 |
| SFQG Mandala Makers |
On Day 2 of the San Francisco Quilter's Guild Quilt Away Retreat weekend, I taught Magnificent Mandalas. The day began with doodle warm up exercises to explore the range of petal shapes and filler designs that could be combined to create original mandala designs.
 |
| Mandala Making |
After we warmed up on paper, it was time to start free motion quilting and doodling on their quilt sandwiches. I took such delight in watching everyone's original mandala designs blossom over the course of the day. Blank quilt sandwiches were transformed ring by ring with free motion quilting, thread changes and cutwork. I was so transfixed by each transformation that I neglected to take more pictures of each mandala's evolution. But here are some of the magnificent mandalas and their makers...
 |
| Blue Tape and a Red Hot Mandala |
 |
| Colorful Stitches and Silk Fabrics to Create an Amish Hex-like Mandala |
 |
| Lace-like Mandala Design |
 |
| Fish Tails and Bubble Quilting for a Tropical Themed Mandala |
 |
| Quiet Meditation and Vibrant Hand Dyed Stripes |
 |
| Moonlight Glowing Mandala |
Here are a few more highlights from the SFQG's Quilt Away Retreat Weekend:
- My SWAG Bag filled with a homemade placemat and zipper bag, along with some other fun goodies!
 |
| SWAG Bag Goodies |
- Participating in the Mini Quilt Exchange. Attendees had the option of bringing an 8.5" mini quilt inspired by the "Back to Nature" theme to participate in the exchange. Everyone could vote for Viewer's Choice, and quilts were randomly distributed Sunday morning. Below left is the mini quilt I made using Lotta Jansdotter fabrics featuring trees, leaves and birds and I took home an exquisite mini made by Cathay K featuring trees, leaves and birds (below right)!! The photo below does not do justice to all the detail work Cathay incorporated into her mini.
 |
| Mini Quilts Made by Me (left) and Cathay K (right) |
 |
| Walker Creek Ranch |
- Experiencing nature at the Walker Creek Ranch, an amazing outdoor school and conference center. The drive in and out was filled with spectacular vistas including cows grazing in the pastures. One evening I went for a walk and spotted a fox, a doe and her two fawns and another fox who came to check out the campfire! The next morning another fawn was exploring near my cabin. Last but not least was two friendly goats who were rather chatty during my morning stroll.
 |
| Fauna of Walker Creek Ranch |
- There were lots of flora to be found too, especially in the on-site organic farm.
 |
| Flora of Walker Creek Ranch |
Many thanks to the SFQG Quilt Away Retreat Committee for including me in your workshop line up and for all your hard work and planning efforts to make the weekend such a fabulous success. Special thanks to all the attendees for welcoming me into your retreat weekend festivities!!
Taking your class at a retreat sounds even more exciting than a regular workshop. Mandalas offer so much room for interpretation. Exciting to see the many ways your students are taking that idea and forging new paths. Congratulations on inspiring more quilters, Mel.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ann...yes the retreat venue was the perfect backdrop for a Zen-filled mandala workshop. So much fun watching each mandala blossom and bloom over the course of the day. More Mandala magic coming up soon!!
Delete