Bargello In Paradise!

Is there anything more beautiful than a sunset on the ocean? We don't get this in NC....we are on the wrong END of the country ---we get sunrises, which are beautiful in their own right, but ther is something about the light quality that lingers after sunset --- the light reflects UP from the water and even in 5 minutes passing of time -- everything can look so different.

This is one of my fave photos I took on Saturday evening --- see the silhouette of the little birds? The birds were so fun to watch -- the surf would come in and they would run run run to get away from the edge of the water.  Then the surf would go out, and they'd wander around, digging for bugs or whatever it was they were looking for in the sand, until the next wave would come, and they'd run run run run just keeping their little feet out of the water, running ahead of the waves by inches. So funny to watch, it was almost comical!

Saturday was our Scrappy Bargello workshop with the Beach Cities Quilt Guild in Mission Viejo --- it was held at The Sewing Party in Laguna Hills.

It was fun having some of the students for a second day of scrappy happiness ---they were crazy enough to start two UFOs in a row, having also taken the Texas Braid workshop from the day before! This gave me more time with them to get to know them better ---and it made class so nice to have some familiar faces to break the ice.

Other students were some I remembered from last year’s Road to California workshops! SO happy to see these ladies again, and I think I convinced them to come see me again in March when I’m teaching at the Glendale Quilt Show in March!

During the class I love seeing what other people are sewing with!

“Who has the oldest fabric in the room?”

“Who has the UGLIEST fabric in the room?”

“Who has the most interesting memory attached to their scrap strip?”

One story pulls us into another and into another, and lots of laughter follows.

One quilter caused a  huge bout of laughter ----- you see….there is this phenomenon that happens when people prepare and kit up fabrics and come to sew ---when you look at a whole room full of students sewing, there will be a certain number that dress to match their projects unknowingly.

We all laughed when I pointed out that this gal’s whole panel matched her striped sweater!!  It was too funny!  She was holding up the panel, showing us the wrong side…..we couldn’t stop laughing--- and she was such a good sport!

Here she is, smiling brightly, holding up her first uphill panel ---- doesn’t it look great?

This quilt goes so fast because the strip set is the length of the quilt center.  EVERYTHING goes…and what is “ugly” just isn’t anymore by the time you are done!

One of our gals decided to use amish solids and 1.5” strips ---- be sure to look for her panels in the slide show below….it’s awesome!

So here’s a peek at the mess we made and loved it:

		Beach Cities Quilt Guild, Scrappy Bargello 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I want to thank everyone for the comments to my post on rhymes and reasons from yesterday.  I was busy teaching a My Blue Heaven workshop, and it wasn’t until we got done with the class, and back from dinner that I had a chance to log into my laptop and I was blown away.

Sometimes  I just need a time when I can vent.  And yes, getting it all out DID make me feel better. It was just time for me to simplify, and that is that.

There was one comment that said it the way I hoped would be the reaction….that if you are looking for new blogs to follow – try clicking the names of the commenters in the comment section!  There are many people who leave comments who have great blogs themselves, and you just might find some people to follow that you never would have met otherwise that way.

I also loved the old “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and don’t pet the sweaty stuff” LOL! True. And still --- it’s good for the soul to vent to those who understand.

This morning? A group of us are headed out on fabric exposition to M & L fabrics in Anaheim -- I'm told it's definitely a "DO NOT MISS" experience!  Tonight? A trunkshow with the Friendship Square Quilt Guild of La Habra!  My time in California is winding down, but I've got a good couple of days left yet.  We're going to fill it full!

Quilt on, everyone! Quilt on!