I recently had the pleasure of attending a five-day adventure hosted by Chris Daly of Woodland Ridge Retreat and taught by Rayna Gillman. The focus of the class was the techniques listed in Rayna’s book, Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts.
The Woodland Ridge Retreat is a wonderful facility with outstanding amenities. The meals are prepared on site with care and expertise. Here are a few of the photos I took of the surroundings.
The view from our classroom
A visitor
Flowers on the grounds at Woodland Ridge Retreat
I’ve been a follower of Rayna’s and made reference to her book on several occasions. The techniques taught in her book, Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts, have fascinated me ever since I discovered its existence. It’s that fascination that pushed me to jump at the chance to meet her in person and learn from the master.
On day one of the class we hit the ground running only to stop for meals and sleep. Every other moment was spent immersed in Rayna’s teaching as well as the practical application of her methods. Oodles and oodles of art pieces were birthed from our labors.
No two art quilts were the same. Each one was as varied as the participants. I was awestruck at the talent exhibited by my fellow students. Their sense of color and design was amazing.
Aside from the privilege I held by just being present with my colleagues, I am proud also to be able to call them my friends. Their friendship will have a positive impact on my life for years to come.
While I would thoroughly love to keep talking about my adventure I think photos will tell a much more colorful story.
My work area
Class participants
One of my works in progress
Class time
On the last day of class my roommate and I hung around way past the official end of the session. In fact we stayed one extra night just so we could spend as much time with Rayna as possible. Before parting company late that evening we had the opportunity to take this photo.
Myself, Rayna Gillman and Barb M.
If you would like to read about the retreat from Rayna’s perspective and see examples of my classmates’ work follow these links to her blog.
If you ever get the chance to attend one of Rayna’s classes I would highly recommend it!
While at the class I created many, many new works of art. Watch for postings on my masterpieces in the months to come.
Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting
