Class, day 1

I had a great time in class yesterday.  I think everyone did.  It was very relaxed and I made the great mistake of losing my agenda in a pile of quilts.  I didn't go in with my tub of stuff as organized as last time.  Last time, I thought to put things in the order that I would need them.  This time, I was overconfident and just tossed stuff in as I thought to take it.  BIG MISTAKE.  That meant I had to pull everything out at once to find anything and when it was all in one pile, I kept losing things in the pile.  But, we powered on and I tired them out and we broke up before the actual stop time.   

A tired quilter is a happy quilter.

Stamina is something I'm going to have to keep in mind as I plan classes. I really pack the work in.  But, I recognized when their attention waned and brought things to a close with a homework assignment.  Something simple.  I let them tear pages out of my coloring book to trace.  Just quilt along the lines, because next week, we'll give up the lines and start to free hand, and the lines will only be in your head.

There was more laughter this time.  Lots of funny things, especially when I told them that I'd had this great idea and we were going to pin baste one of my actual quilts...okay, much joking about how I'd found a way out of an unpleasant task. 

This is the only real time that losing my agenda was a problem.  They pinned their sampler tops and then I remembered we hadn't marked their samplers yet.  Oops!  Lets take all those pins out.  Nothing like lots of classroom practice on the basics....

We moved forward at a good pace after that, marking and having lots of unsuccessful marking experiences, which are great as learnings.  I offered them my three fave marking tools and a pen that I did not know the origin of that held disappearing ink.  I was right up front that I didn't know anything about this pen. 

The lady that used it had to remark as we moved through the exercises of the day because the ink was gone within minutes.  Guess I won't be taking that one to class again.  Can't call it a fave.

Somehow, in class, we found out that when I teach quilting it's a bit like the chicken dance.  Arms flapping and swaying and wiggling to see around your foot.  Everything but the clapping.  Not sure that's how quilt class is supposed to go, tho. 

Fast forward to about 50 seconds to get to the good part.

Should I be ashamed to admit that you cannot go to a wedding around here without having to do the chicken dance? It's actually pretty cute when everybody does it with the kids. A chance for everyone to participate and be silly.  They even played it at some of the middle school dances this year.

Everybody have a great day.  I just bought $50 worth of thread.  I needed thread to finish the red silk quilt and since I was going to have to have it shipped in (it's still on backorder at the LQS) I may as well order some other products I can't find around here and give them a try.  I've always wanted to try precencia 60wt, 3-ply cotton as a quilting thread, but it's like they don't have a distributor in Texas.  I don't even see it at quilt shows.  And, I picked up a spool of expensive hand quilting thread to see if I think it's any different than the cheap hand quilting thread I love.  I am so not a snob when it comes to quilting supplies.  I like products that get the job done, and if Coats and Clark or Gutterman from JoAnn's will work, then I'm glad to use it and a half off coupon.  I have been known to collect the thread for a quilt, one spool at a time, using a half off coupon on each one.  (Me being cheap is no more true than climate change).  Anyway, if I'm going to teach, I need to expand and check out other brands and $5 shipping seemed like a good way to do it. 

And, while I was there and paying shipping anyway, there was a cute pattern in the clearance section for $4, so why not just toss that in the cart too.

But why was I in the pattern section again??? 

Oh, I was looking for thread. 

Online shopping isn't that much different than going to a brick and mortar store. 

Lane