Main House Blog

Marcia Stein Retreat

Marcia Stein samples from Picture This

We were excited to bring Marcia Stein to The Main House in March, 2012. She is the author of Picture This!. Marcia brought with her samples from her book as she showed us how to simplify our photos to be able to turn them into a small quilt. Everyone came with at least one photo and Marcia helped with the decision of which would work best. Then each picture was analyzed for techniques, fabric choices and general ideas how to proceed. Marcia showed several forms of machine applique and encouraged everyone to try several different techniques.

Everyone came with lots of fabric possibilities and all the necessary stuff to have a great time. It's fabric and snacks that kept everyone going!! There was lots of playing, sewing, and eating....great retreat!

We were thrilled to have Lynn come all the way from North Carolina to be part of Marcia Steins's class. Lynn is working on a picture of her boys. It was a great experience for all of us to meet Lynn as she and her hubby have made their home a special place for many special needs children. After 3 children of their own, and then something like 15 more in their home, it was time for Lynn to have a little R & R. She has wanted to do more than just piecing and it looks like pictorial applique is right up her alley.

Gail came with a picture of her granddaughter. After working a long time on getting the hair just right, she is about to put her on a background piece.

Val, who works with us, took time off to take this class. She was working on an El Camino that her hubby bought a year or so ago. When you see her in the shop, ask how it's coming. We really want to see this one finished!

Karen Stone Returns to TMH June 3rd - 5th

Karen Stone quilt

We are so excited that Karen Stone will be returning to The Main House June 3rd - 5th, 2012. Her class gives you a chance to view color and fabric combinations in a way that allows you to mix pattern and colors with confidence. Karen's style of teaching gives you a relaxing opportunity to work at your own pace with her guidance. In her studio class, you will be working on any of her many techniques to create your own quilt.

Karen STone

This retreat will begin Sunday afternoon with Karen's color presentation so that you can begin to understand her views on fabric, pattern and color combination. She brings so many beautiful quilts to share. You will have an additional 2 full days with Karen's guidance as you work in this studio setting on her various techniques and exercises as you create you own quilt.

This event is now fully booked.

When Karen was here last year, the comment we heard over and over was that no one wanted to go home, but would rather continue to work on their project. This year, we will give you the opportunity to spend an extra night after the class so that you can work on your own pace. You will have that evening and the entire next day to enjoy and continue creating. We are calling this the "leftovers" as we will be serving just that for dinner that night. So you can really stretch out this retreat.

Picture This! Retreat with Marcia Stein

Marcia Stein's Picture This! book

The Main House held a Marcia Stein "Picture This" Retreat  March 25 - 27, 2012. Marcia taught students to use their own artistic vision to turn a snapshot into a quilted wallhanging. Then she lead them through the applique process using turn-under, fused or raw-edge applique.

The photo left, is the cover of Marcia's book Picture This! Applique Pictorial Quilts - From Photo to Fabric, which is the book this retreat workshop is based on. (You'll find her Picture This! book on the Creations website.)

We'll have pictures from this fun retreat with Marcia soon.

Sew A Crooked Line Retreat with Alice Kolb

Alice Kolb teaches

We were so excited to have Alice Kolb come to The Main House and lead us thru her "Sew a Crooked Line" retreat. Her opening lecture inspired us all to remember how we started in our love of sewing or quilting. She talked about influences, frustrations, and discoveries on her journey as a thread artist.
Alice takes the simplistic stitches that all sewing machines have and turns them into classic embleshiments with the use of different threads.
Everyone who was there walked away with a new confidence in their ability to just "play" with their stitches, threads and even tension on their machine.

Dancing Threads

This is a closeup of just one of the "dancing threads" samples that Alice brought to show. The thread work is classic and timeless.
She had samples she made 10 years ago and ones she made last week. She uses linens, cottons, silks with classic stitches. Wouldn't you love to be able to wear a garment for 10 years and still feel right in style?

Dancing Threads embellishments

This is a detailed closeup of a vest Alice wore into the shop one day. We said....we need a class...and the "Sew A Crooked Line" retreat was born.
This sample details stitches and windows that show how a plain fabric can be a great base for embellishment work.
We plan to ask Alice to come back and teach this class again, and you want to be there!!!

Charity Sew at The Main House -- January 31st, 2012

We had a great day making quilts from challenge blocks from the 2011 Bluebonnet Shop Hop. We had over 200 blocks turned in during the 2011 Shop Hop and we made a total of 31 quilts today. There were about 20 gals sewing, cutting, and pressing to accomplish this task in just one day. The Studio at TMH was a great place to work with lots of light, music and alot of laughter. We had lunch provided by Creations, and when it was over, everyone was exhausted but felt great about the day.

Barbara Lowry with the feathered star block

One of the gals who came was Barbara Lowry from Kerrville. This quilt was the beginning of the first quilt she made. It was followed with several others before the day was over. This block was a feathered star and it was the only block used in the quilt. It was such a beautiful block that is was just bordered out with fun fabrics.

Isabelle Toliver worked with Julie Seale, Ro Molder, and Mary Sandstedt to create at least 5 (if not more) of the quilts finished during the Charity Sew.

This group of very creative....and fast...gals produced some great designs.. Julie didn't get up from the sewing machine all day and as she stitched the others planned, discussed, cut and pressed. It was fun to watch them work!!

Our thanks to everyone who participated in our Second Charity Sew.

Sew a Crooked Line with Alice Kolb February 5th - 7th

Alice Kolb

We were thrilled to bring Alice Kolb, nationally known educator, to The Main House for a 2 1/2 day retreat February 5th - 7th. Alice is best known for her classic embellishment techniques using altered basic stitches and a variety of threads. Alice's only requirement is that you come with a willingness to try different stitches and techniques.

The class began on Sunday afternoon with an introduction to successful combination of thread, fabric, and needle. The Sunday class even had a private shopping excursion to Creations to gather additional supplies for the next day's class.

The emphasis of the class was on embellishment possibilities in a small sampler technique, focusing on success with thread, needle and stitch choices to create beautiful end results.

Alice Kolb Wearables

Alice produces wearable garments that are truly timeless. The simple elegance of her embellishments are what draws us to them. If you are not interested in making wearables, then her techniques will also work as embellishments for totes, table runners, and small art quilts.

Crazy Quilt by Alice Kolb

This small art quilt is one of our favorites and we just had to show it. Alice has used a variety of fabrics, textures and threads to create this uncomplicated design.

Students had a great time in Alice's class and we'll have some pictures to share very soon.

 

Betsy Chutchian Retreat

Blended Quilts

  We were thrilled to have Betsy Chutchian at The Main House in early December for a retreat.  Betsy brought many beautiful quilts for everyone to see and enjoy.  These quilts show the color combinations and fabric choices used to create a "blended quilt". 

   If you get the chance to take a class from Betsy, be sure and go.  You will learn so much about color combinations and the "blending" of fabrics to create one of these fabulous quilts for yourself.

   Everyone enjoyed the chance to take a few days before the Holidays to relax and enjoy sewing.  Many of the gals sewed late into the night as they all worked on their own version of a blended quilt.

   Betsy was there to give guidance on color and fabric choices.  Many beautiful quilts were well on their way to completion at the end of this retreat.

Discussion about fabric placement

    Kay and Fonza are busy discussing the placement of various prints on the design wall.  Everyone in the class had their own design board which gave gals the chance to stand back and analize their quilts before actually stitching.

     There was always someone with helpful suggestions!!

Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably at The Main House October 9th - 11th, 2011

Brandon advising Sherrie

  We were thrilled to be able to bring Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably to The Main House for a 2 1/ 2 day retreat.  Here Brandon is discussing fabric choices and placement with Sherrie.  The room was full of excitement as the colors came alive.  Students were encouraged to see color, size, scale, and value as they played with simple shapes.

Spectacular Quilts from Simple Shapes book

Danielle and Vicki let us catch them as they were working on placement of the diamonds and sashings.  Many of these gals worked into the night as they stitched together the blocks they arranged during the day.

Kaffe's class

 Irene and Francine are busy arranging and rearranging the fabrics they brought for class.  No matter how much they brought....they still needed to do some shopping at Creations.This class was all about the placement.  Not a machine was to be seen until after the class was over.  That's when they came out and gals started sewing what they had created during the day.

Spectacular Quilts from Simple Shapes
Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably signing books
Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably signing books
Kaffe's class

Quilt Across Texas Bus Trip

Quilt Across Texas Bus Trip

These are the brave gals who went on the first bus trip of the first annual Quilt Across Texas statewide shop hop.  We say "brave gals" because we had never done a bus trip before, but we all made it back safely and had a great time.  Our two day bus trip was based out of The Main House, our retreat center.  Many of our riders stayed with us for two nights and we took the bus out during the day.  In this fast paced trip, we didn't spend much time at each shop, but they all know the ones they want to go back and see again.  Each of our riders is now registered for a chance to win the Region 7 grand prize basket valued at $1,100.00.  Everyone also has a chance to win a finished quilt given away by each shop.

Karen Stone Retreat

Karen

Karen Stone was at The Main House June 12h - 14th for a  2 1/2day class on "What To Do With All That Color".   She certainly has a handle on that as most of her quilts have 100+ fabrics in them.

We started the afternoon with a lecture and power point presentation on the marrying of fabrics and their connection to each other.  She was really able to put into a logical sequence the thought behind color and fabric choices. 

We had gals from Houston, Ft Worth, Midland, San Antonio, Austin, Granbury as well as Fredericksburg and Kerrville.  Karen was extremely generous with her time and talents as she spent extra hours beyond class time with suggestions, techniques, and color guidance.

Everyone had a wonderful time, and gained new color confidence as well as new quilting friends.  We have already asked Karen to come back next June.....and the best news is that she agreed!! 

 

 

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