Beth Ferrier’s Blog

While I love teaching almost as much as breathing, sometimes its fun to be the student. My favorite classes are in areas that use techniques that are new to me. Traditional quilting styles are comfortable for me, classes that stretch those limits are a welcome challenge. It’s a reminder to me what it feels like to be a beginner. And, it’s always interesting to see how other teachers conduct their classes. It’s a blessing to have a wonderful guild nearby, the Saginaw Piecemakers, that brings in exciting teachers from all over the world.

Sue Spargo makes brilliant quilts in the primative style. I love that while her designs are charmingly folk-art, her fabric choices are not at all the traditional drab and dreary browns of that style. This is the class sample. Darling, isn’t it? Click on the picture to order a kit to make one of your very own, just like Sue’s!

We met at the local quilt shop, Saginaw Quiltworks, for a laid-back and gently paced day, a big change from the hustle and rush of so many things we do each day. Here Kim Clare (left) gets a lesson from Sue on how to couch fibers. Kim loves wool so much that she grows her own, how cool is that?

Even though I swore that I was going to work from my own considerable stash of wool fabrics (embarrassingly large, since I rarely use wool in my own work, but I might some day!), I found the vibrant fabrics, trims and embellishments that Sue brought to be irresistable. She enabled me to add considerably to my thread stash by introducing me to a new fiber: a wool and poly blend that I could use in my machine as well as for hand work. The colors are simply delicious!

The class was sometimes very quiet as we concentrated on cutting our pieces out. How could we talk with our tongues stuck in the corner of our mouths? Other times we had too much fun giggling and visiting, swapping bits of wool for bits of thread or beads. My own table mate, my good buddy Cyndy, did her best to keep me out of trouble.

Sue encouraged us to personalize our version of her design. For some strange reason, no one in class was surprised to see that my project took on a life of its own. What can I say? I suffer from the “what if?” gene. I have lots more handwork to do to stitch the motifs in place. I’m looking forward to an evening of feather stitches to fill in the ferns. Thanks, Sue, for a delightful day with friends and fibers.