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!