messy

When I read this comment tonight on C&T's blog from an artist who took my class a couple of months ago, I hooted! A dubious distinction -- but true. "Rayna is the messiest teacher I’ve ever taken a class with…and it is really very fun to just throw the fabric around, glop paint all over and make a big mess (I’m still wearing my gloves though!)" My most recent mess was with soy wax and dyes -- and the six artists in class made drop-dead gorgeous fabrics. I didn't get a picture of Susan Callahan (Chef Susan, who used to post on QuiltArt years ago) but she came up from Maryland for the class and came with her sister Cindy, who is a spinner/weaver ready for something new. Cindy and Susan both have a great color sense -- here are some of their fabrics drying.Cindy is contemplating what to do next and this ended up being the fabric above, right. Brenda Schlechter and Janet Hopkins shared a table and Janet is admiring the fabric she printed with the tjanting after it came out of the steam pot. Sujatha used to do traditional batik in India and wanted to learn to use soy wax, so she came today and had a wonderful time. Sharing her table is Jill Williams, who is moving from traditional to quilting and is soaking up as many surface design and other processes as possible. She's really excited about moving to the art side of quilting and is dying to connect with other "art quilter wannabes" (as she put it) in Northern NJ. If you're out there, let me know and I'll put you in touch with Jill. Here is one of Jill's that we all thought was a beautiful composition. More pieces from everyone, drying on the floor. The colors are simply glorious! Sujatha has already posted the pix of these cotton napkins she batik'd and I hope everyone else will send me images of their work (and what they do with it) when it's finished. I started to write this blog on Sat. night but was too tired to finish it, so it is finally getting posted a day late.