Day five and done

No matter how much fun or knowledge gained in a workshop come day five you are ready to have it end. And so it was with this workshop. The saying that "you can always learn something new" held true with this experience. For one I learned how to put a sleeve on a completed quilt, entirely by machine. No hand stitching. Linda the instructor wasn't sure I could do it with my work since I use more layers than she but I made a test sandwich with batting and felt, quilted it heavily and it worked. I also learned her way of finishing the edge of a fiber art piece with couched four ply yarn that was different from ways I have seen before. I have to see if Janome makes a cording foot for my machine if I want to finish edges like she does in the future. Dang.... There is always some thing else to buy for the sake of our art.
It was fun seeing what every one else in the group was doing with the assignments we were given and I found I was taken with this piece made by Donna, (don't ask me her last name) in the workshop. I like her use of multiple black and white prints and her flower. But show me a flower I haven't liked and when you do I'll tell you the world as I know it is ending. Her piece is a work in progress ... in need of a stem from the vase to the bud for starters ... but she seemed pleased with it at this stage and I am looking forward to its completion.

This is the view of the room from by work station. I am still amazed at the number of Bernina sewing machine in classes I either teach or take. I have never found that love of them in my artist heart or soul and much prefer my Janome.
We all look hard at work here and we were quiet. After 4 days of each other we had come to a consensus of music we liked and it was playing softly in the background for most of this day. Another plus that made the five days work really well was lunch was brought into us each day by my dear daughter Lyn who printed out the menus for several local restaurants and told us each day which one she was going to. She would collected our selections, pick up and returned our lunch orders to us. She kept us stocked with chips, cookies, cupcakes, Cokes both regular and diet, ice and sweetened ice tea. No muss, no fuss. Just Great!

One day when playing around with thickened dyes I did this little piece that had some areas that did not work but others sections that really spoke to me. I love trees. For months I kept it folded on one of my work tables in my art space trying to decide if it was to become anything more than just a piece of fabric. So on day five I decided to cut out the bad spots and make this little composition. So now I am wondering if I can make something similar but larger and still retain the feeling I get from this small piece. Hummmm.