Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Bugs, Treasures and the Beauty of Family and Lopez Island-Being Thankful Always feels GOOD

I am always thankful for friends who become like family. Laura, my friend in Texas is this typoe of friend along with her sister Charlotte. They are story quilters that take my workshops and make me smile etc. They have good sentiments and are funny too.
Laura knows my five year old Granddaughter has LOVED bugs since she was two and she draws bugs, saves the ones floating in the swimming pool, holds bees in her hand and talks to them (has never ever been stung), and love creept beetles etc.
So, this week we got two wonderful pillowcases from Laura for her. Look at this delightful fabric! I took them over today and made one little five year old very very happy. You might think about this for someone you know. A pillowcase is a lovely gift and with the fabric out there look at the variety!
Isn't this fun to think a little girl who loves pink and fancy dresses would love bugs too-sahe is crazy about this fabric! Me too!
Below I took a photo of the ferry that came to take me, my daughter in law and two of my Grandchildren to Lopez Island for a nice vacation of five days with my son's family
Below is my lovely daughter in law with two of my Grandchildren
After gathering buckets of shells, we decided to switch it up. My husband and son brought over the bikes and other things and we all went down to another beach. This beach has the most beautiful rocks you have ever seen. You can cover a bird house with them, make a little pile on your coffee table in a pretty tray or put some in your garden as a memory of a lovely trip.
 I started collecting only flat round ones and then I started a collection of pretty green ones, kind of a jade color. I will spray them with varish so they keep their lovely color like they are wet.
Here is part of the family looking for their own treasures...this is agate beach so they are looking for those too
We searched for trasures in the daytime and each night we played games like Apples to Apples and trivial pursuit and we made up questions too. It was so much fun laughing together and discussing things we learned from the cards. Fresh air and time together. What could be nicer? Now I am home, and cutting out a story quilt and am anxious to get my fish from the fish swap in my chatroom on Yahoogroups.com
I think an ocean story quilt with free and easy pieced fish will be right up my alley.
Every day provides something fun for a story quilt.
I started with bug pillowcases and I am ending up with the t-shirt front I bought for my Grandson. I buy bug things knowing that even when they are outgrown, my Granddaughter can use the images for her drawings etc. Who knew that bugs would give me so many quilt ideas....stay tuned for an up coming BUG story quilt!
What did you do this week that you might want to do as a little diary quilt? So much to tell about our lives and such lovely fabric out there too!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Autumn Story Quilt Workshop -OH! The color, the invention, the piecing, the applique, the fun!

Above are the darling cabins...aren't they perfect on the grounds of an old farm redone?
 Above is the ferry to LaPointe-isn't this beautiful? Imagine this in October! I can smell the Fall air just looking at this beautiful photo!
So, I wanted to point out that soon I will be doing a story quilt class that will be sure to be wonderful and different in many ways. First of all it is on Madeline Island which I understand from friends who have been there, that ist is pristine and lovely. The school itself is built on an old farm and it is an idealic setting. The happy part for me is that it is the beginning of October and I LOVE Autumn and all of the things that make it special. Color, memories of leaves, pumpkins, Jack Frost, black cats, witches, ghosts and the many costumes that kids wear as they go out for candy to fill their bags....remember? I do. Bobbing for apples and caramel apples and I remember taffy pulls at girlfriends houses. Scarecrows...so many ideas for those! Thanksgiving ideas and pilrims, turkeys walking around, Indian corn with it's beautiful colors (so cool to piece this-I will show you), corn husks, pumpkins, gourds and squash and all of the beautiful leaves again and the colors...the wonderful colors. I will bring hoochy patterns for gourds and pumpkins to show to the students to get in the Autumn mood and bring a scarecrow quilt both boy and girl! These story quilts tell about YOU and what you love about Fall or anytime of the year. I will be bringing some ideas for piecing and embellishments and how to start a great scarecrow (more ideas) and piecing pumpkins and houses and the fun that a little fabric and other bits can bring for a sensational story quilt.
Remember the idea of this is that in 80 years people will know something about YOU and how you celebrate this time of year or simple celebrate in a daily way by building a quilt that is a one of a kind piece.
Come and meet other quilters and see what I have that is a new idea (I always have lots). Some of these ideas I have never shown and you will love how fun and easy they are. It is always fun to get to know other quilters and the way I teach these longer workshops, you will make new friends and they will know you and you them as we share the many things that will make this a memory of a wonderful time in a wonderful time of year! Please come and join us on Madeline Island.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Holy Cow MEL is A fun friend!

So I am with Mel this week sewing and planning and having fun. I worked on three cows and am now putting together the background for a story quilt about an aunt and uncle. So much fabric to sew and never enough time.
The quilt at the beginning is Mel with one of her cow quilts. So cute and fun. The alphabet is in the new book as well as the cow and instructions on pieced backgrounds for fun.
The second photo is of Mel at Bothell County Village where e bought lots of fabric and enjoyed the silly chicken.I am itching to do another chicken quilt....maybe a hoochy one.
The last photo is of Mel at her sewing machine...I can't tell if she has something in her mouth or it i the sunlight behind her. In any case she is fun to be with an sew with as are the other cupcakes.
Hope you are enjoying creativity in some way today!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Face Quilts...try one they are fun and creative

Thought I would post this photo of the cupcakes who I am with. This quilt is n the new book along with instructions on making faces...easy and FUN. Everyone in my grooup made themselves except Eilene who made her husband Joe. So we called this quilt "four cupcakes and a cup of Joe."
Pretty fun stuff...think about your family or girlfriends....wouldn't this be fun?
I am continuing more cow quilts to show at arket...I am addicted to these fun and wonderful quilts!
Hope you are enjoying this last bit of summer.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

cinnamon rolls- we are at Whidby Island sewing with the cupcakes -my gal pals that I sew with-we have been meeting for twelve wonderful years! I love my gal pals like sisters...so nice to make friends over quilting...and eating. See some of the things from this week so far....
Berry Cobbler....wonderful stuff for dessert after crab cakes and wonderful salad
In the jars in the bckground are candy bars, toffee, pretzel snack mix,cookie in the front....well, you get the picture! NOW, look at the plate Susan brought.....
So, there are two other sayings that are fun and my photos didn't turn out so well....
" For the love of god please stop eating like this"
AND
"do you really need that last helping???"
    I don't know about you but I want to get a set f these plates!
 If you don't belong to the Yahoogroups for block swaps you should! The new block swap for FALL IS STARTING  UP, And the fish photos are fabulous! For a linkg see the fish side bars.
     GREAT NEWS! My old blog is back in Business!
Mary Lou and Cherries Too. That blog will be centering on color and story quilts and fun (see the chickens) and this blog will be color and easy piecing and fun. Different and both good....at least I think so....Thanks for visiting!  More on the retreat tomorrow......


Saturday, August 13, 2011

MOOOOOOving- a cow made by Mel from Out of the Box with EASY blocks

If you haven't made one of these cows, you should...they are so awesome in person and my prediction is they will win some ribbons along the way and inspire! Each one is so different and so much FUN. Doesn't everyone have a cow memory? I sure do.
YOU know how I love cherries and I got this cool photo from my dear friend Linda from Tukwilla-she is the hostess with the mostest
Check out Julie's blog today- "Me and My quilts"-the link is on the right hand column here,,,,scroll down. She has a coat of many colors to share.
AND on Monday, go to "Sewtakeahike" you can find her link the same place as Julie's blog. She is going to post a cool quilt she made from the book above...very fun.
WINNERS- the winners of the two house patterns are Em  and Pam from Kirkland.
I have them in envelopes so send me your address's to Marylouquilts@aol.com and I will send them off to you. Mark drew before he went off to bed...

Friday, August 12, 2011

Wanna Take an Incredibly FUN Class? Here it is! Flowers that Are Out of the Box and FUN!

Flower Power is a bit of everything as you can tell when you look at my old blog, my website and this blog....we do flowers, bees butterflies, leaves of all kinds, a frog, ladybugs and loads of other fun things...Flowers run the gambit of bight and happy and fun and of Coarse out of the box! Wanna stretch and do something different that is loads of fun? Take this workshop!
I am teaching Out of the Box "Flower Power" quilts many places coming up and some people have asked me to mail them samples which I do not do that this stage of my teaching. I have done so many books and I figure you can buy the Flower Power book OR look here at my blog or at my old blog or on my website Marylouweidman.com
So to make some people happy (which I try to do, I am posting some photos here to show you the idea. Flower Power is an excellent class for getting you to Stretch "outside the Box" and bring your inner artist out to play. It is amazing how big students smile when they see what they can do and how they discover how creative they are and they didn't know it! I love this workshop!
The quilt above was the first time I encouraged my students to please each do a block. Diane Morrison who is on the left had been diagnosed with Aplastic anemia and so the class all made a block for her and here is the quilt and here is the book that came out of the flowers done hoochy style. That was five or six years ago. Very fun and Diane loves the quilt. We all do.
There are many incredible flower quilts done in my workshops and I don't have them in my files...look around on my sites and I am sure you can find them. What is more fun than flowers and things in your flower garden for a quilt subject? Not much. :0)