What a fly-by-summer this has been, whew! Let me catch you up on the fantastic goings-on over the past several weeks.
Sharing a morning at Squam Art Workshops (SAW) with fellow paper-cutters was a thrill! Reading "Instructions" by Neil Gaiman set the enchantment dial on high. Most everyone made paper cuttings of their name and/or inspiring word. Beautiful work was being cut and then unfolded around the room, and the joy was contagious! See below for big smiles and stunning paper cuts, Squam Art Workshop style! Thanks to all who came out to play with paper and scissors.
Speaking of teaching, I'm developing a few new workshops for upcoming events. In September, I'll have a booth at the event hosted by the NYS Quilters Consortium. If your quilt guild is looking for teachers and speakers, this is the place to come!
The date for speaking at the Thumbstall Quilt Guild has been set: April 18, 2017. I'm honored to have been invited to speak to this special group, and am greatly looking forward to meeting them in person.
Contact me at tierneybarden@gmail.com to discuss how I can tailor a workshop for your quilt guild or youth group.
While I was at SAW, I vended at the Art Fair. I'm beside myself at the outpouring of love and support so freely given, and now weeks later, I'm blown away by the magic such talented artists are creating with my fabrics! I've posted some of these amazingly talented people and their work on IG and FB, in case you want to have a look. They're worth it! @tierneybarden
SAW 2016 was as love-filled, fun-filled and inspiring as ever, and for that I thank Elizabeth Duviver, Forrest Elliott and Mindy Tsonas. Thank you for making magic happen.
On the heels of my trip to NH, I turned around and traveled to VT for the 40th annual Vermont Quilt Festival. I wouldn't have missed the opportunity to meet my new friend Trista Dufresne, @trista_deee, and newest member of the festival's Board of Directors! Congratulations Trista!!
The show was a huge success, filled with color, pattern and texture so that I laid awake for hours in my hotel bed trying to process it all. Currently, on IG, FB and the festival's website, you can see the award winning quilts and learn about their makers. Such talent! My favorite part, other than meeting Trista and her beautiful mom, was standing before the large and impressive private collection of antique quilts. These are the quilts that have stayed with me. They will undoubtedly influence the direction in which I move with my own work. In fact, as soon as I returned home from the festival, I set to work reproducing the Strippy Crib Quilt housed at the International Quilt Study & Museum. My finished version is shown below.
My self-imposed challenges were to use only commercial fabrics (yes, I still have stacks!) and to match colors as closely as possible. Mine probably could use a soak in a tea bath just to knock down some of the whiteness, but overall, I'm very satisfied with the results. I couldn't help but notice that I was filled with joy while working on this little gem. Whether that was because of the colors and the design, the knowledge I was using up more of my stash, or the fact that I could relax and just make (afforded when sewing someone else's pattern!) is hard to determine, but the whole experience left me wanting to make more of my own versions of antique quilts.
Ideas are forming, the sewing machine is humming and the dye pots are brewing. Between traveling, teaching, stitching, dyeing and meeting new friends, I'm enjoying every single day this gorgeous summer has had to offer, and it's far from over!
Say hello to my new SAW friends, Angela, Nancy and Jessica! Love you all!