Where's your "Hidden Beach?"

Home from a creative week in Sisters, Oregon at the oldest (30+ years) and the biggest outdoor quilt festival in the world. 

The week started with Quilters Affair and 5 days full of classes from 30 teachers from all over the world. Every quilting technique imaginable was represented from the Modern Quilt movement to tradition hand quilting.  Truly something for everyone.

 Below are pictures from my classes.

I taught Hibiscus as a 2 day class,  Bird of Paradise (1 day) and my new pattern, Hidden Beach (2 days), which was a hit.

Look at the beautiful hand-dyed fabrics this student made before she came to class.

This is Tim with his beautiful flower.

 When the class is making a big mess you know they are in the zone.

In the Hidden Beach class I tried something new.   No paint by numbers this time.  It was all improvisational free cutting to make this beachscape. I was a little concerned about changing my teaching style without the students knowing what they were getting into but the students loved it.

This technique gave them more creative freedom and they embraced it. We used a lot of  free cutting with the rotary cutter which is the technique I used for the water in my Monterey and beach quilts.

Monterey

We started with the beach, water, and sky for the first layer. Then we made the rolling hill and path. Then they did the tree layer.  About half of the class did there own interpretation of there Hidden Beach or lake or river. It was so exciting.

Candi finishing her beach.

This is one of the  hazards of the job: fabric sticking in places you don't want.

Isn't this wonderful?  She brought a picture for inspiration.

 She is now adding her trees.

This student is making cypress trees at her beach.

Here they are. Wonderful interpretation of cypress trees. 

 

Best part is that the NEW Steam A Seam 2 arrived in time for me to bring to Sisters for these classes. It is new and improved and I think you are going to like it. I haven't sewn through it yet but I will blog about that in a few weeks.

Here she added more rocks and dirt showing on the rolling hill.  Love it!

Now layer 3, the limbs of the trees.

I told them to add a punch of color as you make your trees. All right!

Her Hidden Beach is a beautiful lake in Oregon.

 This was so much fun and I can't wait to teach Hidden Beach again!

This is my class sample.

The Great White North (take off, eh?)

We just got home form an amazing trip through the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay in Alaska. It was breathtaking. Now I was working the whole time but it sure didn't feel like it.  This was the best cruise I been on so far - OK, I have only been on 2 but it was really fun. I was teaching for Seminars at Sea.  Kim, Amy, and Linda put on a wonderful cruise. We met old friends and made some new ones. That’s what is so much fun about cruising - you get to really spend time with your students and become friends. 

Leaving Seattle

We traveled from beautiful, sunny Seattle. Yes, I said sunny.  Both days we were there it was gorgeous.  Then off to Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. We toured the Bouchard Gardens in Victoria on our last day.   

The Scottish captain loved to do 360 degree rotations of the ship as we passed the glaciers so every side of the ship had a great view. There is nothing like driving a 40,000 ton ship like it's a race car. He was very smooth, though.

We picked up a ranger from Juneau that gave the whole ship a historical nature lesson as we sailed through Glacier Bay.  I called her the naturist but was reminded by my British friends that may not be the right word. In their country naturists prefer the absence of clothing.  Oh.

Dinner every night with Christine Porter, her husband, Neil, and friend Richard, Laura Wasilowski and husband Steve (missing again - who's watching Steve?)

Every day every there was something spectacular to see and this time I didn't get sick thanks to my Doc and the patch.  It really works great. I did over-patch on day 3 and had a little trouble talking but what’s new?

Sailing through Glacier Bay in June was wonderful and I highly recommend Holland America.

So here are some of my photos.

One of the many glaciers.

Leaving Juneau.

View at breakfast.

Thanks to all my students and the other teachers and, of course, Kim, Amy, and Linda and a big THANK YOU to Steve Wasilowski, Laura’s husband, who kept Joe very entertained - and we only lost them twice.

Joe's new friends.

We are looking for a large eagle on a rock.

Friends from Louisiana.

Floating miniature glaciers.

Oh ,and we did quilts.

And to the lady I offended (it's always someone) in the t-shirt shop in Sitka - Get over it, it was just a joke! I was making fun of myself, not you.  Everyone's a critic.

Next up, in 2014 we are sailing through the Panama Canal.  And Yes Joe, you are going!

Time to Treat Yourself

What if you could be on a deserted island for a week of creative bliss?  

What if I was there to help you or just to run ideas past about your next project? 

   

What if you were surrounded by other creative souls all in the "zone" for a week?   A place where nobody could interrupt you or bug you, you don’t have to cook or go to the grocery store and you could be inspired by your fellow quilt artists.

I have that place.  It’s on a beautiful beach in Central California.  White sandy beaches with misty fog rolling out in the morning.   If you haven’t already guessed,  I'm talking about Empty Spools Seminars in Pacific Grove.   I love that place. I want to invite you to one of the best creative experiences you can have.  If you have never been, start saving your pennies because this is a must for art quilters.   It’s a safe environment to push out your creativity, try something new, or just stay focused.  Magic happens there -  it’s always so amazing.

Top requirements to be successful at a retreat like this:

•     Desire
•   Open to change
•    Patience with yourself  

    ... and maybe a good teacher?

Oh, and don't forget,  lots of fabric.  

I am asked all the time how do I do my own, personal  flower quilt?  Well, if that interests you, this is the venue.  Once you do a detailed flower you will be able to use the same principles to do any subject matter after that.   All skill levels are welcome.

We talk a lot about color and values. How to see color and how to use it to make the biggest impact.  How to use your creative gifts, even if you don't think you're creative.  Believe me, by the end of a week at an Empty Spools event you will be and feel creative.  So check your calendar to join me February 23-28, 2014 or go to Empty Spools Seminars  for more information. 

This is the time for YOU.  Put the dog in the kennel, take the kids to the grandparents and put your husband on the sofa with a 6-pack and a sandwich or 2 and come have fun with me. 

See you there. 

My Mother Iris Was my Inspiration!

 I have been trying to post picture of my students work using my new Iris pattern. But all the pictures i took on my phone are coming upside down or side ways. This is becoming the theme of my life. Upside down and sideways.  So I made a movie instead. hope you enjoy.
Before you push play you may want to turn on your speakers. \Its a cute song.
What I like the best is that after awhile my student stopped following the pattern and did there own thing. Love it.

The retreat was held at Our House in Milford, Texas. This is a retreat center that hosts all kinds of retreats and will host your next creative adventurer.  And the food is to die for. 

An Un-sticky Situation

Who knew that a sticky film of iron-on glue attached to parchment paper could give me so much anxiety?  Well, it is.  For those of you who love Steam-A-Seam 2, and I am one of them, seems like the Warm Company is having an issue with the release paper that the lovely sticky fusible web sits between. I love this stuff. Maybe that is my problem.  I think I might be addicted. Can’t live without it - or can I? 

Ironing Steam A Seam 2

The sweet girl on the phone at the Warn Company made a sad moan when she heard what I wanted - OK, I NEEDED!  My feeling is that my local grocery store has a lot of parchment paper down aisle 4, next to the foil, on the bottom shelf (that's in case they send a man to find it).  What I mean is parchment paper is EASY to find.  I could tell by her voice that I was going to have to find a new product for doing my art, at least for a while.

I have to either buy up the world's lot or find something different. I have a retreat in a week and half outside Dallas then I fly to Paducah for 5 classes at the big AQS show.  Then, 3 weeks after that the Alaskan Cruise.  I feel like I am trying to get to San Francisco but someone took my car and now I have to walk or ride a bike and I don’t do bikes.

 

Now what?  After I bought up all I could on the internet I realized that I can’t let my art and the technique I teach stop my creativity.  I have lectured all over the country about how mistakes and failures are waiting as aha moments in disguise.  Now I have to practice what I preach and it doesn't feel very comfortable. I hear my words coming back to me. 

 Look at this in a different way. How can I fix this?  Where is my seam ripper? What creative opportunity have I been given to solve.  I will make art even if I am on as desert island. I can’t stop.
Now, mind you, I didn't heard these encouraging  words until after I had a good cry, then got mad and moped around for a few days (I don’t want to leave out the good parts).  In my frustration, I decided to cut fabric for my class kits with the rotary cutter and chopped off the side of my favorite pointer finger. Ouch!

How bad can this get?  8 stitches worth and to top this off, this is the second time I have done this stupid move.  I just want to give up... but I can’t.
My whole life I have had to overcome difficult situations. From not reading until I was in the 6th grade to having people tell me I can't paint my house yellow and wanting to sue me to helping a child who had no one that cared to protect her.   All were painful but all ended well.

This is just applique, not rocket science.  I can try other fusible webs. So, I placed my order for Misty Fuse, which will arrive shortly and Wonder Under is working great.   I just like the stickiness of the S-A-S 2. But, I do have a glue stick! We’ll see. Creativity, I've heard, is the mother of invention.

So, if you are in any of these classes in the next month or so it will be fun to see what I show up with.

My Summer Rose pattern.

If it gets really bad I even thought of going back to, dare I say,  hand applique...

just kidding!