Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Quilt National 2017 & Athens Dairy Barn Workshops



Days pass by, and I think to myself, "I should be writing a blog post instead of ____. I'm AWOL. It's been x days since the last one." And another little voice says, "You have nothing significant to say. Be still." So I keep working in silence. My reward is time to tackle those projects that need undivided attention. Something was a sticking point with each one. The studio is feeling lighter, but the mess is growing as I dig through stacks. Thankfully, I work best in chaos.




I have two goals at Pink Doxies. One is to maintain a record of process and projects for myself. The other is to provide readers with good things to read and see. Informative posts about projects, materials, fabric, and surface design are worthy of talking about. 




Class reviews are a benefit to all of us, too, and though I have just taken a few in the past week,  I am not ready to talk in depth about them. It is better for me to let things percolate and process before I tell all. But do let me entice you throughout this post with organically dyed cloth created in an eco-dyeing workshop with Danette Pratt.




I highly encourage you to check out August Classes at the Athens Dairy Barn for a list of more dyeing classes coming this month. Don't let the name fool you. Athens Dairy Barn is home of "Quilt National", and QN 2017 is currently showing until Sept 4, 2017. Not only are you promised 85 of the best contemporary quilts from around the world, you may find yourself rubbing elbows with those same and other famous quilting rock stars coming from all corners of the planet to a small university town to see the same show! 





The Harriet Jacoby Anderson Fiber Arts Studio is brand-spanking new, and winding your way through the facility to different classrooms will take you by many previous years' entries also. The renovation is impressive, and the teaching roster made up of artists whose work has qualified for Quilt National among other stellar presenters. Meta Von Nostrum's class The Modern Quilt & Quilted Stories lit a fire in me, and actually kept me up the next night thinking about vintage quilts. If you have an opportunity to take one of her classes, jump on it! 


As an Ohioan, I am over the moon to have this caliber of education hours from my doorstep, and you will be hearing more from me. Expect a studio tour here sometime next month, but take advantage of the fiber classes as there are still spots available. I guarantee you will be delighted!

Now allow me to crawl back under the rock, and quietly do my thing. I am sorting out big plans for September through December, and it is taking up all my social energy. I finally feel like I am coming full circle, and it's so very exciting! I am glad you're a part of it. Thank you for being here.

Be well.

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.

Linking up with~
Design Wall Mondays
Quilts My Way
Freemotion By the River
Stitch All the Things
Em's Scrap Bag
Show and Tell with Bambi
Cooking Up Quilts

9 comments:

Rebecca Grace said...

It's too funny that you're over there thinking "I should be writing a blog post," -- meanwhile, I'm frittering away my creative time writing blog posts the length of War and Peace, all the while a nagging voice in the back of MY head says "This is why you never finish any of your quilts -- you waste too much time writing about them compared to the time you spend working on them!!"

Annette Mandel said...

Your posts are worth waiting for :) a78mandel at yahoo dot com

helenjean@midgetgemquilts said...

Now - this is the voice from across the ocean - you are "allowed" not to blog when your creative plans are taking shape. But don't crawl under that rock and forget us , we enjoy your blog too much x

Unknown said...

Your words warm my 'sewing-soul'......"I work best in chaos"....Thanks Julie....now my day can get started!

Stitchin At Home said...

Thanks for crawling out from under your rock, those dyed fabrics are yummy.

Kate said...

Looks like your blog vacation has been really productive. I really like the fabric with the leaves.

Christine Slaughter said...

Sometimes it's nice to rest from the blog writing to fully absorb what is happening in the creative process before sharing it with us... And I appreciate when you do that, because you share such a wealth of information. I learn so much from your blog! The eco-dyed fabric is gorgeous, and I absolutely love the leaf print. Wow. Just stunning!

Kaja said...

Your fabrics look lovely and I've just checked out the courses too - though it's only fantasy shopping for me. I'm another one who works best in a big mess!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

It really looks like you are creating some beautiful fabrics and having a good time! My gosh does that sound like a great place to go to!