Ricky Tims Super Seminar -- The Quilts!

I should have taken MANY more pictures, but I was really overwhelmed with how awesome everything was.

Alex Anderson had several beautiful quilts, but this one I really loved. She hand quilted the entire thing. It wasn't too big, but really a beautiful scrap quilt.

Ricky Tims brought his quilt called 'Simple Gifts' ~ this is the one that came in 101st out of the 100 Best Quilts list. It's really spectacular! He talked at length about the methods he used on this quilt and in the bound handout, he gave us some very detailed techniques.

Ricky also had his quilt called 'Bohemian Rhapsody' This quilt is really amazing, we spent a great deal of time learning about Rhapsody quilts.

Ricky even had his notes on the Rhapsody quilt that is hanging in the Museum in Paducah Kentucky.

Libby Lehman's quilts had the most spectacular threadwork. She was so funny, and it was amazing to me how much she knew about all the different sewing machines out there.

And finally, my son was so excited about Ricky Tims that he drew his own version of a Cave man quilt (Ricky Tims invented the technique Cave Man quilting). He made me promise I would bring it in and give it to Ricky Tims.

Ricky was so great about it! He even kept it with him all weekend and on the third day, when I was working on stage I turned around and found that he still had it with him.

This was a GREAT seminar and I highly recommend it to anyone who considers it. Don't hesitate, drive as far as you have to, just GO!

Cheers,

Dionne

Ricky Tims Super Seminar -- WOW!

I recently volunteered at a Ricky Tims Super Seminar. At first I was a bit skeptical about going to this event, it's not cheap. It lasts two and a half days ~ or three very long days if you volunteer.

My skepticism started when I was told that there would be no sewing. This was going to be an affair

that was entirely spent sitting down, listening to or watching Ricky Tims, Libby Lehman, or Alex Anderson speak and sew. I am a pragmatist. If I'm going to spend that much money and time to attend an event, I really wanted something to show for my time, as in some sort of ... well, something that I created as a result. Evidently, I wasn't giving the added knowledge any kind of merit.

As a

volunteer, you are compensated with a certificate to spend at the Ricky Tims store and the opportunity to see all the work and effort that goes on behind the scenes to put on a seminar of this caliber. Any discount on the entrance fee is only the same one offered to all participants, if you sign up as a group you get a modest discount.

In order to make my decision, I polled everyone I could find that went to one of these seminars and they all said the same thing - GO!

So, I went. I also volunteered. I'm SO glad I did. The amount I learned from these three amazingly talented artists was beyond measure. Also, I found out so much about their personalities as well. They really are funny. Even Alex Anderson, had a constant smile and an easy laugh.

Libby Lehman and Ricky Tims both rolled their sleeves up and worked just as hard as all the rest of us at pulling things off the truck and getting them set up. And then again at the end of the show, in tearing down the set and putting everything away. Libby Lehman had her ankle wrapped from a recently recovered broken ankle, yet she was there first thing in the morning and nearly the last to leave. She is also an absolute riot! She is just so very funny!

Sadly, the seminar won't be coming again to our area for a very long time. But if I ever get the chance to take another class with Libby or Ricky I will RUN to be the first in line.

I did learn a lot from Alex Anderson, and she was very gracious and kind. But I'm not a hand quilter.

I'll post more about the conference, and some pictures of some AMAZING quilts.

Cheers,

Dionne

Red Onion Class with Karla Alexander

I'm back from my trip to Sisters, Oregon.

It was a marvelous family vacation actually, we stayed at a golf resort in a nearby town and there was plenty to do for my husband, my teenage daughter as well as for my younger children. And of course, I was in hog heaven!

On Monday I had the only class I took during the week. It was with Karla Alexander. Although she has written many wonderful books, the one that we worked from was Stack a New Deck: More Great Quilts in 4 Easy Steps

Her example was done in Batiks of deep purples, taupes and light greens. My photograph really doesn't do this quilt justice at all!

Karla had so many helpful examples and handouts, that this class turned out to be one of my most successful classes ever! I was really excited about all the great tips and tricks I learned in addition to the actual technique she was teaching.

Not only that, she was a real

interactive teacher. She even took her shoes off and got on the floor with one attendees blocks and really worked one on one with us! It was a brilliant class.

I also wanted to give you a little taste of how different all our work was.

Everyone in the class chose to work with batiks, but I think this quilt would look just as nice in a variety of different fabrics.

I chose all teals and chocolate browns. I was the only one of all the students who worked in a light/dark pattern, similair to the way the example quilt was designed. My

squares are in the first photo of the student work, lower left corner. I only have five squares up at this point. I later took all my squares off the design wall to give other students more space. I knew I wouldn't be finishing my top that day.

Cheers,

Dionne

PS - Kristen you'll have to wait for your pics!