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!!

 

BEST MEATLOAF EVER AND Wonderful color and piecing makes for a great day!

    I took the morning to go out to a lovely breakfast with my Aunt and her relatives from The other side of the State. Lovely, fun and nice people. It was a nice way to start the day. :0)
Dawn T. who came for my retreat told me she had the best meatloaf recipe in the world. I thought I did but this sounds darn delicious. Let me know how you like it please!

Here it is Mary Lou....the very best meat loaf recipe in the whole wide world...I could eat the whole thing myself...feel free to pass it on to whom ever you want..my mom would be pleased if you did.

 

2 lb hamburger

2 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

3 Tbl chili sauce

1 TLb Worcester sauce have no idea how to spell it

2 cups corn flakes

1 cup milk

2 eggs

mix in large bowl with hands is the best way...I put mine in a large cake pan, 9 x 13 I think, and make a ring out of it...leaves a large hole in the middle

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

 When it is JUST about done I remove a little of the liquids so there is room for the sauce..I spoon the sauce over the top of the meat loaf and put it back in the oven just long enough to kind of set the sauce.

 

Sauce

brown one clove garlic in one Tbl of olive oil

add 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

dash or oregano

1/2 cup tomatoe sauce

2 Tbl honey

simmer for about 30 minutes

I usually make this while the meat loaf is cooking

 I hope you like it...I serve it with twice baked potatoes and it makes awesome sandwiches with some thinly sliced onions.

so the challenge is on.....let me know what you think when you get time to do it...

Dawn Tonioli..a happy retreater come home

RETREAT day two and three...and three more to go! We are having a blast making story quilts and getting out of the box!

Lynette says "hey look I am OUT of the BOX! Not everything matches and my center isn't centered on the design! I think I've got it! Lynette owns a shop in Redding California and we are hoping we don't ruin her traditional quilt making techniques

Lissa not only looks royal but like she is having retreat fun! Isn't she pretty in her tiara?

Sewing and thinking, planning and sewing, more planning and thinking and sewing...and then we eat! and start all over....Lisa thinks and Sue smiles (nice smile Sue!)

Sandy from Bozeman salutes to a fun time, getting out of the box and story quilts about WSU cougars! Her theme for her quilt.

Dawn enjoys the crunch of the salad, warm weather and new friends!

Sandy and Wendy toast a job and day well done! Aija enjoys their fun!

Here we have the beginnings of an adorable and exciting quilt! Right Sandi?

Val explains to Heather why things are always better made BIGGER and how "if you always do what you have always done, you always get what you always got." Val is getting an A in the class this week.

Color starts to creep into the classroom.....

Here Laurie cooks behind the cake plate girl who is always our mascot for the retreats. Today she has hot fudge mix and cherries on the top of her head.

Here our cook or should I say CHEF serves up hot rolls with a chicken caesar salad. Laurie Latta from the San Juans knows how to cook for a crowd of hungry quilters....We all so appreciate her for her cooking and her kindness and fun.

You weren't part of the bird swap on Yahoogroups.com? See what you missed! Aren't they cute? Now you will have to wait for Mary Lou's book or buy Flower Power to at least get started.

Sandy eats salad and discusses why Canadian cheese is better than US cheese-she didn't really say that, Mary Lou did and Sandy nodded her head. :0) Their sausage and brown sugar is better too.

Heather cuts Mary Lou fabrics for students-Heather owns a shop in Idaho and she is so pleasant that everyone agrees if they lived closer they would shop there all of the time! She is pretty too.

Mary Lou's fabrics a hit with everyone

Dawn's border starts to take shape!

Linette worships the sun as others chat....

Val and Sandy enjoying sunshine and a lovely meal

Val enjoys her hot fudge sundae and we enjoy Val! Very fun girl!

Wendy dishes up chicken ceasar salad, noodle salad and hot bread sticks for lunch-dinner was flank steak, awesome salad, fabulous hot bread and hot fudge sundaes for dessert (lots of toppings)-Lauries food has been delicious!

Adja's finished quilt borders below-just wait until you see her story start to progress!

Here Aija puts her border blocks onto her center...I asked her if she realized the flower pot was upside down....just teasing her. It is a beautiful color combination and today she blew up the picture we drew of her Grandson holding her Granddaughter's hand, dacing and the two of them between Palm trees-it is adorable!

Real tiaras make for alot of fun and tell each person at the treat "YOU are a special person"...and they are! We are having so much fun for so many reasons! GREAT group and everyone has said so many nice things about the week. Three more days to go!

 

While people worked on blocks, Linda made a block that is lips and she is going to embroider a line down the middle once the quilt is put together. Darling and original too!

Linda who on day three pronounced herself "out of the Box" and her blocks show what lovely things her "artist" has done. Lovely and fun too!