Rachel Clark Workshop: Pictures and an Essay from Rhonda
Thanks to “Princess Janice” for her picture commentary from Rachel’s workshop.
Let’s see, with this mola and your fabrics I would probably consider…
Considering your fabrics I would probably…
You have a wonderful fabric and I would…
Let’s look at how the pattern fits you and where we need to make adjustments…
Rhonda decided on the purse, no the portfolio or was it the clutch…but Elaine is contemplating which fabrics to use.
Pam has and idea and is moving forward with it!
Continue your design from the back to the front by…
What I decided to do was…(don’t’ you wish you knew the following comment?)
Now in this vest I…
Why is Rachel’s hand in that position?
Hmm, I never thought about going that direction!
Do I have your attention? One of the things that I do…
When looking at the back of your garment…
Molas are wonderful and can be used in a variety of ways. For example…
The color are vibrant and have so much to say…
Rhonda’s Essay:
A Gift and Rachel Clark’s Big Bag…
Shortly after the New Year began, some very generous soul (or perhaps souls) gifted to me – anonymously – a workshop of my choice. Having already signed-up for six of eleven of the workshops, I went to the next name on my wish list, Rachel Clark. The feedback was fabulous: words like ‘funny’, ‘amazing’, ‘over-the-top’ and ‘incredible artisan’. I signed up for the big bag of this two-fold workshop. Everyone else selected the vest pattern.
Speaker meeting, Thursday morning May 19, 2011, my man drops me off at the SRQG right around 9:00am…just the way I like it. As usual, the room begins to fill and the chatter, sometimes a buzz hums and flutters about the room from lady flower to delicate lady flower and the room warms by the minute with love and excitement. Our good lady Janice Juul, VP to this guild, presides over the events of this day in our President’s absence. After brief announcements, our Princesses – Janice Rogers and Diana Roberts – take great pleasure in introducing the one and only Rachel Clark.
The first thing Rachel does to endear herself to us is tell a fun tale of her birthday month festivities. I realized somewhere through her story that the two of us could be, in many ways, the same woman. We share a birthday. Our lights are not held under bushes. Neither of us requires darts (and I am happy to report that I still don’t). She is prompted by inspirations, she embellishes as the projects lead, and every project has a story. Our similarities continued to be revealed to me as the next one and a half hours of program comprised of show and tell in the form of a fashion show and storytelling.
Workshop day, my ordinary ride to workshops, Linda Ziemer, is currently on holiday in the North Atlantic. After a quick email to my “peeps” the offers started rolling in and I found myself in the very good company of Judith Clarke, sweetheart and chauffer extraordinaire. We arrived in a timely fashion, got set up, and were ready to rock. Elaine Tucker was my tablemate. She is a lovely and generous soul who provided for me the zipper I neglected to bring.
I realized right away that I should have paid better attention to my homework before the very last minute. I am looking at the pattern for a “Monster Purse” – which is different than a big bag! Taking the time to actually read the information, I found that the ‘not big bag’ was more akin to a larger clutch. The reason the purse is called “monster” is because the star-pattern centerpiece is a monster. Well it is a handsome clutch, so I went on to quietly give the next two hours to my banner project while Rachel lectured on the faboo vest pattern that the rest of the room was working on.
After the info was delivered she came over and spent 20 minutes with me on the Monster Purse. She shared the Portfolio she uses and I switched from the purse to the portfolio and from strapless to strapped. I almost had it finished when I ran out of thread. By 2:30 I had packed up my machine and supplies and called for my ride home (thanks Babe). Mark was on his way when Elaine let me know I could have borrowed thread from her but I had already been to that well once today.
I thought about the amazing materials, fabrics, and women I had spent the day with and I knew that the vests that come out of this workshop are going to be showstoppers. When I got home I “unsewed” most of my work, got my beads out, and started giving the Monster Purse its due. To the thoughtful contributors who enriched my world with the gift of the workshop of my choice: I am grateful to have had such a wonderful learning experience with the incomparable Rachel Clark. Many thanks – with a song in my heart – to all who help me get through any given day!
Yours,
Rollin Rho