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Monday, May 11, 2009

A Window into the Workshop

Allie taught for a total of three days while she was here. The first day she gave a lecture on her personal journey from sane quilting to crazy quilting...I was shocked by how many quilts Allie has made over the years! And they were not small quilts either! The lecture was a great summary of her life and her work and was enjoyed by all.

That afternoon, we were taught how to create a crazy quilt block using curved piecing -- which I was delighted to learn. Most of us created blocks which we brought to class to use for our two-day flower embellishment workshop.

In the two day workshop, we learned a total of eight flowers and Allie had placed the components for each flower in their own separate bags. This helped keep the supplies organized and was like opening up a present when we moved on to the next flower...I loved that!


In these pics, we were fusing Angelina fibers to make a "fabric" from which we could cut out flower petals and sew them onto our blocks. We progressed through each flower in much the same fashion.


Some of us got further along than others but all of us had a great time.


This friend, Carolyn Everly, won the award for dressing to match her block.


And she was overcome with happiness at having won...as you can tell.


And this is Barbara Meger, a Guild member who teaches smocking for the Smocking Guild of America... She's anything but meager so I've nicknamed her Barbara Got-Alot....and yes, she made that jacket with the buttons on it -- hence, her nickname. Need I say more?


And Bobbi Pohl pieced her own block to embellish and has started her own blog so check it out... She came in second place for dressing like her block because that hand-painted silk scarf was gorgeous!


And Robin Atkins came back to Baltimore just to take Allie's class...what an honor to have her back here. Not only is she an accomplished beader but an accomplished needlewoman as well!


There was lots of giggling and laughter and some of us even accomplished alot...like Robin!


And I absolutely loved making this apple blossom from flowers that Allie had found at the dollar store.


I didn't get too much done on my block so it will probably be a few days before I have time to finish. I'm still recovering from all the excitement. Until next time...

14 comments:

  1. I would have been there! Beautiful works...the interesting thing in your photos is that the colors in each block is the same of each Lady's dress!LOL

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  2. What beautiful work you've each done. Wonderful to see Robin's smiling face. Isn't she a doll? It looks wonderful! I can see why you each had such a good time.

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  3. What a great time you all had! Looks like a wonderful workshop! And what a great week you and Allie had together! Delightful to read about and to see the pictures!

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  4. Thanks for sharing the photos, Susan. Is it hard to do curved piecing?

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  5. Anonymous4:20 PM

    what fun you've had. and it was good to see closeups of Allies Quilt yesterday, too.

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  6. What lovely work everyone did. It's no surprise that Allie's a great teacher, is it? LOL. BTW, tell Barbara that I LOVE her jacket! Great post, Susan! Hugs, Cathy

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  7. All of the blocks look wonderful ... as well as everyone having a wonderfully creative time.

    It surely is a small world. Give my regards to Barbara Meger. She and I shared the world of smocking many years ago. I'm one of the founders of SAGA.

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  8. What delightful photos. It looks like the workshop was a lot of fun. I'd love to learn how to make flowers like that.

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  9. That did look like everyone had lots of fun. Susan I tried to reply to your comment on myblog but the mail kept being returned! Thankyou for dropping by.

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  10. Hi Susan, Allie's class looks like it was a wonderful time for all. I visit my sister in Severn often and would have come for the class if I had known Allison (through her blog) sooner. It would be great to actually meet you and some of the other ladies I've "met" online over the years. Maureen

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  11. Thanks so much for the wonderful pictures. I enjoyed being there vicariously. No wonder everyone had fun!

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  12. Your beautiful photos take the edge off my regret that I couldn't be there too for Allie's teaching debut. But your photos of "Crazy for Flowers" open a window onto that quilt. Great job documenting Allie's visit. I'm glad you both had such a great time.

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  13. What a LOVELY trip down memory lane! OMG, it was so much fun!!!! Although, from the pictures you took of me, you'd notice that I was all about "get serious here!" Thanks for posting these pictures... you're a doll and a super photographer! Missing you, Carolyn and the others already... And Allie? Well, she is all that you say... one hugely special person and a fabulous teacher. I hope we can get her to come here soon! Hugs, Robin A.

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  14. Hi Susan! I'm getting all caught up reading blogs after my trip. The workshop looks SO FUN! Quilting is amazing and quilters are too. I turned my quilt top in when I was in the states to get finished. I really enjoyed learning how to quilt but also learned that I am not a quilter. ha ha

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Have a wonder-filled life!