Bummer. Nobody signed up for my hand piecing/quilting class this month, so it got cancelled.
Well, that’s disheartening.
The LQS says it’s hard to get a class in August because school’s about to start and people are getting in their last time with kids and grandkids, so it’s not that surprising.
But, I was in the shop yesterday and picked up my class sample, above, and there was a lady that just gushed about how cute it was and asked if I was going to teach it as a class and I said yes and that it was a hand piecing, hand quilting class and she got downright rude and got loud enough for the whole store to hear her…
“yuck. I won’t be doing that. And, you wouldn’t want me in a hand class anyway. You wouldn’t want me in your class.”
You know, it is sometimes very lucky that I am slow to the draw. Oh, sure, it means I make a ton of mistakes and have trouble getting the most out of my interactions with people, but it also saved me from telling her that she was probably right, I wouldn’t want her in my class.
We’re trying to teach Sydney the lesson that just because you think something, doesn’t mean you have to say it. If only that lady’s parents had taken a bit more time teaching that lesson to her.
(Random thought: My 8th grade English teacher used to call it “bad breeding”. My, how the world has changed. I would never think to say something like that anymore. Though, as I remember it, it wasn’t an uncommon saying in…let’s say, around 1975-ish???)
Instead of responding to the lady, I just smiled at the LQS owner that was getting me the sample and moved on out of the store. I plan to hand quilt it soon and then piece another in 30’s repro and use them together as class samples…and get my good hand pieced and quilted quilt back home. I was caught off guard when I let them take that one as a class sample, just after it was finished.
See, there’s where being dull witted worked against me. I guess it’s true; to every thing there is both good and bad.
Be well. Lane
17 comments:
It has just occurred to me that I have never seen a hand piecing class. Hand quilting maybe, the odd one. Here in England certainly in my experience, the emphasis seems to be on machine piecing and machine quilting.
As a happy hand piecer and quilter, I had to learn from youtube :-D
Out of interest Lane, when you talk about hand piecing, do you mean english paper piecing or using hand stitches instead of a machine?
I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds to me like I-Hate-Martha-Stewart-Syndrome. Or maybe it's Cathy-Guisewhite-Syndrome. I'm referring to a cultural norm that shuns excellence, particularly hand work. I was once admiring the most magnificently hand-quilted full size quilt at a quilt show, and overheard two women "dissing" it: they complained about how much time the maker must have "wasted" hand quilting the project, and opined that she must be a "show off" for making her stitches so neat and so tiny. And this was at a QUILT SHOW, where the whole POINT is to celebrate the pursuit of excellence in quilting! I quilted one quilt by hand after taking a class with Dierdra McElroy and it was completely different from machine quilting. Slower, yes, but more relaxing, more portable, and I was sad when the project was finished. I miss having something to sew down by the television, in the carpool line, etc.!
Nobody appreciates hand work anymore. I don't like machine appliqué because it feels like cheating to me and it looks flat. I have taken classes in hand piecing, quilting and appliqué. I feel it is important to maintain our connection to quilters of the past by doing things in the same ways that they did. And hand work is good because you can't carry your machine everywhere with you.
Sometimes people just say the stupidest things...
Kris
Actually, losing the ability to self-censor may indicate the onset of Alzheimer's, though I don't know if I would have volunteered that to the rude woman.
Then again, maybe I would...
I'm sorry to hear you class got cancelled. I've had that happen in the summertime too.
I have to admit, that when I first started as a quilter I thought it would always be strictly by machine. I have since learned the satisfaction of handwork, and now I always have a hand project going.
That woman doesn't know what she is missing out on, and she was certainly rude to express her "opinions" like that. I wouldn't want to sit next to her in a class, either.
Hand-piecing is how I started quilting! I still do hand-piecing a lot more than machine piecing...and don't get me started on hand-quilting ...I'll never stop...both are my favorite way to make quilts! It's frustrating to find that my local county fair doesn't even have a hp/hq category in anything larger than a small quilt size! I'd have attended the class if I was closer to get some tips. I do pretty well, but am self/book/video taught ...never taken a class at the LQS. Maybe later this winter it'll work...but I've had more people tell me they could never do that than the ones who want to do more than look at what I'm doing...it's my favorite thing to do on trips!
I agree that being slow witted can be a good thing sometimes. If I were not so slow witted, there would be a lot of people in the world with black eyes! So sorry your class got cancelled. I will be honest and say I am not so sure about hand piecing. Funny though, cause I love hand applique! Go figure. The cancellation just means it is not the right time for the class.
That woman has probably gotten in trouble before in classes for bad behavior. Be GLAD she won't be giving your classes a bad flavor. A sweet tone to a class makes a HUMONGOUS difference. I try to teach that "attitude matters". I love hand quilting and sewing. I love working with teensy weensy pieces. People diss Bonnie's amazing works for some of those reasons too!!! Do what you love.
I was at a quilt show last week with a friend and we spotted a hand pieced/hand quilted quilt. The label stated that it took the quilter 1200 hours to complete. My friend made a comment about what a waste of time, and I couldn't help but give her my two cents worth of opinion. I've held my tongue in the past, but no more. She finds fault in many quilts because they aren't to her liking.
Thanks for sharing.
cindy
So sorry about your class being cancelled. If I lived near you, I may have been the only one there but I would have taken it! Even though I do handpiece sometimes, I can always learn something new about it. There is nothing more relaxing that sitting in front of a good show on TV, glass of wine nearby and a bit of hand piecing in your lap. Good memories!
Funny that Leah Day's post from yesterday pointed out that often, all a person leaves is their quilts. So 1200 hours to leave your family a beautiful memory? Seems like a good investment to me.
Oh it is too bad your class was cancelled. Ignore the rude woman. I absolutely am in awe of anyone who does handworked quilts. Many years ago I belongs to a quilt guild where many of the women were absolutely marvelous hand quilters. They made the most beautiful quilts with the tiniest of stitches ! I have never tried, because I don't think I would ever finish a hand worked piece, it is intimidating to me. But I have picked up a needle to do a little running stitch embroidery on dish towels and find it very relaxing. I am positive your class would have been a lot of fun. Bernie
The whole world needs a lesson in the golden rule, treat others the way you want to be treated yourself!. My machine was in the shop this week and I actually handpieced the stars in the 6" flag block for a civil war quilt. It was therapeutic! And I will always know that particular block was hand pieced as I intend to keep this quilt when finished.
When my daughter was about 14, my mantra to her was "It's okay to think it, but you don't have to say it"! I know exactly what you're dealing with and you are doing a great job!
~Florence
I always say that I'm not good at pop quizzes; I hardly ever know the right thing to say on the spot and when people get aggressive with me I go completely blank and either say the first thing that comes to my head which is usually mean, or nothing at all. I don't say many mean things anymore. I'd rather say nothing than hurt someone's feelings. I think your response was admirable, not to mention a good example for Sydney.
xo -E
Sorry about the cancelled class. August is a rough month with school getting ready to start and everyone squeezing in thoes last minute trips and shoppin
I also teach quilting and I do find August classes a bit harder to fill.
And people are, at least what I have found in my classes--scared of hand work. I try to make all my classes fun and not be the "mean" teacher too many have run in to...
Post a Comment