Rhonda Bracey: At Random

Day 3 was a consolidation of our work started yesterday. We didn’t learn any new techniques, but that was fine as we had plenty of opportunity to apply the techniques already learnt, and to ask Velda for help at any time. Velda is a great teacher and very giving of her time and knowledge. If you ever get the opportunity to take a class with her, do so.

It was another gorgeous day today, but we were inside for most of it, so couldn’t really appreciate it except on the walks to and from the dining area and the work area, and to the bar at the end of the day (the bartender makes a MEAN margarita — you only need one!).

I handed out the Tim Tams I had brought and the little koalas to all the students in the class I was in, to the three tutors (Velda, Rayna and Robbi Joy), and to Kim and Deb (the organisers). They seemed to be much appreciated 😉 Yolande, who was in my class last year, immediately swooped on her Tim Tams and got stuck into them as she remembered them from last year.

This evening, Kim announced the schedule for the rest of next year and 2014. The spring seminar week will be March 2 to March 7 and the two tutors I’d be most interested in are Sharon Schamber and Esterita Austin. The others are doing more traditional work, which doesn’t interest me as much. The one I’d REALLY like to go to is in June this year, when Susan Brubaker Knapp will be doing a multiple day workshop. But a big Lotto win would have to come before I could do two trips to the US in such a short time frame. The other feature of this evening’s meeting was the display of 30 SAQA 12×12″ quilts. I quite liked some of them.

The food today was as good as usual. Breakfast was the full scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash potatoes, cereal, toast, fresh fruit, fruit juices etc. I had oatmeal and a bacon half sandwich. Lunch was pizza, salad, soup and all the accoutrements, with some sort of dessert (which I didn’t have, but it looked like a cannoli [sp?] filled with a cheesecake filling). And dinner was a pecan crumbed baked chicken breast, with wild rice, carrots, all the salad bits and pieces, and some sort of chocolate, pecan (?), baked pudding/cake dish that was ‘OMG delicious’.

I’ve commented on the photos, as appropriate; click on a photo to view it larger.

Student progress and other photos

Cherrie working on her azaleas (Becky in the background)

Sue T’s pepper (capsicum); the stalk has been tucked and stitched

Susan L and her log; the bark is painted cheesecloth, creating an amazingly realistic effect of moss — in fact, it seems to blend with the carpet.

Susan L’s log; the mossy bark is painted cheesecloth.

Sue T’s cabbage in the first stages of creation

One of several shells — see the photo on the left

Garfish under construction

Autumn leaves

Yolande’s frangipani (plumeria) — Velda helping Yolande with the centre

Butterfly wings

Lily

Scallop shell (on Stonehenge fabric)

Becky’s prickly pear cactus pads

Sara’s lily (with measles!)

Velda and Cherrie — blackmail photo #1 (they know what this means!!)

Velda and Cherrie — blackmail photo #2 (they know what this means!!)

My progress

Painted pieces laid out ready for centre bottom piece

Painted bottom piece added

Pieces machine basted and laid out ready for stitching together

All the pieces stitched together to make one orchid piece

Shading added to the entire piece

Some of the SAQA quilts

This one was amazing, in my opinion

It’s hard to see in the photo, but the little batik squares were two or three layers of reverse applique

See also:

• Day 1: https://sandgroper14.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/quilting-adventures-spring-seminar-day-1-11-march-2013/
• Day 2: https://sandgroper14.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/quilting-adventures-spring-seminar-day-2-12-march-2013/
• Day 3: this post
• Day 4: https://sandgroper14.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/quilting-adventures-spring-seminar-day-4-14-march-2013/
• Day 5: https://sandgroper14.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/quilting-adventures-spring-seminar-day-5-15-march-2013/
• Orchid art quilt: Finished: https://rhondabracey.com/2014/02/13/orchid-art-quilt-finished/