Sun was out..

..and I got on my bike for the first time in months

Hallelujah!
And here's a fabulous bit of tree-bark to look at

Tired

And wanting to rest a while
Like this pigeon on the Summer House
it was very cold today, and I have not the will to fight the chill..

Another face

With mustache...

Nice Link

Mad About Patchwork

in Canada has a nice post (click on the link) and is going to be stocking my Twelve Trees pattern.. Thanks Pam

Burning Teasels

These have been drying in the greenhouse for ages.. Burning hedge-cuttings, I added these for a spectacular result..

Blocking Pinterest

Until Pinterest decides to clean up their copyright-pinching act, you cannot pin any image from this weblog.
For details of how to sort this on your own blog, try here

Thoughts and Questions on teaching

I posted (and posed)  this to the Quiltart list

"Here's a question for you..  What is the point of teaching (for adults)
I understand why children have to learn (they find it easier, and they need
the information) (this also has Nothing to do with why they go to school)
But why would one teach adults?
Opinions, please"

This thought arose from a conversation with a workshop organiser (and my friend who came with me) about a workshop I studied in last year that was honestly appalling.. the teacher was ill-prepared, incompetent, unhappy, and conveyed no love for her subject (which she was not an expert or enthusiast for).. She could not physically "speak to the room" and mumbled to the nearest person with her hands over her face.. Sad, really, but in spite of her my friend and I had a nice morning.. We were both studiously ignored by the teacher almost all the way through.

The current spate of entertaining stories about good and bad teachers on the Quiltart list has made very entertaining reading..

I know why I teach, but I'm not sure why others would..

For me the primary reason is that I'm good at it, and see no reason why I should not exercise the talent I have.  I spent 14 years teaching martial arts and that taught me to teach the other stuff I do.
I get a lot of repeat bookings.
Then I enjoy it, and my students seem to enjoy what I teach.  My subjects are derived very much from my own work, so I have a deep understanding of the methods and design, and of the places the work comes from.
It's also an important part of my income.
I do have to ration the amount I do, or I get too tired and the other work suffers.. I try not to teach more than about 1-1/2 days a week on average.

It can be very hard work.. When faced with students determined to "beat themselves up" I feel my heart sink.  The ones who genuinely can't do it tend to try; some just want a pat and a biscuit..

So, over to you...

Learning?  That's easy, it's fun, needed, and makes sense in all ways..

Image is one of my students pinning her Blue Tiger Quilt at 8-3/4 months pregnant, determined to finish it!

Roadkill, the next one..

..which is technically in a field, but hey..

More Roadkill

Fragment of paper

Everything synthesises eventually

Accidental face from this dye lot, and most of the fabrics ironed and on the table.  One lot (left in the picture) came out horrible because the description in the shop (100% cotton, I think not..) was wrong.. And the pieces had big scabby holes in too.. I wouldn't mind so much if the stuff hadn't gone up 50% in price too...
The scrumpled bits are a beautiful crimpled cheesecloth-type stuff which I shall use as part of the supplies for my Sheer Delight class on Tuesday next week..

Washing Line

Part the first.. Reds, purples, darks, and blues to come

And the next Accidental Face

Well, while I was out..

I left some dyebaths on the table, and pulled the drop cloth up over the trays to keep the public out and the wet in..Here are the trays

I have made rainbows on a variety of fabrics, then laid treated (with soda ash) fabrics on top to absorb another part of the dyes. Then I put these under the edge of the drop cloth

And went off to teach Trees all day in Suffolk.  Nice class, nice Trees, lovely hall.. Nice lunch.. What more can one ask for..
I am really going to enjoy washing these out tomorrow..
More images when done

The drop cloths are 100% cotton sheets, treated with soda ash and dried, then laid on the big table whenever I do anything the least bit messy.  When the white sheet is (almost) no longer visible, I wash out the cloth and use the fabric.  So far I have made one every two years and they are fantastic.  Here's a quilt I made with one piece, screen-printed and stitched on top of the accidental marks

It's about 3 feet wide and is very simply quilted, mostly irregular lines from top to bottom, with a hand-embroidered sun

Time for bed..