I taught a series of workshops in Tennessee, at Rainbow Yarns and Fibres in Memphis.  A wonderful little shop.

I usually forget something as I’m packing at the last minute and dashing out the door to a workshop. . . and this time it was my camera.  This is not a good thing to forget when you plan to write about the workshop and include photographs.

The workshop at Rainbow was lovely:  the ladies who took the workshop were delightful and diligent.  There were long stretches of silence as people worked on tacking in the stiffener or measured for bag foot placement, or worked on Gerbera Daisies. And there was also much amiable and pleasant conversation.  I had a blast both days–day one was finishing bags, mostly bowling ball bags and the results were great, and day two was flowers.  Camellias and other posies were completed before days end.

And a friend of Brigitte, the store’s owner and my host, by the name of Renee invited Brigitte and me over for dinner and then shared breakfast with us.  What fun we had! And delicious spirits and repast as well.

It was during this workshop at Rainbow, for which I am sorely lacking pictures, that the Sunflower Dress project was born and its first members recruited.  Here’s what the project is:  March 2010 I will release a sunflower pattern.  The flower is so fantastic, if I do gush a little and risk sounding a little too pleased with myself, that I do believe, I really do, that these felted flowers might just fool gold finches.  I aim to see, come Spring, by putting some on the fence with the camera on the tripod.  I’ll sit and wait to see if any stop by and check them out for sunflower seeds.

But to my point.  I am going to make a ball gown out of these sunflowers.  The flowers will comprise the bodice and the skirt of the dress will be made of stems.  This is a lot of stems, as you can imagine, so I’m going to need some help.  If you would like to be part of the project, please write to me at nora@nonipatterns.com with the subject line Sunflower Dress Project.  What do I get out of it, you might as (I meaning you)?  Besides my devotion and many thanks, you will get a copy of the pattern and your name specifically mentioned anywhere this dress appears.  If you want to make a flower or stems, I will provide the yarn and cover any and all postage to and from.

Here is a picture of the sunflowers in a vase. . .