Arrowmont - Almost Heaven

I just got back from spending a week at the Arrowmont School in Gatlinburg, TN taking "De-mystifying the Art Quilt" with Elizabeth Barton. If quilters go to heaven when they die, this is probably the waiting room. The setting in the Smoky Mountains is gorgeous once you look past the main street freak show of Gatlinburg which is an afterthought of the Dollywood Complex. Ya gotcher Elvis Dinner Clubs, yer Elvis Comedy Clubs, yer Elvis Tattoo Parlors, helicopter rides and funeral homes - you get the picture - I didn't take any in town. In fact, once I turned off the main street into the Arrowmont driveway, I never moved the car all week.

They fed us like they do on a cruise ship. Each of three meals a day the Dying Man's Last Supper, everything homemade from scratch with all the trimmings, soup to nuts, homemade bread, dessert and the best coffee....yeah, I gained a mere five pounds in seven days. Dr. Atkins was whirling in his urn.

Our class was held in the largest painting studio ( kinda irking the painting class) and was so comprehensive. I have a long list of things I learned, each new thing coming as a sweet surprise.

Elizabeth is a most generous and thoughtful teacher making room for the few seasoned pros to do their thing and offering extra help and encouragement for those who were coming straight from traditional quilting backgrounds. My fellow students were a gregarious flock of hens - and I mean this in the nicest way - mature women all - we didn't have any male sensibilities to contend with aside from the odd husband or two wandering in from time to time. We were all there to learn, share what we knew and what we had brought. Between Chris and Nancy and Janice, a small quilting supply shop could have been opened on the spot. Several members of the class became Dyeing junkies in one day. If you are smart you will buy stock in ProChem.

Here is a link to the page with all the pictures and smart remarks.

And then there was the magic bench.


The plaque does NOT read "This is a Yoga sex bench"