, Tulips, Wool, Story Quilts, Retreat Samples,and the best Chocolate Cookie Recipe ever!

 I will be going to Asilomar soon and watching 20+ women create a wonderful story quilt about their lives. Here are the girls from Last years class,,,so fun!!! I get so inspired and fill with LOVE in these workshops and with these woman. Such a blessing for me.

I ran into this photo of a background ready for the story of Kathy Garcea going to Washington DC with her Granddaughter....isn't this flower wonderful? Love that bottom border, sashing and also the background purple for the sky. GREAT colors for creativity and a story worth keeping.

Mark and I are hoping he will be well enough to see the tulips bloom in LaConner or the Skagit Valley this Spring...would be wonderful sign of life! 

I had a woman phone me to ask about my quilts and she thought they were small...here is a photo of me with three of my quilts....Below is Fabulous Wool project by Janice
 Here is a wool quilt by Janice Schindler from Houston. She is the person who did that fabulous story quilt at Asilomar in my workshop about her darling friend from Copenhagen. Janice is into telling stories in quilts too and she does a fabulous job. Love her style and that she tell stories too.

I have a nice list of people coming for my retreat in June. I am going to take a photo when I get a chance of a wool project I am doing to bring and in the meantime I found a nice wreath from a workshop I taught on wreaths...hope you get the gist that the sky is the limit with these! VERY fun, can be a story and can be personal with lots of favorites in there!

I do not have the name of the person and hope she will see this and comment so I can give her credit!

Here is another lovely example of someone who did a wonderful, personal wreath, this is Peggy Clayton Baldwin's work from Galveston -see what fun you can have personlizing and story quilt making Christmas? Imagine if your Grandmother did one of these and you had it today to hang...how special would that be? These are pieces from the heart that are meant to be kept and treasured.

Below is the pattern I will be giving out. this was before the faces and all of the beautiful embellishments were added...we will be discussing this as a part of the retreat. Embellishments can add so much! And things you never thought of to add too! Cannot wait for you to see this in person!

Below is a Christmas tree pieced with ornaments that were machine pieced and not appliqued as the other samples are.This is Mary Kate's wonderful tree and it is totally pieced from blocks in our block swap exchange. This is the kind of thing we will do in our retreat fun in June -GREAT job Mary Kate!

The next tree with the same swapped blocks looks totally different thanks to Sandi's quilting skills. Pretty wonderful stuff! Imagine words like "joy", "Oh Christmas trree" pieced in these too....lots to do with piecing as well as the applique...hope you come and join the retreat fun!

Speaking of story quilts (I always am) this quilt below was done at my retreat by Kathy S from Modesto. Quite wonderful isn't it? I love her choices of fabric and her whimsy. This is at least her second quilt and she is going to do another one with me this Spring. If you love dogs you love this quilt...even if you don't love dogs.

The story quilt below was done in a workshop close to Eureka CA by Beth Stanton- . Can't pull up the workshop place. duh- too much on my mind. I think I need a nap and a candy bar. Haha Anyway, who doesn't love France? She got alot of nice things included and the color and french bread along with her self portrait is quite special. I do love Story Quilts!

This is quite a wonderful block out of my Flower Power book...I do not remember where I got this but isn't it great? LOVE the fabrics!

I ran into this photo of Mark and I which at one time I did not like because of what I am wearing...how stupid. Now I treasure it. Get those photos taken so you have them to treasure!

This needs to say "QUILTING" below...right?

Terry Waldron gave me this recipe. She brought me three of these cookies while I was in Calfornia...very delicious.

Double Chocolate Chews (You can add walnuts, too!)

Ingredients

• 
  
• 
  

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate mini-morsels, divided 
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 egg whites 
• Vegetable cooking spray 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl; stir well, and set aside.
3. Combine 3/4 cup chocolate morsels and oil in a small saucepan; cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into a large bowl, and let cool 5 minutes. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, water, vanilla extract, and egg whites to chocolate mixture; stir well. Stir in flour mixture and remaining chocolate morsels.
4. Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; let cool on wire racks.

UPDATED- LINDA'S Colorful World and FABULOUS SEAFOOD CHOWDER RECIPE , JAMIE'S cow and Other Stuff to Think About...

I have stayed with my friend Linda P. for many years. She is a talented quilter and has the most beautiful applique stitches you have ever seen.

Linda takes a normal pattern and puts her spin on it and it is always fabulous and so fun to see up close because her fabric choices are different and wonderful. I am inspired anytime I go to her home and hang out with her. She is working on a cow and I am so excited. It's theme is "Me for MOO and Moo for Me." I know it is going to be wonderful for sure.

Linda always has quilts hanging in her home in the different spaces and they are different everytime I come. I just walk around and take photos. Linda did a "Dear Jane" quilt once and the background was orange and the other colors were fabulous. It is the prettiest one I have ever seen.

I love how she turns others patterns into her own works for art and can you imagine how happy her home is? Fabulous place!

Above are three different photos of a quilt she did. I think that the green background is great and the orange and purple on top is awesome. Her work always makes me smile and she does too. Linda is quiet and when she says something it is wonderful and wise. I came home feeling so rested and good. 

Look at this ceramic design...isn't it cool? I want this on a quilt one day. Linda will probably beat me to it.

Above is a wonderful piece of art that Linda purchased in the Seattle area where she lives (she lives way North of Seattle actually)

Linda travels quite a bit to lots of great places and when she was in Australia last year she urchased this piece of Aboriginal art. It is so pretty in her home. Bright and happy.

Linda has art work, quilt and happy things like what is above to pull your eyes in and make you smile.

Below is  is the middle of her large home on the ocean Sound and she has chairs to enjoy the beautiful view and a hot tub and a lap pool closest to the bottom. Pretty wonderful place for a pretty wonderful person.

Linda P's Fabulous Seafood Chowder Recipe- 

Mary Lou's favorite SOUP in the world (NO kidding_

1/4 chop green onion

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/8/TBLSP. cayenne powder

1 TBLSP. Butter (or you can use olive oil)

2 cans of cream of potato soup

1 pkg.(6oz) non-fat cream cheese

1 pint non-fat half and half

1 can corn, drained

2 cups shrimp and scallops

1/2 soup can of white wine

In saucepan cook onions with garlic and cayenne in butter or oil until tender. Blend in soup, cream cheese and half and half then wine. Add shrimp, scallops and corn. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally until cream cheese has melted and seafood is cooked.

   Makes about 7 cups.

Linda served this with good bread and a salad (I will share that recipe down the road.

BEV chose beautiful white and black dots and wonderful bright fabrics to make this block! Talent!

. GREAT! Sheesh I wrote down the wrong name earlier and I am embarrased...thank you Bev for being so gracious to me. Anyway, I adore this block!

We had our photo taken by our neighbor two weeks ago and the whole family with kids too. This is just the five of us and it is fun to have that to see too. I love my family.

I think this is a wonderful poster and Phil 4:8 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible and talks about filling your mind with happy, excellent, worthy of praise things. It reminds me to turn off some of the television shows I watch...like the news. :0) They need more quilting and crafting and cooking shows. A fabulous "GOOD Day" show with only happy things and a great joke of the day.

Today is the last in this series of Downton Abbey...hope there are some happy twists and turns and we find out some of the stuff they left us hanging with this season.

Cows have become a big and fun part of my life (by accident). I liked this poster and I love this adorable cow quilt by Jamie Morton. Makes me smile. She does great work!

Hope this day is happy for you and that you have lots to be happy about and that you use great colors or are inspired to by Linda's wonderful work...and Jamie's too.
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Took Mark into the Doctor's for a throat scope today as his esophagus was spasming/ this afternoon we see another Doctor and he gets a two hour chemo i.v. to fight the brain cancer...I need some more portable hand projects while I wait. One day at a time and happy quilts to keep me upbeat.

HAPPY Colorful Glass to INSPIRE and SEWING NEW Colorful Cows in a great shop with Great people

My friend Stephanie picked my up at the airport along with Sharon my other buddy and it was sunny last weekend and we went to see the Dale Chahuli art show. He has always been on my list as artists I most admire and he taught at RISD which is where if I had to do life over, I would have gone to school!

I went to Seattle to go up to Aunt Mary's with Stephanie to teach a COW class. Stephanie has the blog Bubbling Sunshine and that is what she is! She has a delicious laugh and a positive outlook and I had w wonderful weekend with this art to start out!

 Can you believe these beautiful colors??? Saturated and wonderful!.

Imagine what it is like to walk these gardens on a sunny day!

Wouldn't you love these in your backyard? I would!

Look close and you will see the Seattle Space Needle in the Background of these balls

Below was the most amazing one and all of the gold figures at the bottom were sea creatures and shells- it was just amazing...

I am going to show more of my photos later on because I want to get to the cows and my hostess's wonderful home

Here is Stephanie who hired me. Kwiltzbystephanie@blogspot.com
You might want to keep watching her FUN blog because she does good giveaways I hear...AND She does cool quilts that I always love. She brought tiaras for all of us to wear and after the class was over I asked Linda who I stayed with to stop at a convenience store on the reservation so I could buy a lotto ticket (no luck). As I was talking to the cashier, Linda, tapped me on the shoulder and suggested I take off my tiara...the cashiers laughed and me too

4 hours ago

For the Cow class, I sell this book with the COW pattern and then I also offer a 1/2 size and a 3/4 size. Everyone picks their choice and they all begin the same but by the end, the cows are ALL original and wonderful! Here is the beginnings of some COWs that will be amazing when done!

The beginning of MOOnet by Christine! - isn't it wonderful???

On the right is Linda my hostess who I have know many years. She is doing "Tea for MOO and Moo for Tea"-this was just the first day. Linda does awesome quilts and hosts me when I am over on the coast-she is excellent and gives you space and waits on you hand and foot- wonderful. She says I am an "old shoe" and I love that because I feel that way around her...very relaxed and happy.

This cow was a colorful one that Loretta from Canada was making- she is adding Flowers from the Flower Power book and LOTS of rick rack too

This is Marian's PRETTY cow....it's tail is a big question mark...great! She likes the name AMOOnymous. Me too!

Sharon's cow will have flying geese on black and words on black for the border..I think the theme is COWnt of Monte Cristo. This is a place in Western Washington. I am not a very good photographer -the sock river will be at the bottom (with socks)- it is not spelled this way but you get the picture right?

Here is the cow called "MOOsical" -isn't this super???

This is Consuelo and she is doing a cow "MiVaca Loco"that  is so darn cute and in person even better! She is from Columbia and has personality PLUS

Here is MOOnster Mash but I also thought it could be called FranCOWnstein- see the bolts in her neck??? Patty is adding embroidery stitches in black on all of the seams she is pointing too...Love this!

This tongue was a happy accident by Kathleen, I suggested she turn it the other way but love this look...LOVE the colors don't you? Kathleen has great fabric as she worked for Clothworks for years...I envy her stash!

Speaking of colors and tongues and creativity, look at this cow by Sharon- wonderful to see what a strata can do and a purple tongues too! This is called "Join the Vegan MOOvement!"

There weren't enough design walls and so this cow got held up and isn't it beautiful? Can you see the pieced udder and the beautiful Kaffe colors? LOVE this one.

Creative piecing was part of this workshop and some people got flying geese borders and cool modern pieced log cabins done....they were the "process people" and that is what I am, I am a "process" teacher...I want to have people learn how to do things they would not normally know how to do...great fun for me!

I am ending this with a little stash I had to work on a quilt...it didn't happen but isn't the stash pretty? I was very influenced by my hostess Linda Pederson who is better at color than anyone else I know....stay tuned for her recipes on my next blog and some photos of her work and her house..-----------------
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We are feeling hopeful about what the Doctors can do-
Please pray for my husband and me. He just found out today that his original tumor (the size of a grapefruit is back.). He will have radiation again and three more pills to be added to the 20+ he already takes. Just mentioning this because I would love prayer for Mark who people will tell you is the nicest man in the world...and he is. Thank you friends...