One of my guilty pleasures is watching reality television. A new season of
CBS's Big Brother kicked off earlier this summer, and their motto is "Expect the Unexpected." This motto very much applies to being a traveling quilt teacher.
Earlier this week, I was scheduled to lecture and teach for the
Country Crossroads Quilters in Modesto, CA. I anticipated heavy commuter traffic, so I made sure to depart San Jose extra early. As I was driving west along the I-580 Altamont Pass, I noticed a large plume of smoke ahead. I proceeded with caution, as the smoke was growing heavier and darker. The source of the smoke was a decent sized brush fire along the opposite side of the highway. Thankfully, emergency personnel were starting to arrive on scene, and I made it safely to Modesto, with time to unwind from my trip, before joining guild members for a pre-meeting dinner.
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| Screenshots from my Dashboard Mounted Camera |
This was my
second visit with the Country Crossroads Quilters, so it was lovely to recognize a few familiar faces at dinner and at the guild meeting. I presented my Free-Motion CREA-TV and Reality lecture/trunk show and was delighted to be in company with several fellow reality TV fans!!
The Free Motion Quilting fun continued into the next day as I was scheduled to teach a Mod Molas & Bright Blooms workshop. Typically guild workshops are held in churches, community centers, and/or libraries, but again, I need to "Expect the Unexpected." To date, I've taught workshops in an
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| Let's Bowl--I Mean Make Mod Molas! |
I always say that quilters are some of the most resourceful people that I know, and the Country Crossroads programming team found a gem of a workshop venue!! There was ample parking with easy access to the workshop space that had plenty of electrical outlets, lots of wonderful natural lighting, free coffee, a restaurant located in the bowling alley, and an adjacent restroom--all at an absolutely amazing price!!
In addition to a wonderful venue, we had an equally fabulous group of quilters participating in the workshop. While you could hear the sounds of bowling balls taking down pins, and quite a bit of Woo Hoo'ing in the lanes just outside the workshop space, there was lots of focus inside the classroom!! Below are just a few snapshots of each participant's progress on their own unique floral Mod Mola designs, complete with careful layering, stitching, and cutwork reveals!
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| Brilliant Coneflowers |
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| Technicolor Transformation |
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| Glowing Floral Display |
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| Perfectly Placed Cutwork Reveals |
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| Tantalizing Textures |
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| Electric & Geometric Lines |
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| Dazzling Daisy Designs |
I love capturing everyone's concentration during the cutwork reveals!! I've learned to try to wrap up any final tips or announcements before the thread snips come out for the brilliant bloom finales!!
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| Cutwork Concentration |
Many thanks to Patty for being a super organized and fabulous host! Special thanks to all the Mod Mola makers (as pictured below), and those who popped in to say hello!! And thanks to everyone for the warm welcome back to this talented and fun quilt guild!!
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| Country Crossroads' Mod Mola Makers |
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