Workshop Success!

Is it just me or did the past week just blur by?  I’m shocked and amazed that it’s already the weekend again!

So I’m just going to pretend that I’m not ridiculously delinquent in reporting news on the Paper Piecing 101 workshop I taught last Saturday for the Fraser Valley MQG.

Let me just start by saying the ladies of that guild are some of the friendliest and kindest people I’ve met. You can not imagine how thankful I was, as truth be told I was NERVOUS.

Oh internet, I’d never taught a workshop before, and for some reason the idea of teaching this class was wigging me right out! It feels silly to admit that since I know paper piecing like the back of my hand. I have had 6 years of trying nearly everything to hone and perfect my system. But for some reason I was unusually plagued with self doubt over this one.

They want to learn paper piecing? And they want ME to teach them? Oh heaven help me, how the heck am I going to do that?!

So I did the only thing I could think of and prepared and practiced till I was blue in the face. I even drove out the night before as Lysa was kind enough to offer her guest suite, so I didn’t have to make such a long trek directly before the workshop. And that night I practiced until my eyes were begging for sleep. Lysa has a really comfy guest bed by the way, and an utterly charming pair of boys *grin*

Even though I insisted on switching up all 22 tables and what felt like 500 chairs to create better workstations for everyone, miraculously we had exactly enough tables for each L shaped sewing station. And even though I  could feel my heart in my throat, I found my voice and actually sounded like I knew what I was talking about lol!  And even though I seriously worried that the level of concentration paper piecing requires would be too great for a group sewing event, (it always is for me)  Every . single . person . got it, and sewed their hearts out. Even the complete newbies were piecing like pros, and perfectly stitched up gnomes, mushrooms and foxes…

and even a happy little teapot!

The workshop went really well! *squeal*

It was completely surreal to see a room full of fiercely concentrating sewists making my patterns! *happy dance*

Even though I carefully made my rounds as to not break anyone’s concentration, I was seriously jumping and freaking out inside!

I mean how cute are these?

THANK-YOU FVMQG SO SO MUCH!! It was a wonderful experience, and I greatly appreciate your wonderful feedback and votes of confidence! If any of you lovely ladies are reading this, please upload your project photos to the Artisania Flickr Group. I’m dying to see your completed Fox and Gnome Tote bags!

And now that 20/20 hindsight is chastising me for being so anxious, I’m actually itching to teach the workshop I agreed to do for the Vancouver MQG in November.  Anyone interested in sewing up some Greetings From Antarctica pillows?