can cost three or four times as much as flying economy when you pay cash. Using rewards, the difference is much lower. The standard cost for domestic round-trip economy tickets is 25,000 miles, compared to 50,000 for first class. Point costs vary depending on the airline and the route, but you can find out exactly how many points you need for economy and business class with a reward travel service.

You can use an airline credit card for this, or another business credit card with a flexible rewards program. Two of the premier business credit cards on the market for travel rewards are the American Express Business Platinum Card and the Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. The former comes with airport lounge access, while the latter earns triple reward points on several common expense categories. The American Express Rewards program and the Chase Ultimate Rewards program each have multiple airline transfer partners, which is helpful if you don’t always travel with the same airline.
Finding the Right Strategy

For the vast majority of business travelers, the most effective way to get elite status perks is by focusing on travel rewards instead of chasing status tiers. With the right business credit card and a first-class ticket booked using your miles, you’ll get all the same perks a traveler in an elite status tier would have. You’re also using rewards earned through business purchases, instead of spending money on flights to get those EQMs. The key is to analyze your spending patterns and travel habits to find the method that’s right for you.

When Starting A New Business One Of The Most Important Things You Need To Do Is To Get Noticed.

To get your brand out there, you need to present your business differently than your competition does," he says. "My mentor - Sir Freddie Laker, the owner of Laker Airways - gave me similar advice in Virgin’s early days, and this eventually defined our marketing strategy, helping to make the Virgin brand internationally famous.

"When we launched Virgin Atlantic, we were entering an industry rife with big players. ‘Make sure you appear on the front page and not the back pages,’ Sir Freddie told me. ‘You are going to have to get out there and sell yourself. Make a fool of yourself — whatever it takes. Otherwise you won’t survive.’" Over the years, the Virgin Group founder took this advice to heart. Creating various spectacles to draw attention to Virgin Atlantic – including floating an airship with a sign saying “BA can’t get it up” above the London Eye and flew a “UFO” over the capital in the early hours of April Fools’ Day.
"Over more than 40 years, the Virgin team has launched hundreds of companies worldwide, and I’ve
done some outrageously fun and entertaining things in the name of marketing our products and services," he says. "I donned a wedding dress to launch Virgin Brides; drove a tank down Fifth Avenue in New York to launch Virgin Cola; jumped off the roof of the Palms Hotel and Casino to celebrate the first Virgin America flight to Las Vegas; maneuverered an amphibious car across the English Channel to mark Virgin Atlantic’s 20th anniversary; and drank champagne while rappelling down the side of a new Spaceport air hanger for Virgin Galactic." Virgin aren’t the only ones to have used inventive marketing to get themselves noticed though. As Richard notes, U2 put their album in the spotlight by giving free copies to everyone with an iTunes account, Samsung was behind Ellen Degeneres’ famous selfie at the Oscars, Taco Bell outraged and entertained by placing an ad in The New York Times proclaiming "Taco Bell buys the Liberty Bell", and Burger King released the "Left-Handed Whopper".

So how do you come up with an idea that would put your business in the spotlight? Here’s Richard’s advice:

"Ask yourself: Why did you start your business? What is it that sets your products and services apart from the rest? What would you ultimately like to achieve?
"Once you have that down on paper, brainstorm some fun and entertaining ways you can deliver your message. And don’t shy away from asking for help. You said you were born into a business-minded family - ask for their ideas and opinio

"If you run into naysayers, remind them that no matter how great your product or service is, no one will hear about it if you don’t attract attention - it’s that simple. So do something original. Do something your competitors have never thought of.
"Above all, remember that inventive marketing - and creativity in other areas of the business - is not just rewarding, but a lot of fun."