Penny Sanford Porcelains: Four Months Until Ruth B. McDowell!!!

Saturday's immersion in another Mississippi Quilt Association quilting "orgy" has me starting to collect the list of supplies needed for the Ruth B. McDowell Designing from Nature Workshop coming up in late February, 2008.

That is less than FOUR months away! YIKES!

If you are one of the folks signed up for this retreat in East Texas, I'd love to hear from you and follow your progress in preparations!

The Supply List instructs me to make some projects to familiarize myself with Ruth's techniques:

To familiarize yourself with my piecing process, make one or more of the projects from Pieced Flowers, Pieced Vegetables or When Quilters Gather. Read the directions and then follow them carefully. If you are planning to use curved seams in your own project, it is especially helpful to make one of the curved seam projects from the books.

Oooookkaaayy... Now I'm nervous! Thankfully, there are at least two other Mississippi quilters also going to the workshop, February 24 - 29, 2008!

I'm going to have to work hard to get "one or more" Ruth projects finished before then!

If you have taken one of Ruth's workshops, please let me know. I may need some help to get these projects finished.

If you have made some quilts inspired by Ruth's technique, please share a photo. I need inspiration and help getting over my "newbie fears".

Remember that piecing does not come naturally to me. Applique and I sing in harmony, but piecing has proven to be challenging for me. It must be a right brain/ left brain thing.

Soon after the workshop was announced earlier this year by Stitchin' Heaven in Quitman, TX, all the places sold out.

I now see on the website that two places are available! A couple of folks must have had to regrettably change their plans.

That invariably happens with any event... but it opens up a couple of spots that might be filled by some of my new quilting friends! If you grab one of those spots, please let me know!

In the months since signing up, I've been collecting Ruth's books. I'm still trying to find some of her out-of-print books.

It is going to be VERY difficult to decide on "one or more" of her projects to get started!

THEN, I have to decide on which fabrics to take for the class! (Well, darn, I guess I will have to buy some more fabric! That's a bummer! *wicked grin*)

I played with and petted more of my fabric stash today, but not enough to take a photograph to share with you. Two freshly-washed Westies and some soft pillows lured me into a delicious afternoon nap.

The biggest challenge will be narrowing down the ideas or designs I want to create in fabric! I've never participated in an intensive, five day workshop like this before.