I left for Cameron Park at 6 a.m.; class began at 10, but I knew I'd need at least one coffee stop. I arrived at 9:30--just in time to help Carla carry her stuff in. I'd never met her in person, but we've "talked" via e-mail several times and I follow her blog, Feathered Fibers. It was so fun to finally meet her in person.
Class got underway and I discovered that of the 5 students, I was the only one with a longarm. We were her "beta testers" for the class, since this is the same one she'll be teaching at MQS in May. We watched a powerpoint presentation, saw some of her quilts, learned how she approaches quilt design, learned and were able to watch how she does some of her signature sashing and finally, had her take photos of the quilts we'd brought for her to "whisper" for us. Class was over at 2ish and because of a question I asked, she invited me home to her house to see her studio and have the question answered in person! I was beaming!!
We drove east to her home which is beautiful. I met her husband, Joe, a very nice guy and then it was back to her studio. It was crowded and messy and I loved it
Turns out, she's planning to take some items with her chicken logo cartoons on them and guess who will be doing the embroidery and screen-printing for her?? That's right...Dennis. Nothing like going to a quilt class and bringing him home a new client *shrug* Maybe I can get him to give her a really good deal and wangle a hands-on class...maybe.
It was great fun...she's such a nice person!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME. A new friend and client to boot! How exciting. Now, are you going to tell us what question you actually asked her?
ReplyDeleteShe commented on how if you quilt with your quilt too tight, it won't hang properly. I asked how tight was too tight. She responded with "I'll have to show you, come on over." I spent the rest of class hoping she meant it!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome day you spent with Carla! Your quilts and quilting are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOh what a shame, you could have told Carla her favourite quilter from Scotland said 'Hi'...lol
ReplyDeleteHow lucky are you to be retiring and have spent a day with Carla Barrett, Carla seems like a really lovely person and is so eager to share everything she knows.