Saturday, August 13, 2011

Phat Quarters Classes


Home from a wonderful trip to a charming town, Galena, IL, and a most welcoming shop, Phat Quarters!  The shop, above, suffered severe flood damage right before our scheduled event, but fast work, Jane and her intrepid staff managed to salvage inventory and move to a new location right on the busy Main St. in time to host our event. 

Classes were held in the new front room of the shop, with big windows and plenty of room.  Now that we have left, they can proceed to setting things up and arranging inventory, decorating, etc.  They were flying by the seats of their pants, with an old cash register, no computers, but none of us complained at all. 

We had two days of great classes, fun, excitement, and success!  The charming shops and restaurants were all on the same street, and in the beautiful summer days there we took advantage of it all.

Feathers were amazing, stitches improved, students were smiling.  I thank everyone in class and especially the staff for making this happen.  If you are in Galena, stop by their new place and see what's going on.  Fabric not damaged is on killer sale, great bargains to be found.  And yes, they have Berninas!

I stayed in a hotel at the outer part of town and it had the most perfect carpet that included scrolls, feathers, leaves, and spirals, and of course the ubiquitous tendrils, below.   Perfect to set the stage for class as I unpacked and regrouped before my lecture the first night, with vintage 35 mm slides.


I arrived home Wed. night thinking I just might have time to bid on my AAQI quilt online and own it myself, but by the time I got to it the auction was over.  Thank you all for your bids and support, and congrats to the final bidder who will receive this quilt.  I think it is one of my favorites, and I hope it will be enjoyed for a long time.

"Mourning Too Soon"

Teaching with talented quilters gave me many ideas and inspiration, and now I hope I can find some time to work on a few long delayed projects. 

Oliver of course scampered his little heart out when I arrived home, then settled down for unpacking and sniffing everything from foreign lands, well, IL at least, and purred in contentment as we rested and relaxed. 

Monday he will be two years old, and we must plan a party.  He is still a Vegan, although he has been licking the remains from melted frozen custard in my dish, his first real people food, definitely on the path to becoming a bona fide Cheesehead.  He is a cautious boy.  He much prefers corn husks, raw green beans, and any veggie. 

Thanks again to my Galena students; it was such a pleasure getting to know you in class.  Don't let too much time go by before you quilt some of the techniques at home.  Repetition is the key.

Keep quilting!  Your work gets better every day.

Diane


7 comments:

Dawn said...

I love Galena - it is a beautiful place - lucky you. Your auction quilt was a great success. Thank you for sharing!

Diane Gaudynski said...

Thanks Dawn. Yes, the auction itself was a great success thanks to all who bid on the quilts. They are a part of history in this landmark exhibit that started it all, and the auction raised a nice sum for further research.

I love Galena! We are planning a vacation day there soon. The houses, history, shops are all amazing. You can tour the home of Ulysses S. Grant, total Victoriana. I think there might be a "ghost tour" as well. It's also fun to go there in the fall and into November when all the Christmas lights are up.

antique quilter said...

Glad you had fun sounds like the perfect place to visit! congrats on your auction what an honor it would be to own that quilt I am sure the winner will treasure it.
As always I love seeing your quilts, always inspiring to me
Kathie

SewCalGal said...

So sorry to hear the quilt store had problems with pipes, but glad to hear your class was a success. I'm sure they all enjoyed it and quilted beautiful feathers.

Please give Oliver a birthday kiss for me.

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Diane Gaudynski said...

Thanks SewCalGal, Oliver is getting extra kisses today, his 2nd birthday!

The town of Galena flooded with a deluge of 13" rain in a few hours. The flood gates were closed, but water rose, streets flooded, cars washed away. Two people trapped in their cars in nearby streets drowned. People were still in shock about the sudden destruction when we arrived a week later, and we had a sudden downpour of 2" rain the first afternoon, more geysers in the streets, but the shop was ok.

It was quite an adventure, but the new location is high and dry and we had a great event. Yes, the feathers were gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Diane, Thank you so much for a wonderful class. I can't stop thinking about it and tell everyone what a GREAT.. teacher you are. This was the best class I have ever taken. You were so kind to share all your knowelge with us.
Everyone in the class was so friendly. I enjoyed meeting and exchanging emails with new friends. Thanks again for a wonderful time. You truly are the Best of the Best !!!
Geri

Diane Gaudynski said...

Geri, thank you so much for the lovely comment. I also enjoyed meeting everyone in class, working with all of you, and laughing so much. I think that is very good for us! And of course, quilting. It was a very special group, definitely.