A day with EH

As any casual follower of this blog knows, I am a huge Elizabeth Hartman fan. Hers was one of the first sewing blogs I ever started following, and her first book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork, basically taught me how to quilt. I've made many of her patterns (bags and quilts alike), and I love her aesthetic and teaching style. I got to take a class with her at QuiltCon in February, but that didn't make me any less excited when I found out she was coming to visit the STLMQG. The big day finally arrived this past Saturday. I'd signed up to take her Fancy Fox and Hazel Hedgehog Pillow workshop (she also taught her Patchwork City workshop on Sunday, but that's the class I took at QC), so I pulled some fun solids from my stash to get ready.

As expected, the class was fantastic. I've made the fox quilt a few times already (see here and here), but Hazel was new to me, and Elizabeth always has the best tips, even for things I thought I already knew well. She's patient, encouraging, and super helpful, and she's not shy about giving compliments when she really likes something.

That evening, she did a trunk show presentation, which was really enjoyable. She shared a lot about her personal life and sewing journey, which she doesn't really do much of on her blog, so it was nice to "meet" more of the person behind the persona. Her quilts, of course, were beautiful, and she shared all of the quilts from Patchwork City, the quilts in her animal series, and a few more. 

After the show, I hurried home to pay the babysitter and get back to work, wanting to finish my blocks. I got all three put together into my mini quilt top (I decided to do a mini for my sewing wall instead of the pillow) on Sunday, and I'm hoping to finish the rest this week. I love these little animals!

It was another great encounter for this super fan!