quiltersmuse.com Blog

I had to smile broadly when I read Carol Miller’s account of how and why she started her online Quilt University. You see, I have been “there”…”there” being teaching in public, and I can agree with its drawbacks, and the need for an alternative.

For example, when I taught classes for our local community education program, I also was relegated to the art department. I learned that I had to carry my own cleaning supplies and wash down all the tables from the paint spills of the day, before students arrived.

Since I didn’t want to ask students to tote their sewing machines, and because I was mostly teaching hand quilting and hand appliqué classes, and needed the machine only a little bit, I would bring my own machine for their use. No matter how many times I’d tell beginners to turn the wheel only toward them, inevitably, they would turn it the wrong way, every time, risking damage to the machine.

People would show up late to class, and if arriving with their best buddy, they would consider the night out a chance to catch up on news of boyfriends, kids, work, etc., and their loud, animated talking would disrupt the learning process for others.

Most often, the easiest access door to the assigned classroom would be locked, and in the day before cell phones, I’d find myself trudging around the building and up three flights of stairs to the “office,” to get someone to unlock that door for arriving students.

Since the classes were at night, and there was no lighting in back of the school where most students preferred to park, there were complaints about that from students, due to safety concerns.

Nonetheless, the actual teaching/learning interchange was great! Students would bring in grandma’s quilt or quilt top, ask advice, bring their latest projects or ideas for projects yet not started. They all seemed to enjoy learning new techniques in all of my classes. There was a real sense of camaraderie and excitement that was very fun.

Then, with the start up of yet another (third) quilt shop, in this relatively small town, plus a quilt guild, all of which were giving classes, enrollment dropped off at the high school. It was just more convenient for students to take classes at a place where fabric and notions were supplied, too, saving them time.

However, the final nail in the coffin for my local teaching was when I told, on a number of occasions, the day before, or the day of, some scheduled classes, that due to insufficient enrollment, the classes were a “no go.” That is tough news to hear after preparing lesson plans, packets of information for students, and gathering supplies that represented a large investment of time and money.

All in all, Quilt University makes a whole lot of sense for both teacher and student. Supplies can be gathered ahead of time, photos of finished work can be shared online, questions can be asked of teachers, in a non-threatening environment, and sharing can be done with fellow students. Moreover, in my opinion, the price is right, and the variety of classes is there.

For an insightful look at how Quilt University came to be, read Carol Miller’s responses to our interview questions.

Why is this article on my website? The answer is simple. I continue to support quilt professionals who are making a difference by bringing quality goods and services to others. Carol Miller, Dean of Quilt University, is someone who is doing just that!

To see some beautiful teacher and student quilts, and to find out more about Quilt University, click on the link below:

http://quiltersmuse.com/quilt_university.htm

Pat Cummings

Since we are technically still on vacation, we decided to fly the coop today and take a little trip to Vermont. We thought that there was still a quilt show on, in Newport, NH, but we had run across some faulty information.

We took all the back roads, no hurry on this day, and crossed over to Vermont to ride along the other side of the Connecticut River, farm country. We reached a smaller version of the main Vermont Country Store, a wonderful place to sample VT made cheese, to buy old time candies of all kinds, and to find warm gloves, hats, flannel nightgowns, toys, soaps, decorative candles, bedding, jams, and so much more.

We lingered there for a long time and came away with some goodies, my favorite being my new mascot, a stuffed loon (not a real one) that makes the sound of a loon when pressed on the top. I see a pattern developing here, as I also have “loon” fabric curtains at my front door.

We stopped to take a photo of a wonderful waterfall, right by the side of the road. The landscape is rapidly changing as winter approaches. The cornfields are a collection of short, yellow spikes, with an occasional stalk left standing with its yellowed leaves blown by the wind and looking like a flag.

Many of the trees are naked, and are flanked by birch trees, and the rust- colored leaves of the oaks, and a few beech trees still sporting their yellow leaves. We passed some bogs that were bright with bushes that have large orange-red berries that resemble cranberries, except for the coloration. At first, we both thought that these bushes were high bush cranberries, but after investigating further, Jim believes them to be a variety of “Shad.”

We stopped at one antique shop and I found some beautiful handkerchiefs. The checkout girls were probably wondering what I was going to do with ten hankies, but the price was right, and who knows when inspiration will strike to make another quilt.

As usual, Jim and I just had fun being together. We are quite the inseparable pair and it is a good thing that we enjoy each other’s company so much, after all these years.

So, it was a good day. We will buckle down to more work, soon enough, but this recent vacation was much needed, and we are both feeling refreshed.

Jim has not processed today’s photos yet, but when he does we will probably post a few here. So, stay tuned.

Have a good Friday!

Pat

Sometimes, it’s funny how life turns out. When I was a substitute teacher, I was often called for to take the head of the English department’s advanced classes. Since I liked to interact with the students in a positive way, rather than just being their babysitter, I would often bring along some fun lesson related to the learning of English, and would use it, if no other plan had been left. As a result, and because I was present so often in one particular school, the kids got to know me, and seemed to look forward to my showing up.

On one particular day, I had arisen early in the morning before any of my family had stirred, and had gone into the kitchen to make cream of wheat cereal. The sun had come up and there was light enough in the kitchen to see to light the gas stove. After I had prepared the cereal and had been eating it, I decided to read something, so I flipped on the kitchen light. To my dismay, I had been eating some wildlife in the breakfast dish – worms! Much to the delight of my students, I announced that I’d eaten a bowl of worms for breakfast, and then explained. They were charmed. I became known as “the sub who eats worms.”

One student even wrote a poem to me, based on the worm experience. I have saved it and come across it every now and then in my file. This information is an introduction that is leading up to the rest of the story!

The same student had a habit of performing his “routine.” He did a terrific Nixon impersonation, and another one of an (unnamed) evangelical minister. I would never stop him when he asked to do this stand-up comedy act. He would say in solemn sincerity, ” Friends….pray for me. Pray for my ministry. Pray for yourselves, and then, Friends, wriiiiiite me a check!”

A few years went by and I was working in the NH State House. The student had, of course, graduated from high school about five years earlier. As I was crossing the lawn, full of statues of important men, to go pick up some lunch downtown, I ran into this former student. Although I had not seen him for awhile, I certainly remembered his name. I said, “What are you doing now?” He replied, “Oh, I am a minister. I have a congregation (in a nearby town).”

Ah,….sometimes we are our own best teachers.

Food for thought.

Pat

Nature never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday, I noticed two sweet, little, pink rosebuds in the garden. Mind you, those rose bushes didn’t do much all year. They are remnants of a big order I’d made to a company years ago for “Simplicity Roses.” All but these two plants had reverted to the root stock which were Rugosa Roses, such as those seen in beach areas.

With temperatures dropping and the prediction of snow for tomorrow, I knew that now was the time to cut the roses and bring them into the studio to sketch them. That I did, and enjoyed the process.

Sketching is a discipline that requires one to really look at all the elements of what is being drawn, and to consider placement and size of objects in relation to each other. Anyone can draw, just as anyone can quilt. It is simply a matter of trying and practicing. All you need is a piece of paper, a pencil, a kneaded eraser, and colored pencils or watercolors, if desired.

To those who say, “I can’t draw a straight line,” I would reply, “They still sell rulers.” In most cases, you won’t be drawing straight lines, unless perhaps you are trying to draft an architectural plan for buildings.

Just for the fun of it, when you are on the phone today, draw some squiggles, some lines that intersect, some lines that don’t meet, some freehand circles. Draw you cat’s eyes, your sneakers, a bird in flight…it really doesn’t matter what you choose to sketch. You could find that a whole new world opens up to you – that of your own creativity.

Until later,

Pat

These days, anything that makes me laugh, chuckle, or snortle, is definitely worth the price, be it a video, a cartoon, or in this case, a “feedsack.” While I was casually browsing in an antiques store, I happened to look up and saw an item hanging on the wall. I will tell you what it is and what the words on the surface say.

“A Potato Sack: Looks like a sack, Feels like a sack, IS A SACK. Fill with 100 lbs. or more of charm, and save money on new French inspired creations. Guaranteed to lose shape without ironing. For evening wear, add Mink trimmings.”

At the bottom, the sack says, “Balloon lines.” Along each side are the words, “Trapeze Line,” and across the “bust” area,” are the words, “Empire Line.”

I like having things around that make me smile. This is one of them. I may have Jim take a photo of it sometime, but for now, it is so wrinkled, the picture wouldn’t come out well, so I think I’ll wait until I can discover how best to handle that situation. Any ideas? I don’t want to iron it.
To read more about collectible feedsack, visit our website:

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/collectable_feedsack_cloth_and_q.htm

Pat, from the Spider’s Web