A Week at The Folk School
This summer I was able to cross something off my Bucket List. I took a class at the John C Campbell Folk School. The school is located in Brasstown, a beautiful part of western North Carolina. They offer a variety of classes in art, craft, music, writing and so much more. The classes are amazing, but the experience is what will stay with you forever. I left feeling creatively fulfilled and inspired.
The school has a bit of a vibe of an intense camp for adults, but with way better lodging and food! Some mornings offer Morning Song which is full of song, music and storytelling. It was magical and a highlight of my week. We were lucky enough to have music from Charmaine one morning; she is in charge of music for the folk school. Her spirit of practice trumping talent and noncompetitive learning captured the spirit of the school! We were also blessed with stories from Martha and a concert from the ballad music class.
Anita Grossman Solomon taught her Sapphire Quilt. If you don't know Anita, she is a true brilliant quilting mind who is clever in her use of fabric and creative in how she forms designs. Plus I'm lucky to call her both a mentor and friend. She also encouraged me to go rogue and create something new! The Guru and I cut into our Liberty stash for these special projects; we've been gathering via Amitie's Liberty Lovers Club for the past few years.
Another highlight of the week were the friends we made both in and out of class. My talented new friend Deanna was taking a travel photography course and she let me share her images. She captured both the beauty and the hidden treasures of the folk school campus!
The week was a truly magical experience and I'm already perusing the catalogue for next year! I am deciding between painting with a palette knife, making a kudzu basket, a quick sketching class and about 47 other things. You can request a catalogue here.
Also I'm going to be teaching there in May! I'm teaching my Carolina Quilts pattern. It'll be a week of patchwork, appliqué and foundation piecing. As always, there will be loads of talk about fabric selection and creating contrast and interest in your project. I can barely wait!
xx LC