One evening after class there is an opportunity to "go walk about" and visit all of the class rooms. A way to see what others have created and possibly find a teacher/class to take in the future. I only managed to visit three classes.
Just a few more photos from my experience at EmptySpools/Asilomar.
But first a HURRAH for the outstanding Nancy Ota of San Clemente, CA. She went to Paducah last week to stand beside her outstanding quilt, a Paducah winner in 2007 (I think) which is part of the permanent collection there.
Asilomar
This is the last of the quilts on view at Empty Spools last week.
Not many tonight, I am still just sooo tired. I did not take as many photos as I thought. I guess I was too busy answering questions and talking quilts. These two quilts were on the stage.
I took about 30 quilts to show as Collector in Residence. At the last minute before leaving home, I decided to add a few more very large pieces that would show well in the large space of Merrill Hall. Some of the smaller quilts I changed out daily, including the 12"X12" bird quilts. These are the pieces hung from the balcony at the back of Merrill Hall. More tomorrow night.
"Not Even Solomon" (Eucalyptus bloom) Ruth de Vos Australia 2009 This is entirely machine pieced and quilted.
It was a wonderful week, but I don't remember ever being so tired in all my life. My old body was not ready for all the packing/unpacking, lifting, hanging quilts, hiking to/from the dining hall, and being "ON" most of the day. Fortunately, everyone was willing to help. I just needed to ask. Everything went fairly smoothly, but needed more time to take down and bundle the quilts on Friday. Thanks to Suzanne, Star, Deborah, and many others I survived the week! Decided I was unsafe behind the wheel to drive home on Friday, so stayed another night at Asilomar and came home on Saturday. The drives, both up and back, were seven hours. Going up there was extremely heavy traffic and heavy rain that lowered visibility so much I considered getting off the highway and waiting it out! Coming home I decided to stick closer to the speed limit and see what mileage I could get - 23.5 mpg. Not bad for a 19 year old car!
Here are just three pictures. More to come....
Sorry for the lack of posting, life has just been too hectic. And tonight I am packing up to drive north tomorrow (in the rain!) for a week at Empty Spools at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, CA. I won't be taking a class, but will be the "Collector in Residence" showing quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. The quilts are all bundled and in the car, but I have not packed my suitcase or organized laptop, meds, sewing machine w/projects. Woe is I! This procrastination problem has gotten VERY serious! I have been going to a personal trainer, but only for about three weeks. I should have started at least last fall. But I am slightly stronger and have been promised help unloading and loading. And I have already scheduled a massage mid-week with the gifted hands of Heidi. I will be sewing in Merrill Hall and available to talk quilts most of the day. Have presentation tomorrow evening about 7pm to talk about the quilts hanging in Merrill Hall and doing Show and Tell for more. If you are a reader of my blog stop by at Merrill Hall and say Hello.
This first picture is just a pretty picture showing how full the reservoir is with all the rain this winter. Sitting in traffic gave lots of picture taking time!
The food at Empty Spools is provided by the Asilomar Conference Center and they have different vendors in different years. Sometimes the food is excellent, sometimes it is awful. This year was one of the awful years! I usually eat something in my room in the morning, don't usually go to lunch, but depend on dinner to carry me through. The menu offers a regular diet or vegetarian diet, so one has a choice. One night the choice was pork with chili verde or tofu with chili verde. Since I don't eat pork I tried the tofu and found it inedible. NOT a good combination. But there is always a large bowl of fresh green salad and bread or rolls. I survived! I do think they must have hit a good deal on black beans and polenta, because both were served at every dinner!
The one night that there is not an evening program some of us go out to dinner in town. My choice was Il Vecchio, an lovely rustic Italian place about a block from the Aquarium. And my choice is always Carbonara and a side of broccoli. Everyone tells me that all the food is exceptional, but since I can only go there once a year I always have the Carbonara, the best I have ever eaten. This time I couldn't eat all of it, so had a doggy box to take back to my room and eat for breakfast!
Just to add some words to Wordless Wednesday. An explanation of sorts.
I started attending classes at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar (Pacific Grove, CA) in March 1991. Except for the Covid years I have gone every year. I find a favorite teacher and take all the different classes they offer and then repeat them. I suppose my motivation is to go and enjoy the atmosphere and the people and to restore my creative spirit. Not necessarily interested in learning a new technique, but most of the teachers I take always have something new to share.
More troubles - with phone, with AOL, with sciatica, and KoKo has a lame front left leg! He saw the vet yesterday morning and she thinks it is mild, perhaps a pulled muscle. So, he is not allowed to run, jump, climb stairs, etc., and is taking Gabapentin with peanut butter. Cheese only worked once! He is much better already in just 34 hours. As for my sciatica - it looks like I will have to do PTherapy again. If I could only force myself to do it daily at home I'm sure it would be more effective.
Here are pictures of some of the "big" projects done in Sue Benner's Abstraction class at Empty Spools. No size or subject limits on these, but since our space was limited none were very large. I have not worked on mine since I returned and Andrea has not worked on hers either. I have done entirely too much sleeping this past week and a half, thus I barely keep up with KoKo and other necessities.
