Always Learning!

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Last month I got recruited mid-school year to teach a sewing class to a small group of girls in the local homeschool cooperative.  It was kind of an “emergency” situation because the regular sewing instructor had a family emergency and couldn’t teach the second semester.   I told them I would gladly do it but only if I could teach a quilting class!

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My first plan of action was to quickly design a little miniature quilt that would require a little more than just the basic patchwork but would also be simple enough to make in approximately nine classes of only one hour each.  I wanted the girls to learn the process from start to finish and not cut any corners.  That’s kind of a tough assignment in such a short time.  I also felt that everything needed to be done in class time and not sent home as home-work.

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The little quilt I designed is a simple miniature Half Square Triangle Scrappy Quilt.  A lot of skills will be learned in this little quilt, without it being ridiculously hard and I’m so happy about that!

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We’ve only had a couple classes so far but I feel I can honestly say that it is going really well and the 6 girls seem to be loving it!

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This may seem off the subject here but have any of you read the book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert?  I read it a couple years ago and there were so many things that struck a huge chord in my mind.  But one of the things she said in the book was this: “Do you have the courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you?”   She was specifically referring to having the courage to act on an idea in our creative mind… and that when we are given the gift of creativity we really have an obligation to carry it through.  In the back of my mind for a few years now has been the niggling idea of teaching an online quilting class for beginners; especially geared for children.  I’ve set that idea aside so many times.  Why?  Fear of failure.

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So the really cool thing that happened as a result of this beginner quilting class is that it has generated a real desire among some of the local ladies that have always wanted to learn to quilt.  They have reached out to me about some lessons.  And when I posted it on Instagram I had an amazing number of people write to me asking if I would consider some online lessons.   Immediately the quote I mentioned above came to my mind and I just felt like I had an obligation to move forward with some online classes.  And I finally had the courage.

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I’m here to share with you that I jumped right in and began putting my heart and soul into developing an Online Beginner Quilting Class.  I got it done!!!  And putting it out there was hard, but the response has been great and I couldn’t be happier.  (You can read more about it on my personal blog here.)

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My advice to you, farmgirl friends, is this:  if you’ve got an idea brewing in your head that you just can’t shake, but yet you’re too afraid to try… just put fear aside and DO IT!  There is such a great feeling of satisfaction when you do.

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I have no idea where my Online Quilting Class will go, if indeed it goes anywhere.  But the satisfaction comes from having the courage to actually do it.  From sitting down for days and putting in the time to make every lesson perfect.  And to finally recognize that I have something to offer and that there is nothing to be embarrassed about in that.

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I think we have no better example of this than in our own favorite farmgirl, MaryJane!!!  I’m sure happy to be her Farmgirl Sister and to have learned a few things from her in courageously sharing our creative treasures.  It is because of her interest in things I do that I’ve had the privilege of having so many of my articles printed in her magazine.  My favorite one is all about the summer quilting camp I taught to five precious girls.  (If you missed that article it’s in the Oct/Nov 2017 issue.) Thank you MaryJane!  You are such an inspiration to all of us!

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So here is my question for you.   What is that creative treasure within you that fears are keeping hidden? Sometimes just having the courage to talk about it helps us actually DO IT!

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Until our gravel roads cross again… so long.

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Dori