Best Quilt Workshop

[Lois B.]

What's the best quilt workshop or class you ever took, and why? What made it so great?

i will begin, so you know the kind of information I'm looking for:

The best quilt workshop I ever took was a 5-day course with Nancy Crow at QSDS. The class was her Sets & Variables workshop. What made it great was that it showed me I could make original design (art) quilts without using patterns and without cutting and sewing straight lines. It opened all the creative doors for me, and I never looked back!

I studied again with Nancy, some years later and a different course, but it was not the same and for me not as good a class. I think the difference had to do with my state of mind at both times--what I received by way of instruction in relation to what I was prepared to receive. The knowledge I gained in the first class came at just the right time in my career as a quilter, whereas in the second class, I was very strong on my own and probably did not need the second class.

Now--how about your experiences with workshops?

[Rita C.]

Harriet Hargrave for machine quilting - I also experienced two not very good classes in FMQ but the less said about those the better.
Pam Holland - ink on fabric and general creative inspiration.
Betina Havig - tessellations.
Ricky Tims seminar - convergence quilts and other stuff - very inspirational.

You must feel even further removed from all those wonderful teachers than I do Dena? Or do you travel to classes somewhere?

[Diane O.]

I can't tell you what the best workshop is, since I haven't attended any. I plan on looking into doing some of them since my schedule is wide open now. But I agree that your frame of mind and where you are at, at the time of class has a lot to do with how good you think the class is. If you think you already know a lot of the information, it won't seem to be a good class because you may not learn anything new. But if you are just beginning to explore the area that the workshop deals with, and you have a lot to learn, then it may seem to be much better, because you learn more.
I look forward to hearing what others say about which teachers they liked and why.

[Beverly C.]

I've attended workshops by Karen Stone, Sue Spargo, and Bonnie Hunter. I can truly say that each of them opened my quilting world even further. They were all very different in style, but excellent. This fall Becky Goldsmith will be our Guild's guest, and while I know how to applique, at every class I learn something new to add to my quilting arsenal.

[Beverly C.]

Thanks, Rita, for telling us who are your favorite quilt teachers and what they teach. How about telling us what you think made their workshops wonderful?!

I think the last workshop I took was the second one with Nancy Crow. I had to travel to South Africa to attend it in the Drakensburg Mountains. Lovely setting, great hotel! Still, expensive to do!

The Kenya Quilt Guild brings in international teachers occasionally, and if it's someone special I would not otherwise get a chance to study with, I'll take their class. Truth is, I kind of hit a ceiling on taking workshops about the time I started teaching my own, both internationally and online.

[Beverly C.]

Thanks, Diane, for your comments.

So, you think it's important to learn something new? I sometimes think people take classes and workshops for the social side--it's just fun to quilt with a group, and they don't really expect to learn much.

For you, personally, are you more interested in learning techniques or would you be more inclined to take a workshop that offered inspiration and support for original thinking and design?

[Beverly C.]

NanaPie, it sounds like you seek technical information from workshops, yes? Someone on the Studio Art Quilt Association (http://saqa.com) recently remarked that quilting is presently "techniques-driven." I think she's right. There's so much information, videos, tutorials and whatever available today online for free, why would anyone take a live workshop, do you think?, whether in a real classroom or online?

Thanks!

[Beverly C.]

I prefer technique classes. I'm already comfortable with piecing and can follow patterns. Techniques can be added to your tool belt and used in a variety of projects, gets my creative ideas flowing.

[Beverly C.]

Hi, Tribblemom! It's 8 am where I am; how about you?

Do you ever think to move beyond following patterns? If not, why not?

Thanks!

[Diane O.]

While the social aspect of taking workshops is part of the reason to go, I wouldn't spend the money to take a workshop just to socialize. I want to learn something while I was there. If all I wanted to do was socialize, I can do that at a local guild meeting or at local quilt stores if they have an "open sewing" type of class or day.

I look at every quilt I make as a learning experience anyway. It doesn't have to be a HUGE lesson, but just learn something, even if it is a better way to cut my fabric, or an easier way to get a 1/4" seam. For example, if I want to learn how to thread paint, I think I would be more comfortable doing it at a workshop, where I can ask questions if I get stuck on something, even though the basic concept isn't difficult, it would be better, I think, to have someone available to help and ask questions of. You can't get that with online classes or YouTube videos. While I could probably learn how to thread paint on my own, I find it difficult to make the time to practice enough to get good at it, and by taking a workshop, it would give me some dedicated time, with out interruptions (other than socializing.. LOL) to spend on learning the technique and hopefully pick up some tips on how to do it better than if I just tried to figure it out on my own.

Right now, I am more interested in learning new techniques, but a workshop that offered new techniques (at least new to me) and also had inspiration and support for original thinking and designing would be something I would be interested in going to. I'm not much of an "art" quilter, but it is something I have thought about doing. I just need to find the time to try new things and experiment with some of my ideas.

[Diane O.]

Hi, Tribblemom! It's 8 am where I am; how about you?

Do you ever think to move beyond following patterns? If not, why not?

Thanks!

Midnight in California - must head to bed after this.

I took a class last fall in landscape quilts, free form, no pattern, fun and creative. I often put my own twist on patterns by changing some things. That's why I like learning techniques, so I can branch out and be more playful. Sometimes I like to try a traditional block and experiment with it. Patterns provide a base, and then embellish at will. LOL, I cook like that sometimes, too - I'll follow a recipe the first time, but after that, hmm, let's try a different spice, or 'darn, don't have the right ingredient, maybe something else will work'.

I like to make charity quilts for my guild as it allows me to try things I wouldn't do for myself - different patterns or blocks, colors I wouldn't normally use (fabric comes from the guild's stash of donated or purchased yardage). Always learning something new that way. Latest quilt was made with diamonds - matching the rows is more difficult since the seams don't nest the way 90 degree seams do. Ha, don't usually pin, just use my fingers to match up the seams, but I definitely had to use pins for the diamonds. I'm trying to finish it up for our guild quilt show coming up in April. Will post photo when I'm done. I used fabric that Alex Anderson donated to the guild, plus some from my own stash. It was a treat to use the fabric from Alex since much of the donated fabric is not in big chunks of yardage. I was able to put on a nice big border. It's definitely a bit fancier than most of the quilts we make for charity, sure to brighten someone's life.

Kathy

[Judith A.]

I have not attended many workshops, due to the expense of traveling. I will sacrifice to travel to a class/workshop to learn techniques from a master that I have wanted to learn for some time, or to improve technique in something that I am weak in.

My favorite workshop was one on dye-painting by Hollis Chaterlain. I had wanted to learn to paint with procion dyes for years. There is no substitute for watching a master demonstrate their techniques.

My favorite class was one I took from Sharon Schamber. She brought a lot of quilting samples and passed them around the room for us to study. She allowed time at the end of the class for students to bring up their quilt tops for her to suggest how they could best be quilted. That was enlightening. Sharon is a wonderful teacher.

I would dearly love to attend a workshop by Ruth B. McDowell.

Judith

[Judith A.]

Thanks, Diane! I hear what you're saying. Videos, of course, provide you with great close-ups but no feedback. I also feel like a lot of the time a video takes to run is pretty much wasted time. I want any video I watch to be tight and professionally produced.

You can get feedback with online courses. Most of those I've taught both for Quilt U and now for QuiltEd Online, and the Craftsy and Academy of Quilting ones, require teachers to respond within 24 hours. Still, it's not the same as having a teacher in the room with you so you can get assistance immediately. On the other hand, you didn't have to take time out and spend a lot of money to travel to some other place for a workshop, so there are benefits on both sides!

What I also hear you saying, though, is that time constraints may be making you feel unnecessarily pressured. I've written an 8-part series of articles on the QuiltEd Online News called Time-Saving for Quilters. It's a study in quilting with a minimalist style that, although the situation forced me to conduct my quilting in a way I would never previously have considered, resulted in a ten-fold (or more!) increase in my quilting productivity. The time I spend in my studio is precious, and I now know how to maximize it for best results.

Perhaps my ideas, shared in that series, could help you, too! Find the first article in the series here. Hope this help you a lot!

[Judith A.]

Thanks, Beverly, for your remarks, too. Can you be a little more specific about why those classes were so good?

[Judith A.]

If you find traveling to take workshops too expensive, and it's easy to see why you would, perhaps online classes would be a better solution?

I first met Hollis at a QSDS in Columbus, Ohio, in 1996, I think it was! She and her husband were in the process of moving back to the US after being in Africa for many years. I had gone to Kenya in 1990. We were the two "token Africans" at the symposium that year! What fun!!

All the teachers you mention have excellent reputations. I suspect you are a very good student, Judith, and I hope you will take a look at the classes I teach online. I specialize in teaching others how to think about design and composition, as well as how to make whatever they can sketch!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us!