Quilt Cruising Brings Beauty Each Day in Different Ways

This painting was in lovely Costa Rica. I was lucky enough to visit with Karen K.Buckley and her husband Joe and Chris Porter and her husband Neill. Both of the husbands had fabulous camera systems and they loved to take photos (me too) so the trip to me was a huge success. Joe dickered a deal for us with a taxi driver who had two wives. The guy said the women hated each other and didn't like that he had two wives but he said "that's just the way it is going to be!"

The house at the top was a painting on a wall and it is screaming to be a quilt I think....

There are lots of things for sale and they all look beautiful because of the sunshine and light there...then you bring them home to the Northwest and they don't look as exciting. It is enough to enjoy the beauty of the things there, the people, the people you are with and the things that God provides for your senses (LOTS). Being there is wonderful.

Above was part of a display they had by one of the bars on the ship...I thought it was beautiful.

Above was a sign for a bar...I love signs and often take dozens of photos of just those.

On one of my days off, I just walked around the ship and enjoyed the ocean air and the beautiful sky and clouds...different each day

This was the name of the ship I was on. It doesn't look that big but up close it is HUGE and you are up so high from everything as you look out the windows or walk around the outside.

I was always amazed at the color of the water and how it changed...all beautiful colors that only happen where the sun shines it's brightest.

This is one of the pools...I waited for everyone to leave to get a good photo.

This Starbucks was the most beautiful color of blue! I "think" this was in Costa Rica. The coffee tasted just like at home.

Bags are for sale everywhere....they look beautiful there and taking a photo was as good as buying it and putting it away in a closet....

I LOVED these morachas and if it were not for the fact that my Grandkids would use them everytime they came over, I would have gotten them. The lady in this photo would NOT look up for Neill Porter no matter how much he begged her to. He wanted her photo. I was happy with the morachas.

We all wanted a photo of this beautiful lady. We all told her how beautiful she was and she was really a lovely person too. Happy to pose for photos. I did buy a Curaceo bracelet to take apart for a quilt I am working on from her and then I tipped her too.

These types of painting were everywhere...I loved them but not in Washington State

I loved the color of this van in the sun!

Here is the teacher Chris Porter with the beautiful woman....two beauties

Just took a quick photo of Aruba off the ship- I didn't get off there

I thought this painting on the side of a wall was quite beautiful. There are paintings here and there like this and that day a huge dump container with garbage was in front of the nice paintings...it was smelly but the beauty of the paintings was more important than stinky garbage for a short time.

If you ever want to go on a beautiful excursion, the Panama Canal Cruise is lovely and you do get to visit many wonderful and beautiful places.

Quiltcruises.com

Quilt Cruise with Mary Lou and Crazy Cats made for alot of fun and creativity too!

This is an example of a "crazy Cat" from the book "out of the box with easy blocks" by me and Mel McFarland. I taught the class on the cruise ship, the Zeiderdam this week while sailing the Bahamas. It was wonderful. One woman only brought enough fabric to try it out and here is her wonderful and happy cat! Not so craZy right?

Above are close sisters Martha Stewart (YES you read that right and her sister Marsha. Marsha was a patient and kind sister who took time out to show Martha how she did the techniques...I was impressed with their love and devotion to one another. Martha told us that she was invited to THE Martha Stewart's show which invited all Martha Stewarts from the US and Canada. Pretty wonderful.

Here was the beginning of the lovely and Out of the box cats that students made...as they finished a cat, they put it up....

Above is Terry who you often see on my blogs. Terry is a positive, fun optimist who everyone loves to have in class....she is always fun and her energy makes us all happy. Note the cat bowl with the fish in it in her wall hanging she has here....

This is Nagela and her Mother who took my cat class. They are from Brazil and they are wonderful and beautiful...photos don't do them justice. After beginning the cat quilt,Nagela AND Nagela's Mother finished it in their cabin by hand! This was totally "out of the box" for them as they love precise stitches and perfect blocks and points ....I think this is perfectly wonderful! And most of it done with nice stitches by hand....wow.

We had such a NICE group of people on this cruise. To find information, go to  Quiltcruises.com

I am not scheduled for another cruise and hope to be invited again and hope that if I am YOU will join me for the fun. Good friends, good food, lovely locations, adventure, comfort and all around fun. AND Kim and Amy who run it are nice, positive and fun.

We went to Panama, Costa Rica, Curaceo, Bonaire, Aruba, and other places and quilted when we weren't off the ship (the Zeiderdam). Delicious food, shows at night, beautiful water, friendly people and things to see and experience each day.

If you took any of my classes on the cruise, I would LOVE to show your project here on my blog.

Creating with Wool, cotton light giving stash of different scales and the color of the year....I must add greens, turquoises and fushias to it on black!

Finished my Folk Art Fish and started another one....this is so much fun and I will be offering a workshop on wool and how much fun folk art can be. Stay tuned....maybe your guild would love a workshop in this.

Different stitches and how to's on embellishing make this all so much fun!
Plus everyone who sees this hanging on my wall wants one!
For those of you going on the cruise to Panama, this will be class for 15 of us! Can't wait for wool and cruising too!
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Color of the year- Tangerine Tango-these fabrics were a gift from Molly for my birthday. I am going to make cats head out of them...I think that will be perfect.
I had a teacher in school that said your eyes read color better horizontally than vertically....you be the judge here. I am doing the cats in the "Out of the Box with Easy Blocks" book-so fun and they always get rave reviews....try them-easy, inventive and fun

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A nice fabric stash of lightgivers and different scales does alot for fun blocks for border or quilts for your walls or beds. I started making these blocks this week and have a great quilt that these will border. I have enough to begin a wall quilt for my entry too-if you take a workshop from me, you know we are going to talk about what a GOOD stash entails and mistakes people make when they buy the wrong fabrics. Yes you can actually buy ones that don't do what the good ones can!

There are dozens of blocks here and as I ironed I just piled them one on one...wait until you see the finished product! So creative, fun and a recipe for a great quilt! If you do civil war as some of my friends do, you might now like this...."Smile"

I wanted to post this on the side but it was too big to so I am posting it here....pretty cool place right?

Hoochy Mama Retreat Hat Contest- plus Mary Lou's Retreat in Post Falls Idaho

Had to share this photo with you of these pretty quilters who take a workshop from Sandy Thompson each year. Sandy usually takes my workshop at Asilomar and then converts it into a workshop or retreat for her students. Sandy is very creative and she passes it along to these nice quilters. EACH and every lady here looks great and alot of fun to be with as they create with the hoochy mama technique!
This made me smile and since I have a birthday this week and am feeling older, I think this would be nice to have for a photo when you are too old to do anything but remember the fun things you did. I wish I was in this photo too.
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Three people have had to drop out of the Idaho retreat (Mary Lou's Creative Happy Go Lucky Quilt retreat) in June and now I have more openings. You won't want to miss Farm Chicks first on Sunday and then the Story quilt workshop along with Mary lou's new quilts that have more piecing and freeform cutting. We will be bringing our inner artist's out to stretch and to enjoy learning what you can accomplish with some prompts and confidence that everyone gets with some fun and new ideas.
Come and join the fun girls already signed up!---------------------------------------------------
Below is Mel McFarland, Sandy Thompson and myself at Road to California-we have become good friends through creating and quilting (Sandy is the teacher above who taught Hoochy Mama and challenged everyone to make those great hats! - we all met in a story quilts workshop at Asilomar. Think of the new friends you could meet, the stories you could tell, the techniques you could learn and the memories you could tell about YOU and who and what you love. Please consider taking a story quilt class. I am teaching many of them across the US.

Cow Parade and Road to California-I was blown away with the beautiful quilts this year!

I had to start this off with Sue Cresse's Cowman Miranda cow-Sue was in a bad accident in Sept and could not attend Road-she would have loved all of the attention her cow got at the "Cow Parade."

Above is Tina Neppl with her darling cow...very inventive and colorful

I could hardly believe this is a quilt-wonderful!

Sandy Fisher's MOOlon Rouge" is covered in big beautiful crystals...it is fabulous to see in person and so many people "ooh's and aahed"! Very fun

The quilt above is called "All that jazz!"

This quilt got more comments than any other I think....do you know who this is? Of coarse!

The quilt above was a group quilt and it was so great...very imaginative and creative!

The quilt above was my most favorite because it wasn't a photo and looked like it-awesome work!

Wow, how many years do you think this took????Overwhelmingly beautiful

Kathy Collins cow had such good design beginning with blocks from the "Hoochy Mama" book and then adding carrots on the udders and the value is great and the theme and well, Kathy has the "touch"
Hope you got to see the "Cow Parade" show at Road to California-if not stay tuned the show with all new cows and some of the old ones will be showing at various quilt shows-wanna make a cow? It is in the "Out of the Box with Easy Blocks" book. Buy it from Mary Lou and get a free chicken pattern, a fat quarter and a cow pin.
Marylouweidman.com
AND check out my other blog to see ALL of the wonderful cows!
Marylouweidman.blogspot.com
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Feeling Blue? LOOK at this post, it is happy and fun!

Isn't this the most darling photo? If you are having a bad day this surely will make you smile knowing that MAMA OTTER is showing off her little baby. I loved this!

I put this drink more water reminder to help you out since it is the beginning of the year and we all want to be healthier....don't we?

I do not know who this artist is but I do know that this was painted a long time ago and the artist is from Finland. But anyway, as we do story quilts and fun quilts, I often pick Grandma's or old ladies for my subjects....isn't this fun? Hope you are inspired and your artist comes out to create and have fun!

Speaking of fun, I have NO idea who took this photo but it was on the internet and it makes me really laugh....darling and inspiring too! Quack quack.....
Stay tuned for photos from Road to California where we had a COW show....very fun to listen to all of the laughs and lovely comments.....