Last Saturday, I thoroughly enjoyed the day in Edmonds teaching my Gateway to Mongolia class at Quilters Anonymous. I’ve been a member of this group for almost 20 years, but with my teaching schedule becoming much busier in the last two or three years, I’ve been unable to attend the meetings as regularly as I would like. I was delighted to be invited to teach a class for them. My class of 14 students was a mix of quilters I knew and others I hadn’t met.

We had plenty of room for everyone to spread out. When the Olzii components are laid out for the large 20″ center block it’s great to have enough space for them next to the sewing machine. Small sections can be sewn and easily put back in the right position so they don’t get mixed up or turned around during piecing. Most of my students completed the large block during the class. Here is a sampling of their work.

This Olzii pattern is a traditional Mongolian design, often painted on the door of the ger (Mongolian yurt) and thought to bring long-life and prosperity to the people living there. In Tibetan Buddhism, it symbolizes the universe and unending cycles of life and death. The block looks really funky during piecing, but as soon as it is placed on the background fabric, the Olzii motif pops and you can really see the under-over look of this never-ending knot. As each block was completed, we pinned them onto their backgrounds and oohed and aahed, congratulating the maker. It’s always fun to see the fabrics that students bring to class. Every choice is different and students learn from one another as well as from the teacher.

On Friday afternoon I drove 142 miles to Forks, out by the Pacific Coast in the northwest corner of WA. A couple of years ago, I taught at the Piecemakers Quilt Club and I was delighted to be invited back to teach again. Forks, a logging town, has received attention in recent years as the location of the Twilight series and this has resulted in a much needed mini-economic boom after the demise of logging when the Spotted Owl became a protected species. It is one of the wettest places in the USA with an annual rainfall of around 100″.

I stayed for two nights and was treated to fabulous cooked breakfasts at Misty Valley Inn. Here’s the wonderful view from the dining room complete with Steller’s Jays eating breakfast too.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day with my students whose skill levels ranged from a new quilter to a lady with 60 years of experience! They were an easy-going relaxed group and we had plenty of laughs. I taught my 9-Patch Lattice class – insert a lattice into any 9-Patch block to create an innovative twist and a new look. Here are some of the class samples – Ohio Stars and Simple 9-Patch.

In this detailed shot of my Monkey Wrench sample, you can see the lattice more clearly. It’s fun to experiment and vary the colors in the lattice strips.

Here are some of my students at work. It was spacious room with excellent lighting and everyone had their own large table.