What we Missed this Spring and Making it up with Online Learning

Since the pandemic started, we have missed out on some of the planned events Sue and I hoped to attend. First to be canceled was our Virginia Consortium of Quilters March meeting in Williamsburg.  As their program chair it was hard to swallow as a lot of work goes in to setting up a meeting.  Next to be crossed off the calendar was our VCQ biennial quilt retreat at Smith Mountain Lake, following was a class we were to teach at Artistic Artifacts, and then a new adventure at Red Thread Retreat in rural Maryland with Lesley Riley.  No Northern Virginia quilt show and the realization that we would also need to cancel our VCQ August retreat.  Lots of disappointment.  Plans to attend Threads of Success in Houston in late October are likely also squashed.

On the bright side, so many new opportunities have popped up.  Like many of you, we learned how to use Facebook Live and Zoom and found ourselves in Yoga class, Zentangle sessions with Marisela Rumberg, business inspirational/informational meetings as well as frequenting sewing and quilting professional and group pages which were offering lessons or advice online in a live format.  There was also time to learn new things from YouTube and Vimeo videos.  Like many industries with a history of providing service to customers, the crafters and makers of the world have stepped up to make masks to help protect from the spread of the virus while still keeping their creative inspiration active.  Craft and quilt teachers have adapted to the online platform and some may never return to in-person events again which involve a lot of travel, preparation, toting of supplies, etc.

This spring, we witnessed a vibrant and fun Sheep and Wool Festival as they went online in quick order to make a weekend of fun at the fairgrounds turn to fun online.  They even kept right on going when the server stopped working due to overload and rapidly found a fix to stay afloat and continue online still. Yea, to the fiber artists! Quilt shows like the Quilters Unlimited Show in Northern Virginia also went online, QuiltCon, the modern quilt guild show, announced that in Spring 2021 they will be virtual and with 10 months to plan, no doubt they will be able to put on a fantastic show.  Other Quilt conventions are also announcing plans to hold virtual shows and professional quilt and craft teachers are figuring out which type of platform suits them, some will be live, some may be taped.  All will help fill the void we creatives feel in our lives.  If you have an online opportunity you would like to share, feel free to put information about them in the blog comments.

Last Thursday, Elizabeth took a class on ombre dyeing from Cindy Lohbeck on a platform called liveonlinequiltclass  This class was offered as a four hour live class where the students followed along and dyed as Cindy demonstrated.  You could buy a kit and the class as a package or the class alone if you wanted to secure your own materials. Elizabeth opted for the kit since it included a rack which, she felt, was essential to the process.  Since she is also not in Virginia during the quarantine she needed the dyes and fabrics and other pieces of the kit.  It is nice to get it all in one package but also generous of Cindy to offer the course with use of your own supplies.  You booked and paid for the class on the liveonlinequiltingclass.com website; if you needed other supplies later, such as refill dyes, you can buy them on Cindy’s website handsonhanddyes


The morning of the day of the class you are sent a Zoom link and instructions for a phone or tablet app or a computer.  Half an hour before class you sign on so you can work out any tech issues that may arise.  The class was moderated by another teacher who went over the technology and how to use Zoom; such as how to pin the screen so you only saw Cindy and how to use the chat box.  If you had questions you typed them in the chat and the moderator read them so Cindy could answer. Everyone but Cindy and the moderator was on mute. It all went remarkably smooth.  Four hours was long and exhausting but also fun and invigorating to be involved in something creative lead by someone else.

During class we made two Ombres, one in golden yellow and one watermelon dye colors and one color to color piece where you picked two of your remaining dye packets which would be analogous on the color wheel and where one end is purely one color and the other end is purely the other color with blends in between.  It was very special to learn how to create this technique.  If you think it is something you would like, please get on the mailing list for both liveonlinequiltclass and Cindy Lohbeck at Handsonhanddyes.com   The technology was easy and you won’t be disappointed with all the tips, tricks and techniques you will learn.

Here is the work accomplished during class.  The kit included more supplies for four more to do on your own.

Golden Yellow Ombre

 Watermelon Ombre

 Grape to Kingfisher blue blend

Quilts By Marisela

A student in one of the first screen printing classes we taught a few years ago was a quilting teacher named Marisela Rumberg of Quilts By Marisela.  She teaches free motion machine quilting "brain training" at various venues in the the Northern Virginia area and recently became part of the Studio Fiber Arts group at the Workhouse Arts Center.  In addition, her quilts have been exhibited around the world.  Last night Sue had the pleasure of hearing her presentation "Legends, Traditions and Quilts" at her local guild meeting.  A native of Mexico, Marisela talked about Mayan and Aztec legends and how she has incorporated the inspiring stories of her country's heritage in her quilts.

With her permission to share, I took a few pictures of the quilts she brought to display.

In her presentation, she explained the significance of the "Day of the Dead" celebration in Mexican culture, which corresponds to All Saints Day in Christian traditions.  It is a day of happiness in honor of those who have passed.

The quilt above represents a saying that " a bird in hand is worth a hundred flying", similar to "a bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush".  There are a 100 birds in the quilt, some applique, many quilted into the background, and others in the form of buttons.  Click on the picture for a closer look at her beautiful quilting.

The cardinal quilt is a representation of a visitor that frequented a tree outside her window.

Another example of her work is this quilt which represents the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Below is a close-up of the roses and a better look at her free-motion work.  

Marisela does all her free motion work on a domestic machine without marking.  She teaches at several venues in Northern Virginia as well as offering private and semi-private sessions for a group of 3.  Her workshops and lectures are also available in Spanish.  Check out her website and Facebook page for more info and pictures of her work.  She is an excellent, enthusiastic presenter and teacher!