If you ever have a chance to take a class with Rosalie Dace, jump at it. Beg, borrow or steal your way in. She is amazing and I have learned so much, I'm not certain I will ever see (literally, visually) the same again. Nor do I want to.
The class was intense and hard and long and just amazing. The entire time we focused on the elements of design: shape, negative space, color, line, texture. She spent just long enough on embellishments to tell us that many modern art quilts are heavy on embellishment to cover up the fact that they're lacking in design work.
Now I know that I do not have to wait for inspiration to create something. That paper is terribly important to quilting. That you should save every little scrap -- you never know when it might be important. I will work harder on my stitching. She prefers hand stitching. I will never be good at that because of nerve problems in my fingertips. But I can work harder to master my machine.
Rosalie did not try to teach us her style. She told us that we are individuals and must develop our own style. Don't be copies, she said. Be original. Be true to your own life.
I'm tired and will spend the next few days recuperating. I don't think I would have survived if it hadn't been for a happy accident and mixup in hotel reservations. We ended up in a little inn right on Soap Lake, a mineral lake with no outlet. The water is piped into the each room at the inn so you can soak. Oh my. All muscular pains were gone after 30 minutes of soaking. Swelling went down. Wonderful stuff.
I'm glad to be home and back here. I have a lot to do this next week and not much time.
Hugs to all and thanks for the good energy that buouyed me up through the week. I could feel my RCTQ friends with me all the way!
Sunny