I was recently invited to join a local group of quilt artists known as the Guilded Lilies, and one of things I like about this group (besides the really fun women and the inspirational art) is that they organize themselves to bring teachers to them. It's a pretty simple idea, really -- if you know of a teacher with whom you'd love to do a workshop, and you have a group of like-minded artists, why not organize a private class for your group?
That's how I got that wonderful workshop with Gerry Chase, and at the end of September I'll do a 3 day workshop with Sue Benner. I'm really looking forward to that. And the Guilded Lilies' approach to setting up workshops is what caused me to set up the great dye workshop with Carol Soderlund. (It doesn't hurt that we're in the wine country, I think. People seem pretty happy to have a reason to come here.)
Anyway, last night we got together and one of the topics for our discussion was what teachers we'd want to bring to us. We created our wishlist, without regard to where in the world these people are or whether they'd ever come. Our list included Rosalie Dace, Kaffe Fassett, Kerr Grabowski, Jan Myers-Newbury, Cynthia Corbin, and more.
Who would be on your ultimate workshop wishlist?
Funny, two of the three classes I've ever taken were from Gerry Chase and Sue Benner. I'd love to take a class with Kaffe Fasset, hoping that his color sense would rub off on me. A Heide Stoll-Weber class would hopefully build on the dyeing I learned from Dijanne Cevaal. I'd like to learn the art of simplicity from Charlotte Yde, and I'm already signed up to take a class with Mirjiam Pet-Jacobs. Believe it or not, I consider Ruth McDowell to be the Grand Dame of piecing and would bow unworthy at her feet. And, while I'm at it, I should probably take a class with Nancy Crow to see what the fuss is about. Others who's brains I'd like to pick regarding inspiration and process are Leslie Gabrielse, Dominie Nash and Linda Colsh. I wouldn't mind spending a day in Rayna Gillman's studio either -- just for fun. I'm not sure if it would count, but the City & Guilds Patchwork Degree program given by Linda and Laura Kemshall is also on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteJust off the top of my head? Dijanne Cevaal... Laura and Linda Kemshall....Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn... Ruth Issett...Dale from The Thread Studio...Ricky Tims...Pam Holland...
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteI would also love Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn. I've taken from Kaffe Fassett and he was great. How about Jane Dunnewold. I would live to know who your having, if you don't fill a class, maybe I could come up!
Hi Diane, I'd love to have Laura Cater-Woods, Jane Sassaman, Beryl Taylor and several others I can't think of at the moment. Our guild can't quite pull themselves together enough to do this, so we have a smaller group of women who bring teachers over. Our last two were Esterita Austin and Lura Schwarz-Smith with her husband Kerby. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteThe local quilt shop here in Pacific Grove is sponsoring an evening talk and book signing with Kaffe Fassett on January 3; ticket are $15. Check out the www.backporchfabrics.com website and click on their schedule.
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