Grandma Was Tap Dancer!

Isn't this the cutest quilt? It is amazing what we Grandma's can do and this is a theme that YOU can take and run with for a keepsake story quilt about YOU for your family to keep and enjoy and share. Think about it.
Here is the letter that came with this adorable quilt!
he label says this quilt was inspired by a phot of me in my recital costume at age 12 and the work of Mary Lou Weidman. I've been inspired by you ever since your program for the W.N.C. quilt guild in 2009. this is the 4th story quilt I've made. Thanks, Marylou. Jean Hart,program chair in 2009.

TULSA PROVIDES SUNSHINE AND NICE GIRLS TO QUILT WITH!

I just had to share this wonderful quilt that was taken from a pattern I did for a magazine a few years back. This lovely lady below took the pattern and made it and she announced she was a beginner and then started telling us all of ths mistakes she made....I LOVE THIS QUILT! It has better colors than I chose and she did great with the fabric choices. We need to build up our beginners and when they do a job this super, we need to be excited for them. GREAT job!

I wanted to post a photo of the raffle quilt for their guild. isn't this beautiful? It had a rose swag border that is beautiful and whose house wouldn't this go in? I hope I win it...I did buy tickets! Tulsa is a very talented and NICE guild.

Now for Judy's quilt which we all loved. Note the birds and birdbath  among the flowers.....

This adorable quilt started with a bargello center that Judy put together. She then bought my Flower Power book and started building flowers for the border. To see this quilt in person is quite something. It is adorable and the yellows in the background make for a stunning color ground. THIS is a happy quilt and I am so glad to have this as an example of what Flower Power can do for your borders. Great job Judy!

By the way, Judy was my hostess in Tulsa and she did a great job. You know when you visit a city and you get to go to someplace that is not a chain and it gives the flavor of the area? Judy and her hsuabdn took me to a barbque place and wow, great food and friend Okra! We don't get that in Spokane. You know the South has such polite and NICE people. There is something about Tulsa that reminds me of Michigan. I kept thinking that these guilds need to connect. I am not sure what but.....

I love this photo!

Jan who took a story quilt class from me at JJohn C.Campbell Folk school made this adorable cow quilt! If you haven't made a cow quilt you seriously don't know what you are missing! I love the ground this cow is standing on....Great job Jan!

Isn't this a beautiful group of ladies? ALL nineteen of them and not a whiner in the whole group-all fun, talented and exceptional!

I wish I had this stash....I don't -all my fabrics are bright...

The quilt above was made by Margaret who makes fabulous clothing. She took a Freddy Moran class  in Tulsa and was hooked and made this pretty quilt. The colors are really pretty and you can see she used Australian fabrics which were fun and added texture. Margaret is a good seamstress you can tell. She is pictured above on the right.

These to girls did awesome blocks Flower Power style and wouldn't you love to have this bird and this flower?

Maybe you need to enjoy Spring by making a Flower Power quilt or wallhanging for your house!

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You know it is a very small world. I have often talked about my dear cousin who I loved that lived in Phoenix. Remember when I was in the hospital last year there? Well, these two girls are cousins of My cousin's daughter in law. They came to Tulsa's guild to see me and that was really fun because their cousin Patty (same name) is really a sweetheart and helped me out when I was in the hospital last year. Every once in awhile I get to meet "cousins" and that is so much fun! Pictured here are Debby and Cathy. I have never met so many Debbie's in my life as I did in Tulsa. It was the name of the year awhile back I guess. :0) There were lots of Kathy's and Cathy's too!

NOTE- QUILTING ADVENTURES IN TEXAS has ONE opening in my cow/Flower Power quilt workshops this summer in June. Several girls are doing the Princess quilt. If you live anywhere close to Austin, please go to their website and sign up for this FUN class. You Tulsa girls live fairly close to there...come and join us!

Necklace Tethers are Great and Look at this Darling tea cozy!

 For many years I have been selling these lovely scissor tethers to my students on the road. Occasionally people order these through my website at Marylouweidman.com
I order them from my friend who has a little craft business that she does summers and when the sunshine is out to help she and her husband (a Vietnam Vet). Her name is Debby Collins and she is very creative and fun and can do anything. You know those people. Her house is adorable...like I said, she can do anything, and she is fun.

 So anyway, I am on the road again and so I ordered 20 necklaces from her to bring to my classes and she sent me this darling tea cozy. I used to make tea cosies to sell when I was one of those craft people who had more supplies than crafts (kind of like being a quilter) and I never kept one. Now I drink tea all day mostly instead of coffee and I need a tea cozy! This is just what I needed and didn't know. Thought you would love seeing this and her necklaces too!

 Love that the tea cozy has red which is my signature color in my kitchen and diningroom.

 And she has apples in green which is my second color

And she has some Fall fabric in there so I can have all of the seasons. Very fun.

A gift for anyone who drinks tea!

Thank you Debbie!

If you would like a necklace (scissor) then write to me and we can arrange to send you one. The multi tethers go with everything and I always sell them to people on the street when I wear them shopping or to quilt shops. They are great and are pretty and functional also. Make great gifts also. they are $28.

You can even go to my website and order a pattern and write in the comments "I don't want the pattern, I want a multi necklace or a blue necklace etc." I can run it through, send you a fat quarter and a Mary Lou pin and send it off to you.

Idaho Story Quilts-This is what you will be looking at size wise for your quilts for your workshop

 When we visited my Aunts house in the country we always had chicken and pork and beef and eggs and bacon and cream and lots of fresh vegetables. It wasn't until I got older that I realized all of the fun animals on the farm were also on the dinner table.

 We always had fresh flowers on the table and we walked up and down the hill when we went to visit the swimming pool in the little town-swimming was my most favorite thing to do then.

 The quilt up above is of my daughter and her girlfriend Genera when they sold lemonade....I am sure some of you have seen these before but I wanted to show people who are taking the story quilt classes what they can do if they don't want to do a huge quilt.

 Below is the house as my little girl mind remembers it along with the bird in the tree,,,it was a really fun place to go and see...and now I am the only one here who remembers

This is a good reason why YOU should do a story quilt-what do you remember?

Dana Makes a Great Bike Story Quilt-Super Job Dana!

I got this delightful letter from Bev Dunivent's daughter Dana. Bev is a quilt appraiser and master quilter in her own right and I admire her greatly. It is always fun to have family members do story quilts. I think this quilt is wonderful in many ways...don't you love the flower border in front of the bikes?
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Hello Mary Lou,

I took a class from you last year at Road to California long with my mom Beverly Dunivent. I have finally finished the quilt top that I started in class and have it all pinned and ready to quilt. I seem to remember that you do not quilt your own quilts but I am still hoping you can give me some advise. I just don't know where to start on the quilting. I am thinking of just quilting around all the appliques and the border blocks and then doing a little bit of "fancy" free-motion here and there. I'm thinking too much quilting might be distracting and might make the quilt mis-shaped. I am attaching a photo of the top and appreciate any ideas you might have. 

Thank you,
Dana Thompson
-----------My advice would be to make a simple background with some motion around the bikes and quilt around those circles where the flowers are.

And the WINNERS Are....Drum Roll Please.....

So we picked five winnder out of a paper bag and I chose one extra winner that wrote something that was fun for me. Bev wrote the following:
Things Mary Lou Weidman taught me:

Cheddar is the new black (or white),
We all have stories to tell,
It's not necessary to be "matchie upie" to have a great quilt,
Polka dots are the new solids,
Sewing rules are meant to be broken,
Fabric can sparkle, glow and shine,
The world doesn't end if you cut into your stash,
You must have a design wall,
It's okay if people think the sheep you design is a dog,
A masterpiece is in the eye of the beholder, and
Life should be fun!

Thanks Mary Lou!
Cheery wave from Bev
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So, Bev send me your address please...AND
the following ladies will all get some fabric in the mail!' Congrats to:
Mary Beth (sent comment April 4th
Connecticut Chronicles
Gayle sent her comment April 5th
Jean Condon sent her comment April 4th
Kim sent her comment April 6th
If each of you will send me your address (Marylouquilts@aol.com) then I will send out your prize.
I wish I could afford to send everyone a prize....keep commenting.
I will be doing this again soon and it will be a surprise as in I am not telling anyone and I will just announce a few winners....FUN.
With the economy the way it is, it is nice to know someone is getting something of value. I am making less money than I ever have and I am watching my fabric budget...it hurts! But you will all love what I am mailing out.
    Spring is the time of new life and beautiful colors and smells and happy birds and hopefully people. Open your eyes to the beauty of life and interpret it into a quilt. I am still waiting for my last two people to sign up for the Idaho retreat. We have the rest of the ladies all ready for the fun of that week! I am thinking that we might have everyone wear a fun apron!
Farm Chicks always has people wearing incredible aprons, jackets, hats darling vintage clothing....it is a riot and we who attend the Mary lou retreat will go to Farm Chicks the day before the creativity and invention begins...GREAT FUN!

Something Funny for YOU Today.....It's GOOD Friday and Passover and Hot Cross Bun Day, My Favorite!

Two women (old friends) run into each other in Heaven.

SYLVIA: Hi! Wanda.

WANDA: Hi! Sylvia. How'd you die?

SYLVIA: I froze to death.

WANDA: How horrible!

SYLVIA: It wasn't so bad. After I quit
shaking from the cold, I began to get
warm & sleepy, and finally died a peaceful
death. What about you?

WANDA: I died of a massive heart attack.
I suspected that my husband was cheating,
so I came home early to catch him in the act.
But instead, I found him all by himself in the
den watching TV.

SYLVIA: So, what happened?

WANDA:
I was so sure there was another woman there
somewhere that I started running all over the
house looking. I ran up into the attic and
searched, and down into the basement. Then
I went through every closet and checked under
all the beds. I kept this up until I had looked
everywhere, and finally I became so exhausted
that I just keeled over with a heart attack and
died.

SYLVIA: Too bad you didn't look in the freezer
---we'd both still be alive.

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This probably isn't the best joke for such a special day but it is kind of funny in a silly way. I am leaving in a little bit to go and have lunch with my daughters, daughter in law and six lovely Grandchildren. Then I pick up some hot cross buns for tea and dessert for dinner after pork chops and rice. I am happy. My husband went to the Docotr yesterday after a biopsy for cancer of the prostate and he has no cancer now. In six months he goes in for the test where they take 40 pieces for a biopsy because of pre-cancer cells. We are very thankful this Easter for God's many many blessings.
I have a stack of polka dots and plaids to dig into this week before I go to Long Beach.
    I sincerely hope you have a lovely Easter, Passover or Spring Day this weekend.
I choose the winners of the fabric give away for anyone who comments(drawing) on Monday. Good luck Friend.
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This is something else to make you smile BIG-I GRIN everytime I look at it!

http://www.wimp.com/dancingjive/

Invention, Prizes, color, fabric and fun!

The Farm Chicks Show in Spokane is coming up along with my Retreat the next day. Plan to come and shop the antiques, collectibles and Cottage, Shabby Chic,old tablecloths, linens,furniture,clothing and everything you can imagine to make you excited about collections and making your house adorable! My schedule is here for June-Marylouweidman.com

 A cute story quilt to check out for fun!

 Whether you know it or not, SPRING is here and so is the hope of  the flowers and birds and colors....and great quilts that portray your love of these-look at these light giver fabrics I use!

NOTICE- if you did a cow quilt you would like to share with a quilt show, write to me. I have two shows that want cow quilts for a complete cow quilt show (that is to say a portion of the show will be all cows)-the cow quilt below is done by Miss Tina who will be our cook for the retreat this year! She is flying in from Cowafornia.....

The cow quilt below is done by Sue Cresse (Cowmen Miranda_

For the cow pattern and great other patterns like the alphabet below and the chicks and cats and flowers and loads of other things, buy this book! If you order from me, you get a fat quarter of great fabric, a pattern and a pin.

Border ready for a story to go in the middle- love the bird don't you?

Here is a hoochy block made with my quilters fabric...so fun and look at the light these fabrics provide!

Keko Goki does some of my favorite quilts and why? Because she doesn't worry that things don't match! How clever is she? And she is not one of those boring "I have to match everything" people-she is inventive and original and she has fun!

Below is how I feel when I do not have time to sew and invent and be with my quilting friends! Can you relate?

We complain about having to carry a sewing machine to class from the car....look at this great woman and she isn't complaining either!

This is a photo of how I feel when I get to sew in Maui or at the ocean at Whidby or Lopez Island or at the lake with friends....I may not look this way but I feel this way and we all do because we are happy, we are creating and we are all positive with invention and friendship!

Thanks to all of you who keep coming in even during Spring when things slow down...I appreciate you.

I have a stack of fabric and will send out five big chunks to five lucky people who I draw from girls who comment here!