Year 1 done!

Phew, I have been gone a long time!

It has been a long 8/9 weeks of work, children and trying to get module 4 handed in..... that and 2 nasty injuries finished me off!

So as the title suggests I managed to get module 4 handed in and my first year of the 3 year course is done! Yay!

Here are some of the things I made for my portfolio...

Mono Printing

Raised pebbles

Collage

Mark Making with tracing paper.

Lulworth Cove.... It is honestly!

More collage.

Mini book with designs.

Larger handmade design book.

Stitch sample.

Ruffled, gathered fabrics.

Mixture of textures.

My first attempt at cords with beads - love these!

A year seems to have gone by so fast - although sometimes it has felt very slow!

I have moved so far from my starting point that when I look back I am slightly shocked! When I started last August I was in a panic, it all seemed so hard and my dream seemed impossible. One year on, and 4 modules completed, I feel ore confident of my skills and that my dream is almost on the horizon...

It has not been easy though. Teaching lots of classes, looking after 3 boys, being a Scout leader and working through the course has left me very little time to think! It feels worth it though!

So to year 2... well, there is one more design module looking at Form and then I get to work through my designs to create 3D pieces of work. They look scary when I look at them in my student booklets.... but oh so exciting!

I am also turning towards the new teaching year and I have been working hard to pull together a fun and versatile teaching schedule. I will be sending out the details of classes and workshops in a newsletter tomorrow, so if you want to receive the newsletter just drop me an email: quiltingthegrain@btinternet.com.

'Outstanding'

As you probably know my 'day' job is working for Adult Education in Gloucestershire delivering sewing classes to groups of vulnerable learners during the day and recreational learners in the evening.

Adult Ed. is funded by the Government so comes under the remit of the OFSTED...

That very word puts fear into teachers up and down the UK. They send in teams of Her Majesties Inspectors (HMI) to check that the standard of teaching is up to their guidelines - they check everyone one nurseries to Adult Ed...

They can have access to any class that is running and move in and out classes at will... they are pretty daunting! It is never great when a HMI is standing at your door! My heart sinks...

So yesterday evening there stood at my classroom door was a HMI. I had to be fair been warned that he might be coming, which is kinda worse because you have more time to worry!

He introduced himself and said he was staying 40 minutes to observe the class and my teaching... oh joy!

I started the class in my usual way. I have had been through 5/6 visits from HMI in my career teaching and Childminding. The best way to cope is to hand over your paperwork and get on with the job..... whilst trying to ignore their presence! (Kinda like the Silence from Dr Who - if you aren't looking directly at them you can ignore them!)

All was going to plan and everyone was chatting, working and I was teaching people different things as they completed the tasks...

After 20 minutes he said 'Anna can I have a word outside please. She might come back in crying everyone.'

20 Minutes??? 20 minutes??? oh **** what have a done wrong.... A small snip it  my thoughts as I wandered slowly towards the door. These guys hold your teaching career in their hands...

He started by asking me about who assesses my paperwork and then what grading I usually get... so I told him and said usually a 'good' with some elements of 'outstanding'... He kept me in suspense wondering if he was going to say that I should be graded 'needs improvement'.

Then he said "That is an outstanding lesson and you are clearly an outstanding tutor!!!"

I think I actually started breathing again at that point!

He went on to say I am good at tracking my learners achievements, I offer encouragement, I create a relaxed atmosphere and my learners are clearly making great progress, and enjoying themselves too! My paperwork is brilliant and I should be proud of my classes...

I almost fell over with relief!

So I can officially say I am an 'Outstanding' tutor and not be bragging too much - it is a fact!

Blogiversary - 1 year!

I can hardly believe that it has been one year since I changed my focus to teaching and quilting!

It has been an amazing year!

It has been filled with wonderful quilts, projects and learning!

I have taught some wonderful workshops and courses.

It has been amazing fun!

There are so many things to look forward to in year 2..... my first pattern for beginners will be available in a week, I am starting a City and Guilds Level 3 Machine Embroidery and I have a packed teaching schedule!

To celebrate I am running my first give away. It is a pack of essential quilters tools:

60" square of wadding, Clover Patchwork pins, Machine quilting needles and a Hera Marker.

They all the most useful tools I use!

To enter the giveaway simply follow the blog and leave me a comment telling me you have below!

It's that easy! 

The giveaway will close on Sunday 7th July at 12pm BST. It is open everyone, including International readers!

Fresh Sewing Day - June

Blogging late in the day again!

I had another all day workshop today - Getting to know your sewing machine!

10 lovely ladies with 10 completely different sewing machines. There were 3 Frister-Rossman, but all from different decades so all different. The oldest machine was 18 years old and the newest was 2 months!

Everyone left having made a small zippered purse and a button hole clutch, plus gained an insight into how their machine works and how to deal with problems that might arise!

Great fun and incredibly satisfying to help people overcome their fears and understand how to use their sewing machines!

May dashed by in a whirlwind of teaching - workshops, evening classes and open days - and sewing quilts!

There has been Triangle Madness!

Some present making and free motion fun!

A bit of baby sitting that resulted in a new FMQ pattern!

Oh and dress making for Outstanding Tutor Awards!

So May was pretty busy... wonder what June will hold!

Linking up with Lily's Quilts and Fresh Sewing Day:

Working with Oilcloth

Just over a year ago I made a momentous decision to change my direction, I closed my business Funky Diva Designs and set off on the path of teaching and quilting.

I can't believe it is only a year! The journey has been so much fun and I have met so many interesting people.

Yesterday I taught my first session at the New Brewery Arts Centre in Cirencester. It is one of the biggest arts centres in the area and a lovely setting to teach in.

The workshop was all about sewing with and using oilcloth to make a bag. 

Oilcloth tends to scare people because it is so stiff and the once it is sewn it is marked permanently. But it is very useful for making bags. It's wipe clean and waterproof so perfect for making durable bags.

Yesterday was the first time I had taught how to sew with oilcloth and so it took more planning and thought than my other classes. If you visit my blog often you will know that I believe in planning teaching sessions so that I can give my learners the best possible experience. Planning also allows me to relax knowing I have thought every aspect of the class through - behind my relaxed teaching style is a plan!

It was a great workshop with 10 lovely ladies all keen and excited to learn how to sew. I provided all of the materials and machines so they only had to come along and have fun!

We started with the bag outer and I had 3 designs which started with the basic and went to curves - differentiating the options for learners helps them to be control of their learning! The morning was spent cutting out the design using templates and then sewing the pieces together along with interfacing.

By 12pm our brains had started shutting down so we took an early lunch before attacking a zippered internal pocket. They look amazing but are actually pretty easy!

The last hour of the afternoon looked very much like the Great British Sewing Bee with every frantically trying to get the bags put together - the atmosphere changed from relaxed to tension of the highest order! 

It was great fun and as you can see the bags turned out great!

They all came from the same template, but the choice of oilcloth and the personalisation of the handles and base width changed the bags completely!

These three gorgeous ladies added webbing to make longer straps and they looked perfect! It's something I need to take next time I teach the class...

All in all it was a wonderful day spent with some amazing people. Fingers crossed for more sunshine so they can use their bags all summer with joy!

Winning an Award

It has taken a few days to process the weekend!

On Saturday I attended the Adult Education Learners Award ceremony for Gloucestershire. I had been nominated for Outstanding Tutor of the year, which had really shocked me!

Much to my amazement I actually won!

Receiving my award was so nerve wracking! This is the Head of Education and Libraries in Gloucestershire!

The person who had nominated me had written a statement about me that was read out. I had to fight back the tears! She praised my relaxed teaching manner that helped learners to settle into my groups. Not only that,  but she highlighted that my biggest skill is the fact my relaxed manner is backed up with rigorous planning and in depth knowledge of each of my learners achievements, skills and needs. Learners feel confident in my classes because they know I know them.

It was a lovely morning out which involved getting my nails done and having a cuppa with some of the learners who also got an group award.

I had invited my lovely friend Helen and my eldest son came too!

We had a lovely time!

When the ceremony had finished the husband of one of the learners came over to talk to me. With tears in his eyes he explained that I would never know how much my lessons had changed his wife's life. That she had regained some of the confidence she had lost 5 years before following a major life changing event. She now has friends and leaves the house. He thanked me for giving her so much, and for helping him too...

I had to fight back the tears.... I was so moved and pleased that I had been able to help them both.

That is why I love my job as a tutor. I love working with people who previously had found a classroom environment stressful. I love helping people to learn a new skill whilst building their self-confidence.

I love working with people who have struggled with things in their life, but have taken the risk of coming to my classes. Watching them change and grow is incredibly rewarding!

That is why I spend hours completing paperwork for classes and making sure everything is organised.

It is quite simply the best job in the world!

Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted at The Sewing Chick.

A Mum's Night Out!

Last night I did my first one off teaching evening in the lovely Prema Arts in Uley.

It is called Mum's Night Out. Mums come along and have a glass of wine, learn a new skill and make new friends!

They have had a go at making coffee Barista style and felting. Last night it was my turn to teach some free motion quilting in a fun relaxed way!

I opted to make some rug mugs, with all the cutting out done for the lovely mum's so all they had to do was use Bondaweb backed scraps to create a design, which we then free motion quilted.

I had made a really simple design to demonstrate the technique, inspired by blog post by a cuppa and a catch up.

Part of my teaching role is to help people to step out of their comfort zone and create something they never thought was possible. As such I need to present with ideas to inspire them, up until yesterday I had been using books, but I finally had enough saved to buy an iPad 2 - a major investment for me.

Last night I took it along to use as a tool in the class to inspire the designs the learners could create. I was really impressed with the outcomes:

After Googling rug mugs, the class set about putting their ideas onto paper - the images had given them an insight into how much scope there is to create something unique and gorgeous using just a few tools.

These are some the designs they completed during the evening.

Really impressive, don't you think?

None of the mums had tried free motion before and 2 only 2 of them had any experience using a sewing machine recently. I have bought them back to the studio to add the binding onto the mug rugs.

I was a bit worried about spending my savings on an iPad, but after watching the confidence it gave learners to access inspiration so easily I am really pleased I made the investment!

To Auriful or to not Aurifil...

2012 was a year of quilting discoveries.... one of them was of the importance of thread.

I will admit I have been a long time quilter, but never given thread a second thought - I thought they were all the same.... I know!

Then I started Katy's Hexy MF quilt along in the summer and she listed Aurifil as her thread of choice.

Katy, if you don't know her, is an amazing quilter and oracle of information about quilting, so if she says this thread rocks then you HAVE to go and check it out!

At first the price knocked me out... I thought, really? That is crazy!

But I invested in some aluminium as she suggested and started hand piecing my hexagons....

I discovered the thread is incredibly flexible and the 1300m goes a very long way... I mean a very long way!

You can hand piece, machine quilt and machine stitch - all with one thread!

I now have a small collection of threads, that I am adding to slowly as I need and I don't even look at my box of polyester threads... which brings me to the dilemna I now face..

Do I use Aurifil in my classes?

Up until now I have kept my supply for my use and private students, but I feel like I am holding out on my other learners...

Should I introduce them to the joys of using Aurifil?

I guess the middle road is to use Aurifil and my polyester threads until they are all gone....

Coming to the end....

Yesterday I finished a course in Gloucester with a lovely bunch of ladies.  I have been working with them since the middle of August, first on adapting clothing and then on home textiles.

They have spent Tuesday mornings sewing together, learning new skills and making friendships.
They were a varied group - as all my groups are - of people on low incomes, people lacking self confidence and learning difficulties. They were such a lovely group!

5 women started as strangers and have left me with a whole raft of new skills, bundles of self confidence and friendships that have extended  to taking trips out together. For women who have all the issues above I would say that is a job well done!

Yesterday I got them to bring everything they had made on the home textiles course with me, and I thought you might like to see!

We made funky chickens, pin cushions, peg bags, cushion covers, door stops and patchwork placemats!

I am extremely proud of these ladies and everything they have achieved both in terms of sewing and their new found friendships.

And I will miss them on Tuesday mornings... it was hard to say good bye....

Today is another goodbye to a group in Tewkesbury that I have been working with for 8 weeks.....