RICKY TIMS SEMINAR

Last week I attended, along with nineteen other members of my guild, a Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar in Knoxville. If you ever get a chance be sure to attend one if you can possibly do so. Bernina is a sponsor. There is an ad on page 51 of the new McCall's Quilting just delivered.

I've known of his fabulous teaching ability since I took the convergence class from him back in the nineties at Road to CA and he has grown in that respect significantly and has added new techniques of his own invention since then. Libby Lehman gave us lots of tips about thread and the use thereof and of course, we all know Alex Anderson who is also a member of the faculty. They had a video camera operated by Tims' partner and projected on a huge monitor set up on the stage. That allowed the teachers to demonstrate some things like curved piecing, hand quilting by Alex.so that all 200 participants had a good clear view of what they are doing. There was no sewing on the part of students. I don't consider the format of the thing to be a seminar as I understand that word but I think they use that term to distinguish this affair from the usual classroom approach where the students lug in machines, fabric and all the rest of the paraphernalia necessary. These were, essentially lectures and demonstrations very well done. Ricky and Libby are natural comedians and the atmosphere was very light and enlightening. There was also a speaker, the CEO of Superior Threads, and we learned some interesting stuff from him and we were disabused of numerous old wives tales about thread choices. The total of what we learned would require the purchase of numerous books that would cost more than the seminar. By the way, we each received an excellent wire bound book clearly setting out details and how tos about every topic covered in the lectures.

I won't bore you with the list of serious defects in the Marriott facilities. The service was terrible from day one and deteriorated from there. The food was acceptable at first and worsened precipitously thereafter. By the last day they were serving poorly disguised left overs from the previous days but charging the original prices. I am not inclined to blame Tims for this and it probably won't be the case at other locations. November 1-2 they will be in Houston in conjunction with Quilt Festival, in Livermore, CA 1/24 - 26 '08, and at beautiful Glens Falls NY May 1-3 '08.

Our guild was a "co sponsor" of the affair and we got a price of $159 excluding accommodations so if you belong to guild you might bring that up with your fellows in the guild to do that. Frankly, I don't know the details of that roll but I think it was just a matter of touting it and alluring the membership to go. It was worth every penny as far as I'm concerned. Oh, of course, there are opportunities to shop from two vendors, Bernina with autographed machines, parts, tools and patterns and Tims which included Anderson and Lehman books and thread and the luscious hand dyed fabrics of Tims. I dropped a fair amount of $$ for fabric and thread.

I will now make up a bill to send Tims for my endorsement. LOL Actually, it is spontaneous on my part. I think every one of us from my guild agrees with me about how wonderful it was.

Jane in NC