Quiltober?

I am definitely enjoying the fall season and the weather has been keeping me outside in the sunshine. So that has kept me away from my computer! But the weather is only one excuse! We also had a wedding! My son Steve married his best friend, Christa! What a wonderful day it was on a  lovely llama farm! To have all of my children, their spouses and my granddaughter all together was truly a blessing. One picture!

This fall I have been concentrating on my villages, not just creating my own but teaching others to learn the process and have their own fun in the creation. I have been given permission by the originator of this technique, Karen Eckmeier, The Quilted Lizard, to teach it to others. She is an amazing teacher as I have said before so I was so happy to get her blessing. So many people have been asking about it since my villages were on display at the shop. I have had two classes of 15 students total who have been inspiring me as I teach! There are some pictures below of some of the villages. They had a choice of Christmas, a lakeside village, a Halloween setting., or whatever village they fancied. 

I just love watching my class participants go from "how in the world does this make a village?" to "wow, it is starting to look like a real place!"  Just Saturday, one participant was already out in the shop looking for flowers to fussy cut and others brought some amazing Christmas and Halloween fussy cuts. Look at the Santa and snowman above bottom right! Notice the fussy cut trick or treaters in the Halloween village! 

I was super excited before the most recent Saturday class even began as I received a text message from someone who visited our shop this past summer during the hop. She wanted to get my information to see if I might be able to come to PA to teach there sometime. And then today I was surprised by a lovely newsletter addition by Karen herself. I am humbled!

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More student work below:  Star Storm minis by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. I personally love this pattern. Designed so perfectly to piece easily if you are patient. These students hit the mark! I love teaching and sharing. As crafters or quilters, who are you passing the passion to? For me, this passion is a stress reducer  and therapist. What does it do for you? 

I have also been playing around with some of my wedge rulers of varying degrees trying to make villages using them. I have made Halloweentown and I am finishing a Dia de los Muertos village. The Spanish teacher in me keeps returning to this important remembrance festival. Just rewatched the movie Coco again. Inspiration!

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Have you retreated lately? I went to the most fantastic retreat in PA last month called the Circle of Friends Quilt Retreat. The woman who is the organizer runs a tremendous weekend. I met so many new people (19 to be exact) and had a blast! On Facebook there is a group for retreats and I found it there. Are quilters not the best people? I knew no one personally but I went anyway because I knew that I would be among my people. There were four quilters from Michigan who drove all day to get there. Lovely group! A retired seamstress from the garment district. Quilters of all levels of experience and all with something to share. I highly recommend a retreat if you are able. In these difficult days, I was most happy to disappear into an amazing group of crafters and creators for a few days. Check it out on FB. Circle of Friends Quilt Retreat! Tell her Trisha sent you. 

Well. I will leave it there. With only two weeks and a bit to the election, I hope that you all have made arrangements to exercise your right to vote. I voted early this year for the first time since I will be out of town. Where will I be? A quilt retreat of course!

Until later,
Piecefully, 

Trisha