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Teaching in Floyd, Virginia
On Sunday between teaching in Harrisonburg and teaching in Floyd, I used my morning to work on my final two pieces for the Frayed Edges Letters challenge. I knew which photos I wanted to use, but needed to do my tracing and drawing. I then slowly tootled my way down to Floyd, only a couple hours south of Harrisonburg and maybe 30-35 miles north of the North Carolina border. Talk about beautiful country! I turned off the interstate to a rural highway to a rural road to my hostess’s house, and snapped this view:
Virginia is so beautiful....
In Floyd, thanks to quilt artist Susan Brittingham, we were able to work with the Shenandoah Valley guild to share the expense of my travel so that I could teach in both venues…way cool! There are some pretty impressive artists and quilters in the Floyd guild, the Old Church Gallery Quilt Guild (I was only a tad nervous ahem!). Again, we did a lecture, a half-day (Balinese Garden) and full-day (Tame Fiddly, Fussy Threads).
I love it when students look this happy!
Here, a student is testing various stitches on her sample on the left, then decorating her block at the machine
I encourage students to make a practice sample, then if you don't like the stitch or your thread choice you don't have to pick it out! This student was smart, saving fabric by using the cut-out bits (the darker blue) for practice
After the end of the first day, a few of my students kidnapped me and took me for a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway....thank you Sallie and co.!!!!! Here we stopped at the Chateau winery
Looking east from the parkway to the Piedmont (which in French means foot of the mountain)...sigh...so beautiful!!
Stenciling with paint...some new variations
LOVE the copper on black
Two ladies busily painting; we start the class with the painting, then do the talking about threads and needles and tension and fussy thread while the paint dries, then move on to stitching
Several of the students were in both classes, and decided to combine the projects into one...cool!
The students cut out leaf shapes from the freezer paper, then stencil
Another "combined" project with bright happy colors
The silvery green is lovely!
Stitching with the "cranky" threads isn't so difficult once you learn the tricks and tips
That green one, stitching begun
Remember the lady who used the cutouts for practice stitches, ditto for the stencils; you may be able to see she has written notes to herself about stitches and threads
Quilting happens! I like how the color-printed black cloth works with the metallic paints
More quilting
And my hostess's piece...wonderful! (PS...Hi Pauline!)
Here's a soul who loves quilting as much as I do!
Another practice piece...fun to see the differences in the stitches
Stunning colors and stitching
And on the start of my trip home, I was headed toward the rural highway that would take me to I-81 and rounded the bend to see this…luckily no one was behind me and I could stop and grab the camera!
Leaving the Floyd, Virginia, area
Thanks so much to Fran Miller and the Shenandoah Valley Quilt Guild and Susan Brittingham (who teaches for QuiltUniversity.com by the way! You’ll see the gorgeous countryside in her quilts) and the Old Church Gallery Quilt Guild for inviting me, their hospitality and kindness.
As we packed up on the second day in Floyd, one student came to me to say thanks. She had told me earlier that her husband had died last summer, and at the end of class she told me that her sister had passed away a month before, and this was the first good day she had had since then. What a gift she gave me by sharing that… that’s what quilting is about. Sharing, comfort, joy in the making, learning–and it’s not just quilting that you learn. Here’s to more good days.
July 31st, 2011 at 9:58 am
What lovely scenery and such creative students! This blog could serve as an advertisement for your classes — elegant work and happy students are a telling combo.
July 31st, 2011 at 11:24 am
I’m so glad you enjoyed Virginia. I’m partial, but I think it’s an incredibly beautiful state with mountains, lakes, rivers and beaches to meet everyone’s needs. I wish I had paid attention and known that you were here, I would have tried to take one of your classes!
August 11th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
Thank you for taking us along on your trip. Just wonderful scenes of Virginia.
Your students sure were lucky to have you teach them and you could tell by the smiles.