I’m leaving again shortly to visit Q.U.I.L.T. of NW Ark, for a lecture this evening and a two day workshop on picture piecing the Coneflower pattern. Here is the latest sample for that class, just finished.

Coneflower Sample

Coneflowers are so versatile, coming in so many colors and now, even in fancy double versions. It’s always fun for me to see them develop in class.

What a lovely group of ladies I had in the Sioux City Coneflowers workshop! I am anxious to see their finished work and hope that they send me jpgs!

The drive up was uneventful, the day overcast which is perfect for driving, and the array of different shades of green was endless! You would not even believe some of those greens if I put them in a piece of art, they were so vivid! On the way home, I had rain about half the way, but not the vicious torrential rain that makes driving so difficult. It was a good trip.

Since getting back home, after putting away everything from the trip, I have been sewing again. It’s been a long time; I haven’t sewn since finishing the bluebird. and it feels good! Not terribly challenging or exciting, but good. I am working to finish the Coneflowers sample started in the workshop because soon I will need multiple samples for some upcoming workshops.

I’m off this morning to Sioux City, IA to do a Coneflowers workshop and lecture for the Siouxland Samplers! How exciting! 275 miles is much more doable than the 800 to Ohio! They ARE predicting rain though, so I am hoping an early start will keep me ahead of it – please, no tornadoes!!

In the morning I will leave for a two day trip. Monday evening a lecture in Pittsburg, Ks and Tuesday afternoon a lecture in Joplin, MO. I bring lots of quilts and patterns if I am driving, so today will be spent getting those organized; it’s always more difficult packing for two different lectures!

Yesterday I taught a machine quilting class in Topeka, followed by trip prep errands. Fill the gas tank, get money, go to the library and find books on CD, yada, yada. The day before, which was Friday the 13th, (no problems here!) I needed to go to Sarah’s in Lawrence to pick up some quilts for my programs. Sarah’s is my favorite fabric shop in the area so it’s always fun to go there. My husband decided to go with me so we had lunch out and went on to Olathe near KC where I had just heard of a “Homegoods” store I wanted to check out. Cool stuff, I’m sure to go back.

All in all, a busy few days so I haven’t done any sewing other than binding “Grasslands” which was well received at the class yesterday.

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Where did the week go? Where did the MONTH go?? I have taught classes for the last three Saturdays, and while I love to do that and enjoy the interaction, I am looking forward to some uninterrupted working time. After a few weeks of that I will be raring to go teach again. It is so fun and gratifying to finish a class where folks came in with a little trepidation to having them leave saying “WOW! I’m so glad I came, it really WAS fun and easy!” Saturday was a “Coneflowers – Introduction to Picture Piecing” class. Hopefully some will send photos of finished projects that I can post for you all to see, but in the meantime here is my class sample with two completed sections plus a few other pieces not yet sewn.