The first class I took was a class to make table runners; twelve of them from a book, one for every month. I went the first month. And, I didn't care for it. That was a different time and I was a different person and my shyness crippled my ability to enjoy the comeraderie that came in the classroom setting. There were 4 "students" and the teacher. I had a 30 year old sewing machine that weighed two and a half tons and everyone else had a lighter weight, newer machine that just purred, while my bohemoth weighted down the table and didn't have the decorative stitch that the lesson was about on it. And, I was not comfortable sitting around a table with 3 older women and the young mother that was teaching. And, she wasn't just teaching. She was also minding the store and I think she had her youngest child with her. And, the projects were WAY too big for a single day and by the time we got to the hard stuff that she was teaching us about, the class was over. And, I didn't go back.
My second class was quite different, partly because I was quite different. It was in the evenings. Still just 3 ladies and me and a teacher. But, the teacher was much more brash and up front and she and I had become friends before the class. And, I made this quilt. Don't pay any attention to the really bad pics of the quilting. It's much better than it looks and it's still a UFO.
Anyway, the teacher was Mary Ellen. And, this is the quilt she entered in the show this weekend. Notice that blue ribbon. When we ran into her, she was so proud! She had a copy of the ribbon pinned to her shirt and she waved it at me and did a little dance. It was so nice to see someone I knew so happy.
I had the text of the placard typed in here and somehow, I lost it. And, of course, that @#$& autosave meant it was gone forever, along with the photo I uploaded from home and typed it from.
Anyway, take care and have a great Tuesday. Keep quilting. I think I might look into another class.
Lane
8 comments:
Oh WOW thats beautiful !
What a beautiful quilt....loved your spill on your first class....not too much different from mine...congrats to your friend for her blue ribbon, that is exciting.00000000
Heya, what great timing for this post! I start teaching an evening course tonight, it's my second time teaching, and it was neat to read about your experience - that way I know what not to do :)
My project will be doing a wheely quilt like the one I posted about last year (I have a tutorial too, so it was easy to prepare the class). I give my students the option of doing different sizes: crib, lap, twin, double, queen/king depending on their level of experience. They have 9 2-hr-classes plus what they can get done at home. I have high hopes that there'll be enough time to get through the quilting and to the binding this year - last year we only had 8 classes, so it was tight..
Hope to see a pic of your class quilt next time you have a chance to upload it!
Have you ever submitted something or won a ribbon at a show?
Cheers,
Christine
Oh boy! Your teacher's quilt is spectacular! Of course I would like it with the purple in it! I'm a purple lover. I would never enter a quilt I made in a show....I only make things for people that I know will appreciate the sentiment and not judge the quilting....I'm not that good!
I can see why it won a blue ribbon!
Beautiful quilt. I thoroughly enjoyed the class I just finished. The class was made up of 8 women and 1 man, and the guy in the class was a very prolific quilter. He was also interesting to talk to! The thing I liked about the teacher was her teaching philosophy. She believed in showing you the way she was taught, and then if you wanted to do your own thing, she was all for it. She said she would not be the "quilt police" like an early teacher she had. That's the best kind of teacher.
Don't feel alone. I quilt every day and I am completely "self" taught, with the help of books, websites and blogs. There is one true quilt shop in NYC and I've never felt totally comfortable there. I've been able to get accurate piecing, tiny hand quilting stitches and have a good sense of color... all without a class. It can be done!
The only classes I have taken are the workshops that are part of my guild's monthly meetings. I love the camraderie much more than the instruction - I rebel against being told how to do something; I'd much rather figure something out on my own. That said, I CAN'T WAIT until Bonnie Hunter comes in February to teach us something. I don't even know what she's teaching - I just know that I will be there!
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