Quilt Camp recap

At my first Quilt Camp in the Pines, I was fortunately paired with Jeanne as a roommate. She is a quick wit, has a punny sense of humor, and is a fantastic quilter. We got along as if we had been friends for years, and I have roomed with her every year. Since I was only going to stay for three days instead of six, I wanted to maximize our time together and we signed up for the same classes.

Day One - Jennie Rayment's "Twitch, Twiddle and Tuck"

(note: I am not going to link to their websites...use google if you want more info or to see their books.)

This is the teacher's sample:

I actually got my flower finished in class! It's great when you don't bring home major UFOs. I just need to add some hand-stitching to complete the 3-D effect, and some beads in the center, then it's ready to quilt.

Day Two: Martha Nordstrand, hand embroidery

I don't do much hand work at the moment, but wouldn't it be wonderful to embellish quilts like Martha does?!? Look closely, the feathers on the birds are all hand stitched! It's an incredible quilt in person.

Day three - Karla Alexander, "Aurora Aura" from her book "New Cuts for New Quilts"

Karla is a fantastic teacher! Very friendly and patient, and what a fun technique. She designed this pattern to look like the Aurora Borealis over the waters of Alaska. You basically stack rectangles of fabric, make some freehand cuts, then shuffle and sew. This is my progress so far...the light fabric gives it an icy feel, which is a nice fantasy in the desert summer heat!

Then I came home. Camp continues through Saturday, but I missed Baby K too much to be away any longer! I'm planning to have some midnight sewing sessions to finish up my UFOs, but it may be a couple months. School starts in three weeks, and teachers go back the week before students, so it really feels like summer vacation is winding down.