Seminar Details




			2025 SEMINARS AT THE STUDIO With JUDITH BAKER MONTANO WELCOME! This will be the final year for my Studio Seminars. I will be moving to the Detroit area in August 2025. I have loved teaching the five-day seminars and have made so many dear friends through them. I will miss the La Veta area and the people terribly but after losing my beloved husband Ernest February 23, 2023, it is not the same, and it is time for a new chapter in my book of life. So, if you have ever wanted to take a Studio Seminar from me in La Veta, Colorado this is your final chance. The seminars are limited to six or seven students and are filling up fast. (Advanced Studies is booked out.) The curriculum and schedule can be found in the Seminar Details below, and as always, they are summarized in the Calendar Section as well. The seminar fee remains the same - $600.00 The closest airport is Colorado Springs (COS) Click on any topic below to jump to that section, or just scroll down the page to browse. • About La Veta • Location and Directions • Accomodations • Seminar Details: Basic Crazy Quilting Embelishments Galore Cottages And Houses Under The Sea Landscape/Seascapes Advanced Studies • Reservation Details • Cancellation Policy • Little Details ABOUT LA VETA The Judith Designs Studio is situated in the small southwestern town of La Veta, Colorado that nestles in the cleavage of the Spanish Peaks. Known by the Indians as the Wahatoyas (Breasts of the World) these two beautiful mountains can be seen for miles around. La Veta enjoys a fascinating history and was established by Colonel John Francisco who upon seeing the Wahatoya Mountains and valley exclaimed ”This is paradise enough for me”. He moved to the Cuchara Valley in 1862 and established Francisco Fort. Around 1876 the name was changed to La Veta, meaning “the vein” in Spanish. Francisco Fort remained the center of town and currently houses the Francisco Fort Museum. La Veta has 850 year round residents but this swells to 3000 in the summer when people from all over return to their generational summer homes. The summer season is a busy time with festivals such as Art In The Park, The Children’s Art Program, Local Rodeos, October-fest and Winter-fest. While students are learning at the Studio there is no need to worry about accompanying family or friends being entertained!! La Veta is home to numerous award winning artists, writers and musicians. It has long been the playground for people seeking the beauty and recreation offered by a high mountain sierra region. The town is well situated for day excursions into the surrounding area. Taos, New Mexico is just two hours away and the Great National Sand Dunes, only one hour. Enjoy the therapeutic hot springs in the area or wonder at the beauty of the Royal Gorge. The valley offers recreation for all ages. There is camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, back packing, mountain climbing, horseback riding, and golfing. Always there is music to be heard, art galleries to visit and wonderful food to enjoy Check out the Chamber of Commerce website……….. www.lavetacucharachamber.com LOCATION & DIRECTIONS The town of La Veta sprawls across a lush valley floor in the high mountain sierra of southern Colorado. The altitude is 7013 feet. La Veta is situated 17 miles south west of Interstate I-25 at Walsenburg and just five miles off of US 160. Whether coming from North or South on I-25 all travellers will turn off at the Walsenburg exit and will drive into the town center. Look for the sign indicating US 160 and turn west. Continue through Walsenburg and drive for 17 miles. Look for signs advertising Cuchara and La Veta. Turn left onto Highway 12 and continue on for five miles. Stop at the top of the valley before entering La Veta…just for the view!! The nearest International airport is situated in Colorado Springs. The Colorado Springs Airport, 770 Milton E Proby Pkwy. (719) 550-1900, is one and a half hours from La Veta. Car rental is available. DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDIO IN LA VETA: Drive into the town and cross over the railroad tracks. Continue down Main Street and look for Virginia Street on your left. You will see a large adobe Catholic Church on the southeast corner. Continue past the church and turn left into the one-way alley. Drive to the end of the block where you will see a school and play ground on the right; the Studio is directly across on the left. Park in the Studio parking lot and enter through the trellised pink gate on the right. ACCOMODATIONS There have been several changes to our little town due to the Spring Fire in 2018, and then the big hail storm that followed. In 2019 we had to prepare for flooding! The Pandemic in 2020 was the last straw for many La Vetans. So, some people have left the community, but a huge surge of new people are moving in. New Airbnb accommodations have opened up and you will find them listed on the Airbnb website. Simply go to www.airbnb.com and type in La Veta, Colorado. Make sure the Airbnb listings are in the town of La Veta and not in Cuchara or Walsenburg. You want to be within walking distance of the studio. I can recommend the following: • La Veta Studio Guesthouse • Little Church In La Veta • Oak Street House and Garden – single room Guesthouse At The Studio 134 East Virginia Street, P.O. Box 1123 La Veta, Co., 81055 Phone 719-989-8587, judithbakermontano@me.com Accommodates one student or a couple. The guesthouse is part of the Studio building but is a complete home with a private entrance. Includes a kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom (queen size bed), wifi and Direct TV. Enjoy the private porch and gardens. Check it out at: The Guest House Tour. $125.00 for single - $150.00 for double, per day. Warehouse Suite 200 S. Main Street P.O. Box 1189 La Veta, Co. 81055 719 742 5278, www.thewarehousesuite.com Don and Mitzi Keairns A wonderful, 4 bedroom suite, upstairs, in the historic Kincaid building. It is situated downtown on Main Street. Accommodates eight comfortably. Two full baths, huge family room, Kitchen, washer /dryer, WI-FI. Call for rates on one room or more. Open year round. The Ranch House Inn 1012 S. Cherry Street P.O. Box 914 La Veta, Co. 81055 Patty Burns hostess. 719-742-0206, pattyburns404@gmail.com Year round accommodations, large theme rooms and private baths. Winter rates - $75.00. Memorial Day to Labour Day - $95.00 www.twofoxcabins.com/ranch-house-inn/ La Veta Inn 103 West Ryus, La Veta, Co., 81055 719-742-5566, cell 816-547-1414 Ryan & Ali, hosts. Light continental breakfast. Room rates $109.00 I love Lucy’s Place RV Park 226 W. Grand St., PO box 471, La Veta, Co., 81055 Sheala & Larry, hosts, 719-742-3252 reservations@ilovelucysplace.com This is a very popular RV site with lots of returning customers. 27 sites, pet friendly, hot showers and wifi. Events are planned throughout the summer. www.ilovelucysplace.com Circle The Wagons RV Park 126 West 2nd. St., La Veta, Co., 81055 Blake & Becky, 719-742-3233. This peaceful and lovely RV park is on the beautiful Cuchara river and has 42 full hook-up sites. They welcome tenters and trailers of all sizes! It features a laundry, shower/bathroom facilities, game room, wifi and dog park. www.circlethewagonsrvpark.com SEMINAR DETAILS……please download and read through 1. Each seminar is limited to six or seven students, depending on the seminar. 2. Judith’s seminars are five full days - Saturday through Wednesday. This allows students to fly in on Friday, study for five days with the option of staying longer to enjoy the area. 3. Students must check in to the Studio at 4:30 p.m. on Friday for a one-hour introduction. At this time they meet each other, bring in their supplies and go through the upcoming seminar details. 4. Classes are six hours a day. Morning hours - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon with an hour and a half lunch break. Afternoon classes - 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 5. Students are welcome to work longer hours and return to the studio in the evenings. There must be a minimum of two students in the studio. 6. Judith carries a variety of books, videos, sewing supplies, hand dyed silk fabrics, variegated and solid silk threads /ribbons for sale in the Studio. 7. Sewing Machine Rental - there are 3 Featherweight Singer sewing machines available for rent ($40.00 per seminar). These are available only for students flying in. 8. Menus for all eateries will be on display in the Studio. Students are free to eat their lunch and evening meals in town. 9. Midmorning and midafternoon coffee/snack breaks are provided. 10. Sunday and Monday are planned optional evenings. Sunday is a photography tour and dinner at the Dog Bar in Cuchara. Sunday is a special dinner at Aly’s Restaurant in town. (All those travelling with the students are welcome on this excursion.) 11. There will be planned half hour visits (optional) each day to various artists’ private studios. This is for students only. Friday.............4:30pm: 1 hour evening introduction....drop off supplies at Studio. Saturday........class Sunday...........class & optional evening phography tour and dinner at the Dog Bar. Monday..........class & optional evening meal at Aly’s restaurant. Tuesday.........class Wednesday....class THE PRICE PER SEMINAR IS $600.00 SEMINARS AT THE STUDIO 2025: BASIC CRAZY QUILTING WITH JUDITH: May 30 - June 4, 2025 (check-in on May 30 @ 4:30 pm) Open to All Levels. Join Judith for five days of exclusive instruction and attention in the making of a crazy quilt. Each student will create four crazy quilt squares with the choice of making them into a wall hanging or continuing on to make a larger crazy quilt. Judith will guide you through the basics of crazy quilting using the “Montano Center Piece Method” along with colour theories and fabric choices. Upon the completion of the blocks the emphasis will be on Victorian embroidery stitches silk ribbon embroidery, using ribbons, lace and beading as embellishments. Even expert crazy quilters enjoy this seminar because they can concentrate on all the extra tips and techniques Judith can provide. Day 1. a. history lecture with slides (may be on another day) b. fabric choices c. colour theory d. basic machine crazy quilting. Day 2. a. creating flow between the blocks b. trouble shooting c. painting and dying laces Day 3. a. Laying down laces and ribbons b. Victorian embroidery stitches Day 4. a.Silk ribbon embroidery b. Punch needle embroidery demo c. Sewing blocks together Day 5. a. Buttons, beads and doodads b. finishing techniques c. critique EMBELLISHMENTS: June 6 - 11, 2025 (check-in on June 6 @ 4:30 pm) Intermediate (This is an extension of the Crazy Quilt Seminars.) Just think…Five whole days of nothing but embellishment techniques. This class is for the serious crazy quilter who wants to improve techniques and learn new ones. Judith will guide you through Victorian stitch variations, folded Ribbon techniques, dyeing lace and ribbons, silk ribbon embroidery, punchneedle embroidery, velvet pansies, spiderwebs, embroidered trees, painting on fabric, twisted cord and wire ribbon techniques. Bring four 12" crazy quilt squares to work on. Day 1. a. Six basic stitches b. Victorian combinations c. Vine shapes d. fan designs Day 2. a. Spiderweb designs b. Hollyhocks and Iris c. Velvet pansies d. Dyeing lace and ribbons Day 3. a. Silk ribbon embroidery b. Special flower stitches c. Silk ribbon twisting techniques d. Wire ribbon fuschias Day 4. a. Punchneedle embroidery b. Painting on fabric with watercolours c. Button and bead flowers Day 5. a. Twisted cords b. Frogs and closures c. Embroidered trees COTTAGES AND HOUSES: JUNE 20 - 25, 2025 (check-in on June 20 @ 4:30 pm) Intermediate to Advanced – Must know how to crazy quilt. Bring your favorite landscape, seascape, childhood home or a favorite house photo and Judith will show you how to scan, manipulate in Photoshop, print and paint onto watercolor paper. After painting, the watercolor is scanned back into the computer and printed out onto silk fabric. Now your painting is ready to be used in a one of a kind art project. Judith guides you through free-form crazy quilting, fabric manipulation and numerous freeform needlework techniques. The finished piece can be framed and hung with pride. Day 1. a. presentation of photos b. scanning photos in Photoshop c. watercolor painting d. printing on silk Day 2. a. using colour and painting rules b. crazy quilting or piecing surround. c. burning, pleating, and wrinkling fabrics. Day 3. a. finishing up base work b. using dyes, watercolour pencils to extend watercolor painting. c. embroidery stitches to create texture d. silk ribbon stitches Day 4. a. embellishment techinques b. working in the background, mid-ground and foreground. c. adding buttons, doodads, crystals and beads. d. creating shrubs, trees, lichens and rocks. Day 5. a. finishing and framing techniques b. trouble shooting c. critique UNDER THE SEA: June 27 - July 2, 2025 (check-in on June 27 @ 4:30 pm) Open to all levels - a great introduction to mixed medium. The most beautiful gardens are under the sea! Learn to think like a painter but work like a fiber artist. Instead of brushes, paint and canvas, Judith will teach you to paint using fabrics, threads, yarns, crazy quilting and embellishment techniques. You will learn how to work with many layers of netting, organza, and dyed silks to create depth and detail. This is a wonderful freeform embroidery class. The finished project can be framed and hung with pride. Day 1. a. presentation of slides b. from idea to layout sketch c. choosing fabrics. d. to crazy quilt or not. Laying down background layer. Day 2. a. using colour and painting rules b. working in background and mid-ground. c. burning, pleating, and wrinkling fabrics. Day 3. a. working in foreground. b. using dyes, watercolour pencils c. embroidery stitches to create texture d. silk ribbon stitches Day 4. a. embellishment techinques b. special embroidery stitches c. adding buttons, doodads, crystals and beads. d. creating anemones, jelly fish and staghorn coral. Day 5. a. trouble shooting b. Framing techniques c. critique LAND AND SEASCAPES: July 18 - 23, 2025 (check-in on July 18 @ 4:30 pm) Advanced. (You must have taken two previous seminars. You are learning to think like a painter with freeform embroidery and fabric manipulation.) Bring your favorite landscape or seascape, photograph to use as inspiration for your art project or use one of Judith’s many beautiful photographs of the La Veta area. Judith will teach you to paint using fabrics, threads, yarns, crazy quilting and embellishment techniques. She will help each student create an original work of art. Time will be provided for a photo shoot on the first day. Students will work on an 18” x 24”or smaller landscape. The finished project can be framed and hung with pride. Day 1. a. presentation of slides b. from photo to layout sketch c. choosing fabrics. d. laying down fabrics Day 2. a. Using colour and painting rules b. crazy quilting in background, mid-ground or foreground c. burning, pleating, and wrinkling fabrics. Day 3. a. finishing up base work b. using dyes, watercolour pencils c. embroidery stitches to create texture d. Silk ribbon stitches Day 4. a. Embellishment techniques b. working in the background, mid-ground and foreground. c. adding buttons, doodads, crystals and beads. d. creating shrubs, trees, lichens and rocks. Day 5. a. Finishing and framing techniques b. trouble shooting c. critique Advanced Studies: July 25 - 30, 2025 (booked out) (check-in on July 25 @ 4:30 pm) For students who have taken three previous seminars. Bring projects to work on under the teacher's guidance. This is This seminar is open to all Studio Seminar students who want to finish up that special project and to work under Judith’s guidance. It is a great way to pick up special techniques, be with old friends, and to finish up. REGISTRATION DETAILS 1. First, reserve a space by phoning 719-989-8587 or email a request to judithbakermontano@me.com 2. After a space has been reserved, and you have paid: Please print-out a registration form (click here to get the printable form). fill it out and mail it to: Judith Baker Montano P.O. Box 1123 La Veta, CO 81055 3. Please pay the full fee of $600.00 via 'electronic payment' through Pay Pal. (Instructions to pay electronically via PayPal are on the registration form.) Upon receipt of payment Judith will notify you via email, and will include a class supply list with this. 4. After the registration of six students, Judith will start a waiting list. CANCELLATION POLICY I encourage you to purchase Cancellation and Travel Insurance whether you are traveling by train, plane or automobile….usually purchased through a travel agent within 14 days of registration and deposit. All cancelled reservations will have the following charges: Now – 120 days………$75.00 120 - 90 days………….$100.00 90 – 61 days…………….$250.00 60 – 0 days………………no refund. Cancellations may be transferred to another person or you may apply it to another seminar if you are unable to attend. All cancellations and replacement info must be in writing or email. All returned checks are subject to a $25.00 fee. LITTLE DETAILS 1.Judith lives with a menagerie dogs and cats but the Studio/Guesthouse is totally Pet Free! 2. Medical facilities are readily available in La Veta and Walsenburg. 3. Cell phones are sometimes iffy in the Valley but most work at higher ground! 4. Dress code is casual. Layering is a good idea. Summer days are warm with cool evenings. Indian summer lingers on into September and October but it can be windy. 5. La Veta is not a big city but a small artist community. So be sure to bring your basic supplies both personal and for the seminar. 6. Students can mail their seminar supplies to most Bed and Breakfasts or to the Studio with advance notice. Make sure to allow five working days to arrive on time.


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