Gwen Marston - It's a Wrap

Photo heavy, word light.  Here are the shots of some work in progress pieces and some finished results from our workshop.  With 20 people creating in one room, there was a bit of sensory overload for me.  I kept focused on my piece and soaked up so much from those around me.

Matt - Seattle Modern Guild.  You should stalk him on IG  @odditease  Everyone tries to pull their hands out of the shot.  I happen to like them in the photo, after all, these are the hands that created the piece that we are enjoying.

Finished? not quite.............

Matt finished and if you check out his IG, you will see the hand quilting he has going on.

Making parts....

Auditioning background colors.  Vera worked her pieces from lots of yellow/green on the right to lots of pink/turq on the left.

Finished the abstract piecing and onto making Liberated Stars

Sally and Mary came up from Seattle to say hello, and lucky for us, Sally brought her corduroy quilt.

LeeAnn and Merry.  Square in a square by Merry, cherrywood fabrics.  Still in process, as a fabulous border showed up a bit later.

Leah M&M for size reference.

She rocked the small piecing and created some wonderful patchwork.

Finished composition. Such lovely work!

Paula with her Mexican Hat center and liberated rounds, medallion style.

Cheryl - we realized we have taken 3 different Gwen workshops together. She has good taste in teachers *vbg* Don't you just love this? She did the patchwork, then cut her big square in 4 to make the outside triangles. Her sewing buddy had some great advise. Stay stitch just beside the cutting lines "before" you cut on the bias. Still more to happen, but not enough fabric or time to have a finish.

Justine rocked the hour glass block with brights all around.  This piece is so lively. 

Fern, as in IG @fern_royce, or www.fernroycequilting.com came up from Berkley to partake in Gwens last blast class.

Fabulous work.  She teaches and lectures.  Check her out!

Ferns sewing buddy, who's small 4 patches took my breath away.  I just had to go make a block for reference.  I love the partial seam technique she used to surround the center. 

Elizabeth continued on a current project she had.  Such good colors in this piece.

Mary green lib log cabins

Gwen shared so many techniques and here is a collage of processes.  Marilyn now has the best note / sketch book to take home.

Merry shared a wool quilt she finished.  I love a good churn dash.

LeeAnn aka NiftyQuilts working on the floor.

Nifty had the floor with her wool strippy.  Is is recycled? or upcycled now?  I just know its a great quilt and someone will be lucky to get this.

Norma also pulled out the hourglass medallion theme.  Love the curves added in the first round.  There's more to come on this piece, but again, time got the best of us.  Norma and I have also been in several of Gwen's workshops in the last few years.

As Gwen continued to show techniques, the work became more complex.  I see Maui when I look at the piece on the right.  Such great colors.

I call this one Vision Accomplished.  I had an idea in mind; sea glass  I came with a stack of fabrics that worked with my newly painted condo and I managed to see it through to fruition.  Strings on the right were from the strip ends.  They have made their way into another piece already.  When the iron's hot, right?

Gwen and I, our last hurrah............

And like the fields of Snow Geese that I saw while leaving LaConner,  Gwen drove away.  It was a bittersweet workshop, knowing that she has truly retired. 

I asked her if she considered taking up quilting in her retirement, she replied, "I've thought about it"

Gwen, thank you for empowering so many of us to find our voice, to be confident in our decisions, and to defend our work.  You are a true gem in this industry and in this world.

Thank you
Sharon