Such wonderful things happened this weekend! I’m so pleased with the progress of my students over the past two days.
Saturday our Wedding Ring Class met with the goal of laying out their finished piecing and seeing for the first time what their quilts will look like. We had such a great time! Over the course of the last 6 months we’ve been meeting, using the Quiltworx Wedding Ring pattern and its variations as a Block of the Month. There have only been a couple months we weren’t able to meet, but that happens even without a pandemic going on. They’ve all made wonderful progress and each step of the way there were oooh’s and aaaah’s as we shared our progress each time we met.
And we all learned something…including me! Some things I learned because I was asked a question I didn’t know the answer to, and others because I needed a creative solution to help them obtain a goal or to make it easier to continue their work.
The latest solution was what to do about a design wall! In the pictures, you’ll notice their units (or block pieces) are being laid out on sheets. It’s a curiosity, but a solution that I suggested and they agreed to with enthusiasm. Neither of these lovely ladies have design walls at home. My goal was to find a way for them to layout their units without: 1) having to take copious pictures with their phones; 2) disassemble what they laid out; 3) transport everything back home; 4) reassemble it all and lay it out only in small portions either because of space or foot traffic concerns, and then hope they were getting everything together correctly They jumped at the idea! So, after handing them each a flat sheet, we got busy.
As they laid the units out, each one was pinned to the sheet. And at the end of class, each sheet was gently rolled up and carried to the car with the confident knowledge that each time they went to work on their project they could just go right to work without the time spent on trying to find their place in the process.
Dottie was also with us and she brought her AccuQuilt Cutter to make quick time of cutting the 2 ½” strips for her project. I’ve never seen one of these in action, and I must say, it was so cool to see how they work.
It was an awesome day full of great friends, fun and lauging, and tremendous progress!
Sunday was much the same for the ladies that joined me at Clubb’s in Delta for our Judy Clubb. The Judy Clubb is an open sew kind of class where anyone working on a Judy Niemeyer pattern is welcome to come and sew for the day, and I’m available for as much or as little help as is needed
We have a wonderful work area at Clubb’s where a terrific cutting table and ironing area are provided. Lots of beautiful lighting and abundant room is provided for us to work our magic.
Take a look at what was worked on!
Cheryl is working on putting the binding on her Impatiens placemats. Her color choices are simply beautiful! And one of the best helps I could give her was to show her the UTube videos by Judy Niemeyer on that very subject. It’s amazing that we have the ability to carry an iPad, secure an internet connection and tune into a free, on-line video and then help the student to utilize the same resource at home. When Cheryl had a question, we worked through it together finding a few additional helps for her to use at home. She’s doing a marvelous job!
And here is Jean, using a sheet as her backdrop on the design wall to pin her Prairie Star to. Her goal for the day was to get one quarter of the quilt on the wall and assembled and marked with notes on how to complete assembly for the rest of her quilt when she’s back home.
All in all, it was a very productive, and rewarding weekend. I think one of the things I truly love about this work that I do and the quilters that start out as students and then become friends, is that I get to help them reach their goals.
People, non-quilting people, frequently remark to me about how this is nice and all that, but what’s so special about a quilt…. it’s just a blanket after all. And my knee-jerk reaction is that they just don’t get it. And they don’t. But what I say to them is that quilting is a tool. It’s a tool, or a means to reach a huge plethora of outcomes. Quilting is a creative outlet, which is a crucial aspect of our mental and emotional health. Quilting is a skill-building tool that enhances our cognitive and deductive reasoning utilizing color theory, math, planning and organizational skills to just start the list. And one of the very most important things quilting does is to both create and revive memories for those making the quilts as well as those receiving the quilts. Quilting as an art and a skillset is something that has a huge ripple effect on all those around us quilters. And no…these are not just blankets. They are works of love.
And I….me…I get to help these lovely people create and fulfill their goals.
What better job in life can there be??
Until next time, may your bobbins never be empty!