Quilted out temporarily

Two weeks have passed since my last post, during which time I went to the quilt festival in Wellington. This national event happens every other year, and sometimes in the North Island and others in the South. I had toyed with the idea of going, but when my neighbour and quilt tutor at QW, Lyn Winter, asked me to step in as room-mate, it all became a concrete plan. I registered for 5 days of classes, got accepted for 4 and then added an extra class. In addition to the classes, there were lectures every lunchtime and most evenings, by the overseas tutors. There were some well-known names, Dena Crain, Jenny Bowker, Ann Fleeton, Libby Lehman, Vikki Pignatelli and Gloria Loughman, being the ones I remember at the moment.

The venue did not compare favourably with Long Beach. No glossy conference centre, carpets etc. This was a girls' school, complete with 5 floors, several outlying prefabs, and some classes having to be held in chemistry labs etc. High stools, gas supplies on the bench etc. The one day that we were working on sewing machines, we had a normal classroom, but very cramped for 15 people, plus gear. Out of the 5 days, there was one class that stood out and that was Vikki Pignatelli's manipulating fabric. She gave a lot of examples, talked non-stop, and we got to try out a few options. They were all in her book Improvisational quilts, which I've had for a while, but it was much better to see everything in the flesh. To be honest, the other classes I took were either going over ground I already knew pretty well, or didn't cover what I imagined they would.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the trip! It was so inspiring to be surrounded by people all learning, sharing and creating, and then have the exhibitions and merchants mall to look at as well. I particularly valued the chance to look through several books on my wish list. Luckily for my pocket, I decided I didn't need them at all! They were the Art quilts at play new title by Davila and Waterston, Lesley Riley's book on Lutradur, and some others I forget right now. The one I think I will buy later is Dyeing to Stitch by June Barnes.

I did buy quite a few mixed media items, like abaca paper, more Misty Fuse, burnaway, friendly plastic. There were heaps of threads which we can't get locally, so I bought several sample boxes and some variegated king tut and other threads. When I got home, there was nothing that I regretted. Well, there were a few things I had bought for classes that we didn't need at all, so that was a minor pain.