Classes and Goodies from CQ Adventure

I’m rather late posting today because I was watching DGD London all day, and she wore me out!  :-)   Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it....

One of the things I was really looking forward to - and I was not disappointed - was taking classes from Sharon Boggon, Allie Aller, and Betty Pillsbury.  I’ve had the pleasure of taking classes years ago from Betty, including a week at the John Campbell School in 2001.  So, I knew I was in for a treat again.  But it was a triple treat! All three teachers were excellent. Each had their own unique style and sense of humor. They were all very clear and patient with their lessons and explanations, guiding us along as we learned new techniques.  I kept a journal for Sharon’s 3-day stitch workshop (so many new stitches and motifs!), but ended up relying on my camera and examples from Betty’s and Allie’s classes.

Day 1  - Sharon Boggon.  I didn’t take pictures in this one-day class; instead, I concentrated on learning new and reviewing other stitches we learned in the 3-day workshop earlier in the week (see pictures from previous post here).

In the evening, Betty Pillsbury gave a great talk on crazy quilts.  Renee and I were her helpers (or “slaves” as Betty so lovingly put it, LOL).  We held up the quilts and other stitched pieces and took them around for everyone else to see and photograph.  Following are 4 pictures of some of the antique pieces Betty showed, which I snapped later on when they were out on display.

Day 2 - Betty Pillsbury’s class.  Another fun day!  We painted on velvet, making paddle-fans.  Below is my effort (sans the handle, which we are to finish outside of class).

Although I did my satin flower with the satin fabric I brought, the satin was too heavy and it didn’t drape well.  I threw it away (yes, another flower in the garbage. Some readers will recognize a pattern in that behavior). Betty was a riot, and did a great job of explaining basic stitches in ergonomic, muscle- and tendon-friendly ways.

And then, when I asked to snap a class picture, Ruth-Ellen decided to give Betty bunny-backs.  I wonder WHO put her up to it ?!?   :-)

In the evening, Shirlee Fassell gave a really interesting and funny talk about her creative journey with cross stitch, crazy quilting and using the tambour hook.   Here is one of her masterpieces.

Our hilarious Mistress of Ceremonies, Susan Elliott (in pink) coaxed Maureen up to the front and presented her with flowers and other tokens of affection from the group.

Check out some of Shirlee Fassell’s framed work on the left.   Then check out Susan being silly on the right. 

Day Three:  Allie’s class.  What a joyous, fun day!  It was like being kids again, stitching, cutting, painting and having a blast....  I wish I could say that the below two pictures were my work, (well, I could say it, but it wouldn’t be true).... but they are Allie’s work.

   

You can see more of Allie’s gorgeous floral celebrations on her blog.  In fact, while you’re there, check out her pictures from the Adventure if you haven’t already!

This is my sad little piece (below).  But you must admit, I’m pretty darn brave to post it, LOL!  It should make you other ladies who were creating gorgeous bloom after gorgeous bloom feel so smug!  No, it is not arranged as a composition yet.  They’re just gathered up to show you some of the things I was working on. Most need to be finished in one way or another, and leaves and stems added.  It was such fun, I want to make lots more flowers to add to it.  It will eventually be a floral sampler to hang in my studio.

I was sitting between Diane Matheson and Gerry Krueger.  Hopefully they will both post pictures of their flower creations because they were just gorgeous!

Here are the motifs I received in the Motif Swap.  Thank you to all you lovely ladies who so generously shared your talents!   (The motifs I created can be seen here).

Thank you to all the ladies who were so generous with your gifties and trades.  I know I didn’t get everything in the picture, but every one of you dear friends is deeply appreciated!

And dear Freda not only gave me the silver owl, but also this amazing vintage child’s apron for my granddaughter London!  I was absolutely blown away!  Thank you, Freda!

The teachers were generous, too.  Sharon provided us with a lot of threads, some sequin waste and a beading tray. And a couple other things, too.   This “booty” is both from the 3-day workshop and the one-day Adventure class.

And then Maureen gifted us with precious treasures at every turn.  Every day of the workshop and every day of class, she had some little packet prepared for everyone.  Silk, lace, vintage images, needles, gimp (see center front).  And do you see the felt flower with chenille sticking out? (lower left quadrant). That’s a needlecase that Reen made herself.  One for every lady who attended!  She started those in January to get them prepared in time!  Unbelievable!  Thank you for all your kindnesses, Reen!!

OK, if you’re still with me (I know this is a long post), I just wanted to show you the goodies I purchased at the vendor boutique.

Actually, I won the set of pastel silk velvet (below) in the door prize giveaway.  I had already bought the bright velvets, above.  The vintage laces and threads were purchased from Maureen.  She has amazing things.  Check out her shop, Maureen’s Vintage Acquisitions.

Tomorrow I’ll blog about our Girls Day Out in New York City.  See you then!

Hugs, 

For The Birds - and Janet

I’ve been participating in a bird-themed round robin at Crazy Quilting International called “For the Birds”.  I took Janet P’s block along to the Adventure in Crazy Quilting in Connecticut to work on in Sharon’s stitching workshop and class.  I worked on other things, too, but this is the only one I finished.

I loved - and I mean LOVED - Janet’s blocks.  Such happy colors!!  This was such a pleasure to work on.  I carried the flower motifs into their neighboring spaces, using gimp for the stems and silk ribbon to give the leaves a 3-D effect.  The seams are rather basic, but I did try a few new things that I learned from Sharon Boggon’s workshop.  The first was the aforementioned gimp.

Secondly, we learned about sequin waste, and I used it on the seam below the bird.  I had no plan at first, but my stitches began looking butterfly-like, so I went with it.  :-)

We also learned a flower called “Margaret’s Cup”.  The finished version looks like a daffodil, but I did mine without the cup, then used it for the center of a dyed lace flower.  I enjoyed this flower and will make more - I’ll even try one with the cup!

I also love how Sharon often uses clusters of beads around buttons and on lace.  Why use just one when several make a showier impact?  I want to experiment with that some more, too.

Tomorrow I’ve got more CQ Adventure pictures of my classes. the goodies I received from the Motif Swap, and other goodies given to us by the teachers and Maureen.  See you then!

CQ Adventure Part II - Opening Festivities

What do you get when you get over 60 crazy-quilting women in the room at one time?  A wacky, fun time full of laughter, eye candy, chatter and goodies of both the stash variety and the edible variety.  Some might call it heaven on earth, and I would not disagree, LOL!!

The anticipation for me began building earlier in the afternoon when Maureen enlisted Gerry and I to help her begin setting up the vendor area in the main reception room.  We had five tables that were to be dedicated to the vendors, but two needed to be left open for the evening as a place for the Show and Tell items to be displayed.

So, we improvised and used the tables meant for the classrooms, plus the counter space, plus stacked boxes covered with tablecloths.... you get the idea.  And in the middle of all this, the three cakes that Maureen had ordered were delivered.   I had my camera with me, so I decided to get some official BEFORE pictures of the cakes.

But I decided that we really needed great individual pictures of each cake, so I pulled up a chair, stood on it, and began taking pictures from above. Everyone was laughing that I’d better be careful and not fall into the cakes, or Maureen would “kill me”.

Well, I got the pictures and there was never even a wobbly moment. Aren’t these cakes absolutely gorgeous???

And the great thing was that when Maureen got back, we told her I had taken the cake pictures by hovering over them, standing on a chair. When told that I could have fallen into them, Maureen laughed and said “I think that would’ve been funny!”

Now mind you, I know Maureen had worked madly for weeks - months - planning the Adventure.  She was like the proverbial duck; calm above the water but paddling like crazy underneath the surface.  To me, Maureen’s remark was a great testament to her sense of humor and calm demeanor. What a gracious lady!  I am in total awe of her (if you haven’t already gleaned that from my posts, LOL).

Gerry watches the table. Displays L-R: Cathy K, Gerry, Maureen’s ribbons

Maureen had lots of threads and ribbons

Are you drooling yet?

More of Maureen’s goodies

Buttons, fabrics (velvet, kimono silk, decorated sari silks) and more

The vendor mall was MAD with activity and goodies. There was literally something for everyone.  Unusual things, vintage things, colorful, dramatic, eclectic, fun .... just like the attendees!!

The Show and Tell featured one gorgeous project after another. I apologize that I didn’t get all the names and pictures of all the presenters - I seemed to be going in too many different directions. And, it was held the evening before we began classes, so we really had not had a chance to meet others outside of our immediate friendship circles.

Gen Tracey’s stunning, colorful quilt

An appreciative audience (see Betty with leaves in her hair, foreground?)

Wilma (second from L, back row) travelled from The Netherlands! 

Helen Thorkelson and her prize-winning purse (held by Susan wearing her Pants Pants Revolution pants)

Another lovely quilt

Marilyn Lynch shows a quilt she made with linens from her aunt  

Marty Trahan shows her quilt that appears in Allie’s book.

What a fun evening it was for everyone!

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!