learning & teaching

Is it Thursday already?  How did that happen?  Last Saturday I found myself working for the third Saturday in a row.  I'll admit that my nerves were snapping.  However, on the day was Sue Cody returning to teach after a year off.   She has several new quilts for this term.  One is a combined hexagon and selvedge strip quilt full of her special knack for fussy cutting.
And another one is sweet willow tree.

As we bustled around getting things ready for the class I found myself slipping under her spell.  Sue does tradition with a fresh and unique perspective. Always moving with the times, her quilts are cheerful and  her attention to detail and technical advice is top notch.  So, before long, my day at work turned to one of play!

These leaves were of particular interest to me.  They are connecting somewhere in my subconscious.  I have yearned to do a tree quilt for some time and before I knew it...I was participating in the class and getting in all kinds of trouble for not following directions to the "t".  Oh well.  I picked Valori Wells linen for my background.  The width is perfect and the leafy background sets a scene for my tree to grow.  The tree itself is made from Curious Nature...what a perfect match.  

I have it up on my wall now beckoning attention.  It might just be the perfect take away project for my trip to Europe...or maybe my Fly Away with me hexagons...or maybe...or maybe...or maybe....!  Anyway, back to the here and now.  I am savouring this project and not rushing into any rash decisions.  One element on my mind was using red.  On the way to the bus stop on Saturday this vibrant colour combination caught my eye. As my tree was growing this red came to mind several times.   I am still thinking red and green and sharp contrast but we'll see what happens when impulse takes over.

What other sights were there on the Doughty homefront this weekend...well there was red and green worship of another kind...

Doesn't everyone need a VB promotional fridge?  Number one son scored this fridge which arrived last week.  Push that button and the theme song plays as a beer rolls out and I'm not sure but I think there is a male magnet in there as well.  On Saturday I arrived home to a group of  young gentlemen gathered around this incredibly interesting object laughing and carrying on.  I have to admit that I chuckled a bit myself listening to them throughout the night.  Raucous laughter resounded and although it was somewhat disruptive it was fun to hear.  The laughs were on us in the morning as once again all spare flat surfaces were taken up in this manner... People often ask me what I do with all my quilts....well they do come in handy.

This scene soon became a breakfast feast and before long turned into this...

...nothing to do but sleep it off.  Personally, I can't imagine wasting a day away like this but I am certainly not 21 anymore.   If it happened every day I don't think I'd be laughing but given university starts up again soon and they'll all be working hard it seemed ok.  On the other side of the house the #3 son and his friends were busy with water baloons...

Boys will be boys.  So simple and uncomplicated.  No need to talk things over to get it right.  Questions about why are scoffed at because life is so obviously simple.  What you see is what you get. Ok. Back to reality where what you see is this....

In patchwork everyone has to start somewhere and on Tuesday nights I have a group of enthusiastic new quilters doing the Beginner Sampler.  This is the first block.  At first it might look easy enough but this is a lesson in 1/4 inch seams.  It is an important one to learn so we do it first.  If these blocks aren't done with the right seam allowance they just don't go together properly.  However, everyone took great care, unpicked a bit and in the end these blocks are all 12 1/2" square!  Well done!!! 

Having learned lesson one we moved on to lesson number two...bias seams or triangles in construction and using contrast to create pattern.  Can't you just hear the concentration?   It is a good lesson for me as I think I have used a rotary cutter enough times to reach around the world.  Cutting becomes something we don't even think about until we have to teach someone else.  Measure twice, cut once or cut it again.  There are so many things to consider and I am fascinated remembering those first cuts so long ago.  It's like learning to drive.  Nothing to compare it to in existing knowledge.
I find myself peeling back the layers of complexity to the important elements of basic technique for construction in order to provide the tools of decision making.   The more we practice making blocks the more layers of understanding we add to the process.  Almost subconsciously the complicated aspects  become second nature.

Simply put, if we take what we are doing to the basic level we can assess where we are going.  Sometimes as we add layers of complexity we loose sight.  The other day I found a function on my camera and my photos came out in colour as well as black and white.  Taking away the colour removes the emotional attachment we have to colour and we can see in an instant what is happening and if it is working.

What reaction do you have going back and forth from these two photos?  The first one is graphic and the patterns of all the fabrics show clearly.  The lights stands out identifying the placement of pattern.  The darks become dark and the mediums take their place in the middle ground. 

In the colour photo we see how the colour moves aroud linking one spot to another creating interest and emotional attachment.
  It feels like a big responsibility teaching.  It is easy to take chances with my own work but helping others make decisions creates a certain kind of tension.  The best thing is when I hear the decision made without me making it.  Right or wrong, the goal is that each individual makes the decision based on how they see it in their own mind.  k

Comments

[Marina]

Wow, that willow quilt is really pretty. Those graceful curves just sing to me. I can see how easily you were pulled in by it.

Love the beer fridge!

[Elizabeth E.]

I laughed out loud at the scene in your living room with all those boys and those quilts. Once I hosted 23 of my son's friends. Believe it or not, we had enough towels, by raiding every one of the old ones in the garage (amazing how the old ones are still serviceable even though they are worn, stained or have a hole or two!). Luckily they all brought a lot of their own bedding.

Great post, great ideas and things to think about as always.

[Minka/Mindy]

Beautiful as ever! Love the hexagon quilt. The boys are too funny!

[Tory Burch Outlet]

I always am a bit freaked out at the start of these classes as it is to me a serious responsibility.

[dress market reviews]

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