Monday, August 5, 2013

The Importance of Having Quilt Friends and Having a Chance to Share Your Love....

This is my John C.Campbell quilt and this is John and Olive...I am appliquing it now. It is huge and has buildings and mountains and a huge garden and angels in the sky and it is going to be colorful and cool. Very fun. Below is the food they serve there and I have half of it appliqued now and will show you more after I get the pitchfork done and their faces,,,,it feels good to create again. Spaghetti and meatballs on the side above the fish on the platter and pie and a strawberry cake and cinnamon rolls and cupcakes and mashed potatoes...I didn't have room for the salad...kind of like how I eat...haHA...
I am going to post photos of all of the wonderful and fun Postcards you have sent! We went through them all today with my daughter and also we read aloud the beautiful cards that you sent. SO lovely and thank you for your prayers which we LOVE.
     I went to the Cupcakes Group retreat this past week and I got rest and LOVE from my dear friends. I feel stronger and I have a happy attitude about life and facing everything that is brought our way. Mark is happy and NICE as usual and enjoying everything that life sends our way. He enjoys getting to know the nurses and he enjoys having family take him to his appointments if I can't. God has been so good and provided love for us from YOU and from family. I have so much to be greatful for.
Next month I am going through my many quilts and will list some for sale. I have too much stuff! And I have too many quilts and I have saved them and stacked them and have had many people ask if I ever sell anything. I have sold some quilts in the past that people begged me for...and I don't know why but I kept thinking someday I will clean my studio and sell them. I don't know when I thought some day would come...do you know what I mean? Haha.
     If you would like to make a car for Mark's car quilt it can be any size and most people are making red cars though now we decided that maybe another color might work in there too....any style on a sky blue background. I  am posting photos in a day or two and post card photos also. Stay tuned for FUN! The blocks we have received are awesome. Please send your block to Mary Lou Weidman
1521 N.Argonne #276, Spokane Valley WA 99212-2555
I am hoping to share it with a magazine or two when it is done. It will be alot of fun setting it. And he will have a warm quilt with happy blocks this winter.
He is loving the blocks for you girls who have mailed them. Thank you for doing this and for the loving notes that are attached too.
Here is Susan Typpi who is a flight attendant with Alaska...many of you know her and how much fun she is. This dinner was delicious and Molly made sliders, great pasta salad and the next two photos....YUM
Tomato tart- if I hear from enough of you, I will post the recipes....
Pesto pasta...delicious!
Peach and blueberry crisp....delicious!
We all saw this fabric at jean Well's store in Sisters and bought it...it has an amazing text fabric. Molly is making a quilt for her neice and it is going to have these adorable birds for the border around it....awesome!
These are drinks that Molly made...she said the name of them is "skip and go naked." They were good but I didn't drink enough to feel like I wanted to do that....haha.
Above, someone made a blueberry drink that was fab. We really aren't drinkers, the six of us but somehow at Cupcakes retreats once a year everyone tries to outdo eat other with dinner and drinks...it is alot of fun! Mel said that she is more relaxed and seems to quilt better after one of these...haha
Three of the cupcake girls worked on polka dot blocks....we had polka dots everywhere!
 
We started meeting 4 years ago at Lopez Island where my friend Laurie Latta lives and we went to her home.
After a number of years we went and rented a house for three different years (different houses too) at Whidbey Island and then we ended up going to Black Butte this year in oregon and next year we are trying for Coeur d'Alene Lake in Idaho and close to my house. Each year one girl makes dinner and buys something to add for lunch and breakfast. We bring our own projects and energy and we laugh alot and sometimes we all cry.
We have seen births, and deaths and weddings and divorce and well, you know stories so we can do quilts about our lives. My friend Laurie said it is the "continuing saga" of our lives...and it is and it is so nice how women support women...this is what I have seen from you.
 I used to love to pray for others and support them and now I am seeing how wonderful it is to be on the reciving end....it is kind of hard sometimes. It is easier to wash feet than to have yours washed...do you know what I mean?
Below Mel is working on a Swiss Missy quilt....the more fabrics she added the more fun.
While we were shopping in Sisters, Molly found these fabulous Garden Posts....I think they are fab and wonder if I could do a piece of wood with paint and a wood burner for my garden...Molly has a new house they are builfing and it will look amazing! She bought the two cutest ones....
 
The flower baskets in town were amazing!
I am almost done with a Christmas tree quilt for a new workshop I am doing. I just appliqued the toys at the bottom ...it is so much fun!
Below, Mel brought a quilt that she made of Hawaiian fabric and has baskets or pails in the middle....really cool and since she owns to places in Maui, she will be using it for sure...
Eilene's dinner...delicious
Below was a before dinner treat that Molly made...hot jelly over cream cheese with crackers...
Below is a quilt that Molly made to have on hand in case she needs a gift....it is still getting another border...it is so pretty in person.
Below is a baby cowboy quilt for a baby. Mel put the border on and then quilted it and it is ready for the little "pardner"....fun!
All in all today I feel so happy and thankful for so many blessings that God has provided
. I am so thankful today for quilting friends and the nice stack of postcards and cards that we will continue to read as our journey with Mark goes on.
            Isn't it a lovely thing to be a quilter? We all come from so many backgrounds and we are all different but all so close in so many ways. Thank you sincerely for reading my little blog and for buying my books and for taking my workshops.
 I hope that you will consider doing a quilt story about YOU and it will be a precious reminder for years to come about who you are and why you are important.

7 comments:

  1. Being a quilter is the BEST Mary Lou! Yes please on the recipes. Thank you for the fabulous post. Hugs!

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  2. It looks like you had a wonderful time with the retreat and it is good to get some time to rejuvenate your spirits. I was wondering about the type of appliqué, are they needle turn, fusible? What sizes are most coming in. I have my design idea, now I just have to get it ready to cut and sew, which will go quickly once I am sure what I am doing.

    Debbie

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  3. I'm glad you had a time to rest and rejuvenate with good friends. Love the polka dot piggy bank!

    All that food looks lovely especially the cobblers. Please share the recipes.

    Good to hear from you again.

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  4. Thank you, Mary Lou, for sharing the great pictures from your Cupcake Retreat! So glad you had some time for yourself - so important for caregivers to get some care too!

    Polka dots just make you smile, don't they ;-) Yes, please, share the recipes - especially the pesto and blueberry/peach crisps!

    Thank you for making it fun to be a quilter!!

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  5. It is so good to be able to laugh and relax with friends-even better if they quilt! Glad you had such a good time. Your joy comes through in your writing:)

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  6. WOW! Looks like you are blessed again to have great friends who love to gather and share. Enjoy them all and all the memories!

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  7. You brought a tear - such a tender and loving ending to your post. I love your blog.
    Hugs

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