Against My Better Judgment

Sitting here debating on whether to post this or not but as you know, there is often a brain/finger disconnect with me soooooooooo........in class yesterday, my students commented that their last teacher was another nationally-known applique type. Me: "Oh yeah, I know her well. Hope you enjoyed her." Them: "She told us that she knew you were coming next and how I was going to ask them to work but......and here's the kicker...they should not work they way I suggested." Well, knock me over with a feather.

Continuing on with her comments: Forget about all my surface design stuff especially pen and ink because it hasn't been around long enough to be tested as archival.....blah, blah. Now dear readers, can I even begin to tell you how unprofessional this commentary was. I would never, never say anything to a class about how another teacher works.....maybe mention what style, but never tell a class don't do what someone is trying to teach.

First, let me explain how I tested the pen and ink stippling techniques I use on my work. Sometime in the early '90's, made a quilt called Propaganda. Check out the detail of the face on my website: www.gabrielleswain.com

The face was done on flesh colored fabric entirely in pen and ink and then appliqued to the surface. I was trying to get the look of a lithograph. Back to the test.....made two of the faces,
placed a piece of masking tape on back of one with the date written on the tape, then taped the face to a window. Three months later, took down the face, no fading, no fabric falling apart...good as new. The quilt is still completely in tact with no holes or fading. This is the kind of testing I do with any product I recommend to my classes.

On top of that, usually I go to the company website and download all the specs and instructions......and shock, actually read them. See how all this stuff works with fiber, iron it, wash it, test for light fastness, etc.

Back to the point, why did this person feel it was necessary to even mention me? More importantly, why would she want to discourage anyone from learning something new that might add more visual impact to their work? To say the least, I was taken aback at the whole situation.

Moral: Let's be more professional than dishing with the students about another quiltmaker. Don't talk like you are an expert about a technique you don't even use and know next to nothing about.
What a waste of time for the students when you could have been teaching something that you do well.

Can you tell that I am just a little p-o'ed about this?