Meet the Teachers
I’m still writing my book which makes for a dull girl! I did get out to the Northern California Quilting Council‘s Meet the Teachers event in Pleasant Hill, Ca last Saturday. We are very fortunate in California to have 2 major organizations that bring teachers together with the shops and guilds that might be interested in hiring them. A Meet the Teachers event is held once a year in Southern California through the Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds and NCQC holds 3 Meet the Teacher events each year.
The event was very well organized by Sherry Werum. Each of 30 teachers had half a table to display his/her wares upon and we each got 3 minutes to present ourselves to the crowd. The guilds and shops have time before and after to talk with teachers individually to decide if it is something of mutual interest. It works out great and for me, almost all of my California gigs come from the Meet the Teacher events.
They yank you right at 3 minutes so you really have to practice your shtick before you present or you will run out of time. It was held the week of July 4th so it was the most lightly attended I’ve seen in the 10 years that I have been going. It was still worth it as I did get one job and several maybes. You get to listen to everyone else’s speech and I wanted to go to everyone else’s classes!
And the really fun part is lunch afterwards. There are no cliques here, just anyone that has the time for lunch goes. It’s a great time to catch up with other teachers. We need to support each other!
Like all guilds, my home guild, the Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild makes and distributes charity quilts. I tick along with 2 a year, certainly not an overachiever but I do want to do my part. This came to me as a pieced top and I just had to quilt and bind it. Helen Hardwick had the fun bias stripped nautical binding in her stash, which added a nice touch.
I have my go-to motif for charity quilts that quilts up lickety-split but looks quite elegant. I did large circles for the borders and I like the way it turned out.
I couldn’t help but post a photo of Baby Boy, seemingly showing his best profile. What a handsome boy! He is growing up fast and weighs in at 46 pound at 5 1/2 months. Definitely not a lap dog. He is such a delightful addition to our family-can’t imagine how we lived without him.
The Rest of the Story
I cut the pieces for this charity quilt several years ago. I took it with me to camp at Zephyr Cove. Deb Winterling pieced the top when she got bored with the projects that she had brought to camp. It sat with my UFOs for a few more years. I donated the top to our guild. You took it home to finish. I saw it on your shelf when our Sisters in Stitches group toured your studio. While cleaning out my sash I found the rope fabric that I knew would make a good binding. It actually took a couple of months to make our connection and get that fabric to you. Thank you for quilting and binding the quilt. Finished, at last – it took three quilters to do it!
Isn’t that a hoot? No telling how long it took to get that quilt done! Love the backstory Helen-thank you!
Such fun to see you and others pictured here… I always enjoy your trips to events and shows near and far. Recognized Rami Kim and her hexi quilt at this month’s NCQC Meet the Teacher, but there are also many new (to me) faces. Great quilting on that community service quilt for Folsom. And you saved the best for last with your sweet little (?) Basset Baby’s proud profile!! ❤️
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it Carol! You would have known many of the teachers there. Basset Baby slobbers a kiss for you.
Can’t wait to meet you at your SFQG presentation in Oct. Anyone in the SF area who is not a member is welcome for a very small fee. I’m a huge fan and recently became a SAQA member. Love your blog BTW!!
Thank you Diane! I look forward to my visit to SFQG too. Great to hear you are SAQA now-you will love it. Hope to see you at the next Regional meeting!
Jenny, can I have permission to use the Meet the Teacher picture in the NCQC newsletter? I have been looking for a good pic of the event and don’t have one. I am in the Teacher pic (Deborah Miller) and am the newsletter editor. Please confirm that it’s ok. It goes in the newsletter, which is online and emailed.
Yes come up please do! I’ll see you at my Guild next month.