Saturday, October 18, 2008

Lagging behind at the Barn

I spent a week at Nancy Crow's Timber Barn for the workshop Best of Strip Piecing I & II. Rumors: her workshops are for masochists; she demands a lot of work; you'll be working from 7am until 10 pm; she doesn't pull any punches; she tells you like it is; she's very demanding. Didn't know really what to expect, but I was prepared to work hard.

It's been a hard day's night and I've been working like a dog. The workshop officially starts at 9am, but the studio opens at 7, and my roommate Annette and I would be there before 8 - one morning even the first at 7:04. The workshop officially ends at 5pm followed by dinner at 6. Many of us continued working until we couldn't anymore or until the studio closes at 10:30. One morning with so much to do, I keep putting off coffee or restroom breaks until lunch. Thank goodness Margaret made lunches, dinners and snacks. Who'd have time to cook?

Cut and sew, cut and sew, who's the slowest of them all? May have been me. Make bigger strips for more footage! My scale just naturally evolves. Let crooked seams be! But I am particular about my work and took apart sections to re-sew. For the final 8'x8' ribbon quilt top, let expressionism rule! But I am a minimalist. I haven't figure out how to let loose yet.

When I look at my notes now, the exercises sound so simple, so doable. Yet I didn't get to them all. I got done what I got done. I'll get to the rest on my own time.

Here I am at my final presentation. The end of an invigorating week.

So after all this, I would love to take more workshops with Nancy. And I would recommend her for every art quilter too! I am so glad I did this and now regret not signing on for the second week.

1 comment:

  1. You are so cute in this picture. & nice work... Just discovered your blog from Maureen from Santa Rosa and will enjoy stopping by from time to time. Want to see what you do with nancy's class projects.

    bye, Diana

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