Thursday, March 31, 2016

Chickens and Fabrics and self portraits and cookies, oh my!!

This is just a sampling of what I will be giving away in West Virginia and Spokane Valley for two different creativity retreats! Great colors and light and a door to creativity!!
Yard cuts if the most beautiful colors of fossil fern. Wanna bring light to your quilts? This is how we do it in our workshops. We will
Be drawing for these and more!

Miss Tina and I wanted a fun theme and this chicken fits the bill! Tina will be doing a recipe book of the things she cooks as requested in other years! I am drawing up a chicken that would make a great quilt like this one!
       At both retreats we will be doing a self portrait from patterns I will be bringing. This is a portrait of who you imagine yourself to be and it is a lot of fun! Imagine hats, things on your shoulders like cats or your city scape etc. the background fabric can be part of the story too! They are loads of fun to do!

      Or perhaps like this one 

This is before it was quilted and embellished. Really fun. She has a collar now and little bird on her shoulder plus color in her cheeks. All this will be discussed!
Light fossil ferns and...
Darker fossil ferns
Hope to be with you to share the fun!!
-------------
Crunch Time Cookies! Great with hot coffee or milk!
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1 test vanilla
Cream the above together well
Now add these to cream mixture
1/2 cup cocoanut
1 cup rice crispies 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup pecans
Mix well and shape into balls for cookies. Put on parchment or greased cookie sheet. 
Flatten with floured fork. 
Bake 350 degrees 12 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. Less time makes your cookies softer. Delish!!!


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

A New Sunny Day!

My friend Darlene pieced this in my workshop at Asilomar! We had students using whacky pieced lettering along with fun piecing. Made us ALL happy!
I always take photos of ideas and I loved this vegetable garden. I often use that theme in my quilts! It's a lot of fun and a good way to use color!
At my retreat in June here in Spokane  and Cedar Lakes West Virginia in May I will be showing examples of building fun quilts with variety. see Marylouweidman.com.    Check out the schedule above). These are both four 1/2 days.

Start with basics for story background and borders. 

AA great print or two goes a long ways! This print has vegetables, stripes, graphics and great color! Win win.


Another vegetable print with great colors and images! This leaves you with great possibilities for a vegetable garden or a pieced block quilt with lettering etc., and words here and there. Imagine a gardener or two with aprons of pretty fabrics and blocks here and there.


Fun for stripes either way (vertical or horizontal) and cutting it on the bias gives motion and fun!

Cool leaves and sprigs and blocks for ideas!


Flowers to mix in for fun!


Mixing in fabrics that glow from light to dark to create rest areas with all the color is good. I am adding a tone on tone red, a pink with small white dots, a purple with a small darker purple pattern. These fabrics mix well with the busy ones and they work together for fun!


I loved the bottle print here for more ideas. Make a list of veggie and bottle ideas like I did.


Loved the idea of mushrooms and peas and herbs. Perhaps a kitchen cooking story? Stay tuned. I will be bring these to my retreat and to West Virginia retreat.  The good news is I have a box of fabrics for give always and for my retreat in Spokane, I will bring a tub of fabrics for students to use and take. Will be fun to have everyone see the great stuff!! We have fun things planned!      I will have new self portrait patterns to offer for a quilt project as well as a tree for a tree of life should you choose this instead.  The self portrait is who you feel inside that week--–as on you can be who you want to be- different colored hair, fun blouse, hat with fun things, things coming out of your hair, a cake on your head for a birthday celebration, collections... Imagination creates great quilts!

---------------------------


Corn Hot Dish that is Wonderful!

Can whole kernel corn
Can creamed Corn
8 ounces sour cream
One package jiffy corn bread mix
2 eggs beaten then added
1 Tablespoon sugar
Grease 9 inch casserole
Bake 350 degrees 35 minutes
Pull out of oven and 
sprinkle 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
On top
Bake 10 More minutes or until it isn't jiggly 
    No leftovers ever!!
If you make it you will love it!!
-----------------------------


I will end
with two of my favorite fabric shelves. They are colorful and work well with others!
I admit it, I love color!
        This week I will Take photos of fabrics from Timeless Treasures and Benartex I will be giving away at my retreat in June. I ha e some great surprises for you girls who are coming.
       Now is the time to mail half of the cost to hold your place. I will be making reservations for our dinner boat cruise on lake Coeur d'Alene! It will be a week of fun and creativity!!