Saturday was a very special day, because I got to spend it with my buddies, the Pelham Quilters! It was the first time I have “officially” taught my new Improvisational Flowing Lines workshop, and I have to say, it went off pretty well! I have test-run the workshop with my friends in the past (they are my usual willing guinea pigs!). My friend Susan really took off with the technique, incorporating it into her beautiful quilts. My friends Linda and Georgia had a good time learning the technique, but as yet, have not completed their tops.
The ladies of the Pelham guild were very enthusiastic about learning this new-to-them technique, and had all sorts of ideas about how they were going to incorporate it into their own work. Here are some photos that I took during the workshop . . .
This first one shows a very happy Lorraine, the guild president, fondling the beautiful flowing lines that she created:
And here is Millie, hard at work piecing at her machine:
In the next photo are Doris and Evelyn at the cutting table, both seriously contemplating their next cut . . .
And next is Jean, hard at work at her machine.
Here is my friend Renee Fleuranges-Valdes, rotary cutter in hand, ready to add to her beautiful, colorful and soft flowing lines. See that big smile on her pretty face? It was there ALL day! Renee wrote about her experience at the workshop on her blog. where she had some very kind things to say about me and the workshop — Thank you, Renee, you made my day!
Here’s Lorraine again. She took to the improvisational technique of cutting and quilting like a duck to water. With her background in fashion sewing, she was very comfortable cutting and sewing curves. She had no trouble “loosening up” and choosing from her pile of beautiful fabrics with wild abandon!
Here’s a photo of Millie’s piece, as she contemplated whether or not to add a some four patches in with her flowing lines — she later decided to go ahead and piece them in, and the result was amazing, as you will see in the group shot at the end of this post. Aren’t her colors just gorgeous?
And here is the group, proudly showing off their beautiful work. I was so impressed with how each woman made the technique her own by using her own palette of fabrics and colors.
By the way, see what Millie did by adding traditional 4-patches? She’s over on the far left of the above photo. What a creative way to incorporate her own touch into the piece! Doris, standing just to the right of Millie, used just a small amount of bright yellow in her piece, which she appliqued on to her strips before piecing them in. Cheryl, standing on the far right of the photo, turned her piece 90 degrees and added a strip down the center. It will be one side of a tote bag. Jean, kneeling in front of Cheryl, used beautiful fabrics in earthy colors to make a piece that is so appealing, and so very different from the others!
I’m thrilled that the workshop was a success! I want to thank the wonderful Pelham quilters for their enthusiasm. Also, thanks for the really good snacks. Lorraine is a fantastic baker — her brownies were delicious, and oh, that banana chiffon cake — yummy!!!
