Jo Avery – the Blog

My First Class

I thought you might like to see some photos of my first class (seeing as you have all been so sweet and encouraging about my new venture).

I had 4 students (2 of whom were my friends!) so it was a nice gentle start. There were a few teething problems but they didn’t seem to spoil the fun too much.

Look how busy they all are! All 4 students were lovely, really friendly and nice, but they all worked so hard and concentrated for 5 hours! By 4pm we were all exhausted!

Here I am showing Sarah something (actually this was totally staged for a photo, hence our giggles!).

And at the end of the day they each (almost) finished their cushions! Just a bit of hand quilting to finish at home. Aren’t they pretty?

Rebecca used a range of textures and this fresh and pretty, pink and green palette. The flowery pink fabric was from a pair of her daughter’s baby trousers, and she plans to use the cushion in her daughter’s room.

I was very impressed with Donna’s neat hand stitching, and though there was a lot of cursing from her corner of the room (!), I think this cushion might be my favourite of the four!

Sue bought this fabric years ago and had never got round to using it. I love the dramatic contrast she got with the light and dark, it really shows off the log cabin design. Sue needs to find a slightly bigger pad for this cushion though!

I had bought a big pile of fabrics that I thought I could spare in case students didn’t bring enough of their own. Sarah chose fabrics from this pile and created a cushion with this wonderful vintage feel. I didn’t think I liked these fabrics much anymore, but I love them in Sarah’s cushion.

Well done to all my students and thanks so much for being my guinea pigs.
I can’t wait for the next class now!!

22 comments

  1. Glad it all went well Jo! The cushions are all lovely but I think my favourite is the last vintagey looking one. Love your log cabin quilt hanging in the background too!

  2. congrats Jo – i start teaching at the local community centre next term (i also had a gentle intro into teaching with friends round at my house) – and your log cabin pillow is a great project – how ethical is it to snaffle your idea for my class?????

  3. Hi Jo! Sorry I have left it so long to leave a comment. Just wanted to say I had a great time at your class – you made it such a joy. You are a natural at teaching and made everything clear and simple. I'm sure your other classes will just be as successful! p.s. I think our "staged" photo looks great – really makes me giggle!:D
    Lots of love. xx

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