Three and a half days of exploration and creating offered by
The Stitchin' Post in a spacious and beautiful setting with Freddy Moran and
Gwen Marston. The experience was full of color, the hum of the sewing machines, happy conversations and chocolate.
My class project incorporates strips of fabric sewn together by my Tutu (hawaiian grandmother), fabric Mom used to make a shirt for my brother when he was a boy, and modern fabrics pieced by me into "liberated" blocks using Gwen's techniques. Freddy and Gwen guided and encouraged the evolution of this quilt.
It is wonderful to be incorporating the fabric strips and the fabric from my childhood... and a bit of myself and the fabrics and designs I enjoy today ... into a single project. Now I realize that mixing old and new elements together to create special and delightful quilts is something I've wanted to do for quite some time, but I couldn't figure out how to do it.
Day 2:
This picture shows a couple of Tutu's long strips, some liberated star blocks, green and orange 4-patch and 9-patch blocks, a liberated house block, and a stack of blocks from a class taken last summer. (Behind my design board is a magnificent large stone fireplace and a stack of wood.) I was very skeptical about what was possible given this collection of "parts".
By the end of the day, things were looking a little better as the first three rows were sewn together. But still, I wondered at the randomness and a the row of green and orange to come. How could that possibly work?
It was amazing to see all the different projects come together throughout the room. Great diversity and personality. People came from all over and with all sorts of different quilting interests and backgrounds. Fascinating stories and delicious quilts.
That night I took stock of the fabric and button flower samples I have been making. Earlier in the day I sold four fabric flower barrettes.
Later in the evening, inspired by the activities of the day, I made two whimsical wired dolls.
Day 3:
As I unpacked the whimsical wired dolls in the morning, they received a lot of attention - which, by the way, they loved. This tall doll kept us smiling as she watched over our work.
This spool doll sat charmingly in the midst of a sea of sewing activity.
My project grew with the addition of those green and orange blocks set on point...
and a row of Tutu's strip and the construction of some liberated homes finished the day's work.
Day 4:
The next morning the spool doll had three new friends that I fashioned with scraps from classmates. Those dolls went home with my classmates at the end of the day! I am so happy that the dolls have gone to good homes with such wonderful people. Here are the four spool dolls sparkling for their photo shoot at the entrance of the
FivePine Conference Center.
On my quilt, the row of homes were attached and things were looking surprisingly good ...
Bits of colorful inspiration beckoned for attention throughout the room....
At the end of this last day, my quilt top looked like this ...
... with plans for the row of rectangular blocks set on point (on orange and red), a Tutu strip, a row of (flower) pots with flowers and another Tutu strip to finish up the horizontal rows. Two of my flowers already have found their places on the quilt top, placed there by Freddy's hand with instructions to attach them only after the quilt is quilted.
Wow. That's a lot of color and whacky wonky piecing... fun, fun, fun... and it went together much, much fasster than it does when I am on my own, questioning and pondering every move and possible next step.
I am looking forward to absorbing, learning and applying what I heard and did and saw last week *and* finishing this first project in the series and building the series!
Thanks to everyone who made this such a positive and fulfilling experience.
