Check out our first day of class here at the studio!!

This morning we started our first day of the "Color Inspiration" class here at my home/studio. What a lovely group of stitchers!  So much fun to host classes here.  Introducing everyone to Reid, Nina and Esther.  The group decided that they didn't want to stop for lunch, so everyone brought their lunch, we ate quickly, and got right back to stitching.  

I decided that instead of writing about today myself, I would ask each of these stitchers to write their thoughts.  They sat them down at my computer, one at a time, and this is what they wrote...

I found it interesting that many of us in the class were "locked" into looking at the picture and trying to find all the colors that we would need.  It was challenging to try to "feel" the picture as a whole and have the threads, beads, etc. reflect the "feel" of the picture.  It helped me a lot to scan the picture quickly and then see if what I chose actually created the same look and balance of color.  This is really helping me to see things differently.    Linda M.


I took this same class 2 years ago with Brandywine EGA and found it fun to do. It took me out of my comfort zone, but the results of the finished piece was fantastic.  When Mainline ANG decided to offer the course to its members I jumped at the chance to take it again.   I am learning more about color and how to place it on the canvas. The picture given to me is totally different from any I have stitched in the past. I am sure that this project will turn out even better than the first one.  Better get back to stitching   Patrick B.


Hi, my name is Rona Goldberg.  I am an ORNA (anagram of Rona!) fan.  She is an artist ... color is her genius.  I am only one quarter of the way through the class and have already learned to look at photos differently.  My thanks to Melita of Mainline ANG for organizing this class.  Orna's home is warm and inviting and her studio is A M A Z I N G.  I am enjoying the warmth of the students who are all so creative and supportive.  Be warned ... you will never look at, think of or feel color the same way again!  Thanks to Orna, Reid , Nina and Esther.


Taking my first class with Orna.  I'm really trying to think outside of my comfort zone. Looking at a wonderful range of colors.  I'm learning a lot about how to design with color and various fibers. This is a fun class. Carole Bell


Hi - Suzy Florian, from Bear, DE.  This is my first ever needlepoint class.  I am really enjoying coming together with Orna and all of the other folks and learning about picking out colors and various different stitches.  This is definitely a good investment in my needlepoint future.


This is working out to be a fantastic day!  So much fun and such a great opportunity to learn too.  This is the second class I've taken with Orna.  She has such a sense of how color and the spirit of color work together.  Before we came to class, Orna sent each of us two pictures to choose where the spirit lead us.  One of the pictures I received used mostly colors I am very comfortable with and use all the time.  The other photo had deeper colors of mostly blues, gold, and brown.  I am working with this piece.  Orna has really opened my eyes and my spirit today.  I'm sure I'll be absolutely in love with the result. ~Lori C.


What an amazing workshop this is.  I love the thought of changing colors out of my comfort zone but am always nervous that what I'm picking really goes together. Working with a color photo and picking out colors to reflect the feel of the picture without "duplicating" the exact picture is a great feeling of accomplishment - I'm excited to see how the project turns out and hope that I will be able to do this again confident in my color choices. Confident that I can "trust my gut" in that the shades and colors are complimentary. Thank you Orna for this opportunity and sharing your color inspirations! - Nancy Molka


This is a great, color-filled day with the most fantastic ideas and textures and brainstorming. Everyone's inspiration picture is different so we have all been enthralled with the color ideas to use. I can't believe my inspiration piece is a wonderful combination of speckled croton leaves, bacon and berries... and what fabulous overdyed threads would represent them! Fun!   Marnie King, Delaware


Color.  one of my favorite things in the world.  Today we've been cooking with color.  Orna has expressed thinking of about our piece as a soup, I think of it as a meal.  Beginning with colors as an introduction of whats to come.  Using restraint to not rush the story.  I love the idea of the slow start not yet knowing whats to come and how my picture will ultimately be expressed.  Karen Milano

Great space, wonderful class, fantastic teacher, having an astonishing lesson in color - like I have never experienced it before. Thank you Orna. ~ Mvmg


Today I am venturing out of my comfort zone!  I am taking a color Class with Orna Willis and enjoying it a lot.  Looking at a color photo of a room and interpreting the colors from the room into a needlepoint piece is very interesting....and not something I am very good with....but hope to get better.  She is a delight and very patience with all of us!  Hope to take another class with her in the future.  Can't wait to see how the needlepoint develops.  Thanks a lot!  Buff Biddle


This is the second time I have taken this class.  The first time I got all of my favorite colors so I did not venture out of my comfort zone.   I also learned so much from listening to Orna and watching her move colors around and make suggestions in our designs.  She is a genius with bringing a piece to life by throwing in one or two extra colors.  This time I am expanding out of my comfort zone.  The class is a real pleasure.  Lisa O'Brien


WOW - Orna's studio is amazing & she is making me see color in a way I had not imagined was possible. Seeing the group develop their pieces was as informative as working on my own. Looking forward to continuing the journey!! Melita Glavin