I spent last Thursday and Friday at the Shipshewana Quilt Festival in Shipshewana, Indiana. Thursday was six wild hours of schoolhouse presentations and Friday was filled with a wonderful Altered Photo Artistry workshop, based on the two books C&T has published on the technique.

Participants send a photo to us a week or so before the workshop. We alter the photo, enlarge it, and print it on fabric so it’s ready for participants to work on in class.

This is Sharon from South Bend. Her photo was taken on a tropical vacation. She said she had to touch the blossom to confirm it was real. (I suspect it is a bromeliad, but can't identify the type.)

This close-up shows the texture she is adding with the stitching.

Ruth's photo is lost in the ethernet somewhere, but she was a great sport and agreed to work on one of my photos. She and friend Linda Davidge came all the way from Florida!

Ruth's outlining really adds definition to the rose's petals.

Mary had quite a challenge with this hydrangea. I didn't realize she had chosen it, or I would have suggested a blossom with fewer elements to outline. The fun really begins when you start to add the colors!

Mary outlined the hydrangea head and began adding yummy texture with a plum-colored thread in the shadow areas. If she changes her mind, she can outline the units any time before finishing the piece.

Linda Elder had made only two quilts before this workshop, but her extensive experience in dyeing and painting fabric certainly was an asset!

The way she stitched the stairs and plaster walls really created a contrast in the design elements. Linda is considering adding some beads on the floral bush on the left side of the stairs. That would really add another dimension to the composition.

Linda Davidge's photo was on my hard drive, but through a mix-up wasn't printed and ready for her to stitch on in class. (We did print it out and it's ready for her to use when she gets home. Can't wait to see what you do with the barn photo, Linda!!)

The purple glads were from the farmer's market last year.

Kathy Branigan's photo of an hibiscus presented two additional challenges. The edges of the petals, stamen, and pistils have areas that are not easy to see. She had to make educated decisions about the outlining in those areas.

This close-up shows she did a good job of adding definition where there was little or none. Who knew college botony class would come in handy all these years later?

Jean Perrenod chose a photo of a lovely tulip, in her favorite color. She got a late start on this piece because the printer (not the printer operator, of course) printed three of one quadrant and one of another, which made a rather abstract composition. Actually, that might be fun some time. I'll have to try it!

You can see, Jean has just begun to stitch texture in the bottom right quadrant of the tulip. This will be striking when the stitching is complete!

Holly McMurtrey chose one of my favorite flowers, the iris. It was pretty peachy in the original photo, but we convinced it to be pink. She chose to outline some of the leaves, as well as the blossom, to add to the depth of the image.

Can you see the different stitching patterns she chose to separate the background, leaves, and petals of the iris?

Good job ladies!! Thank you so much for allowing Lori and I to share this fun technique!

I'm usually a woman of few words, but the California Association of Machine Embroiders seminar in Santa Maria, California has me bubbling with enthusiasm!

What an incredibly talented and prolific group of ladies! The photo above shows 10 from the Altered Photo Artistry workshop. They each sent a photo to me before the workshop. I altered the photo, enlarged it, and printed it on fabric. So, when everyone arrived in the classroom, they were ready to start stitching!

This is Barbara. She took the Altered Photo Artistry workshop on Friday and then taught a workshop on needle-felting with an embellishing machine on Saturday. Very fun!

Betty (immediate past president of CAME) is working on a photo of the famous California poppy. The weather was just warming up during the seminar and the poppies were, well, "popping" out everywhere.

The back of Carol’s piece really shows the outlining she's completed on the blossom and stem …

and it's even more striking from the front!

Diane (president elect) was co-chair of the 2010 seminar, but took the time out of the hectic schedule to take the Altered Photo Artistry workshop!

Isabel is working on a Gerbera daisy. BTW: CAME has a tradition of making and giving favors at lunch each day. Isabel and Judy made adorable pincushions in the shape of cupcakes for everyone!

Here's Judy working on an altered daffodil. She later invited me to her beautiful home, where I got to see some of her award-winning art quilts!

Rhoda is wearing a kimono from the surface design workshop "Tattoo Your Style," but she participated in the Altered Photo Artistry workshop also. Rhoda is the one responsible for making it possible for me to attend the CAME seminar—and I hope it isn't the last!

Isn't Ruth's calla lily awesome? We altered the lily's color a bit, but the striking feature is the water droplets! The way she outlined them really made them stand out. Can't wait to see it mounted and framed!

Sharon is the other seminar co-chair. Her energy and stamina was amazing. What a shining example of grace and love. She is working on a kaleidoscope, which we discovered is probably not a good subject for a first-time project. All the CAME members are accomplished in free-motion work, but the Altered Photo Artistry technique is best experienced the first time on a single blossom. Now we know!

You've probably seen Sylvia's work in various quilt magazines and on the runway of the prestigious Fairfield (or is it Bernina) Fashion Show. Here she has outlined leaves on a branch to emphasize the depth and dimension of the branch.

Zerita's hollyhock pops out of the background because of the way she has outlined the flower. Next, she'll begin to fill with color to accent highlights, deepen shadows, and saturate midtones.

This row of cypress trees was photographed in a cute little town, not far from Santa Maria. They indicate the visit is over—for this time. I hope to return to the California Association of Machine Embroiders (CAME) seminar next year. What a delightful group of ladies. They sure know how to have a good time!