Saturday was the second day with Jennie (you can read about the first here). I booked up for these classes well over a year ago based solely on the fact Jennie was teaching them. I went to a couple of classes with her back in 2011 and was not going to miss another opportunity! It was about three weeks ago when we finally found out what we were going to be making. Friday's class was lovely - I was absolutely thrilled with what we would be making. I was less enamoured with Saturday's. I don't like basket blocks and this was a basket block. The sample photos looked old fashioned and very "not me".
Newcastle is not a hotbed of modern quilters. I don't know anyone else who would even recognise the difference between a modern quilter and a traditional quilter, let alone call themselves a modern quilter (except my mother-in-law because she puts up with me). I'm not getting into a debate about modern and traditional here, but I know that I am definitely not traditional, but I'm also not a modern quilter through and through. I met a lady at the class who asked me, for the first time, if I was a modern quilter! And that got me thinking about the work Jennie does. I don't think it would fall under the category of modern quilting, but it certainly isn't traditional. But Saturday's class was much more traditional, so I spent a long time thinking about how I was going to make the block and take part in the class, and still end up with something I could use and enjoy, rather than a block that would get stuffed in a cupboard and never used.
Rainbows are always good. And low volume. And some solids. This is what I came up with.
It still needs the flappy bits to be sewn down and tweaked and rolled. But I like it.
This was a day-long class but I had finished piecing my four blocks by lunchtime. During the Friday evening lecture from Jennie, she had shown us a quilt which had got me thinking. If I take the Friday panel as the centre of a medallion quilt, this quilt had perfect corner blocks for the next border. I asked Jennie about them on the Saturday morning, expecting to buy the book they were in. It turns out they are in the book that is out of print ("Tucked up in bed", but due to the font used in the title, it can easily be misread, so hasn't been reprinted). So she photocopied the templates for me and whilst she continued to teach the other 19 ladies the basket block, she taught me how to do the corner block.
Jennie is incredibly generous with her time, and her teaching, very witty, very well rehearsed and professional and a truly lovely lady. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from her I would highly recommend it, even if the end result isn't totally to your taste - the techniques she teaches will open your eyes and you will have a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Newcastle is not a hotbed of modern quilters. I don't know anyone else who would even recognise the difference between a modern quilter and a traditional quilter, let alone call themselves a modern quilter (except my mother-in-law because she puts up with me). I'm not getting into a debate about modern and traditional here, but I know that I am definitely not traditional, but I'm also not a modern quilter through and through. I met a lady at the class who asked me, for the first time, if I was a modern quilter! And that got me thinking about the work Jennie does. I don't think it would fall under the category of modern quilting, but it certainly isn't traditional. But Saturday's class was much more traditional, so I spent a long time thinking about how I was going to make the block and take part in the class, and still end up with something I could use and enjoy, rather than a block that would get stuffed in a cupboard and never used.
Rainbows are always good. And low volume. And some solids. This is what I came up with.
It still needs the flappy bits to be sewn down and tweaked and rolled. But I like it.
This was a day-long class but I had finished piecing my four blocks by lunchtime. During the Friday evening lecture from Jennie, she had shown us a quilt which had got me thinking. If I take the Friday panel as the centre of a medallion quilt, this quilt had perfect corner blocks for the next border. I asked Jennie about them on the Saturday morning, expecting to buy the book they were in. It turns out they are in the book that is out of print ("Tucked up in bed", but due to the font used in the title, it can easily be misread, so hasn't been reprinted). So she photocopied the templates for me and whilst she continued to teach the other 19 ladies the basket block, she taught me how to do the corner block.
Jennie is incredibly generous with her time, and her teaching, very witty, very well rehearsed and professional and a truly lovely lady. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from her I would highly recommend it, even if the end result isn't totally to your taste - the techniques she teaches will open your eyes and you will have a thoroughly enjoyable day.
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