Camp Watch-a-Patcher

Well I am happily back from camp. I was looking forward to going to a class taught by Mary Lou Weidman and I was not disappointed.  I learned a lot in my 2 days-about hoochy piecing and also about me.

Things I learned at camp:  I don't like crowds, I am basically shy in a new environment so it is hard for me to connect to others although I made a valiant attempt and met with some success, the organizers had no signs to help you find your way so I ended up in a line for theater tickets thinking all the while, "gee, I am really under dressed, and I could have brought my husband" because of all the elegantly dressed ladies and elderly men in the line with me,  camp food can be quite awful if you aren't fond of undercooked brussell sprouts and overcooked chicken with gummy rice, I was glad I slept off campus after hearing all the complaints about the sleeping arrangements.

On the positive side I learned quite a bit in the class itself and enjoyed the other ladies, I like the idea of not planning and using wild colors in hoochy blocks but I need to find a happy medium: semi-hoochy maybe.  I looked at the Cow quilt border blocks when I got home and they are more restrained than Mary Lou's and I liked them better and that is really alright.  I loved her work and will use many of her ideas and techniques but I would get tired very quickly of all the black backgrounds although I loved seeing them.  She does beautiful, incredibly imaginative work-but I don't want my things to look like a Mary Lou knockoff-I want them to be mine.  Also, I stayed with a couple in Huntington beach who were so kind and interesting.  They were a highlight in my trip.  Their home was lovely and I slept very very well.  I love being an Evergreen member-we have met the nicest people through that organization and Kathy and Phil were no exception.

So-some photos:

Start of class-everyone setting up

Mary Lou showing examples

I am not a big Halloween/witch fan-but this is a fun quilt

detail was amazing-lots of buttons, beads and charms sewn on

candy bucket is an example of the detail

someone else does her quilting-look at the stems!

New Mexico Quilt

Detail

more detail

 Mary lou was a great teacher.  i am not sure how she even focused as she had just gotten the news that her husband has terminal cancer about 2 weeks before the class. She is a really nice lady and I was very glad to have met her.

My blocks except cardinal that wasn't done at that point

 I went to M and L falbrics which was 13 miles away the day before class and picked up a celery green from Hoffman that does not show up really well in the pics.  this will be the border.  The middle will be a dark purple Kona or batik that will have pieces about my mom who is my artistic inspiration.  I have her oil paintings all over my home.  The binding will be the same dark purple.  Yay, another UFO!

other's blocks

Close up of flower and appliqued leaves on left

The leaves on the right were string pieced and then cut out and appliqued.  i liked those a lot. The flowers were a block we learned in class times 4.  Sally Collins would have NOT liked or approved of this class:)  I must be schizophrenic because I am looking forward to taking a Sally Collins class as well.  There is room for all styles in the quilting world.

Mary Lou and Me

On Monday night there was a trunk show with Joanna Figueroa- a totally different type from Mary Lou. Beautiful soft colored quilts in applique and pieced all on a cream colored background.  Joanna was born in Warsaw, Poland and is very funny.  I heard people talking about her class and thought it was very good.

My personal favorite!

I can see this in a pale batik yellow or turquoise or even cream with jewel tone stars-yes, a combo of Mary Lou and Joanne:) Really, I think that would be beautiful!