Smith Mountain Morning, Marshall Style!

Yesterdays Smith Mountain Morning workshop in Marshall, Missouri was a whirlwind of activity with 48 quilters slicing, sewing, pressing – unsewing – and having a jolly good time in the process of putting it all together!

You should have SEEN the variety of fabrics being sewn in this class.  AWESOME!

I love the individuality – I love the insight and the inspiration.  I love how everyone’s tastes and likes come shining through with each quilt a reflection of each maker.

48 different quilts are under way, each as wonderful as the next!

This reiterates to me once again the importance of NOT having everyone sew from an identical kit.  We are not robots, and we are not clones of each other.  We are as varied as the fabrics pulled into blocks in class yesterday. 

Your stash is a reflection of who you are!  I love seeing that come shining through in the projects we make together.

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Smith Mountain Morning, Anyone?

Yesterday I gathered with the Lake Ocnoee Quilters of Greensboro, GA for our second worksshop – Smith Mountain Morning!

((Smith Mountain Morning is featured in my book Scraps & Shirttails II and signed copies can be ordered from my website  HERE.))

While the previous day’s quilt, Scrappy Trips, was an easy breeze and a quick bundle of fun, this class is more intense and mainly focuses on the use of 3 different techniques with specialty rulers: Easy Angle, Companion Angle and Tri-Recs --- all of which were mastered beautifully by the ladies as their units and blocks began to take shape.

Some classes, like Scrappy Trips ((also shown above)) ---provide an opportunity to get a WHOLE BUNCH of blocks done with in the class time ---but Smith Mountain Morning is a more labor intensive class, and we switch up units about every hour in order for everyone to get experience with all the units before putting them together into  blocks.

Most students can usually complete one or two stars and one or two log cabin alternate blocks by the time we are done for the day --- but also have handfulls of units ready to put together into more blocks by the time they get home.

We had a great time sewing together, and I hope you enjoy our photos!

		Smith Mt Morning, Lake Oconee 2013 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Today I am journeying home ---but it’s going to be a leisurely day ---I’m going to stop and visit my old guild in North Augusta, SC and then swing by to visit my son Jason at his work in Columbia SC and then make my way north through Charlotte ---let’s see ----do we opt for Ikea or the Antique mall today?!

I’ll be good if I make it home by dinner time :c)

And Georgia was so fun, I’ll be back down here in a week!

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Smith Mountain Morning at VCQ!

It felt really weird writing this title – Smith Mountain Lake is the place that gave Smith Mountain Morning it’s name over 2 years ago ---and it’s nice to be able to teach this quilt at the place where the top first came together while sewing in my room the last time I taught here!

You would think the ladies ((and one gentleman!)) might be moving a bit slower after all the crazy quilt-charged hours we’ve had since everyone arrived on Thursday --- but NO! There were no tails dragging, no eyes drooping – everyone was gung-ho to go!

I’ve shown photos of this class before. I don’t want to bore anyone with details ---sometimes I feel like a complete broken record, but I love love love when people start playing with their fabrics, show and share what they’ve brought – tell stories about the history of that piece of fabric and why they’ve chosen to finally sew it up into something --- see the sharing and swapping going on—it’s just wonderful to behold!

Several of these ladies I’ve had classes with before ---one of the Judys confessed to this being her 4th class with me ---and I was really humbled! She must be having a good time, or she wouldn’t be coming back and subjecting herself to such scrappy chaos, right? RIGHT?!

The neatest thing they do the first night here is have a show and tell of all the completed quilts that were started in classes at the PREVIOUS VCQ Celebration –2 years ago. I was so happy to see so many Boxy Stars and Pineapple Blossoms being shown ----and it hit me….we really HAVE stepped it up this year, because those two quilts were fairly simple and although fun, very BASIC ---

While the two quilts I taught this weekend…I can see that we really have stepped things up in intensity ---and they are still hanging in there!

So without further ado --- here are the pics from yesterday’s Smith Mountain Morning Workshop:

		Smith Mt Morning, VCQ 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This morning is Show and Tell, and then we pack it all up and head home.

The time went SO SO SO Fast! I’ve met quilting instructors I’ve always admired, I reconnected with friends I haven’t seen in a couple of years.

I took long early morning walks, ate great food, took in the beauty of the surrounding area ---I feel rejuvenated and renewed!

And I would love to do it again if they’ll have me!

The car is packed --- when today’s closing gathering is through I”ll be on the road headed back towards home and family -----

It’s been a good weekend indeed!

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