You should know, I’m a little impulsive.
So when Sarah @ {no} hats in the house said she was coming to Orange County, California and doing a workshop on her diamond wedding ring quilt, it didn’t take much convincing for me to decide to do the 7 hour drive (each way) to go take her workshop. (P.S. California is really big.)
I left last Thursday, and about 2 hours into the drive, realized I’d forgotten my suitcase at home. I had my sewing machine and fabrics though, so decided it wasn’t worth heading back home. Once I arrived in Laguna Hills, I did some quick shopping to pick up the essentials and some clothes and was only 15 minutes late to Sarah’s lecture at the Beach Cities Quilt Guild where I managed to not steal her quilts, barely. For the record, this is a new low for me as far as unpreparedness goes. But bonus points for not “borrowing” one of my favorite quilts ever!
The workshop was on Friday and Saturday, and the women who were attending were really amazing and welcoming! They were curious about the whole “blog thing” and how it is that Sarah and I knew each other but had never met. “Is it like a online dating thing?” Something….like that, I guess!
We started out piecing together one of the diamond/gemstone blocks. This is where I found out just how insane Sarah really is. This block is 4″ finished, and has 96 pieces. When she handed out the pattern I honestly thought she’d used “fit to page” incorrectly on the pattern and it’d micro-sized it.
After my brain came to terms with the size, it actually wasn’t that bad at all, but I’m still in utter awe that Sarah has made *81* of these gemstones for her various DWR quilts.
The coolest part was getting to see the gemstones start to come together in all the different colors. The design I’m playing with requires a rainbow of gemstones (of course) but I started with the yellow one.
I’m using Oakshotts with Kaffe shots to supplement, and I even threw in a little duponi silk I had from a quilt show a few years ago. I really love how great the blocks look when they’re done!
After we each completed a gemstone, we worked on the arcs for our DWR quilts. I’m doing dark and light grey rings, and I can’t decide if I want a dark/black background or a lighter neutral for the background.
I figure I have a while to decide given that I have a few more gemstones to make. 😀
One of the highlights of the weekend was getting to hang out with Sarah! We had a lovely no-really-it’s-not-like-online-dating Valentine’s Day evening together where we watched the sun set at Laguna Beach, walked along the sand and discussed our long-term goals and thoughts on artistic/creative businesses, shopped for a gift for her daughter’s birthday, got a stern look at Whole Foods when we giggled over their homeopathic allergy medication (“It’s homeopathic, so there are no side effects.” Including working, apparently.), ate a lovely dinner at a walk-up Mexican restaurant and got lost a lot.
Overall it was a wonderful weekend and well worth the trip! If you have a chance to take a workshop with Sarah, I highly recommend it!
And then I got to come home and unpack my suitcase. Which really? Is just plain rude.
52 thoughts on “Diamond Wedding Ring Quilt Workshop”
So funny about your suitcase 🙂 This is will be an awesome quilt one day 😉
Hahahah yes, someday in the far distant future. 😉
Such a fun trip! Those gems are crazy insane! Sorry about the suitcase but thanks for the chuckle at the end. 😉
I had so much fun, I didn’t even really notice the lack of suitcase after the first evening. 😀 And hey, new clothes! lol
sounds like a blast! Just wondering – is there any order to the fabric placement within the gemstones, or do you just go for it?
The pattern suggests how many colors to use and certain sections to use your darkest fabrics on, but mostly you just go for it. 🙂
at least you didn’t have to unpack your suitcase AND do laundry! well i guess you did – the clothes you BOUGHT! ugh. anyway, if i’m going to make something with 96 pieces, it had damn well cover my entire body, period. but they look cool. you gals are bonkers. (;
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAhahaha omg you crack me up. If you made two of these gems and got some string, you might have a bikini top… That’s something, right? 😉
I’ll be honest, I still haven’t totally unpacked my suitcase. We’re not on speaking terms right now. I suppose this weekend I should make amends and unpack.
I think it should probably make amends to you instead. Stay strong! 😉 You probably shouldn’t listen to me though. I’ve been known to avoid unpacking with all my might even under the best of conditions. Love those light and dark rings.
Oh don’t worry, I’m stubborn. I’m totally going to outlast that bag. 😉 HAhahaahaha I’m not exactly the best unpacker, either. Although I admit, this is a little long, even for me! lol
The pharmacologist it me cringed from that quote at whole foods. Anywho, yes you are crazy but you are apparently in good company. That is some crazy tiny piecing going on there. Do you dare show us the back mess of seams?? The effect is stunning I have to say. And I will throw in my 2 cents and say black or NAVY background.
After the woman who told us that comment about homeopathic medication not having side-effects because it was all-natural, I leaned over to Sarah and said “Arsenic is all-natural.”
I haven’t taken the paper off yet, but if I ever get far enough along on this project to do so, I’ll take a picture of the back for you. 🙂 It’s probably all seams. lol Fortunately the Juki doesn’t care!
Mmmm Navy. You know I love me some navy!
Wow – looks like such an awesome weekend!!! Lol – love the “is it like online dating” question. Also, I would have made the same snarky comments about homeopathic anything. Whoever came up with that idea must be laughing all the way to the bank. The gemstones are ah-mazing! Clearly Sarah has a level of patience that I can only dream of – 81 of those bad boys would send me stir crazy (let’s just pretend I’m not already crazy, ok?).
The worst part about the homeopathic allergy meds is that we had wandered all over Laguna Beach looking for a pharmacy (we found one that closed 5 minutes before we got there) and finally gave up and tried Whole Foods. We walked out and 2 stores down was an open pharmacy. LOL Oh well.
Sarah is crazy in all the good ways. I have no idea how she made 81 of these things. I’m totally impressed!!
And for the record, you’re also crazy, but also all in the good ways. 😀
Totally rude. Go with the dark background, it makes the diamond pop more…
See, that’s what I thought. The suitcase owes me an apology, IMO. 😉
I do like that the dark fabric makes the gems pop more, but I generally don’t prefer the look of dark background quilts. I have a lot of pieces to make before this decision needs to be made, though. 😀
Sounds like it was so much fun and I’m honestly jealous that I couldn’t be there too!! Sarah is crazy…amazing! Can’t wait to see your quilt come together.
Amanda
I wish you could have joined us! 😀 QuiltCon, right??!? And yes, she’s crazy awesome and crazy amazing. And someday I hope I can make quilts that I love as much as the quilts she makes. 😀
I’m loving those gemstones. I’ve done a couple of small DWR and wondered what took me so long, but those gemstones! Too droooollll for! Laguna Hills…. been a long time, but a lovely mental vacation today. Well, forgetting your suitcase is better than having the airlines lose it for you. There’s always Target/Mervyn’s for the essentials, and the look of concentration on your classmates’ faces…they probably wouldn’t have noticed if you wore the same thing more than once. I can’t wait to see “the rest of this story”. Background, now that will be a puzzle. Something will say “yes, that’s me”. I don’t see any true blues or dark greens in your gemstones.
I’m loving the look of the gemstones, and am already itching to work on another one. 🙂
I’d never been to Laguna Hills before, but it was really lovely! And Laguna Beach was gorgeous! I loved all the art shops.
You’re totally right that I’m very happy I didn’t LOSE my luggage, I knew right where it was. 🙂 I hit a couple shops and was able to replace everything I needed and it didn’t even take too long. The longest part was actually waiting for my emergency med refill. 🙂
You’re right, when I see the right background I’ll know it. I think I’ll work on the parts some more and see what speaks to me the most as far as backgrounds go. 🙂
my mom tells a funny story about forgetting to pack her underwear on her way to come see us right after her granddaughter was born. You must have been excited! And those gemstones are completely insane. Beautiful, but insane.
Hahaha I /have/ done that before, when I went to visit my mom, actually! I’m glad I’m not the only one. 🙂 It was after that when I started making packing lists… lol
I will not dispute that the gemstones are insane. 😉
Can’t wait to see the finished quilt! Those ‘gemstones’ are awesome!
Thank you! 😀 I think it’s going to be a while before the quilt gets finished, though. I have a few things in the queue before it. :/
I have been in awe of Sarah’s gemstones since I first saw them. When she made them with a DWR I just about fell off my chair. Most-beautiful-quilt-ever. (Sorry, Anne, you know I love you too :-)). I am completely jealous that you got to learn how to make one. Even if it did come with an epic road trip and a shopping trip.
How big are you going to make your DWR? Will we have a gemstone for every colour of the rainbow?
E xx
Don’t apologize, I’m right there with the extreme love of Sarah’s Liberty of London for All quilt! That thing is so seriously amazing! That’s why I wanted to go to the workshop so badly. 🙂
The plan is currently for a small version, with 9 stones and 4 rings. I’m planning to do rainbow stones, but I’m using mostly Oakshotts, so the color of gemstones are a bit limited by their color availability. 🙂
A) If that’s your layout for your DWQ at the bottom there – love it! B) I was wondering what was to come of that teeny tiny yellow project when you posted it the other day – whoa! so many pieces but so cool how they look just like gemstones all done! C) I think that’s awesome that you forgot your suitcase and managed to get by with just the basics – goes to show that all you *really* need is sewing supplies and some clean underwear ; )
The layout at the bottom is my current working design. 🙂 I will likely make a few changes to it before I’m done, but it will be something along those lines probably. 😀
If push REALLY came to shove, I could have just sewn some clean underwear. lol
How fun! And your suitcase should be ashamed of itself. What didn’t it put itself away? It had all weekend 🙂 Sounds like a lovely time getting to know your new in real life friend.
I KNOW, right?? All weekend and it just sat there, being lazy. I don’t think I ask for much. 😉 It really was a great time, and after the initial craziness of getting everything replaced, not having a suitcase really wasn’t an issue. 🙂
I could totally see myself doing something like that. Like you said… You had your sewing machine! I admire that design and seen when Sarah had posted about her quilt. How cool that you two got to meet up! Your layout with the dark and light neutrals looks great!
I swear I lost most of my brain in grad school. I used to be much more together! lol Have sewing machine, will travel, apparently! I was so focused on not forgetting the things I don’t normally bring on trips, that I forgot the one thing I always bring.. Turns out I didn’t need that anyway! 😉
It was really fun meeting a bloggy friend in real life! Speaking of which, are you going to QuiltCon? 😀
Those gems are so cool!
Sarah did an awesome job on the pattern. 😀 I’ve never quite seen anything like it before, and I’m glad I got a chance to play with the pattern. 🙂
I know you showed me some pictures of the gemstone before, but looking at the tiny size of some of those pieces in the picture with the pins is mind-boggling. You are seriously more patient than I am if you can make more than one of those. They results gorgeous though!
I have to add that I laughed so hard at your homeopathic allergy medicine comment, I chocked on my tea. Lol.
I’ll try to remember to bring the gemstone to the guild meeting so you can see it in person. It’s in 4 parts though, because you don’t put them together until you piece them into the arcs.
When the woman told us that “it’s homeopathic, so it doesn’t have any side-effects.” I almost started laughing, but realized that would be rude. I mean, I’m pretty Santa Cruz-ified, and even that pegs my BS-meter.
My vote would be for dark background, simply because when you go to a jewellery store, their precious stones are usually presented to you on a dark (often velvety) background. I assume this is because of the contrast and showing the gems at their best. Sounds like you had an awesome time.
That’s an excellent point! I’m not sure I have any black fabric that feels that dark, though. Velvet does a good job absorbing light. 🙂 Maybe I’ll just use various black text prints. I can call it Dark Volume. lol
Tiny paper piecing is actually so cool, I sort of love doing it some of the time. I love your plan, I would probably go with a darker background but does it all have to be the same? Sounds like a great time.
I’ve only done it a few times, but I’ve definitely gotten better at paper-piecing since the last time I tried. 🙂 That’s a really great point that I don’t need to use the same background! I have a bunch of black background text prints, I could mix it up with those. 🙂 Bonus: I’d finally have a use for them!
LOL 😀 Yeah – there’s no side effects to natural foxglove, either. . . ;D I would have been giggling right along with you guys at the Whole Foods. But – MAN!! – I have never seen those diamonds before – what a stunning effect! Sure glad I happened onto your post.
Hahahaah right? because natural things NEVER hurt you. o.O
Aren’t they such a cool pattern?! I’m a total doofus and forgot to put a link to them in my post, but they are available for purchase on Craftsy. http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/other/shine-bright-round-cut-birthstone/52368
Saw that on FB! What a nightmare…sounds like you worked it out though. Those blocks look CRAZY! They do look like diamonds though. Laughing hard at the dating online thing:) Never met anyone in person that I knew online….always wondering if we are the same in person, haha. Hopefully at Quilt Con I will run into a few bloggy friends!
Yay, you’re going to QuiltCon!! 😀 It sounds like a lot of bloggers will be there, which will be great fun. 🙂 I’ve met quite a few at this point, and they seem to be a lot like their blog personalities for the most part. 🙂 It’s hard not to get along with people who share your passion so strongly, though! We all love quilting enough that we babble about it on the internet, after all. 😉
Oh my gosh I love so much about this post. Sounds like you had an amazing time on IG. I am a little more than slightly envious at what sounds like a perfect weekend. Definitely worth the 14 hours of driving I bet!
It was totally worth it! I don’t mind long drives, I get a lot of thinking done when I drive, and I find it generally relaxing. Except the drive through LA which is terrible. LOL
Anyway! yes it was such a blast! I’m sad that you couldn’t be there. However, please tell me that you and Amanda are going to be at QuiltCon? 😀
I love your yellow gem and I think that your quilt is going to work out perfectly!! Love that you had the drive to do the drive down there for the workshop. I’ve been eyeing up Sarah’s gem pattern so I may have to give it a try at some point. Thanks for making it seem possible.
I should have convinced you to come with me! 😀 The drive really wasn’t that bad, if you break it up a bit. Also, I guess I just really don’t mind driving long distances. 🙂 Except through large metropolitan areas (lookin’ at you there, LA).
Definitely give the pattern a try! It’s small but totally doable. 🙂 And good news, it’s small and complicated enough that no one notices when everything doesn’t line up quite right. 😉
Your gemstones will be just as gorgeous, and looking at the pattern I finally have an idea for my Mum who is a fan of shiny things. The Liberty For All quilt sits right along side your Dragon quilt on my Pinterest Board of OMFG Quilts That Blow My Mind, how awesome you were together for a weekend.
Thank you! I think the gemstone pattern would be awesome for you mom! 😀 It really isn’t bad once you get over the tininess of it. And of course you could always make the bigger version!
That is so sweet that I share pinterest board space with the liberty for all quilt! Her quilt is so amazing, so I’m definitely honored!
I love the gemstones. Is the pattern for the gemstones still available and if it is, where can I get it. I love paper piecing.
Hi Sandy,
I don’t think she ever sold the pattern. You can always email her and ask though! She blogs at nohatsinthehouse.com and has some other paper piecing patterns and a book coming out soon. 🙂