Thoughts upon my return to reality....

My "All the Colors of the Prairie" quilt.  Made on the road and still needs binding.

How do I begin to express my thanks, my joy, my gratitude, my appreciation or explain my sense of wonder at all that I have learned with my Teacher Creativity Fellowship?  My life has been enriched beyond my wildest expectations.  I honestly think it will be years before I fully realize all that I have learned throughout this remarkable experience.

The process of putting the grant proposal together, the winters wait to hear how my proposal fared, the anticipation and final planning of the trip, executing the trip, and now basking in the glory of a mission accomplished all brought new meaning and joy to my life.  With each phase, I learned more about myself, my curiosities and my passions.  Writing the actual proposal was a very positive experience.  I am a better person, teacher and learner by going through the proposal process.  It was a challenge that brought a great sense of accomplishment once it was completed.

My original proposal was to travel the Midwest and study pioneer quilting traditions, participate in a graduate level quilt history class, attend various quilting workshops, and explore the pioneer writers, Willa Cather, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Documentation includes quilting artifacts, presentation on prairie writers, interpretive quilt for my classroom and blog.  I stuck with almost all of my original proposal and itinerary.  The spike in gas prices caused some concern; however, it all worked out okay.

Three days into my trip I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to do everything that interested me.  I needed to set my priorities and I did.  I also had to accept the fact that weather conditions would impact some of my decisions.  It just wasn’t safe to attempt a hike to the top of a bluff with lightning in the area, so I had to adapt a few time and it too, worked out okay.

The biggest challenge was attempting to find quilt workshops that were held on days I would be in specific locations—nearly impossible, but I managed a couple of workshops.  In order to adapt to this challenge I chose to purchase kits that contained directions and materials to help me learn a new sewing skill.  This is where I learned a great deal about myself as a learner.  I really struggle with spatial thinking, visualization and following written directions.  I do much better by watching someone and having it explained to me.  However, much to my surprise—I was able to learn numerous sewing and quilting skills.  The key was for me to take my time, relax, read, re-read, measure twice and cut once, visualize, make observations, form questions and visit You Tube or seek outside support from a quilt store employee or online assistance to find answers to my questions. These are the same strategies that I encourage my students to use every day, however, I needed to really stop and think about what to do next. I had to discover these same steps on my own. I’m sure my students feel the same frustrations that I felt on occasion.  Other than the measuring and cutting, my strategies for sewing success mirror the reading strategies I teach my struggling readers each year.  The twist is that I had time available to reach and stretch my learning.  It was so nice to not have the responsibilities of home impede my learning and information processing.

My new skills include paper-piecing, English paper-piecing, block piecing, yo-yos, using a zipper foot, walking foot, guide foot, installing a zipper, using fabric adhesive, precision cutting, fussy cutting, and craft sewing.  I completed numerous projects as a result of my learning during the evenings or on a sewing day in my hotel room.  Sewing is quality thinking time for me, which helped as I planned my route, my activities or just imagined what life was like for a family on the prairie in the 1800s. It also gave me time to pause and reflect.

I altered my route so I could experience the history of Fort Laramie, Wyoming.  I did this because I realized that I would probably never pass through this specific area again and I was curious about what I would find.   I also chose to drive through the Sand Hill area of Nebraska instead of driving through Badland National Park for the same reason and I felt the Sand Hill area better supported the goals, thinking and intent of my project. I did not regret this decision.

Participating in the textile class at the University of Nebraska was an amazing experience for me.  I felt a little uncomfortable as the other six students were working on their master’s or doctorial degree.  I didn’t have the background knowledge that these women had, but by the end of the week they were asking me my opinion on different fabrics.  This made me feel successful and accepted.  The professor teaching the class was very helpful and found the Teacher Creativity Fellowship fascinating—I think she was a wee bit jealous of my summer experience.

The class was held at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at the University of Nebraska and was a hands-on experience.  During the course of the week’s workshop I was able to examine and analyze several quilts that are part of the IQSC’s permanent collection.  The highlight of the week is when we were each asked to analyze a recent acquisition of the IQSC on our own.  The analysis and subsequent research lead to the writing of a paper that will eventually be a part of the permanent record for this quilt at the study center.  This type of technical writing was very different for me and caused me to stretch out of the confines of my comfort zone.  My favorite aspect of this class is that I was immediately able to use my newfound knowledge of identifying and dating quilts as I traveled by visiting many, many historical museums that have wonderful quilts from the days of pioneers and sod houses.  I enjoyed meeting the vibrant young people in my class as well as the women my age attempting to achieve lifelong learning goals. 

My thinking shifted a bit as a teacher during the course of the class.  This was my first non-education oriented class that I have taken in ten years.  My perception of hands-on learning has been more clearly defined.  I learned far more by doing, comparing, and connecting back to what I heard during the day’s lecture as opposed to simply looking at fabric samples in a book.  Knowing that my writing will be added to the museum’s collection certainly validated the idea of real world writing.  I know that I must find a way to bring similar learning to my classroom.

I developed a bit of a fascination with the German POW camps that were scattered around Nebraska during WWII.  Who knew???  I think I’ve heard this at some point in my life, but the idea of German POWs in the United States never really sunk in until I started seeing artifacts in the museums I visited.  Many of the German POWs returned to live in the United States after the war and were sponsored by the farmers they were contracted out to during the war.  The POW camps were eventually dismantled and barrack buildings were purchased by various citizens and used for a variety of purposes.   Barn Anew Bed and Breakfast, where I stayed in Scottsbluff, Nebraska has one that was added onto their home in the late 1940s.  The POWs were very grateful for the care they received in the United States.  I found this all very interesting.

Visiting the Laura Ingalls Wilder sites didn’t change my opinion of Laura; however, I did learn that Pa Ingalls wasn’t the saint Michael Landon portrayed him to be in the Little House TV series.  I also feel remorse that so many of the Laura sites are curated by local people like me who are interested in Laura’s life. No big foundation and very little funding.  Artifacts are not properly protected from aging.  For example, in Pepin, Wisconsin one of Laura’s quilts from the late 1800s is folded in a display case.  It is not protected from sunlight or temperature variations; nor are  the delicate fibers protected from damage as they are stressed by being folded.  There isn’t a single clearinghouse for Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Her artifacts are deposited at numerous sites.  The Burr Oak, Iowa location has done a remarkable job of restoring the old hotel where the Ingalls family lived.  The local support from the community is evident as Laura Ingalls Wilder is the only reason tourists would stop and visit.

The colors of my life came alive as I drove across the prairie.  The various shades of blue, green, yellow and tan danced in the sunshine as I made my way from one town to the next.  Driving on the local highways took me literally from one grain elevator to the next.  I became quite talented in predicting the distance to the next town by the height of the elevator in the distance.  I mark these days as those of greatest personal renewal for me.  I realized that I was one, on my own, and free as a bird to do what I wanted to do and I was doing it.  Our nation is filled with beauty and every individual ranks that beauty on their own scale of preference.  Being in extreme Northwest Nebraska, driving east on US 20, the same road that runs a mile from my home in Indiana, and being surrounded by grassland and nothing else but the road makes one feel quite small and alone with the world. 

Our nation is filled with wonderful, kind, caring people making their way in an economy that makes life difficult for them to succeed, yet their spirit is intact.  Their passion for the history of their community is palpable.  I found this over and over again.  People were eager to answer my questions and share their knowledge.  They were interested in me and what I was doing.  I loved talking to the teenagers that I encountered. My standard questions for them include: What do you do for fun? Where do you go to school? What should I see while I am here?  I learned that kids love to hang with friends, schools are very small and often requiring boarding in town in the winter, and they embrace the history and culture of the area.  They are proud of who they are, where they are from, and where they are going.

Returning home was bittersweet.  I missed my husband, mother, friends, and pets; however, I really struggled to return to the real world.  I made a commitment to myself that every summer I will spend at least one week on my own, studying my topic for the summer.  Next summer I hope to expand upon my investigation of quilting and Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Another Lilly Creativity Fellow at my school assured me that summer vacation will never look the same again.  It took one week on the road to realize that he was right.  Learning is a vacation for me.  While sitting on the beach is fun too, I gain more from an intensive learning project.  Learning lasts a lifetime.