John C. Campbell Folk School 2023

THIS could be the year that you visit the awesome John C. Campbell Folk School!  I was 

lucky enough to take a one week workshop there last month.  The school is located in Brasstown, NC. Brasstown is in the southwest corner of the state.

I learned some new techniques in the Shibori Dyeing class taught by Emily Ayers.  Following are some photos from my most recent trip to Brasstown.  I have now taken three classes at the Folk School.  I’ve also taught two classes there. 

I made a dress and harem pants several months before traveling to Brasstown.

I used Kona PDF (prepared for dyeing) cotton for those garments.  See before and 
after photos below.

I purchased a white jacket from St. Vincent’s here in Madison before heading to 

North Carolina.  I didn’t pay much for it.  I thought it would be a good candidate 

for dyeing.  And it was!

I also dyed some cotton fabric yardage, a silk scarf, and a pair of socks!  It’s

pretty obvious that I love the turquoise range of color!

John C. Campbell Folk School Campus Photos

Greetings!  Happy Fall!

The following photos, taken in late May/early June of this year, will give you an idea of what the Folk School campus is like!  Enjoy!

The Louise Pitman Fiber Arts building is home to the weaving,sewing, and quilting workshops.  The workshops I taught were held in this building.

 

Photos below show students, and their creations, done in the two classes I taught this year.  I had wonderful, generous students in both classes.  The "Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair" class was a weekend session.  "Brasstown Boho Skirt" was a week long workshop.  I'll be teaching that workshop again in 2023.  Registration is open now!

Stops Along the Way: Part 2

. . . and so my trip to North Carolina continues.  Day 1 of my drive ended in Effingham, IL.

Knowing that I was within range of Paducah, KY, I left my hotel in Effingham at about 6:30 a.m. The drive to Paducah was approximately 130 miles.  My next stop would be the quilter’s mecca 

known as Hancock’s of Paducah.  The store opens at 9 a.m. and I made it a point to arrive in

time for the store opening. 

 

The last time I was IN Paducah was over 20 years ago.  All previous visits have been with tour groups visiting the annual AQS quilt show there.  Paducah was overrun with quilters during those April trips!  My stop at Hancock’s in late May was a very different story.  I practically had the place to myself! There were one or two other shoppers looking around.  There WERE lots of employees gathering specific bolts of fabric to fill internet orders.

 

This landed in my car!  With gusty winds on the interstate, it was imperative that I add some weight to my car. 

As you can see, the sky looked ominous.  I encountered periods of heavy rain

 as I drove southeast across Kentucky after leaving  Hancock's.

I continued onward, via Interstate 24.  I worked my way to Nashville, TN.  I24 runs

along the east edge of  Nashville.  Nashville has a pretty skyline.  The traffic was

bumper to bumper and it took a long time to get beyond Nashville.  I made it to 

Murfreesboro for the night on this, my second day of the trip.  Murfreesboro has

connections to the Civil War.  The photo below shows a wall in my hotel room.

 

On day 3 of my trip, I left Murfreesboro and headed to the Chattanooga, TN area.

Again, Interstate 24 was busy, especially near Chattanooga.  I switched from I24, to 

I75, just east of Chattanooga.  With another quilt shop address preloaded into my 

GPS, I headed to Ooltewah, home of “Chattanooga Quilts”.  Ooltewah is about 20 miles 

east of Chattanooga.

Chattanooga Quilts is a shop filled with character!  And, lots of nice fabric!

 







With another day of driving complete, I arrived in Murphy, NC on Thursday afternoon.

My Friday drive to the John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, would be less

than ten miles!

I’ve been to Murphy before.  I am familiar with both the quilt shop (Bless My Stitches) 

and one of the antiques shops in town. 

 

I found this large basket at Marketplace Antiques in Murphy.  The big basket is 

16” in diameter.  It caught my eye just minutes after I walked into the antiques

store.  This photo was taken after the basket traveled with me back to my home.

Thank-you for following along as I drove to North Carolina!  My next post will feature

photos of the John C. Campbell Folk School!

Stops Along the Way: Part 1

I drove from Wisconsin to North Carolina at the end of May.  I was headed to the John C. Campbell Folk School where I would be teaching two classes!  I planned out the long drive to North Carolina ahead of time, noting points of interest along the way.  Points of interest, at least for me, include quilting-related venues and shops, yarn shops, and antiques stores.

Aware that there was an exhibition in Peoria, IL of some of the quilts owned by Ken Burns, I knew I needed to detour west on the first day of my drive through Illinois.  Ken Burns is someone I’ve actually met!  The photo directly below was taken at the Denali National Park train depot in August of 2016.  Ken was there as a guest of the National Park Service.  As it happens, he was staying at the same lodge as my husband and I.  How cool is THAT?

The quilt exhibit was being held at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.  This exhibit

will be on display at the upcoming Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, here in Madison!

Once I was done viewing the Ken Burns quilt collection exhibit, I walked over 

to a yarn shop LESS than a block away!  I didn't even have to move my car.

After spending money at the yarn shop, I hopped in my car and worked my way

South, to Effingham, IL.  This would be my first overnight stop. When choosing 

a hotel prior to starting my trip, I discovered one that was within five blocks of 

a quilt shop!  Oh my! 

Photos below are from the Wooden Spool, in Effingham, IL.







Stops Along the Way:  Part 2 will be published next month!  Stay tuned!