I joined the Dallas Quilt Guild last winter and in the spring I discovered that Bonnie Hunter would be teaching a couple of workshops in addition to her trunk show presentation for the membership. Instantly I went to the sign-up table and added my name to the list for both classes. Now, it is the weekend for all the fun and I can't wait.
I have cut and cut to prepare in addition to scouring local thrift shops and estate sales for mens shirts to repurpose. At one stop, I also managed to snag a stack of fabric for only $1.00. Mister is a champ and sits on two separate occasions helping me debone the shirts. When we work together we can get about 10 done in a little over an hour. His help is sooooo appreciated and I am, as always, incredibly grateful for the support he gives in whatever project I have managed to involve myself in. I am ready.
The trunk show is first up and it is standing room only. I am so glad that we (I asked Cass to come along) arrived early and have great seats. Prior to the presentation, Bonnie comes out to take a few pictures and gets this one of me taking a picture of her. Perfect timing, lol. Let's get started.
She begins with a lesson in the life of a strip and shows the various ways to use it along with the best sizes to have. All of this is accomplished with a quilt, of course. Next lesson is in repurposing and for this she dressed up in a hospital gown to make a point. The amount of usable fabric in some items is staggering. I averaged about 1 - 1/2 yards per shirt and at $.25 per shirt, that's a great deal in any book.
The trunk show is so fun and she is a great presenter. I laugh and drool over her stories and quilts and would like to stay all night but I need to get to bed as class starts early tomorrow morning up in Plano. Gotta get some shut eye.
It is a beautiful, but very warm (that is spelled H O T) day. After loading the car with all my stuff and my beautiful Featherweight (a.k.a. Barbara), I am ready to get on the road. Lookout Plano -- lots of ladies with fabric headed your way.
The quilt we are building today is called Jamestown Landing and it is done in blue and white completely out of scraps. Since I still don't have a large scrap stash, I picked up blue and white fat quarters and remnants everywhere I went for the last 6 months. I have a pretty good selection and am excited to learn some new techniques. Barbara is ready to go as well and we discover that she has a few vintage companions in class to keep her company.
Step one today is paper piecing 4 1/2" squares with our whites. I love the way they are turning out. (look on Barbara above)
Step two is half square triangles with both the blues and the whites turned for the hour glass effect. I start laying out squares next to me on the table until I get an idea of what it will look like. It all blends together for me and standing over it, I am unable to see the pattern until I hold a camera up to it. Then it pops out at me. I like it so far.
Well, that is as far as I got today and I will have to continue this project at home. I certainly am building a list of things to finish. It is time to head home, get some food, and collapse for the night.
It is a new day and I am once again loaded up and heading to Plano. I switched out fabric and machines. Today, I am taking "Annie" (named for my aunt who instilled in me the love to sew), my 301A. She is as ready to go as I am.
The quilt today is called Virginia Bound and I am doing it all in repurposed men's shirts. Bonnie teaches us how to make our own templates and so another skill is added to my list. Woohoo.
She then demonstrates how to make our "kites" and sends us on our merry way to sew, sew, sew. As I complete each block, I throw them on a table behind me and people come and go putting them in all sorts of combinations. This is definitely not a final combination as there are too many similar fabrics near each other, but by the time I complete all 80, I am sure that problem will be solved. I am only able to finish 6 blocks today as I spend way too much time sitting and chatting with Bonnie. That too, however, is part of why I enjoy her classes so much. What a great couple of days. I can't wait til New Years for the next 3 classes. Yes!
Mister located a treadle for sale on Craig's List and we were off to check it out. It turned out to be an 1895 Wilson and Wheeler W9 manufactured in Bridgeport, CT. What a great find by Mister and the treadle soon found it's way into our car for the wonderful price of $23.00. Yep, all the parts are there, even the missing decor for the drawer fronts. It will take some work by Mister to get her shiny and pretty again, but everything moves and she runs. I cannot tell you how excited I am. What a fun thing to have.
As soon as we get her home, Mister gets the shop vac out and starts the cleaning process so that the photos can be shot in order to have a good record of everything. Here are the pics and I will show the finished ones when it is all finished (probably several months worth of work). Enjoy.
