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ARTIST STATEMENT—I was working on creating a selection of modern stripes to be part of the book Improv Patchwork—Dynamic Quilts Made with Line and Shape, when I stumbled upon the idea of mirrored stripes. Basically, the stripe mirrors itself with matching colors on either of a center color. I thought it might be fun to make a minimalist quilt using just those stripes.
HAPPY SUMMER TO ALL STITCHERS!
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” John Lebbock
Last week, I had the amazing experience of teaching at the Slow Stitching Retreat in Washington, Maine. It was so super cool that I would like to tell you ALL about it. I hope you can feel and see the goodness of this event. |
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First of all, I would like to introduce you to Sam Hoyt of a Gathering of Stitches. The Slow Stitching and Slow Fashion Summer Retreats were dreamed up and manifested by Sam. Sam’s vision is to create a camp style community of makers who come together to enjoy working with three instructors for a week long retreat. |
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But, it is so much more than that! For me, it is reminiscent of what it might have been like to gather for an old school quilting bee. It is all about stitching your truth—finding yourself and what makes you happy within a community of supportive, smart, and sassy stitchers. |
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The event is held at the Medomak Retreat Center in Washington, Maine. Stitchers from all over the United States convened in this exact spot last Monday. |
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Sam begins the event with dinner and introductions. The 36 participants are divided into three groups—Chickadees, Blueberries, and Pinecones. Each group spends a day with each teacher. |
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This means that teachers share their area of expertise with 12 students at a time. Here are the teachers—Kim Eichler Messmer, Bianca Springer, and me. Kim taught indigo dying. Bianca taught upcycled embellished hand work, and I taught improv quilt making. I launched a new class called Fat Curves & Skinny Lines—look for a virtual version of the workshop in 2025! |
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On Monday, I had the Chickadees, Tuesday I was with the Blueberries, and last, but not least, on Thursday I hung out with the Pinecones. Each day was structured to allow for down time for stitching and thinking and maybe even swimming in the sweet lake just a quick stroll away from the main campus |
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At night, many of the students gather in the Barn to work on their projects. Some prep their fabric for the indigo dye vats, some embellish garments using Bianca’s techniques, and some got their improv groove on. The Barn which is filled with music, laughter, and the hum of sewing machines. |
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On the third day of camp we visited the town of Belfast, Maine for some culture and shopping! We all loved Fiddlehead Artisan Supply where it was so cool to see my book on display at the register! |
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The last day of camp was spent focusing on individual projects. Students could hang out at the dye vats up the hill or stitch away at the barn. |
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We ended our time together with a lovely Quaker style meeting circle. Students shared their work and their thoughts about being together. It was pure magic. |
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I want you all to put this event on your bucket list. There is really nothing else like it in the stitching universe. If you want to be in the know about next summer’s workshops, I encourage you to sign up for Sam’s newsletter by clicking this link. I think we all need a slow stitch community experience in our lives. It is for the greater good.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Big Botany is happening this week! We start on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Here are the details.
BIG BOTANY—Abstraction through Color, Pattern, and Repetition
6PM-9PM Eastern Time
Wednesday, July 24, 31 and August 7, 14
Working from several sources of inspiration grounded in the natural world, students will work through a design process that emphasizes sketching, developing color palettes, creating pattern, and problem solving organic construction issues.
Each session is RECORDED and will be available for students viewing for approximately six months. |
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STUDIO SNAPSHOT
Now that I am back home for a decent stretch of time, I am going to get this curvy composition done and off of my design wall. The origin of this quilt is the block I made for the National Quilt Museum Block of the Month program. The theme for this year is ECHO, and I created the improv curved block RIPPLE for the July block. You can get the FREE instructions for making the block here. |
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FLASHBACK PHOTO
Late July is when our gardens start to go crazy with color. My husband is a master gardener and this is just a taste of what our Anchorage garden looked like in July of 2014. |
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May you find your stitching community and lean into that joy.
Maria |
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