Sewful Halloween

I spent thirteen hours in Woodlawn last Wednesday - Halloween - and it was a lovely day. I began the morning at the YWCA's resource center teaching my quilting class and then the two students and I moved over to DISCO to keep working. Michelle and Sharon made great progress on their quilts, though Michelle was a bit flummoxed by the hand-quilting after becoming a sewing machine master. She wasn't in class today because I believe she was getting the cast taken off her ankle, but I joked with Sharon that perhaps she had given up on the quilting class now that she couldn't use the machine any more. As soon as I'm able to get some walking feet for the machines, I will happily show the women how to machine quilt. Personally, I'm a fan of hand-quilting. I enjoy making the quilt tops with the machine and then slowing down a bit with the running stitch, a slim needle, a large spool of thread and some scissors.

 

 
Around 3pm Michelle left us and Sharon picked her son up from the school around the corner and we were joined by Ms. Carol. Sharon took off her quilting cap and put on her loom knitting cap and Ms. Carol taught her how to finish off a hat with the loom. My friend Brittany, owner of Molly Green Boutique, stopped by with her 11 year old fashion student Bradford and he showed everyone his fabulous fashion sketches. Bradford has been learning some basic sewing skills from Brittany and Ms. Carol taught him how to make the Hexies, which have become a Bib & Tucker Standard: master the hexie, and you'll master anything.

 
 

 

 

 




Sharon and her son left and Mariam arrived. She and I worked on her To Kill A Mockingbird homeword and once she was finished, we joined the hexie-making group for a little while. Before I knew it, it was six o'clock and time to take Mariam home. I got back about fifteen minutes before Craft Club was to begin. It was the first meeting of the club and we spent more time imbibing than we did crafting, but my intrepid club co-creator, Theresa, managed to work on her bookbinding project despite our gabbing. Tonight marks our second meeting and we've planned an impromptu crochet session. I now spend two days a week in Woodlawn having something to do with a sewing machine and it feels mighty fine.

   

   

108 pillows hanging from the clouds

Tré Lilli wears many hats. This summer, we wore the Art Festival hat and we wore the Custom Order hat and I am very happy to announce that I'm practically finished with all of the custom orders from this summer's festival season. It's been quite the learning curve and now I'm trying on a new hat: the Home Furnishings hat. This holiday season, I'm trying my hand at textile and home furnishing design. To begin with, I've designed 48 pillows that will be showcased at a collaborative show with my father the first weekend of December. Our show is titled EnCHANTment and I am very much looking forward to unveiling the latest from the Tré Lilli studio. Until then, here's a little taste of what's to come...