The ladies started us off with a prayer and a song. And then there was a bit of a pregnant pause. Everyone was waiting for the 'class' to begin. But the ladies don't teach by lecturing, or instructing in the traditional sense. They teach by coaxing, by encouraging, by suggesting. So there was a moment of scramble, of confusion, of disbelief (from some). You mean we're just supposed to quilt? With no block pattern? No demonstration? That left some very (very!) uncomfortable. And yet that was part of what the workshop was about, moving out of your comfort zone to create something new to you.
At the time I thought, hmmm, well perhaps that could have been better explained. But I am quite comfortable with just diving in. That is, in fact, my preferred method of working. So I took my pile of fabric (some Kaffe Fassett shot cotton striped fat quarters and a couple solids) over to the cutting table with my rotary cutter and begin cutting strips. I immediately recognized that, because it had not been on the supply list, and because my departure from Portland had been characteristically scattered, I had not brought a ruler, a tool which I use quite a bit in my quilting. One of the things I love about the Gee's Bend quilts is the look that everything was not cut with a ruler. From what I understand, most of what they make is actually cut with scissors, so there is little of that cold crispness of rotary cuts. I believe that gives them so much more humanity. You see the hands of the maker in the quilts. So that was my lesson to learn from the ladies. I had to cut strips without my ruler. It felt rather daring to do so, but by the end of the two days I was getting good at cutting where and what I wanted.
I didn't actually figure out that that was what I needed to learn from them until the whole two-day session was done and I had some time to mull it over. But with hindsight comes all sorts of insight. I feel newly energized about cutting the fabric for my quilts, and the direction this will take me. This is not to say that all of them will be cut free hand, but I very much like the look of what I made with the ladies, and will endeavor to take that into future quilts.
I heard after the fact that some in the class were very unhappy with the format. People quilt, and learn, in so many different ways. Still I cannot but feel bad for those women who missed the nuggets of wisdom offered by the three quilters of Gee's Bend who came to Searsport. Making can be simply the creation of things, useful of otherwise. However it can also be a window into our souls, our psyches and our methods. Where do you resist? Perhaps that is where you need to look… What do you make? Is there a reason for it? Why do you make, does it fulfill some need that nothing else does? If your practice requires structure, and is impossible without it, then I would suggest you research your learning experiences.
I loved working with Miss China, Miss Stella Mae and Miss Revil. I loved their hugs, their songs, their enthusiasm, their suggestions, their support and the fact that they traveled all the way from Alabama to share with me. I am so glad I had this chance to work with them, and consider it a gift.