It's Monday, Again

I wish I was posting this on Monday, but if you check your calendar, you know it's not!  I was in Atlanta for the biennial Pomegranate Convention.  I was busy and had trouble  getting a good Internet connection.  So you're thinking, they have a convention about pomegranates? " Does it include eating? Does it include drinking? Or is there hand creme?  If it does I want to go!"

It's about needlework!! The Pomegranate Guild of Jewish Needlework has a biennial convention.  This year it was in Atlanta. It's empowering and enlightening to be together with such talented Jewish women from all over the U.S. and Canada.   I was honored to be teaching 3 workshops.  

My first class was called "Curvalicious 2 Ways".  Using Curvalicious they had the option of making one of 2 tablerunners. 

We had a full class and were iron challenged.  If you have been in any of my Curvalicious workshops, you know that they are very ironing intensive and irons pull a lot of current. I've blown the circuit at many venues and now I can add Le Meridien to the list.  That conference room can handle an unlimited amount of laptops, projectors, coffee pots, etc, but only TWO irons!  Quilters are resourceful and we always persevere. We used the outlet in the hallway and  one of my students even went up to her room to iron.

I love it when a student follows her own voice.  Saraj, did her own thing.  She used some Jennifer Sampou fabric that isn't even available in quilt shops yet.  

The next class was a dupioni silk pomegranate applique block.

I provided a kit and was surprised that most of the women in my class were not quilters and had never done fusible applique!  This was a lot to teach in 3 hours, and I had no time to take any photos, but believe me when I say that they all surprised me and did a great job. 

My final class was my Mini Mosaic Quilts.  We had a really packed house full of women that were so happy to be there.  It is so rewarding to teach this.  whenever I teach this workshop, the participants have a choice of 5 patterns.

I was not surprised that most of them chose to do the pomegranate.  Usually I have a pretty even split.

 Everyone was having so much fun, that sometimes I had a hard time sharing my tips!

This group of ladies did not want to stop!  Look at the smiles on their faces.

Two of the women in the class did not sew and did not want to finish the mosaic as a mini quilt. They didn't even want  to finish the entire piece.   I was challenged to help them finish it in an alternate manner.  I have to say I stressed quite a bit because I did not want their piece to be ruined with our experimentation.  But voila! It worked.  Maybe we've come up with a new way to make suncathers.

I had a wonderful time in Atlanta.  I walked away with so many new friends.  Some of them were Internet friends and other were brand new.  For more info about the Pomegranate Guild and to find out if there is a chapter near you visit their website.  I'm looking forward to the 2019 Convention in Calgary.  

The Mini Mosaic kits will be available for sale soon in my Etsy shop.  Make sure you sign up for my newsletter HERE, to be notified.  There will also be an instructional video.  I can't wait to share!

Quilt Camp

Have you heard of MAQ? If you're a regular reader of my blog, you probably have. For those of you who have not, it's 3 days of quilting immersion where quilters can make friends with people who speak the same language and renew that friendship each summer. I just returned yesterday. This year there were 300 quilters who had the choice of 60 some odd classes offered by 20 different teachers.

Some people call it Quilt Camp. We sleep in the dorms at Mount St Marys University in Emmitsburg, MD, located not far from Gettysburg, PA. We eat in the cafeteria where I love to table hop. Sometimes I eat with my students. Sometimes I eat with other teachers and sometimes I eat with my friends from my quilt guild.

There are evening programs too. On Friday night, we are introduced to the wonderful volunteers who put on this 3 day quiltaganza. There are vendors, door prizes and a speaker.

This year I taught a silk applique class, the Curvalicious backpack class and fabric dyeing. I had the most wonderful students. I love the bond we form spending so much time together. Here are some photos from my classes.

The irons are set up outside of the classrooms for all to share.

Some students brought items from home to dye.

Here's a reincarnated pair of gardening sneakers.

And a t shirt.

Saturday night is Show N Tell. Students show what they have made during their first two days of classes.

The teachers present what classes they might teach next year.

It's such a great time. You should consider joining us next year. I promise that you will leave with new friends. You can check it out at www.MAQonline.org.

 

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