Back from the cottage – what a glorious May weekend! I meant to work on designs for my show in Comox, but somehow, between gazing over a cool lake and inhaling the scent of warm spruce needles, the time slipped by. Apparently nothing has changed since my undergrad days. But… a closer deadline brings me back to reality, my Net Collage workshop, starting tomorrow at the lovely St Aidan’s Hall at Christ Church.
Christ Church Flamborough
I’m checking my list of participants, most of whom I have not yet met, and I wonder, how will it go this time? Each workshop has a different feel. And how could it be otherwise, with this diverse mixture of creative characters thrown into one pot for two intense days?
Over the years, my issues of timing, hall rental, food and help have worked themselves out. But set up can still be stressful at times, when upon unpacking, it dawns on each participant, one by one, which crucial item got left behind at home… tantalizingly abandoned in full view – the bagful of special fabric, the darning foot, the box of pins…
The wonderful thing is, no one is ever without for long. Someone forgets her plugin cord for her machine… but it just so happens another participant has the identical machine and is more than willing to share. Another time, it’s the cutting board that goes missing – instantly, someone produces a large board and sets it up so everyone can use it. Fabrics, yarn, needles and threads are freely and generously offered to those who don’t have enough or who just didn’t bring the right thing. Infinite patience and advice are doled out to the inevitable few dealing with stubborn machines.
Nearly every time, this group of perfect strangers magically bonds and becomes a small community, with each individual contributing in her own unique way. I always look forward to this process, just as fascinating and rewarding as the teaching itself.
