New Brunswick Teaching Trip, Part 1

On Sunday I returned from a fantastic teaching trip to New Brunswick. I was away for two weeks. What a beautiful drive, with autumn leaves at their peak.

You know you are in New Brunswick when you see these kinds of signs, in both official languages (New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada). I never did see any moose but that is probably a good thing as they can cause severe damage to your car, and you, if one catches you by surprise.

I undertook the 11-12 hour drive to New Brunswick over two days. My first booking was with the Marco Polo Quilters Guild in Saint John. My first class was Hosta Leaves 101. You can see students using the big bright windows to trace their patterns.. 

My photo taking during workshops was a bit haphazard on this trip, largely due to my limited mobility. I spent most of my trip teaching from a chair on wheels due to my arthritic knee. I did manage to photograph a few finished hosta pieces.

Dorothy:

Barbara:

Carolyn:

Nancy:

Barb:
A big thank you to Barb who treated me to dinner at her house one night, and provided me with homemade lobster mac n'cheese and blueberry pie and red pepper jelly. I spent my final night in Saint John sitting in my hotel room eating lobster mac n'cheese while watching the federal election thanks to Barb. It was delicious!

My second workshop was Surface Design 1, which includes Prismacolor Artist Pencils and Caran d'Ache Necolor 2 Water Soluble Wax Pastels. Students learn how to use artist pencils to add shading and hi-lights. They also learn to use the wax pastels  to create a piece that is impressionistic after adding water with a brush. More definite lines can be added after that with dry crayons.

Marilyn:

This is Dorothy with her partially completed project from the Liberated Radial Piecing class.

On Sunday afternoon I gave a lecture and trunk show.

Because I chose to drive, rather than fly, I was able to take my store with me. There were shopping frenzies from time to time.

On my last day in Saint John I taught my In Full Bloom class.

A big thank you to Sandra, who was a very organized workshop and program coordinator. I think this is a fantastic photo of an elegant woman and I hope she likes it too. 

 

Big thanks to Leslie who worked as my class assistant most days, including running my store so I could focus on teaching.

It was a beautiful day when I finished my last day of teaching so I decided to do a little sightseeing. I visited the Reversing Falls, where the ocean tide pushes back the rapids on the Saint John River.

near the Irving pulp and paper mill.

Before leaving town the next morning I decided to see the down town and water front. A large cruise ship was in port.

I took a walk through Market Square, a building that pulls together the New Brunswick Museum, Saint John Library, and shops and restaurants under one roof. One can walk several blocks through an overpass called "The Connection". It is all indoors.

Oh and there is a model of the Marco Polo ship that this guild is named after.

I had one more lobster roll at the Saint John Market.

With a large cruise ship in port, it was a busy day at the market

After that I headed north to Fredericton. 

An enormous thank you to the Marco Polo Quilt Guild for taking such good care of me! With accessible classrooms and an accessible hotel room, a lot of the stress of my knee problem was alleviated. Everyone was so helpful with transporting my class materials and fabrics too, and many took turns providing dinners and lunches. That's legendary Maritime hospitality!