Sunday, June 5, 2011

A RUTH MCDOWELL WORKSHOP AND MORE

And so begins a ten hour road trip...  

three friends, Sue, Susan, and me learning to accomodate each other's needs while putting our best foot forward - one quilt shop stop at a time! (This is in front of Bear Paw Quilting in Spokane, WA.)

LOTS of beautyFULL

And even some HOPE!

 not there yet...

Ahhh...two lovely calming nights at Sue's childhood house on forty acres in the wilds of Troy, Montana. Sue's charming mom graciously hosted us while we continued to nuture our ever blooming friendship.

Day three - final destination - a Ruth McDowell workshop at the most wonderful Quilt Gallery in Kalispell, Montana http://www.quiltgallery.net/

This was Sue's (left) ninth class with Ruth. http://www.ruthbmcdowell.com/ I have been in awe of Sue's masterpieces and it was time for me to step away from my typically liberal and often katywumpus style. Susan (on the right) is helping hold up Sue's project - her two children bottle feeding two cows -from last year.

Here's my project. A photo of my middle son walking along the shore of northern Lake Michigan up by Traverse City.

Tracing and sectioning

numbering

consulting with Ruth

Sue was working on her son's beloved black lab Bear

Susan was working on her beloved cat Sammy

working hard

Then you blow up your tracing to the size you want. The writing on the sides is hopefully the correct recipe to help guide the putting back together of all the pieces.

At this point I am smiling on the outside and thinking OH MY on the inside.

Susan works with Ruth


We all work with Ruth

Now my picture is traced on to freezer paper

with LOTS of different colored tick marks to help you figure out how the pieces get back together.

Here's TJ's daughter and boyfriend in a field of grapeseed.

WELL...FINALLY...ON THE THIRD DAY OF CLASS...


FABRIC!!!  Some of my own

(For the first time ever in eleven years of quilting I have pins!)

and some new. Luckily the shop provides a cart when Ruth takes me shopping! (My husband finds this the funniest part of the whole trip. "A CART?!" he says.)

Here's a very nice Canadian gal who has lived all over and taught french and critical thinking for many many years. She was juggling four photo ideas and finally settled on a trillium...or did she?

Jordan's naughty pup

Carrie played all day in the class and ran a resturant every night! This picture was taken on the Washington coast.


So very cool. Amazing really.

What I love most is how the whole trip symbolically ties into what I am working on in my life. The two days at Sue's mom's house forced me to slow down. Slowing down enabled me to begin Ruth's class with a fresh calm quiet state of mind.

Yes, Ruth, I am ready to listen. What are you saying?  
Take it one baby step at a time.
Think it through. Listen to the fabric.
If it doesn't work the first time, NO BIG DEAL! Try again. No impending doom.
Allow what is meant to happen...happen.

I trusted.
I had faith.
 I believed that the universe wanted to fill my life with good...
my boys were absolutely fine this week with their wonderful dad...
I listened to my whispers and took care of my self for the first time in a very long time...
 I nourished an old friendship and sprinkled fertilizer on a new one...
 I practiced balancing my needs and left class one day early to see U2 at Quest Field.

And guess what? I allowed more sublime moments to sneak in!



2 comments:

  1. Love this post, feel like I was on the trip!

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  2. OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! I would love to see this piece completed. I adore Ruth McDowell and she has inspired me for years. Seeing your pictures and words have just made my day and now I must go back and relive my 2009 class with Ruth and friends. What wonderful creations. Thanks for sharing it all.

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