A Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Quilting Arts TV

---

Working on televised quilting shows can be magical, fun, and challenging. In a good way! I’ve had the great fortune to be involved with Quilting Arts TV for over 10 seasons and it has been all that and much, much more.

The last several years, our host has been Susan Brubaker Knapp. Susan is a lifelong artist, quilter, teacher, mentor, and author, and she was a frequent guest on the show prior to taking on the hosting duties.

Susan is such an inspiring artist and a true professional. Her calm and charming manner puts guests at ease, and when they learn that each segment of the show is just like having a conversation with an artist friend—with a show and tell included—nerves usually melt away.

One thing viewers might not know is just how many people it takes to create a show like this. There are about a dozen TV professionals on the set during taping—camera operators, a sound technician, director, producer, and more—many others who plan everything ahead of time in the pre-production phase, plus editors and post-production people who create the final product long after taping is completed.

Getting ready

Each guest creates the artwork they will demonstrate. Depending on the project, sometimes there are many ‘step outs’—examples of individual steps or portions of a project that build to the final quilt or completed artwork. With the help of assistants in the studio, guests organize their artwork and step outs—one tray per segment.

This happens in the Green Room, where guests prepare for their segments, organize their trays, sit and watch on a monitor while other segments are being taped, or just lounge while they’re waiting for their turn.

Fun fact: Green Room is a theatrical term that refers to where actors wait before heading on stage. ‘Green’ does not refer to the color but, rather, a portion of the backstage area of a theater (according to my online search). Anyway …

One of my jobs at TV taping is to take photographs, and I take a lot of them! Susan on set with the guests, the guests’ artwork and step-by-step samples, the make-up process, Bernina expert extraordinaire Jeannine Cook-Delpit and the sewing machines she brings, guests in the Green Room, and so on. No one has yet told me I’m annoying—even when I ‘demand’ they smile for me.

Camera time!

Shortly before taping begins, guests go on the set to arrange their samples—including Susan who frequently presents a segment or two each season.

Sometimes you have to ‘hurry up and wait’ on set while a light is changed, a microphone is adjusted, or a table is moved. The crew is always helpful and delightful to work with!

Often guests say—after taping is over—that it all went so fast!

Keeping organized

We tape 13 episodes for each season, so Susan brings 13 separate outfits! They hang neatly in the dressing room, complete with a zipper bag of jewelry for each one. Susan made these bags herself and numbered each to correspond with the episode number.

One more fun fact: We don’t tape each episode all the way through, beginning to end. There are 2–3 individual segments per episode and guests are only on set for one day so we shoot all of their segments together on whatever day they are there—regardless of the order they will be in for the final product. That means Susan changes her tops and jewelry A LOT! Production assistant Katherine takes photos of Susan in each complete outfit and makes a poster of the shots to help keep Susan wearing the right clothes for every segment in an episode—whether it is taped on Tuesday or Wednesday or whenever.

Another amazing thing: We tape all 13 episodes in less than one week! Susan and the crew have incredible stamina, skills, and a strong work ethic. And our guests are amazing, too!

Every episode offers inspiring projects and techniques that I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Whether your interest is fabric dyeing, hand sewing stitches, stenciling on fabric, or art quilts in general, you’ll find it on QATV! The digital download of Quilting Arts TV Series 2500 is now available for purchase or look for the show on your local PBS station.

And a big thank you to our longtime partner Bernina of America, who provides expert assistance and the sewing machines guests use on set. We couldn’t do this show without their support!

Sew happy to share this with you!

Until next time,

Kristine

Be sure to check out current and past seasons of Quilting Arts TV.