Becoming a Quilt Ninja (in under 24 hours)

I was asked recently what was my favourite part of quilting. I quickly replied, the teaching. I’ve been teaching quilting for over 18 years. I’ve had the pleasure of having repeat students and am honoured to to call many of those students friends. I love the enthusiasm of students. While most of my classes take place in my home, I’ve also been known to take my class on the road.  Not so long ago, I was told that the daughter of a friend wanted me to teach her to quilt for her 16th birthday. Trying to find a long weekend wasn’t going to work so we just decided to make a marathon weekend of it. There was the minor detail of having to go to her, in Brussels, with the fabrics & batting. And the small matter of the other 6 people who live at her house, 4 of them children, and whatever else might be going on. So I showed up late on a Friday evening with a carry-on bag stuffed with very little in clothing and a lot of fabric. She decided on a modified Roman coins pattern, with some lovely Kaffe Fasset fabrics amongst other brights. We worked out that we only had about 24 hours total and agreed to get started first thing in the morning. There were people running in and out, meals to be eaten, lots of cups of tea & biscuits, a lot of patience and a touch of ninja to get the right perspective. I think the pictures will best explain how it went:

Learning to cut - Is that the right size?
Learning to cut – Is that the right size?
Rotary cutters are serious business
Rotary cutters are serious business

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laying out the stacks of blocks
Laying out the stacks of blocks
Starting on the second column
Starting on the second column

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press, not iron...
Press, not iron…
And this bit of white is enough to separate the colours...
And this bit of white is enough to separate the colours…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Girlfriend Miss A playing with the scraps
Girlfriend Miss A playing with the scraps
Little Sis Miss B getting involved
Little Sis Miss B getting involved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking a little iPad break
Taking a little iPad break
The end of a day's work
The end of a day’s work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the Chair - The best perspective to rearrange the columns
A little bit of Ninja from the chair – The best perspective to rearrange the columns
Pinning on the border
Pinning on the border

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bubble minkie backing - It's so fluffy! :-)
A bubble minkie backing
It’s so fluffy! 🙂
Showing how to close an envelope finish
Showing how to close an envelope finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well done finish
We did it!

 

Finished in 24 hours!
Finished in 24 hours!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mine! All Mine!
Mine! All Mine!
Miss H, Newest Quilt Ninja

Not surprisingly, she was a wonderful student and did a spectacular job. It is always a pleasure to see the “Ah-ha” moments that come when the puzzle starts to make sense. It was a weekend of information overload and it was interesting to see how the others came in to experience and play as well. Colour and fabric have a way of drawing people in. I’m sure it’s only the start of her quilting career and I’m happy I was able to help her get started. That’s what it’s all about for me, passing on the love of needle & thread.

I’m linking up with the good folks at:

Anything Goes Monday

Do drop in and see the beautiful things everyone else is up to.

Happy quilting!

Hearts 1st Sig White-sm

 

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8 thoughts on “Becoming a Quilt Ninja (in under 24 hours)

  1. Judy says:

    It is so fun when you can share your love of quilting with others. I have been teaching my neighbor to sew and though it won’t be quilts, it is still wonderful to see the light in her eyes when it starts to make sense!

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