Adventures in Orvieto, Italy trips | Mary Ellen Kranz Italian Inspirations

Italian Inspirations: Photos to Fabric

Dates: September 28 - October 5, 2008
Instructor/Leader: Mary Ellen Kranz

Trip Description
Learn to make quilts, wearable art and unique fiber projects designed around your very own photos of Italy with Mary Ellen Kranz, quiltmaker, teacher and author of the Blending Photos with Fabric book series.

Join us for a wonderful week exploring the medieval village of Orvieto, in Italy’s Umbrian countryside, about one hour north of Rome. Here you will be guided through the natural and architectural beauty of this town with its winding cobblestone streets, impressive cathedrals, intimate restaurants and great shopping.

With plenty of time for sightseeing, you will learn to capture the charm of Orvieto with your digital camera, and then transfer your favorite images onto a variety of fabrics for your quilt, collage, or wearable art projects. (See image at right of scarves with photos transferred on to them using Mary Ellen's techniques.

Our accommodations and classroom work will take place in a lovely five-centuries old convent B&B that’s within convenient walking distance of the whole town.

We maintain a small group so you will receive individual attention from Mary Ellen at every step as your project moves from photography to cherished art. And, you can share the Orvieto experience with a friend, spouse or special person who may not want to attend class but would like to take part in this special week.

Itinerary
September 28 - Arrive Orvieto, group dinner
September 29 - Digital photo techniques, fabric prep, Italian culture/wine
September 30 - Digital darkroom, printing on fabric, cave tour
October 1 - Putting images on silk, shop for scarves, cooking class
October 2 - Project development, the market, vineyard tour/wine tasting
October 3 - Finishing techniques, group lunch, finish project
October 4 - Slow Food Festival's "Walk of Taste"
October 5 - Depart Orvieto

Details
Cost - $2250. Fee includes six nights double occupancy lodging and basic course materials. Single occupancy available for an additional cost. Because the tour is meant to expose you to the local culture, meals are not prearranged or included. Travel costs are not included.

Click here for registrations and terms, or contact us by e-mail, phone or writing at the contact information below.

A trip for companions is available for $1650.

Mary Ellen Kranz has sewn and quilted since childhood.She found her career path in computers but continued to pursue quiltmaking. Her twenty years experience teaching computer technologies provided her with an understanding of how PCs, printers, scanners and digital cameras could help tremendously in the process of creating fiber art. She now shares that knowledge with quiltmakers across the country.

Mary Ellen’s classes provide an opportunity to try out these tools and the latest quilting software under the guidance of a creative and patient teacher. For the past seven years, Mary Ellen has taught at shops, guilds, regional quilting events and national conferences including the Appalachian Quilting Party and Quilting By the Lake and the Houston International Quilt Festival.

Her article, Joyful Image Quilts, appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of American Quilter magazine. Mary Ellen and Cheryl Hayes are co-authors of Blending Photos with Fabric: A Beautiful New Way to Combine Photography, Printing, and Quiltmaking published by The Electric Quilt Company. Mary Ellen has been a featured guest of Alex Anderson’s Simply Quilts on HGTV.

Learn more at www.quiltingimages.com.