Last week I finished running a class making my Aotearoa Tote bag. I ran the class over two weeks, with two sessions of 3 and a half hours. My participants were members of my local guild, so we went out for lunch afterwards - a really nice way to end an intense sewing session!
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| This is my sample bag that I worked on during class to demonstrate. |
Teaching is such a great reminder of how differently our individual brains work. My class utilises a positive/negative appliqué technique. It generates two usable appliqués from the one cut. It sounds simple written down, but when you have to explain it, and the students are trying to figure out colour placements as well, it can get a bit mind bending. And for some more than others.
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| These are Jane's bag panels. Love her colours. |
Our brains are just wired so uniquely and it's endlessly fascinating. My husband can see spatial relationships in a room in a way I just can't, but colour and pattern are just not his forte. Some experienced quilters need time and quite a few explanations to get the technique, and some beginners just intuitively understand. I have to come up with different ways to explain it if someone doesn't understand the first way, so it's great for my brain as well. I always learn something.
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| Beryl is giving circular quilting a go. Another gorgeous colour scheme. |
In this class, we all got there one way or another. The participants assured me they had fun and learned something new. What was particularly satisfying for me was that all of them tried quilting methods that put them out of their comfort zones.
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| Anne, trimming up her panel. Anne tried FMQ for the first time! So cool! |
I bet your students loved all you had to teach. Their bags are looking fabulous.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the finished panels l'm sure they enjoyed it.Great colour schemes.
ReplyDeleteTeaching certainly is a reminder of how differently our minds are wired but and to make sure everyone 'gets it' can be a challenge- but a satisfying one at the end.
Looking at the finished panels l'm sure they enjoyed it.Great colour schemes.
ReplyDeleteTeaching certainly is a reminder of how differently our minds are wired but and to make sure everyone 'gets it' can be a challenge- but a satisfying one at the end.
With Beryl's circular quilting - did she also sew around the shapes - or was the quilting enough to hold everything down? Everything looks fab by the way :o) did you ever get this pattern written up properly?
ReplyDeleteEverything is appliquéd down to start - with a straight machine stitch and then the quilting over the top. No around the edge quilting done as well. The batiks are such a close weave that they hold up really well to just using a straight stitch appliqué. I have a couple of my first bags from about 5 years ago - used very well - and there are only a couple of appliqués lifting. It's the handles that start to fall apart first. And yes - pattern all written up, each participant got a copy, a few more tweaks to be done though I think.
DeleteI always think we learn as much as our students when tutoring - or should it be 'leading' - a workshop/class! Well done Charlotte, the panels look great :-)
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