Torturing My Students

I just got back from a wonderful weekend at The Harbor Star in East Tawas, Michigan. The Harbor Star (above) is a lovely retreat house surrounded by beautiful gardens. I love it there.

I was asked to design and teach a Mystery Class. I love to teach mysteries. In case you don't know, a mystery class is a class where you have no idea what kind of quilt you are making. Often you will have a supply list that gives you a vague idea of the final size and some fabric requirements. Then once the class starts, the teacher will hand out steps or clues one at a time. If all goes as planned, no body knows what the quilt will be until the last clue is revealed. I find this kind of student torture to be very satisfying! They have to trust me and blindly follow my directions. Hee hee. This was made even more fun because my Mother was one of the students. For me, there isn't anything more fun than my Mom having to listen to me, do what I say and not argue. Ahhh.

Okay, I'm just kidding. I don't enjoy torture. Much.

We did have fun. We made a wall hanging with sewing theme. And no one guessed what it was until the end. Except for Kathy. She guessed, but I lied and told her she was wrong. Forgive me, Kathy. It was only to preserve the fun for the class (really for me).

Here's a drawing of the quilt we made. There were also some sewing related applique shapes around the border.

Above is a photo of the students from a previous retreat at the Star. They made the Glory Quilt. This wasn't a mystery, but a regular class. Every one's kit was provided per their color choices. Suzie Sage, the owner of the Star does a fabulous job of picking the fabrics and preparing the kits.

I will be teaching there again in November. See the Harbor Star website for details.