I don’t really know where to start telling you about the Ricky Tims’ Super Quilt Seminar that was held at the RIT Field House from July 12 – 14, 2012. The first thing I want to say is thank you to my mom and dad for giving me the gift of this seminar. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity that I would not have wanted to miss.
If you are a quilter and you are anywhere near where one of these seminars is being held run, don’t walk, as fast as you can to sign up for it. I guarantee that after the three days of presentations you will not only be exhausted, but you will be exhilarated by everything you will learn. During the day at the seminar I didn’t really feel tired at all, but when I got home each night my mind was full and I crashed in bed and after three days I slept for about 12 hours straight.
The attendance at this seminar was the largest he has ever had, but it never seemed crowded. While waiting in line or wandering around at break time I met people from all over the Northeast. One very fun group of ladies came by bus from Ottawa Canada. All totaled there were about 740 attendees (with 140 of them from Canada).
There really wasn’t a bad seat in the venue either. The large display screen was used for both PowerPoint presentations as well as live video for demonstrations.
All three of the presenters were very enthusiastic about their topics and not once gave you the impression that they didn’t want to be there. Ricky himself gave about two-thirds of the presentations over the three days and was as fresh and funny as ever for each one.
Each session was an hour and a half with 45 minute breaks in between and a little longer for lunch.
During each break all three speakers were available to sign autographs and have pictures taken with you.
The syllabus that we received was easy to follow and will be a great resource to go back to while trying the new techniques we learned. Most of the time you didn’t need to read along, but it was good to know where in the book the information you were learning was.
A small quilt show was available to peruse during breaks that showcased the techniques being taught as well as showing off the speakers skills.
I uploaded pictures of some of the quilts in the show to Flickr if you are interested in seeing a few more.
These two were among my favorites of Ricky Tims’ quilts. The one directly above is called “Dad’s Lone Star” because his father did all the piecing on the large star in the center of the quilt. This one was hanging so you could see the back of the quilt too. The quilting is stunning and all done by Ricky on his domestic sewing machine. There are lots of pictures of the quilting on the back in my Flickr set.
I have to say that “Cindy’s Seat” served me well. I was mistaken about the type of seating (I showed you a picture of bleachers previously) we would be sitting on, but even though the seats were individual seats and fairly nicely contoured I would not have wanted to sit there for three days without the cushion.
On the final day of the seminar, during the first break of the day, a group of ladies sitting nearby took notice of my fancy seat and apparently during my absence (while I wandered the display area on the main floor) were examining the construction. When I returned to my seat I was swarmed by all the ladies asking me for the pattern! Lucky for me I had stashed a few brochures for my Etsy shop in my bag and told them that I would write a pattern and soon be selling it in my shop. I also want to mention that I will also be adding the seats as a custom item to sell in my shop (since a few of you already expressed interest) so if you are interested and not handy with a sewing machine I will be taking orders in the future.
On a final note, I have to say a huge thanks to the Genesee Valley Quilt Club (of which I am a member) for planning and organizing this fantastic event. The ladies that volunteered to help did a fantastic job and received a standing ovation at the end. I can’t stress enough to all the quilters out there to check out Ricky Tims seminar schedule and sign up for one near you. You can also get on his email list so you will be notified when new dates are announced. And thanks to Ricky, Alex and Libby for a great weekend!
That sounds incredible! I’m so happy for you that you were able to go. I think the quilt show alone would be worth it! 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
KZK
SUPER quilter time fur sure.
Sounds like you had a great time at the quilting seminar. I can see your seat came in handy!
Ohhhhh, the Ricky Tims quilts are so beautiful, they are like stained glass.
Lynne x
Well, heck…dat Ricky is some eye candy himself.
I am so thrilled you gotted to go to da seminar withs your mom. I bets you learned an incredible amount in a short time. My butt would really be hurtin afters sittin’ theres. Hehehehe.
Your cushion is very purties….all them ladies was jealous.
Puddles
Cindy, Really nice write up and neat pictures of two of my favorite quilts as well. The lone star is really appealing to me.
Beautiful quilts for sure. So glad you were able to go AND find it to be all you hoped for and more.
Sounds like it was an amazing time for you. Glad you had a great time and learned a lot. 🙂
I love the Dad’s Lone Star pattern! I am going to start shopping from your shop 🙂 hehe. When I see quilts, I think of my late grandma.
I’ll be back,
Sankissjuice
Looks like an interesting conference. My AUnt Linda loves to quilt too.
wags
Jazzi
I think quilting is about the most amazing thing ever …I can’t even sew so this is amazing to me!
Pip’s assistant
Those quilts are soooo beautiful!
love
tweedles
I bet that you are still smiling from ear to ear. What an incredible experience that seminar was for you. You’re in quilting heaven. I never really thought about the labor of love that goes into making a quilt UNTIL I saw the one you helped make for our town. (Yes, I’m still talking about it.) Then I see the ones in this post and say to myself “how come the only talent I have is cooking?” Seriously, I can sew a button on but that’s it for my “sewing” talent! I’m sure you learned so much from the seminar that I’m now waiting to hear about your next, latest and greatest project.
Hugs,
Lily Belle & Kim