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Feedback from my silk dyeing class at the Houston Int'l Quilt Festival 2006
(Catherine shared this success after seeing me again at Houston in 2007)
"I'm sure you remember our conversation! I'm being facetious as there were over 500 ladies at the sampler.(Samplers in Houston are very large workshops where there may be 30 - 50 teachers and hundreds of people. Each person sampling a teacher's technique for a few minutes and then going around to the next teacher.)
"Just in case you've forgotten , I dyed a silk scarf at last year's sampler & was so impressed with everything that I bought a package of the dyes to take with me to the Czech Republic. I volunteer in the Czech Republic teaching English for several weeks each year and try to take some new craft idea to use with the children of the church. The family I live with has a 16 year old daughter who's attending an art school in Brno, and is talented in so many areas. I figured she would love to dye some silk.
"Because I'm a volunteer & have to earn my money for all of the trips (traveling expenses as well as supplies), one lady in Houston gave me a huge amount of silk. She had an online business that she closed and invited my sister's guild to come to her house & purchase what inventory she had left. I went with my sister to purchase fabric, the lady learned of the purpose for my purchase, and proceeded to give me pounds & pounds of silk. The quality of the fabric was much heavier & not as nice as the scarves you had, but nevertheless, it was silk.
"One Sunday afternoon I invited several of the Czech girls to my "home" after church. Each chose their fabric and told me (in English) the color of dyes they wanted. They ended up with some very unusual methods, besides the spraying, twisting mounds, dotting, etc. that you showed us. Before it was over, each girl had used some of every color. They were all so proud of their accomplishment and proceeded over the next week to turn their pieces of silk into table cloths, scarves, etc.
"The silk that I had left was given to some of the Czech ladies I've been helping teach to quilt & you wouldn't believe their joy. It was the first time any of them had ever had real silk to work with. They can't even find any cotton fabric, so this silk was really special.
"Again, thanks for teaching me a quick lesson that worked its way around the world. I hope the other ladies who've taken this sampler with you have spread their new knowledge with others, just as you shared with us.
"God bless you and keep up the good dyeing!!!!!"
Catherine Beale
Culpeper, Virginia
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