To begin at the beginning: as I entered Vermont, what else would I see but COWS, the kind on the Ben and Jerry’s label! Of course I had to pull over and snap a picture!

It always amazes me how rapidly time evaporates.  I got home on Monday, it is now Saturday, and I feel like the week simply disappeared in errands, exercising, painting (of the baseboards and trim variety), preparing to paint (the basement floor variety), and a thousand other things.  I’ve JUST this past hour tossed the laundry from the trip into the washer!   So while it is stewing and getting clean, I thought I’d start at the beginning and attempt to catch up!

From the last post, you know I was able to meet Dana B. from an online class with Jane LaFazio (at Joggles.com) and friend Susan Brubaker Knapp and have dinner the first night.  Susan and I were snapping pictures from the get-go…. she spotted this light fixture (and got a much more artistic shot through the entryway):

Lighting at Leunig’s Bistro on the Church Street pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington, VT. Dinner was so good I returned several nights later with other teachers after the show ended!

I was rushing a bit so didn’t get the photo quite centered, but with cropping in Photoshop, like this view of the same fixture:

Holding the camera directly under the fixture….

As I told my quilting design students on Saturday/Sunday in class, design ideas are EVERYwhere!

My first class (Thursday) was Tame Fussy, Fiddly Threads.  We were lucky to be in the room with Janome provided machines, all 7700s, and I know at least two of my students went HOME with ones they got at an amazing show special from Bittersweet Fabrics (that owner, Dave Lavallee, and his company gave some AWESOME prizes including machines to at least six lucky youth quilters!).  I always encourage students to cut loose and make their own designs and color combinations with the paints for stencilling their black cloth….

Lovely and delicate coloring on this piece, which she had just begun quilting.

The class teaches how to use the threads so many fear:  metallics, holographic, heavy poly, multicolored.  The trick is getting the correct needle and tension.  I begin class by having students prepare their freezer paper stencil and painting. (PS–the paints used are Jacquard Lumiere textile paints, available at various art quilty places and at online retailers such as art supplier dickblick.com.)  While the paint sets up, we review the things you need to know, then by late morning (ish) sewing begins!   This time one student decided to make a tree, and her friend and tablemate followed suit:

Trees…with freezer paper stencil still affixed while the paint dries

And in the back, Cricket (LOVE that name, and how totally cool that her parents named her that–it’s not a nickname!) did some spectacular color-work…just love the look and color of these leaves:

Crickets colorful leaves

One interesting thing–she was having some issues with the machine/quilting despite having experience with free-motion quilting.  We changed her seating to something with the seat higher up–closer to correct position (you know how in classes the machines are ALWAYS too high up on the table for the usual classroom chairs?) and presto, problem solved!  So if you are having difficulties controlling your Free-motion quilting, try adjusting the height of your chair (pillows, whatever!).

This student wanted a more airy look to her stencils, not filled in heavily the way I made mine. Love the soft look, and the fun she is having quilting!

I had encouraged students to bring a scrap–that way you can test drive threads and tension and don’t have to pick it out if things are off.  This student used her cut-out leaves as a mask and painted the background…this turned out fabulous.  Here it is in progress:

The sweep of metallic colors on black was FABULOUS!

The 30-wt So Fine (formerly Brytes) from Superior Threads makes an awesome color statement…here she is using the blue.

And remember those trees…here is one later in the day:

Love the way this turned out!

At Show and Tell Saturday night. The gentleman at left is Richard Cleveland, the founder of VQF. Part of show and tell is each teacher gets to go up, and if there are any students there they come up and share their projects. I’m holding my version, and you can see my students to the right, including that wonderful “sweep” of color over the leaves, the “test” piece held by the lady at the far right. GREAT students, fun class!

There was a VERY special moment for me at the Sharing, but I’m going to be evil and make you wait to hear about it!  I had two more classes:  Fine Finishes and Quilting Design.  I was so busy with a full 20 students in a BUSY class that I didn’t take a single (SOB) photo for the Fine Finishes bindings and edge finishes class, but got some great pics of the design class (small but superlative), and some photos of some of my favorite quilts from the show.  More soon!

After 3 1/2 days of teaching, Judy Woodworth, Bonnie K. Hunter and I went into downtown Burlington for dinner to relax and celebrate. We had dessert at—where else of course (we’re in their home state)–Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream!

Just a quick note to check in and say hi and share pics of a few of the highlights of the days here in Colchester/Essex Junction, Vermont, where I’ve just taught 3 1/2 days of classes at the Vermont Quilt Festival.  WOW–what an amazingly run (by volunteers!) quilt show, with some stunningly beautiful and top-notch quilts from traditional to modern.   I’ll do several more posts, but Burlington is a charming small city–I am enchanted with the bike lanes and all the folks from college age to seniors riding bikes to and fro, parking for bikes in the downtown core (just a couple blocks up from the shores of Lake Champlain).  I had an absolute blast and would SO love to return to teach again, and know for sure I’ll now come as a “tourist” quilter, too!  It is about 6-7 hours from my home in Maine, so a day visit requires two nights away from home, but it is worth it!

Ben and Jerry’s is on Church Street at the corner of Cherry street…. Look at the sign! I TOTALLY love a town that has a sense of humor!

An internet friend, whom I met in one of my online drawing classes with Jane LaFazio, Dana B. came up to Burlington to meet me for dinner on Wednesday, the day I arrived.  Susan Brubaker Knapp, whom I initially met over the internet as well was also teaching, so the three of us had a most fanatabulous dinner at Leunig’s.  I’ll share more pics of the restaurant in a future post.

Wednesday with Dana B. and Susan Brubaker Knapp at Leunig’s restaurant on Church Street.

And the classes…OH MY did I have fun, and my students were so wonderful!  I won’t share any pictures now because there are just so many that I need to do a post or two just on those!

And one of the highlights for me was being able to share at Saturday night’s Show and Tell–I’ll post the whole wonderful story, but here’s a picture of me with my Oceans Alive quilt, made from Mary K. Ryan’s Mariner’s Compass pattern, WITH Mary K. Ryan!   It was just such a thrilling, wonderful thing, and I think you can tell by how happy we both look!

Me and Mary K. Ryan, with my quilt made (pieced in 1990-91, hand quilted and finished in about 2000) from Mary’s Mariner’s Compass pattern.

Tomorrow, I’ll drive home with a couple hour detour to the south to visit my dear friend Jacquie Scuitto, the Quiltmuse (I did a post on her book of light verse, here and blogged about her visit to Camden here and her verse in A Black and White Tale here), and hope to have more pictures and blogging for you later in the week.  Cheers, from a very happy and not-nearly-as-tired-as-I-expected me (tho I may collapse once I get home!)

Just a quick note:

I’m teaching at Vermont Quilt Festival this weekend…leaving this morning (Wednesday) for classes Thursday through noon Sunday.  If you are there say hello if you spot me… I will likely have frizzy hair and a happy smile!   I’ll try to blog from there or when I get home with class pics.  I have SO MANY things I’ve done that I want to share with all of you, but I’ve been so busy DOING them that I haven’t had time to blog.  Will try to remedy that as soon as I’m home!   Hope to see some of you in Vermont!

We were a small but content twosome this month.  Deborah of course is far afield, and Kate is busy beyond belief, so Kathy and I got together at her house (OH how wonderful it is to have her living locally!) and we enjoyed her new screened in porch!   Last time, we managed not to get around to collaging, so I lugged WAY too many pounds of magazine clippings and STUFF (including the square and round paper punches I have) to her house and played!  Before that, though, Kathy showed me the progress in the garden, including the newly sunny spot where a tree is no longer.  There were two stumps, so I asked her what she was going to do with them…..heh heh!  But first…

My collaged pages from my play day with Kathy. Yes, kindergarten for grown-ups in OH SO the BEST way! Pass the glue-stick please!

Kathy’s page–just love the cascading houses, and that blue on the right and and and… you can tell she liked playing with my punches, tho I must admit I’m not thrilled that several of the ones I’ve bought don’t seem to cut cleanly for me. I’ll try the aluminum foil trick for sharpening the one that was acting up. Not sure if it is uneven pressure by me (as in operator error) or if the punch isn’t quite so well machined… Anyway, thank you Kath for a PERFECT June day (and letting me share your page).

Then those stumps….Kathy was going to have someone come take them away, so I asked if that someone could be ME…YIPPEEEE!   Paul (hubby) didn’t even roll his eyes at me when I called to consult on their soon-to-be use….just said yes, he and Eli would come help me haul them away!!!!  Herewith:

Our new end table for the front porch! Next time Max or True is over to chop some tree trunks into firewood, I’ll ask them to take the chain saw and flatten two of the tops of the stumps so the glasses won’t tip quite so much!

And the Hammock Step! At first I thought the multi-stump end table would be too low and I would use this piece underneath, but that wasn’t necessary. So we rolled it over to the hammock…. I’ve blurred Paul’s face as he doesn’t have a pic of himself even on his FB page (yes, we finally got him onto FB!). As you can see, he is engaged in his favorite summer passtime….

And because I couldn’t resist…. Eli and I went shopping for shorts for him (he keeps doing that eating and growing thing), we stopped to stock up on cat litter at the big-box pet store up in Augusta (the capitol of Maine, an hour west of here by 2-lane route).  I had been wanting since we moved early last year to get a doggie bed for Widgeon to use down in my studio, as the floor gets COLD even in summer, and he’s gonna squish/trash the settee cushions.  So I found this lovely one with zip-off/washable cover (from Martha Stewart no less…. is there anything left in America that she doesn’t have a line of product for? –to use some horrid diction).  Isn’t he ADORABLE?  He LOVES it!

When you are a small dog of even smaller brain (with apologies to Pooh and Mr. Milne), it is simply too difficult to hold up one’s chin or keep the eyelids open…..Plus the doggie bed is quilted in dog bones like the background quilting I did on the portrait of him, AND he matches the color, so it won’t show how much he sheds!

It’s one of those American milestones:  8th grade graduation!  The kids–mostly 14 and 13 years old (for those of you not in the US to have an idea) finish their “lower and middle school” years to go on to High School.  This past week-plus has been very hectic with dances, parties, end-of-year activities, graduation and all that!  I won’t subject you to ALL the photos–just a lot of them, GRIN!   I’ll try to tell the story in the captions:

Festivities began the night before graduation at Harper’s house, where her mom invited a bunch of Harper’s friends for a quick supper before the traditional 8th Grade Dance at the Yacht Club on the harbor. Eli is at the far right….wearing dad’s suit and his feet squished into Paul’s too-small-for-Eli shoes.

Asst. Principal Matt Smith is also an accomplished singer and musician. He played for the first part of the dance…I’d buy a CD!

Eli and good friend and wrestling-team co-captain Hilary went to the dance together…they look fabulous!

I guess every year the teachers and staff let the parents come for the first half  hour of the 7-10 pm dance to take pictures, including the requisite all of the boys, all of the girls, and the entire 8th grade class:

The Boys of the Class of 2012–Eli is on the right about halfway back

The girls of the Class of 2012

The Camden-Rockport Middle School Class of 2012—just LOVE these kids!

And all the parents and teachers and staff on the lawn taking the photographs!

Left to right: Nate Dunton, Eli Smith, Jake Chamberlain, Principal Maria Libby, Taylor Crosby, and Laszlo Steinhoff

The start of the “Promotion” ceremony (why they call it that instead of Graduation I’m not sure, but it’s really the same thing) in the Gym. Matt Smith, Asst. Principal, gave the opening remarks.

The 8th Grade Vocal Ensemble sings, did a great job on the song (after Eli said he thought it was the best they had sung it!). Eli is just to the left of the tallest boy in the back row.

One boy and one girl each gave an address (and did great!), there was music by the choral ensemble and one of the students, then Principal Maria Libby gave a wonderful address.

Eli (wearing Paul’s fancy double breasted blue blazer which is only a little too big) looks natty and grown up as he shakes hands and receives his promotion certificate from Maria Libby and Matt Smith.

At the dance I snagged Eli and Kienan Brown. They were in first grade together and have been friends on the soccer team (school and travel / league!). Told them I want to do this again in 4 years and then in 8 years…. will enjoy every minute of the intervening years, but will look fondly on them maturing into fine young men.

After the promotion ceremony, I snagged Eli and his friends Kyle and Ben Winchenbach—Ben was in Mrs. Baker’s first grade class with Eli, and the twins were his first friends here in Camden. They’ve been friends ever since, and Eli and Ben have been on the wresting team together as well as Cross Country and Track.

At home in his usual dress, Eli unwraps his gifts, including Cross Country running spikes (the lime and orange ones on the left)  for the upcoming season in high school.

We moved to Maine for a great education for our boys, and we succeeded.  In the ceremony, Principal Maria Libby said this 8th grade class had the highest reading scores (on the statewide test) in the ENTIRE state of Maine!   When we arrived in summer of 2004, Joshua was starting 5th grade at CRMS.  We’ve had first Joshua, then Eli, in school there ever since.  It is hard to believe we won’t be making the trek down Knowlton Street daily any more….GULP (lump in throat).  A huge thanks to the teachers and staff — and to the kids.  We are so glad we are here!   Next:  summer vacation!