Some friendships are born in an instant. So was mine with Jutta Hellbach. But let me rewind a bit.

When Ajayji,  my Bernina distributor from Mumbai proposed the idea of having a workshop at my studio, The Square Inch, Chennai, by Bernina friend, Jutta Hellbach,  I was excited and scared in equal measure. Excited because I have been watching Jutta’s FB page (Nadel und Farben) and work with much awe and intrigue and what could be better than seeing her work firsthand and learning directly from her. Also, because hosting a workshop of this calibre really really appealed to me in my journey of making my studio a center for extraordinary learning. Scared because it was a big project and I was not sure if I had bitten off more than I could chew, which happens to be a particular trait of mine :-).

Turns out, I needn’t have worried at all. The workshop seats filled up almost immediately. We were a bunch of 12 ladies between 25 and 65 years of age and sewing experience ranging from ‘nil’ to ‘experienced’. Any fears that I might have had about an ‘International instructor’ and ‘experienced artist’ coming down to my humble studio were immediately put to rest within minutes of my meeting Jutta. She is a warm, easygoing and friendly person. And funny. Very funny. One roar of her throaty laughter over a self cracked joke and I knew I was going to love her ! Just like that !

Well, we got on like a house on fire and the workshop went on very well. It was lovely watching such an assorted mix of characters eagerly soaking up the buckets of knowledge that Jutta generously shared. All the ladies were mighty thrilled with the little art quilt they made and some had plans of incorporating it into bags for themselves. It was amazing to see what people are capable of creating when left free to play. So without further ado, here’s the promised peep at the recently held paper lamination workshop at Chennai. And don’t miss Jutta’s sari pic in the end :-).

The introduction

The teaching

The playing

The learning

The awe-inspiring

The wringing

And the hand holding

The eye candy

And its discussion thereof

The gyan (knowledge)

And the doing

The BERNINAs purring

The tips and tricks

The seriousness at play

And the joy on completion

More smiles. And pride.

The certificate ceremony

The awesome participants. Did I mention proud?

The hug. Of love and gratitude.

The swap happening on the sidelines

And a show and tell after class

A happy Jutta in a sari shop

And a happy me on being gifted an original Jutta Hellbach 🙂

Thank you Bernina AG,  Bernina India, Ajayji and dear Jutta, for the awesome opportunity and wonderful experience !