asilomar report

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By Patricia Belyea

MONTEREY COUNTY CA In the quilting world, the statement “I’m going to Asilomar” garners oohs and ahhs! No mention of a teacher name or workshop is required to glean this response.

For 39 years, Empty Spools Seminars has hosted five weeks of quilt retreats at Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds, set on a 107-acres site on the central California coast.

Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds CA

Ten teachers lead five-day workshops each week. That means that Asilomar is buzzing with about 200 quilters all in one place! It’s fabulous!

My days started with a walk down to the beach. Fog blanketed the March skies and it was slightly chilly.

Here I am in Crocker Dining Hall where I appreciated all the meals — including lentil-stuffed bell peppers. The round tables for eight were cleverly topped with a large, built-in lazy Suzans for serving iced tea, salads, and soups from the central area.

Patricia Belyea of Okan Arts at Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds CA

I taught Creativity and Complex Curves during Session 3. My students worked on Quadrant Quilts for two days and then moved on to full quilt compositions filled with Straights & Curves.

Patricia Belyea of Okan Arts teaches a Complex Curves Workshop at Asilomar CA

After lunch one day, I stopped by the classrooms of a few of my teaching pals.

DAVID OWEN HASTINGS
Inspired by Architecture

David Owen Hastings class at Asilomar CA

JANE SASSAMAN
Abstracting from Nature

SANDRA MOLLON
Fused Art Quilts from Photographs

The name Asilomar means Refuge By The Sea. Although I was busy teaching, I was thrilled to be in such a beautiful place with my bright and fun students.

Next year, during cherry blossom season, I will be in Japan leading a Kyoto Textile Adventure tour so I will miss Asilomar. I hope to be back in March 2026!

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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.

FOLLOW OKAN ARTS ON INSTAGRAM @okanarts