Purse Workshop - All Set!

 

Wednesday morning two moms are coming over to begin making purses. They ave hchosen their fabrics, machines are threaded, and directions are being honed. My teaching method is to demonstrate every step. So I too will have a new completed purse. Say tuned for process pictures!

Reversible Quilts at SusanMarie's in Palos

Today was the third and final session of a 3-part workshop in Reversible Quilts at SusanMarie's in Palos Heights. Terry, Donna, Linda, Sharon, and Vivian worked on some lovely pieces. Teacher's Pet Award goes to Vivian because she finished her quilt first (although it wasn't a content). Terry, Donna, and Linda are pictured here with their quilts. Each quilt is folded so that both sides can be seen. Nicely done, ladies!

Sunday afternoons in February, 2008, we'll be doing some foundation piecing as the basis for the next reversible quilt.

Reversible Workshop at The Sewing Room

Today was the 4th and final session of the Reversible Quilt workshop at The Sewing Room in Lombard, and it has happened again: I learned something from each one of the women. From Dottie I learned to use transparent scotch tape to label the rows of my reversible quilts. From Ginger I learned about bias binding and free-motion stippling. And Sue so graciously shared the pattern for a strip-pieced sweatshirt jacket. Kim wasn't with us today, but the other three finished their quilts, which was their reward for so diligently doing all homework assignments. These quilts are gorgeous, and the past four Tuesday afternoons have been rewarding! Ginger's quilt is a study in wintry blues. Keep checking back for pictures of completed projects.

Field Trip!

Tonight neighbor/sewing buddy/fellow WW Susan and I are driving to Madison and participating in a 3-day conference dedicated to all things quilting. There were over 200 various lectures/hands-on workshops/demos/guest speakers from which to choose, and there's a huge exposition center of award-winning quilts and merchants/vendors. We were lucky enough to get a room at the Clarion, right next to the Alliant Center where everything is being held.

I been wanting to participate in something like this for a couple of years and think it's going to be great fun. I hope my brain doesn't - like it has at various education conferences - get full and shut down. I'm going to be learning about convergence quilting, embellishing quilts with beads, using paint sticks as a quilting tool, the variety of threads available to quilters, and "sketching" with thread.

My first workshop at quiltfabric.com went very well. And so far the reversible quilting class in Lombard is fabulous (the other class was cancelled). I think this emphasis on learning and the field trip fits in great with the teaching I've begun to do. (And, of course, John is being a great sport about my going to Madison.)

Busy Hands, Happy Hands

For the past few years I have said that I'd like to be teaching quilting. That is definitely happening this fall. Here's my teaching schedule:

Tuesdays in September at The Sewing Room in Lombard, 1:00 - 3:00 - Reversible Baby Quilt

Saturdays, Sept 8, 22, 29, at The Sewing Room, 10 - 12 - Baby Fence Rail (oops, this one was cancelled - maybe later...)

Sunday, Sept 9 - 1 - 3 at Quiltfabric.com in Willowbrook - "Make and Take" Reversible Holiday Place Mat

Sunday, Oct 27, and Sunday, Nov 4, at SusanMarie's - 135th and Ridgeland - Reversible BabyQuilt

These three shops are very different from one another, and it's going to be interesting and fun to get to know each of these shops better. I haven't figured out yet whether this kind of teaching will be financially worthwhile. But I do already know that I'm excited about each one of these workshops and look forward to each experience.

Meanwhile, I'm still plugging away on Cecilia's quilt, thinking about the quilt for the Jim Dandy, and wanting to make up more reversible quilts just because they are fun. There are a couple of new techniques that I want to experiment with. And neighbor Susan and I are going to a quilt expo in Madison, WI, to participate in some hands-on workshops and attend some lecture/demonstrations.

Words I couldn't say for a long time: I really love August and September!