Sensational – an apt description of this class of versatile students!  The smaller class size enabled me to spend more time with each student, getting to know them and to help them with their designs.

Sensational Stars Class

Although in the above image, only the star centers appear, the two-day class also included circular border design.  We’ll have to wait to see those when the images of the finished designs show up at a later date!

Bea

My favorite part of class is doing introductions at the beginning because this is where we get to know each other and begin to develop friendships that just might last a lifetime.  When Bea (no last name given) introduced herself, she said she was OLD.  How old we will never know, but this lady taught others a thing or two and was one of the first students to finish all the sections of her original design star!

Bea’s Star

I just love the way her fabrics almost appear to be floating atop the mottled background fabric.

Carol Ann Emerson Quilt, Surprise, AZ

Shortly after class began, Carol Ann Emerson showed another quilt that she had stitched. It was a beauty and the detail work incredible.

Carol Ann Emerson, Surprise, AZ

Carol was the only student that elected to make an asymmetrical star design.  Although simple to draw, these designs create sewing challenges.  I can’t wait to see what she does with the rest of her design.

Susan Lock, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The color in Susan’s star simply radiates!

Alexandra Bykova,Novosibirsk, Russia

It was my great pleasure to meet Alexandra Bykova, who traveled all the way from Siberia, Russia to attend Quilting in the Desert.  Leksie, as she prefers to be called, is bringing quilting to the women of Novosibirk.  She blogs about her work on SkinnyBear Hugs Quilts.  It hope to entice her to write a guest blog here about her quilts and the women of her area.

Leksie and yours truly

It was a grand time!  Now, I have a whole bunch of new friends in quilting, some from near and others from very far away!