John C. Campbell Folk School Experience

I left Friday morning, September 19th. at 5:00 AM to journey by myself from Orlando, FL to Brasstown, NC. As I neared the FL turnpike it occurred to me that I had forgotten my purse… My purse with my medications was sitting on the counter in full reach of my Cocker Spaniel. I had visions of Riley getting into it and me having to take him to the Emergency Vet Clinic (major $$$) and missing my class… I turned around and in full panic mode raced back to the house. I was stopped at a traffic light and it occurred to me that there was NO ONE around and so I ran the light. As I pulled through the light I heard the whir of the camera as it took my picture… I’m sure the ticket will arrive soon…The purse was unmolested and I proceeded on my way. I was also panicked about driving through the big metropolis of Atlanta but I continued on. It turned out to be nothing – all six lanes moved through and under Atlanta with ease. Northern GA was beautiful – lovely quaint mountain towns. Gas – another fear – was not plentiful but it was acquirable. The car got a treat of a higher test at one stop – that was all that was available. My AAA triptik guided me to JCC with only two glitches and those were easily corrected by calling the school. I did however have to do a u-turn on two mountain roads! And I passed fields upon fields of goldenrod in full bloom… As this is one of my major allergens I was using my steroid nasal spray like a crack addict. After I completed registration at the school in Keith House,

I journeyed on to my room. I was in Bidstrup House which is located on the side of a mountain. The side next to the mountain was buried in dirt up to the windows which were only a slit near the roof.

However, the room was clean as were the bathrooms and other areas.

Should I return to JCC however I will request an even numbered room – they had beautiful mountain views. My roommate had already arrived but was not in evidence. I unpacked and rested for an hour or so before returning to Keith House for Orientation. Orientation explained meals and other amenities. After orientation we went to the Olive B. Campbell dining hall. Students are to stand behind their chairs and sing or say a blessing before each meal. Announcements are made halfway through the meal. Usually the food was very good. The first meal, dinner, was beef with mushrooms, wild rice and peas and carrots. Fresh baked warm bread was served at every meal. After the meal is finished, plates are taken up to the kitchen and dessert is brought back. The first night was peach cobbler. After dinner, I went to the Putman Fiber Arts Building which houses both weaving and quilting. There I met my instructor, Pam Howard. We picked our yarn, wound our warp and dressed our looms.

At 9:00 PM I had to throw in the towel and go back to my room – it had been a LONG day! I finally met my roommate, Joan. She was taking a weekend of clogging! The first night I was over-tired and didn’t sleep more than 4 hours. I tried not to wake Joan but I was restless and every time I turned the bed squeaked. Saturday we went to morning song which was a banjo player. Very enjoyable! I sat at another table for breakfast and chatted with some ladies who were taking the quilting class next door to my weaving class. Then it was off to weaving class to finish dressing my loom – which was a Schact Wolf Pup.

Once the loom was warped using a pattern of one thread of wool and three threads of cotton, I began weaving. I used two shuttles, each loaded with the same wool/cotton as the warp. We didn’t have to worry about the selvedges or the joinings since we were going to felt the piece. I finished weaving about 4:30 and we put the scarf into the hot washer, agitated for 10 minutes and withdrew it to cool it. If it wasn’t felted enough, back into the washer for another 10 minutes it would go. After the 3rd. time I was able to put it into cool water to stop the felting process and wring out the water by putting it into a towel and stepping on it. Then it was put into the dryer for about 10 minutes and finally hung to dry on a rack. Dinner Saturday evening was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. I sat with Dot, a weaver from North Carolina, and her sister, Shirley, and Sheree from Alabama. Shirley and Sheree were taking Chair Seats and caning chairs. After dinner, I went back to my room and read awhile then went to the common room to knit. There I met a lovely lady who was making an appliqué square by hand, turning the edges as she went. I slept much better the second night although I did spend some time in bed with my flashlight reading my book… At least I didn’t disturb Joan. We had to be out of our rooms by 9:00 so I packed and loaded the car. Breakfast was with Dot, Shirley and Sheree and then I went to see how my new scarf looked! We had to comb out the fringe and cut it and trim off the joining ends and the scarf was done and ready for viewing at Show and Tell! I’m glad I didn’t leave early as many did because Show and Tell was wonderful. It took place in Keith House and every class showed what they had learned over the weekend. There was photography, quilting, soap making, woodturning, woodworking, blacksmithing, chair seats, dance, enameling, gardening, jewelry, painting and, of course, weaving. Wonderful, talented people and beautiful results. I left before lunch since it would give me an hour’s head start on darkness and I don’t like to drive at night with these cataracts. As I wound down the mountainside – hoping I was going to get where I should – I kept thinking of what a wonderful time I had and all the new friends I had made. John C. Campbell Folk School is a terrific experience and I heartily recommend it.