Day 5 at Empty Spools with Sue Benner 03-01-18

I must admit I may be getting too old to being doing even an week at Empty Spools.  I am so tired tonight that I can hardly type straight.  It was a very windy, rainy day and I feel fortunate to be in the same building as my classroom.  I ate from my food bag for breakfast, another student picked me up a sandwich when she went to the snack bar for something for herself, and I ate the other half of that huge ham/cheese sandwich for dinner.  So, I didn't go outside at all until 4pm and time for the "walk about" when all the classrooms are open for other students to walk through and see what has been going on all week.  I drove over to Merrill Hall to see Lenore Crawford's class and to pick up a BIRD quilt a bought from her.  Then I stopped at Jeannette DeNicolis Meyer's class where they have been sewing all sorts of curves, and finally at Kathy Doughty's room where everyone was making a different quilt using 60degree angles (diamonds, triangles, hexagons, etc.) - it looked like a color wheel had exploded!  Very exciting work was being done.  I  moved quickly and only got a tiny bit wet.  

Back in Sue's classroom I really pushed to finish my eleven blocks.  I had to make the extra one because I didn't have enough dark fabrics to balance all the blocks.  They are pinned up on my design wall in a rough order  and I will not do anything more to them until after I return home and finish the Surfside newsletter which will be late! I like to get it out about 10 days before the meeting, but I haven't been able to work on it since I came up here, so I will be lucky to have it out a week before the meeting.  Sorry, ladies. 

Here are my eleven blocks.  Several have a tiny bit of brighter yellow and I will try to add that to each block.  One of the blocks has no aqua and I haven't yet figured out a way to add that.

This is my favorite block.  I imagine it is because it is the most flower like.

We will all pack up in the morning; we must be out of our sleeping rooms by 10am, and out of the classroom by 11:30am.  Lunch is included, but I think I will go to the Red House for lunch, stop at Back Porch one more time, and then head for Mary's where I will spend the night.  Saturday morning I'll be on the road home and on to San Clemente to pick up KoKo.  I surely have missed that little guy.  

I am exhausted! 

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Day 4 at Empty Spools with Sue Benner 02-28-18

We have started on our second project which is a repeat of the first but with the completed quilt a 3 Block by 3 block piece.  Which requires making ten more 8-1/2" squares with fused cutouts that resemble flowers.  Some students have finished their blocks, but not started to put them up on the design walls yet.  I have only eight blocks cut out, but not ready to fuse.  Unfortunately I have caught a cold and my nose is a faucet requiring constant tissue application.  Bummer.  But I sort of expected this when the class started with three sickies and I am sitting across from one of them.  No hard feelings, it happens - all it takes is three days exposure for me.  

I did not take any pictures today, but will apply myself tomorrow, both to my cutting and to my picture taking.

  

Tonight was the night many students go out to dinner because there is no evening program.  But I didn't want to go out with a drippy nose, so ate in the dining hall.  Meatloaf, rice and half cooked green beans.  I like them at least cooked through, if not mushy.   Lovely lemon custard pie for dessert.  

I had a massage with Heidi this morning and she did wonders for my poor shoulder.  Came back to my room and had a rest, skipped lunch, and went back to cutting "flowers".   Also did the class list today, which some of you are familiar with - sunshine yellow with the room map on the back.  Something I enjoy doing for every class I take here.   Since I have mostly done two weeks each year (and one time THREE) I have quite a file of these detailed lists.

Not much blooming this year, except for the almond trees along I-5 when I drove up last week.  But these lovely blue "flags" are all over the place.  Don't know what they are for.  My room is in Manzanita, which is the building in the background in the center of the picture.

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Day 3 at Empty Spools with Sue Benner 02-27-18

A little warmer today, or maybe it feels that way because the wind died down.  I have been taking the jitney at night because I fear falling down, although all the paths are now paved or bricked and there are some path lights.  The problem with the jitney is that it is all open - there is a windshield, but no doors or windows on the sides or back, so it is very cold.  Add the wind and it is very, VERY cold.  But it gets me to my room.  I just take it after dark, otherwise I walk, stop to rest, walk, hold on to the banisters if there are steps, rest, walk some more....   You get the idea.  

There are ten classes this session.  For some reason I don't know perennial favorite, Jan Krentz is not here.  Hope she isn't ill.  Tonight we heard presentations by Lenore Crawford, Sue Spargo, and Kathy Doughty.  They were all interesting and showed their quilts.  Some show & tell from attendees, mostly quilts started in previous Empty Spools sessions.  I stood up and thanked everyone who has visited the bird quilt exhibit at Back Porch and searched me out to say thank you.  I have been surprised at how many have done that.  Tomorrow evening there is no program so I hope more of the ladies will make the trip to town to have a look.  It is a wonderful showing.   I have found that one of the best things about collecting is sharing with others through exhibits, programs for guilds, and other groups.  And, by-the-way, I was told tonight that there is a quilt show by local quilters at the Natural History Museum which is right across the street from Back Porch Fabrics.  So, if you are in Pacific Grove or Monterey or anywhere close by, add a stop on Central Ave to visit both exhibits.  

Today in class we put together the blocks we made yesterday.  Although we made five, we only need four for any of several arrangements, but having five to move around and turn and rearrange has been a good lesson in what works and what doesn't.  Below are my blocks and the two arrangements I came  up with.  I'm not crazy about the color selection, but that is probably because I don't care for pink.  Some of the other prints have pink in them, but the pink with the lighter bubbles is just too strong for my taste.  I remind myself again that this is an exercise to help us learn what works and what just doesn't.  The most important lesson is to cut more accurately and to keep thing centered. 

 This sort of cog like ring doesn't work and I don't think it would even if I had cut it evenly.   And that is why it became my left-behind block.  Sue is going to have us do something with these "orphan" blocks later in the week.  

  I think the purple spiny creature would work better if it was round instead of oval, which is one reason why I cut it in half.  

Here are the five blocks laid out together for a picture.  

This is the arrangement I went with.  But I changed the corner triangles on the central block to the purple w/green polka dot fabric.   Watch for it later in the week. 

This arrangement seemed more awkward to me.  

We have made our fabric selections for the nine block project and are cutting our squares.  We are also sketching flowers for better ideas about cutting the rings.  More thinking and cutting tomorrow. 

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Day two at Empty Spools with Sue Benner 02-26-18

An important correction to last evening's post....  Last evening the wonderful evening program was given by Edyta Sitar   https://laundrybasketquilts.com/  I guess my brain was too tired as I knew/know who she is.  Lovely young woman.   Fabulous program. 

Today......         Not a lot to write about tonight and I didn't take any pictures.  Just too busy trying to keep up with the class.  We had rain this morning, but since I skipped breakfast I didn't get caught in it.   

This is one of Sue's Flower Quilts

            

We cut out "rings" from our five fabrics using scissors or Exacto knives.  I stuck to scissors and even used the pinking shears I brought along.  We used five fabrics which we had cut two of each into 8-1/2" squares.  We set aside one of each fabric to be used as backgrounds.  The "rings" we cut were random widths apart and we marked them with a compass.  Then we cut on those lines using wavy lines or leaf shapes or spikes or scallops or... whatever else we could think of.  Then we "mixed and matched" the rings using the set aside 8-!/2" squares for the background.   I don't know about anyone else, but I ended up with five rings that I didn't use. We then peeled off the backing (release) paper and ironed all the pieces onto the backgrounds.  Mine are okay, but I wish I hadn't used the bright pink.  I just don't like pink, really, but I thought it would make for a different color scheme than I usually use.  Tonight we are supposed to read the instruction sheets (about eight, I think) but I left mine in the classroom, so will have to do some speed reading in the morning. 

The evening speakers were Jeannette DeNicolis, Sue Benner, and RaNae Merrill (who talked so fast I only got about every tenth word).  RaNae also played the piano for us, I guess because before she started quilting she was a concert pianist.   I took the jitney back to my sleeping room because it is still very cold and the wind makes it even colder.  I'm going to bed as soon as I post this and hope to be more intelligent tomorrow!  

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Student work from bird workshop 02-25-18

I am at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, CA.  Finally settled into my room, which is above the classroom - very handy!  We didn't do much in our Sue Benner "Flowers" class in the one and a half hours we had today.  We set up our tables and made our ironing surface and chose five fused fabrics for our first small piece which will be four blocks square.

  

After dinner everyone met in Merrill Hall for an evening program given by Edyta Sitar (This is a correction from my original post for this date.) which was quite wonderful.  She showed about fifty quilts and talked all through the showing about the "Reason for Quilting".  I don't know if she does this for other organizations, but I highly recommend it.  Her quilts are mostly traditional and absolutely gorgeous.  

I have edited the pictures from the class and realized I didn't ask if anyone minded if I posted them on my blog.  So, if any of the ladies are reading and object, just send me an e-mail and I will remove the picture of your work.  

 

Elizabeth Carrington (teacher's sample)

Elizabeth Carrington (teacher's sample)

Taffra Mayo

Teresa Blaylock

[I was so taken with the background fabric I had to buy a yard - those great flying birds.]

Carole Olsen 

She came with two backgrounds prepared and use the other one. 

Carole Olsen

One of the students had this cute little thread stand which she uses for her bobbins.  She said it came from June Tailor.  The rubber bands are for traveling.

Christy Arburua

Regina Moore

[There is that great background fabric again.]

Joyce Chang

Joyce brought a photo if this bird - don't know the origin, not USA.

Joyce Chang

A detail of her wonderful colorful bird. 

Mary Ann Robinson

Dahlia Soon-Fung

She used a very fancy fabric with loose threads for the back. 

Sue Stepkenson

Another fantastic sky fabric. 

I was impressed with the class and the work done in such a short time.  Hope they all find time to finish these pieces. 

More about Sue Benner's class and Asilomar tomorrow evening. 

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