Sunday, April 17, 2011

CQ Adventure in Connecticut - Part I

Hi!!  I just got back last night (with DH) after having spent two whole weeks in Connecticut.  For the first week, I attended a 3-day stitching workshop taught by Sharon Boggon, one of the most amazing stitchers on the planet!  Then, after a day of rest (which meant moving to another hotel, stitching and eating), The CQ Adventure began!!  Maureen Greeson, along with the help of Susan Elliott and many others, put on the best gathering I have ever been to!!

When The Adventure was over, DH flew in to join me, and we spent another week hanging out in Connecticut, visiting historic homes and museums and driving around, taking in the sights.   And I also got to spend a day in NYC, shopping the garment district with Allie, Susan,  Linda H and Helen. We had a blast, and that warrants a whole post by itself!!

I have so much to share, I hardly know where to begin!  Deep Breath.  OK, I will start at the beginning.

Sharon began our 3-day stitching workshop with a review of basic design principles.  Basically,  these principles hold true whether you are creating art in any medium, be it painting, quilting, interior design (my background), etc.   Sameness is boring, and as humans, our eyes and senses tune out. But add some contrast and we begin seeing and appreciating.

We explored contrasts in color, texture (rough vs soft, shiny vs matte), scale and proportion, size, shape, visual weight, balance, repitition and more.  All the while, Sharon explained how our eyes and brain work to take in a piece, following (imaginary or real) paths CQ’ers can create to take the viewer around the block.  There is a lot more to it, of course, and with every point Sharon made, she had examples to share in her own work.

Sharon with Gail, Shirlee and Maureen

Maureen, Claudina, Gerry, Holly

Elizabeth, Luana, Tracey, Sharon and Gail

Sharon demonstrates a beaded flower to half the class
Shirlee and Maureen, the model students!  

On Monday evening,  we got to go as a class to Beads East, a great bead shop owned by beader and author Ann Benson.  They opened especially for us, and I am sure they were VERY glad they did; we left some serious “coinage” behind, LOL!


Sharon was piling in the beads as fast as the rest of us!  

Elizabeth tries not to drool over the luscious bead displays!

This is only one corner of the store!

Gerry, Holly and Diane rest, even though their wallets are much lighter!

And then Maureen and I decided to take advantage of the photo op!

At the close of our 3-day workshop on Tuesday, Sharon and Maureen, two extraordinary women, pose together.  You ladies are AWESOME!

A special treat for me was that my friend Marilyn L (from New Jersey but now living in Rhode Island) also attended the Adventure.  Marilyn and I have known each other since we met way back in 2000 on the Quiltropolis CQ list.  We used to meet whenever I traveled to NJ on business, and I’ve had the pleasure of staying with her and her lovely family.  It was great to catch up and spend some time together!  Marilyn, I love you!


Tomorrow in Part II,  I will blog about the Adventure itself, including the opening night festivities which included a fantastic cake surprise by Maureen, Show & Tell, and the vendor boutique.

Part III will be about the classes and teachers (Sharon again for one day, Betty Pillsbury and Allie Aller). Talk about an all-star lineup!!  And the generosity of Maureen..... unbelievable!

In Part IV I’ll share pictures of our trip to NYC and the laughs and the goodies.... good times!!

Part V will show you some of what DH & I did the following week in Connecticut, plus show the rest of the goodies I bought...

And somewhere in there, I have a finished round robin block to show you.  Maybe I’ll start with that tomorrow.

So, stay tuned!

Cathy maroon

10 comments:

  1. How lucky are you...I have just turned a bright shade of green (envy) after reading your post. Sharon is not only the most talented stitcher on the planet but the most generous with her knowledge.

    i imagine after these adventures your mind will be full of brand new ideas.

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  2. Super report Cathy! I really should have taken more photos. I loved meeting you. You are as sweet as your posts. Thank you for coming and I'm glad you enjoyed your time here.

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  3. Oh goody, goody! You always take the best photos and have the coolest posts! I so wish I could have been there with you; but am so happy to have you sharing your experience so I can participate via cyberspace! Hugs!
    Kathy
    www.shawkl.com

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  4. How gorgeous is that Crazy Quilting in the top photo...would have been lovely to see such lovliness in [person.Then the bead shop...sigh..GLAD you had such a lovely time Cathy!!

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  5. Thanks so much for creating this chronicle of your fantastic trip to CT. I'll be back for each installment!
    It was so good to see you and Bruce too... ;-)

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  6. Hi Cathy
    This is just an EXCELLENT post. I love the pictures of all those who's work we admire so much. I'm looking forward to more posts about your weeks in CT. Its so cool that you stayed on an extra week to see more of that area.

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  7. We sure did have a great learning experience. It was great to meet you and all the other bloggers that attended the Adventure!!
    XO Shirlee

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  8. All of us left behind at home girls are so envious of your trip. It is wonderful in every blog post I see how much you all enjoyed yourselves. Thanks for sharing the photos and I look forward to more.
    Deb

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  9. So glad that you enjoyed your trip!

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  10. I know it's definitely not proper to be jealous, but I am! You obviously had a fine time and spending time with so many people of like minds must have been so much fun. Glad you had a great time!

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