A Wonderful Kind of Tired

I am back in my studio after 5 days on the road. I had two back-to-back workshops in Belleville and Campbellford, Ontario, which are 4+ hours away from Parry Sound. Lots of driving - thankfully in good weather and mostly in the light.

The first workshop was two days devoted to Colour in Belleville. It meant staying with my ma-in-law the night before and driving the rest of the way in the wee hours of the morning, watching the sunrise.

The second was two days spent in Campbellford turning photos into mats. Campbellford is also a hop, skip and jump from my mother-in-law's, so I drove there after the first workshop and drove from there to the second one.

Both of the workshops - and the groups - were incredible!!! And although it was a very action-packed time - and I do have a bit of trouble sleeping in strange beds - I came home feeling excited and exhilarated.

Between workshops, I tend to forget how amazing they are, and I sometimes get caught up in the preparation ahead of time and the distance that I need to travel to get there. That definitely falls away once I arrive. There is such an energy in these classes that you just get caught up in it and sleep doesn't really matter until you get back home LOL.

I had amazing hostesses in both groups who welcomed me into their homes. Special plans were made for dinners - one out and one potluck - and the homemade snacks and treats were amazing. A little hiccup in the second workshop meant that we had two different locations for the two days, but it all turned out incredibly well.

To a person, the women in both classes were very engaged and eager to learn. They stayed riveted throughout and worked as hard as I did. The material covered in both workshops was new to them and I think everyone enjoyed the explorations that we took into the world of colour and interpreting images as fiber art.

Here are a few pics that I took of the two groups.

The Colour folks in Belleville began with an image they brought and then moved the colours from that image  around an inch mat.

The Photo to Mat folks in Campbellford created patterns from cherished photos and got started on turning them into hooked keepsakes. As you would expect, the subjects were as varied as the participants. (They have promised to share their finished pieces with me, so I will be able to as well.)

Here are a few pics of the early stages of a few of them:

I think the thing I like best about teaching is getting to spend uninterrupted time with people who love this fiber art form as much as I do. And, as I always say, the shortest book ever written would be "Unfriendly People I Have Met While Hooking."

It was a pleasure to spend time with these two groups and we are already planning for next year!!!
Thanks so much to everyone for making me feel so welcome and so appreciated.