Two Weeks at the Crow Barn: The Preamble
May 17, 2018
This photo of Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Well, I'm about to embark on a massive quilting adventure. I am spending TWO WEEKS at the Crow Barn in rural Ohio, beginning this weekend.
Nancy Crow, doyenne of the Crow Barn, is legendary in several ways (that's her quilt pictured above):
- She's considered to be one of the leaders of the art quilt movement from the 1970s/80s.
- Some would argue that she's the mother of Modern Quilting as she almost always uses plain fabrics in her work.
- She has a reputation for being a tough teacher (students crying, etc.).
- She has built a quilting mecca in her backyard: The Crow Barn.
Truth be told, I'm not at all familiar with Nancy's work. I vaguely knew of the Crow Barn retreats by reputation. When I decided that 2018 was going to be my year of quilting, I decided to sign up for a week with Nancy because it seemed to be a rite of passage for so many quilters. BUT, you can't sign up for a week. You have to sign up for TWO weeks. And so I did. And then the stories started coming in.... Over the past few months, whenever I've mentioned that I'm heading to the Crow Barn, the stories have come at me: 100 yards of fabric on the supply list, tears, fights, and general insanity. But can it possibly all be true?
I have counted up a minimum of 96 yards of fabric on the supply list. As you can see from the photo...
...I bought more than 100 yards of fabric yesterday, so that part is true. As for the rest, I guess I'll have plenty to report on when I get back from Ohio. If you'd like to see things as they happen, follow my adventures on instagram or my vlog. Otherwise, I'll let you know in a few weeks!
If you'd like to learn more about Nancy Crow:
- She has books: Nancy Crow, Crossroads, and many more!
- Her website
- Her wikipedia page
- an hour long lecture by Nancy Crow, shared on YouTube
Wish me luck & thanks for stopping by!