Sunday, May 2, 2010

MEHC Workshop in St. Louis

You all must know that I am a huge Mary Engelbreit fan, so when the first (hopefully annual) Home Companion Workshop was announced last year, I immediately signed up for it. I had hoped some other people I know would have gone, but that didn't happen. The theme of the workshop was "Bring a friend, make a friend," and while I didn't bring one, I made several! I found a roommate on the Yahoo Group that had been set up ahead of time. Jen and I got along fabulously. She is one very talented lady!


The first thing on the agenda was a tour of the Mary Engelbreit studios. I had toured her old studio back in the 90s. This one is much smaller, but still very cute.



I felt honored to sit on the Queen's throne!


This is the print that Mary did to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. I bought one as soon as it was released and received number 2/250. I found 1/250 in the studio! I have a lot more pictures of the studio on Flickr if you are interested.

We had the opportunity to take four workshops with some very talented instructors. My favorite one was Charlotte Lyons.

This picture of me was taken in her workshop when Mary came around to inspect our work. This is what I made...I love how it turned out. Who would guess it was made from a corn flake box? I was pretty excited to see it (and my nametag) on Mary's blog!


And this is the bracelet I made with a kit from Kaari Meng. You may be familiar with her Rouenneries fabric from Moda.




There was a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Handmade" during lunch on Saturday, followed by a book signing and photo ops.


Amy Butler was just a sweet as can be...it was a thrill to meet someone whose art you admire.


DSC_0162

Mary was very gracious about signing books and posing for the camera.



And this was the "goody bag" everyone received. It was a fabulous weekend...can't wait for next year!

6 comments:

jen duncan said...

Great post Pam. You sure photograph well! I'm so glad to have gotten to know you. Houston Quilt Market is definitely on my mind--thanks for the invite! Have fun this weekend, and I'm ready to start a new Scrabble game when you are. :-)
Have a great day.

Margie said...

Ok, OK ! I promise to go next, if at all possible. Looks like you had a great time

Anonymous said...

Pam..
..great pictures....looks like it was a very fun event!
..so cool you got to tour the studio and meet ME herself!
...can't believe that there were not any other Rosebuds attending?
..how neat they featured your tag and basket!..love the tag especially
..thanks so much for sharing pics and details!! :)
Summer

texcinlulu said...

Pam,
Enjoyed reading about and seeeing all your pictures from the MEHC workshop.
It would have been ideal for all of us Rosebuds to attend. What a reunion that would be!
Thanks for sharing.

Sarah said...

I just read that registration for this year's workshop begins tomorrow. Oh, how I wish I could attend this. Thanks for sharing all your photos. Looks like a fantastic time. Will you go again this year?

Sweet Bee Cottage said...

What a fabulous time you must have had. My buddies and I talked about going to this - I'm so glad to "meet" someone who did. I love your pictures!