Happy Thanksgiving! (to those here in the U.S., at least.)
I suspect many of you are missing your loved ones today as we hunker down and stay safe during this pandemic. We have planned a “drive-thru” Thanksgiving, where our local relatives drop by to pick up a take-home Thanksgiving meal and visit for a short time outside and at a safe distance (read more about our plans here). It will, however, take place on on Friday, today is expected to be rainy.
In any case, Thanksgiving is a day that, possibly more than any other holiday, is about family gathering. A big part of that is getting the chance to remember and tell stories about those who are no longer with us. Though not the main point of the post, today’s Throwback Thursday features a gallery of family members, specifically my parents (above, who are both still with us), both sets of my deceased grandparents, and my father-in-law Dain (gone 5 years). (A much-younger and beardless Tom also makes a cameo.)
Tom’s dad was a lobsterman and ran a lobster wharf that his own father had built. That place was Dain’s life. Because we had to split up our Thanksgiving day between different sides of the family, Tom always made sure he visited his dad down at the wharf on Thanksgiving morning. Dain held court in the “white building”, a fish house with a propane heater and filled with rusty tools and fishing paraphernalia. Even in the off-season that was where you could find Dain every morning having his cup of coffee.
So while we Zoom-meet and wave from a distance with our relatives we’ll also think about those who are gone. These quilts will help us remember them.
Quilt Stories: Dain and the Piece of Fabric that Changed My Life
Thursday Night in My Studio Live!—December 2020 Zoom Presentations
Smart Phone Quilt Photography: December 10, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time
You don’t need to be a professional and have lots of fancy equipment to take good photos of your quilts. Take flattering photos of your quilts with the camera in your pocket: your smart phone! This presentation will expand on a blog post covering this topic, so read up on the hints and techniques here, then attend the live presentation featuring Tom and I as we walk you through the steps and answer any questions.
Thursday Night in My Studio Live! 2020 Wrap Up with Student Gallery: December 17, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time
This free Zoom event will wrap up our 2020 Thursday Night presentations and feature collaged works from attendees (or those that have purchased the videos after the live event). If you created a collage based on or inspired by our Thursday Night presentations (22 of them so far!), please submit photos at whatever stage they are at. Use the link below to submit your work and a bit of info about them. Be sure to mention Thursday Night in your submission. Learn how to take a super shot of your quilt—or in-progress work—on December 7th’s presentation, then send in those photos for this year end Thursday Night Wrap-Up fabric collage show!
Submit Quilt for "Finish Line"
I’ll also share what I’ve been working on and what I have coming up in the new year, which includes new ways and new opportunities for learning fabric collage.
A reminder that we are continuing the offer of a Pandemic Collage Coping Free Pattern. Get your free pattern by visiting the Patterns page—susancarlson.com/patterns/—and using this Coupon Code:
goawaypandemicfreepattern
Be sure to click Apply Coupon before proceeding to checkout. Those who used the previous coupon code for a free pattern can use this one for a new free pattern. And if another pattern or two catches your eye, you’re welcome to add it to your Shopping Cart. 😉 One free pattern per customer. Offer expires December 31, 2020.
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Spiral eWorkshop
Wondering if fabric collage is for you? This eWorkshop is intended for beginners in fabric collage. The spiral project is simple, low stress, but still teaches the basic techniques of fabric collage. It also serves as a handy refresher course for those with more experience.
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Sea Turtle eWorkshop
Learn fabric collage with Susan Carlson. Each step is clearly written, illustrated with photos, and demonstrated with video. Learn with a Sea Turtle then launch into any fabric collage project you wish.
Fabric Collage Master Class
For instructions on the entire fabric collage process, you can purchase the Susan Carlson Fabric Collage Online Master Class Manual. Using video, photos, and text I take you from soup to nuts, beginning to end in creating your own fabric collage masterpiece.
Serendipity Quilts for Sale
$29.95 plus shipping. Full color throughout. Four complete projects, start to finish, of increasing complexity. Learn fabric collage with this book.
Love the “Dain” story. Your technique twist and turns are very interesting.