DISPATCH:
A message or report sent in haste, like a journalist’s report from a distant location.


While I may not be traveling to any “distant location” right now, I did end this week a little short on time for any long or involved post. First, I taught July’s 5-Day Live Online Class via Zoom from my studio here in Harpswell, Maine. Second, I gathered together final photos from June’s Maine Revival Retreat at the Harpswell Inn. It’s been a very full week—but as they say, life is good.

My report on the online class will be written soon. My report on the Harpswell Inn class is ready to be wrapped up with today’s post—a collection of photos sure to entertain you—images of impressive fabric collage artwork that students brought with them to show and share during class, such as LeahGrace Kayler’s loving portrait of her friend Carl and his cat (photo above).

Read previous posts covering this June class in: an introductory photo-filled dispatch; a Part 1 post celebrating the collage projects of the first half of this revival class; a look back to 12 past Maine retreats; and the Part 2 post covering the collage projects of the second half of the class.


Show & Share at the Harpswell Inn

Our show and share moment came on a mid-week afternoon—served with my husband Tom’s world-renowned Maine Wild Blueberry Pie, and my mom’s equally world-renowned cheesecake. That part of our gathering was over quickly.

Click on any small photos to view them larger and to scroll through the galleries.


Let The Show Begin

I’ve been working with LeahGrace Kayler for years online. She is an amazing artist with a beautiful touch working with fabric. What a lovely treat to not only meet her in-person for the first time, but to see her fantastic work in real-life as well.

Joanne Hannon Shaw began this adorable portrait of her beloved Ollie at a Maine retreat years ago. She finished it on her own, capturing her memories of Ollie and his excitement when he was occasionally and happily, dropped off at doggie-camp.
Leigh McMorrow attended Harpswell Inn retreats when I first ran them years ago. Since then, I’ve worked with her online as well. What a talented artist with an intuitive sense of color and a great eye for the use of patterns found in her fabrics.
Cherie Toman is new to fabric collage, but not to art quilting. Her fabric interpretations of Pablo Picasso’s works (woman seated and rooster) are stunning. She brought along other fun pieces including Marvel Comic’s “Deadpool” character quilt and a Halloween village wall hanging.
Sylvie Aguilar is a pleasure to be around both in-person and online. For show and share, she brought along the personable and colorful creatures of her on-going barnyard series—revealing the color coordinated quilting stitches on the reverse of Baaah-brah the sheep and an image of the first she created, a cow, via her phone.
Showtime ended back in our classroom with Ann Carr sharing her in-progress piece of a gorgeous and serene swan—what I see as another of Ann’s fairy tale magical artworks—this one begun in my September 2025 class in Bar Harbor, Maine.
To end this fantastical display of artwork by students in my recent Harpswell Inn class, we return to LeahGrace Kayler and this time, her truly awesome zebra portrait. This pair graced us in the classroom for a couple days as I used them as talking points on the use of color and light and dark values in fabric collage.

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