Challenging is good – sometimes growth is hard.

I haven’t blogged in a bit, which is unusual for me, but life has been crazy-dazy!  In the middle of August I took a Nancy Crow workshop in Muskegon, Michigan.  When there is homework that needs to be completed before the class begins, I’ve discovered that it takes me about a week to prepare.  Then a week of exhilarating & challenging tasks from the master, and then… a week to recuperate and assimilate my new skills.  Challenging is good – sometimes growth is hard.

Keep the eye moving, Salsa. Blocks are 3 pieces and less than 1″ finished

If you are ever in the Muskegon area, they have a fabulous regional museum… the Muskegon Museum of Art.  Beautiful building, gift shop, and galleries.  The best part for me was seeing Nancy Crow quilts in a gallery of their own, and her powerful speech on where her work has come from and where it’s going.  The museum has an outstanding staff and curator, so kudos to all involved.

http://www.muskegonartmuseum.org

The distractions in summer are powerful.  While I always find the pace of a Nancy Crow workshop to be exciting and often difficult (I LIKE my comfort zone!) there were powerful distractions happening when I returned home.  Many are aware of the floods in Detroit this summer.  My sister-in-law had 2 feet of water in her basement and lost miles and miles of beautiful quilting fabric.    We live some 30 miles north of that and were having a new roof put on from earlier hail damage.  Yep, water came in the wood sheeting and our upstairs hallway doors were raining.  It’s a little surreal to look up and see your door frames raining onto the carpet and hardwood floors.

Finally, a Rosalie Dace workshop in Ohio last weekend, and fall seems to have arrived.  Rosalie is a delightful teacher, with insight and tons of inspiration.  Her class on jazzy quilts was wonderful!  I’ve admired her quilts for quite a while and since she’s based in Durbin, South Africa, I knew I wanted to take one of her classes the next time she was in the states.

The wonderful Rosalie Dace

So…enjoying the fall flowers and colors.

Working really diligently to incorporate the things I learned this summer.

Lining up my winter projects, which are numerous.

Looking forward to the classes I’m teaching.

Beth

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