Design Camp 2007 
Click here to download Design Camp Brochure as a PDF or read the description below.
 
Design Camp for Quiltmakers June 24-30, 2007
Design Camp is sold out. 
Please call or email to be placed on waiting list. We often have one or two cancellations.

If you are an adventurous beginner or an expert quiltmaker who wants to start designing your own quilts, Design Camp is for you. This retreat is ideal for the quiltmaker who wants to try a new approach to quiltmaking, one where design and exploration are the focus. This is not a workshop in which we show you how to make quilts that look like ours. Our goal is to help you make quilts that are expressive of your ideas and style. The curriculum changes every year so Design Camp Alumni can plan on learning something new each year. Completion of at least one quilt prior to Design Camp is required but no design background is needed. 

Finding Your Creative Spirit 
You've made a quilt or two or twenty. Now you want to design your own quilts. You can learn the fundamentals of design with or without any art background. It takes understanding basic principles, experimentation, patience and a willingness to learn. Designing can be confusing and frustrating. It can also be one of the most gratifying things you will ever do. 
At Design Camp we create a fun, inspirational atmosphere where your creativity will flourish. 
We love seeing how the ideas that people bring to Design Camp grow into quilts. In the past we have asked Design Campers to bring a list of significant events in their life or a list of things they'd like to do in their lifetime. You need not make a quilt based on one of these ideas, they are just a starting point. We suggest that students find some topic that is truly fun or meaningful to them to be the inspiration for their quilt, because it's easier to design something that you really care about. 

Past sources of inspiration for Design Campers include: 
o One woman's lifelong fantasy of winning the Best Pie ribbon at the state fair 
o A stash of Liberty of London fabrics
o A fond memory of a piece of land in the mountains 
o The similarities and differences between twin sisters 
o Plans for how a college student would build a life for herself after graduation 
o New images of Saturn's rings from the Hubble telescope
A Week of Learning Awaits You
The goal of this week is to help you learn how to design. It is not to finish a quilt. You will complete many design explorations and will leave with an original quilt design underway. Most importantly, you will leave will an understanding of how to make quilts that are reflective of your ideas and interests. There will be hands-on explorations, slide lectures, and show and tell. Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle will each lead different segments of the week. Enrollment is limited to 20 students. 
The 2007 Curriculum
Sunday 5pm-7pm 
 Residents check in
  7pm-9pm
 Introductions, Show and Tell
Monday 9:30am - 5pm 
 Lectures & Explorations on Design and Color:
 “How do you learn to design?”
 Learning Color from the Great Masters
Tuesday 9:30am-3pm 
 Lectures & Explorations on Composition:
 Everything Matters: Understanding how artists and designers edit their compositions
 Character Studies: Using color and pattern to    convey personality
 3pm-5pm 
 Discussion of individual ideas
Wednesday
 Prototyping and editing ideas
Thursday & Friday 
Sew like crazy with Bill and Weeks helping you make design decisions as you go
Friday evening 
 Farewell Dinner
Saturday morning
 Check-out for residents by noon
A Creative Environment 
Concordia University is 12 miles west of downtown Chicago.  We have exclusive use of a well-lit, air-conditioned art studio with ample workspace for each student. Residents will stay in air-conditioned, single dormitory rooms with a shared bathroom and a common area in the suite. Hotels and B&Bs are also available in adjacent Oak Park.
Meals are not included but there are healthy and delicious options on campus, at nearby restaurants and at a Whole Foods supermarket. In the past Design Campers have been very generous in sharing rides and meals together. If you want to eat by yourself, you may, but if you want company, you'll have no trouble finding it.

Getting Around 
River Forest is about 12 miles from O'Hare airport, Midway airport, and downtown Chicago. If you are flying into Chicago, you might enjoy renting a car to explore the area, but you can also walk or take public transportation. Free parking is available. River Forest and adjacent Oak Park are home to dozens of Frank Lloyd Wright homes, tree-lined streets, pleasant shopping  and restaurants.
Pack Your Enthusiasm Along With: 
o A stash of fabric in a variety of colors and patterns (we also bring hundreds of bolts of fabric for sale) 
o A sewing machine (limited rentals are available) 
o A rotary cutter, mat, rulers, your favorite notions, a sketchbook or journal, etc. 
o Quilts you've completed for show and tell 
o A sentence explaining what you hope to learn during the course of the week 
o Three ideas or experiences that you really care about. Call us if you have any questions. All that matters is that you really care about these topics. We'll talk you through the editing process
Registration
Registration is limited to 20 students

For registrations postmarked before April 1, 2007
 Commuter $500 ($250 deposit) 
 Resident  $850  ($425 deposit) 
For registrations postmarked after April 1, 2007
 Commuter $550 ($275 deposit) 
 Resident  $900  ($475 deposit) 

The Commuter rates do not include lodging. 
A 50% deposit is required to secure your place. 
The balance is due June 1, 2007. 
There is a $50 fee for cancellations up to 30 days prior to the workshops. We regret that we cannot offer refunds fewer than 30 days before the workshops. 

Please return this form with your 50% deposit. 
We prefer payment by check but also accept Visa and Mastercard. 
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