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The added benefit of taking a multi-day workshop is not just the obvious...that you learn more and might get more done. But, if you make the effort, you could be inspired by a classmate. There is a tendency to nest at a table and find your comfort peeps. Being a curious soul, I always want to meet and dig down a layer, learning about those who took the time to sign up for the same workshop I did. It is because of this innate need to know, learn, and expand my own life that I have crossed paths with people who have taught me so much about living, passion and sharing.
I was gobsmacked when I saw this quilt created by a fellow classmate, Ariane Zurcher. It is an amazing piece of folk art...but, what is really amazing is that she was inspired and started this quilt at a Sue Spargo workshop in Santa Fe in 2018! Yes...I am talking inspired, designed and stitched in less than a year!!! For a girl who has a pile of UFOs, this gave me chills...could I possibly become this passionate?
What I did know is I wanted...no needed, to understand this person. To learn something about her process. What you need to know first up is that each of us has a life history that affects and drives our passions. And, these experiences are all personal and challenge us in different ways. What I mean is that just because 1-2 and 3 happen your life, and you are artistic, does not mean the same thing will happen to the next person. With that said, I wanted to learn a bit about Ariane and hoped her passion would somehow infect me.
It seems she has always been a crafty personality, sewing her own clothes from a young age. By the time she was ready to go off into the world, she was accepted to the Parsons School of Design. After graduating, she began a career in fashion design in London and New York and also was a contributing editor for Elle Magazine.
As I put the pieces together, I realized that there was a passion for expression that I totally understood. The need to create and see where it takes you...it didn't matter the medium, but the need to taste it and see what it feels like...So, she added pottery, LOL.
While all this creative tasting is going on, she designs, creates, and sells high end custom jewelry on her Esty site, Ariane Zurcher Designs. Her designs are sought after and collected, and some of the collections can be viewed on her website.
What I learned and will always cherish, is that a fellow classmate took the time to share the possibilities. I was in awe and continue to be in awe...she has been quilting for 3 years...yes, 3 years and the quilt she started with was a Kim McLean quilt. Because when you are passionate, you don't start with the ABCs, you write a novel! She has sold a quilt of her own design and yes...she is finished with the 2018 Homegrown Sue Spargo BOM...as in stitched, pieced, quilted and bound.
I hope you will check out Ariane's various sites and consider the possibilities that a workshop can bring to your life. I know that my project will be amazing because Ariane shared wool for my jackrabbit! LOL
Here's where you can find Ariane:
Ariane's Blog
Stay tuned and travel along with us on Quilt Roadies...where we are connecting one quilter and one shop at a time!!
.jpg "2019 Sponsor - BERNINA Q 24")
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