Three meals a day are provided for students and the food is usually quite good. They do fabulous veggies, fresh from the local fields and cooked correctly. There is also a large bowl of salad at the table for dinner - fresh and tasty. On Wednesday night there is no evening program and some students go off campus for dinner. Several of us went to one of my favorite Pacific Grove restaurants right on the border with Monterey. Il Vecchio has the best Carbonara I have ever eaten and they also offer a side of steamed broccoli which is my favorite vegetable. Delicious! I don't even remember what anyone else ate, but we did share a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. Four forks were flying! It was excellent.
Judy, Andrea, and I went to the Red House (another favorite spot) on Thursday night for their scrumptious hamburgers. It is always difficult to decide which of my favorites to order, but this was definitely a hamburger night. Never fails to satisfy.
On Thursday immediately after class (4pm) all the classrooms are open for "walkabout" so students can visit all of the classrooms. We enjoyed seeing the work others were doing and contemplated what classes we might take in the future.
We especially appreciated Priscilla Bianchi, who is from Guatemala and uses fabric from her native country in her quilts. Combining that fabric with commercial fabric her students were creating some fascinating designs.
We were so taken with the vintage Japanese yukata fabric that Patricia Belyea was selling in her classroom that I didn't take pictures of her students' work. However, I did buy some of the fabric. I have followed Patricia for a few years and she has moved to Eastern Washington now and will open her online shop this month. Check out Okan Arts. Her students were working with the yukata fabric and commercial fabric and sewing both curved and straight seams. Interesting.
We admired the projects in classes with Katie Pasquini Masopust, Susan Carlson, Velda Newman, and Marianne Williamson.
It is expensive to attend Empty Spools, but all food and lodging are provided so there aren't extra costs involved, unless you choose to eat out or buy fabric! Start saving up for next year's session. The 2023 schedule will be out in early May.
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3 comments:
Your comment about the "correctly cooked" vegetables brought a smile to my face, remembering a retreat I used to go to in St. Louis. In the cafeteria line, I thought the vegetables were a little overcooked, but my Tennessee friends thought they'd be good if they cooked them enough!
Re: Veggies.....to each his own...al dente is just fine with me!
Del, thanks so much for sharing your Asilomar pleasures. Fondly.
Part II: Love the quilt squares of the quilts....definitely lots more interesting with great fabric and great placing design. Love them.
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