TEA (LEAVES) ANYONE?

This past Saturday was an awesome day.  I attended Buffie’s Tea Leaves class at the Attic Window Quilt Shop.  Buffie heads up the Happy Scrappers Bee and has a great eye for color and design.   Above she demonstrates as she talks about color and contrast and value and gradation.

Here,  Buffie shows us her quilt that drew all of us to the class.  Isn’t it beautiful!  I’m used to bright fabrics, but I love the subtle shades in this quilt and am anxious to understand her technique and thought process.

Buffie shows the group how to make the tea leaves using the starch and freezer paper method.  By the way, there is also a tutorial on my sidebar for the freezer paper method.  Just click on the witch’s feet and it will take you to all the steps involved.

Rosa shows us her first tea leaf.  Looks perfect to me!

These are Stephanie’s leaves.  She has a good start on the 260 leaves that she needs to make the quilt.

These are my leaves.  I’m not using all yellow in the quilt.  I started out using only 30s fabrics and Buffie suggested that I add other lines of fabric.  So I started with my pile of yellow fabrics.  It’s a wonder Stephanie and I got this much done as we spent a good part of the day laughing and socializing!  It was so good to see her again.

Adrienne is using these beautiful oriental fabrics that she got when she was in Japan.  She said it will be a small wallhanging with a single color background.  I can’t wait to see how this turns out.  It was so great to finally meet Adrienne.  We had been corresponding via email for some time, but had never actually met face to face.  What a joy she is.  I love her sense of humor.

 Above, Peggy, Buffie, and Adrienne enjoy a little chat.    

 Rosa looks serious!  Wonder what she's up to?

Stephanie (in pink), Lee Ann and Brenda (far right) get ready to make leaves.

This was such a fun day.  It was therapy for me.  It was so much fun talking and laughing with everyone. I was thrilled that Stephanie came up from Kalamazoo to spend the day with us.  She is such a dear and it had been a while since we actually got to sit down and talk.  She is a joy to be around.  Just talking to her and Adrienne and Rosa and all the others helped me get rid of my stress.  And that Buffie…well what can I say.  She made me a paper piecing addict and now she's making me a Tea Leaf addict!   I didn’t want to go home, but it was time for the shop to close so I got booted out!  It was a fun class and many thanks to Buffie for being such a great teacher!

Stephanie took more pictures than I did.  Hop over to her blog, Peas In A Pod,  and see what she has to say about our “therapy” day and about the Modern Quilt Guild we hope to get started on this side of the state.  I agree with Stephanie, the day filled my soul! 

On another note:

I think most quilters love cats!  I know I do, and was excited when I visited the Crazy Creek Quilts site and saw all the free cat quilt patterns. 

Until next time,
♥
Stay Calm! Stay Kind! Stay Positive!
Caroll