What a POP-tastic Day!

Oh, lawd. This chicken was a little scared, but I still crossed the road. The weekend before last, I presented my first Colour Me Happy: A Journey with Colour & Design workshop at local quilt shop Patchwork on Pittwater. Now, I’ve taught classes before, but never a colour class, and never to an audience so eager to meet me. This had me feeling a bit trepidatious (they’re all gonna laugh at you!) as I arrived with Mr. Sparkles and Charlotte in tow. You probably won’t believe this, but I get a bit nervous speaking in front of strangers. Then my bitch self said to me, “Bitch, you are Molli B. Sparkles, you ain’t ‘fraid of nothin’! Now get out there and show ’em how it’s d.o.n.e. That’s right, done.“

Mmm. Bitch self tends to know what she’s talking about. Thankfully there were some familiar faces in the audience (holla, Sarah!), and plenty of others who made me feel like I was their new best friend. Oh and once I get a laugh out of someone, my faith is restored, and all is right with the world. Owner, Robyn Evans, quickly appeared and gifted me this rockin’, bejewelled, hot pink fedora. Well, if I must! Suffice it to say, it is my new favourite accessory, and I’m currently wearing it while I practice my J.Lo dance routines. Seriously.

And like that, the workshop went off without a hitch. Yes, I took a few tangents here and there (I lurve a good tangent, especially when they’re long and out of control, mmm!) I probably talked too much about boring colour schemes like primary and secondary, when I could have jumped into the really great stuff like split-complimentaries, and tetradics. I could have spoken louder for the back row. While I had example bundles of fabric for everything, I wish I had sample quilts for each colour grouping instead. But I know all that will come with refinement of the course, and I ain’t worried, not while I got this hat. Jealous, much?

I really considered this a test run, and now I have a jumping off point. If this class was the Chandon (sparkling wine, dahling), the next one will be the Vueve Clicquot (only the best for me and the Glitterati). That could all be sooner than you think, too! I’m in discussions with Robyn and team to hold an advanced Colour Me Happy workshop. There’s also potential for a whole series on design theory, and how to incorporate the design element of colour into quilts most effectively. Don’t even get me started on texture, line, and shape!

I would be amiss in my support of Truth Tea if I did not show you these horrible photos of me! Let’s blame it on the lighting, shall we? So after I finished blabbing all about colour, I let the quilts out of the bag, and we chatted all about the quilts I had made, and and how they formed part of my journey. There may have been a few tears even! While I wrapped up my presentation, some little birdy had tipped off the class that it was my birthday the following Monday (33 is already pretty spectacular!), and they had gifts, mini-quiches, a cake, and champagne ready to go!

Have. You. Ever? That’s when the real fun began! The disco balls came down from the ceiling, and you’d be amazed at the cray-cray lighting effects you get from flicking a room full of sewing machines on and off! If you had to leave early, so sad for you! Next time, m’dears, next time. I really enjoyed the presentation, but I loved engaging with all of you personally afterwards. There were a lot of discussions about colour and how to use it happening throughout the room. Whatever you do, keep talking about colour, keep asking your friends about colour, and in the name of the holy Madonna, keep using colour! Now, let’s do it again soon, shall we?