Creative Sewing Festival-well toot my horn!!

What a fantastic time!! I was invited by York Heritage Quilt Guild http://www.yhqg.org/to Teach One Block Wonder at the Creative Festival and it was really worth it!! The class was sold out which ment there were 20 brave students to try something different.

My friend Monica on the right with her OBW (a class I had taught earlier at another store) called me weeks in advance and asked me if I needed help. I am so glad I took her up on her generous offer. Monica had to take a day off of work and when I was told I was not paid to do this class it was to represent the guild she still was willing to participate. The pics you see are what she done while I was instructing.

Monica was the best assistant that anyone could have. I don't know how to thank her but if you all have any ideas please let me know she really deserves so much. What a wonderful friend!! Thank you, Thank you she knew where to be and what to do it was a magical day with great help from a guardian quilter.

Back to the show you can see to the right the view we had from the class room we could se the whole festival going on. I did not get a chance to visit due to teaching all day and then working a night that night. We had.. I my opinion the best class. I had called in advance to speak to the coordinator and asked about what was avaliable for class set up and gave her the basics what was required.

When I walked into the HUGE class room I was so totally impressed. There were 20 Husqavarna Sewing machines set up with the 1/4in foot that I requested and also a representitve that was there to make sure that everyone knew how to wind their bobin/to thread their machine/ and how to operate. The students were totally impressed what these machines can do especially some of us that have only straight stitch and zigzag.

Marilyn (the rep) was very very helpful and super nice anything requested she pulled it out of her sleeve...and was there for great support. Cutting boards and rotary cutters were avaliable, nice long tables for us to prepare properly for our OBW's, numerous irons and boards.

You can see below this fabulous fabric that one of the students brought.. this would be perfect for a OBW.. I sure hope you get the incentive to try one.

Here I am counting the repeats on this luscious sunflower fabric.. it was the same fabric I had used on one of my OBW.

Below showing students how to piece accurately so that all the pieces would go together smoothly even when you started sewing row by row. Aren't they so attentive??

Here I am starting to place what blocks they were able to get together on a porable design wall. The students did really well on getting the amount of blocks pieced so that they can start to see some results. They were very helpful and giving advise on where the blocks should be placed which told me they had the right idea and were well on their own on how to put together.

Monica and I commented at the end on our way home that we could not have had better students in our class and really thank them for their enthusiasm and willing to learn and step out of the box to create their own OBW... they each took my email and promised to email their final results.. I so cannot wait and hope to share them with you as they are completed.

I do hope that you are able to take a fabric and buy the book One Block Wonder/or Encore part 2. I would love to see your wonderful masterpiece.

Happy Piecing...