Retreat Photos from Years Past-Making Friends and Enjoying the Process

I just HAD to share this. Janice S. who took a five day workshop from me decided to do her friend Ann from Denmark (she also took my class). This is how it looks today and her sense of color and whimsy is wonderful! See why we love these story quilts so much? I would love to own this and put it on my wall! Just wait until it is quilted! Awesome job Janice!

Above is Tina's buy from Artfest in Spokane the day before the retreats...I also bought a clock...note the cow in the lower corner by Judy-she is driving up (again) with her sister Kathy from Pacific Grove...they bought some great things last year too and got many ideas from Farm Chicks and other students...so fun!

Above is Sandy's trps with her Mother over Hill and Over Dale....so fun-she is coming back this year and I am sure it will be done and quilted..can't wait to see it!Keep scrolling and you will see how it is coming along!

Thought I would show you some brief photos of the Idaho retreat I host every summer. I have lots of photos of blocks we do every year with new handouts for new things and new ideas.  Such fun to push the boundaries...even if you use traditional colors!

Who would have thought of a black flower? I love this and Sandy Fisher thought of it! She is coming back this year with a vehicle so she can bring home treasures from Farm Chicks, the quilt shop and ArtFest. :0)

Below, Val shows off a bunny she cut out! no drawing just cut....

Tina's vegie tray

Here are three of Judy's cows for her story....this year she is coming back to finish it...can't wait. She has two to finish....but who is counting? :0)

A finished wonky flying geese....

Below is the beginning of a story quilt by Charlotte about her husband painting and a relative playing the sax along...very fun story and awesome quilt...love her colors....Charlotte and her sister Laura (the bunny sisters) have both done many many story quilts...so wonderful for the history and for their family...

A quilt all ready for its story....

Sue White does a story quilt of her house being built and her children and husband are now appliqued onto the top of this...it is awesome and shows the beauty of where she lives in Idaho

here is Sandy's quilt which you saw earlier and look how it has progressed...these are so much fun!

Wonderful chicken salad on whole whear...delicious
Below, borders built and stories next....love the ground in the one closest here so fun!

Chicken salad...

Dawn's birds....loved being with talented Dawn....

Linette conquers the hoochy block

Dawn's border all ready for her drawing (below) of her daughter in law...

Another adorable bird...so many smiles in this class!

Working like busy bees...great light and room for everyone here. I keep the numbers low so we can accomplish new things as they come up....so fun

Playful blocks and flowers and bees and birds and hearts...

Dawn's drawing to go on her background...so fun

Desserts are served on our mascot girl...she has been at every retreat serving up good stuff and a smile

Houses and flowers and....

This is the beginning of Diane's farm quilt which now includes a wonderful bird bath and birds....one of the wonderful things about this retreat is we learn alot from each other and everyone comes from somewhere else in the country!

Laurie's salads and hot rolls and cookies and good stuff 

A border waiting as the picture is drawn....

Ruben sandwiches......

trying to stay out of the rain!

The bottom of Dawn's terrific daughter in law quilt...I have no idea why I didn't take the head with it's darling hat!

 

Alphabets and lettering for chuckles and serious sentiments too

Wendy's pretty smile (she is returning this year from Southern California...

Sandy Appleby who finished this quilt about Italy and won a first prize at her guild (I don't have a photo of the finished quilt that I can find (I have 22,000 photos on my computer

We always start out the retreat with dinner at a good Mexican restaurant...now we do this following a day at Farm Chicks and ArtFest in Spokane

here is the huge sign you are greeted with

Americana is a big theme and lots of clothing that are on people mirror this...and cowgirls and vintage clothing and us in our Aprons and tiaras....

Sandy did these wonderful pieced letters for her wonderful cow quilt!

 

Huckleberry shakes....a treat of this region....

 

There are so many cool pieces of furniture there and alot of them holding cool stuff like this one....

Hundreds of old tablecloths and linens for great prices...old flags, rugs, pillows....

Recovered furniture...repainted furniture...great stuff and awesome ideas...

Old game pieces, typewriter keys and awesome stuff!

Pillows, old quilts, old quilt pieces and lots of repurposed stuff that you think "wow, why didn't I think of that!?"

:ots and lots of cool jewelry, scrarves, tops cowboy boots, hats-little lamps,old chennille bedspreads....kitchenware from the 40's and 50's...
    Anyhow this is what I could find today in my vast photo library....hope you come and join the fun. We have two spots left ...only. Would love to have you come and join the fun with all of us!

NEW Recipe from my Cousin and Creativity and Oh How Exciting!

So my cousin sent this photo of an Easter Parade hat. Is this the BEST idea for a story quilt? I am wondering how I can work a COW into the Easter Parade idea...a cow would love this hat...who wouldn't?
    I am very excite that Serena the girl who started Farm Chicks wrote a comment -on post below. She is a Grand Poobah and I am happy she knows we LOVE her once a year happening! I was surprised the first year I went to find out how many girls flew in for this yearly! This girl with the hat would fit in as lots of people dress up when they go shopping. SO fun!
   My cousin Kristi rocks and she always makes good stuff to eat. Here is the recipe she sent me today.
This is a simple, tasty and very healthy salad that you are going to
LOVE. It fits in with all the kinds of things you're eating...Enjoy!

1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1/2 a red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced In half)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
Cilantro to taste.
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 avocado

Dice up all the ingredients and toss in a bowl.

 NOTE -The corn does not have to be frozen but if it is and you add it last,
it keeps the salad cool.
Add the avocado, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Farm Chicks, Artfest and Story Quilts in Idaho and COWS that are MOOving....

Here is the Farm Chicks Poster for this year. So cute!
So for my Idaho retreat, we will be attending this on Sunday when it opens. Girls will be bring their cutest aprons and I will hand out real tiaras for fun. Alot of people dress up like Cowgirls, in vintage dresses and outfits, and other cute clothing. Last year we were asked to have our photos taken for different blogs...what fun. If you don't want to dress up no problem. But it is fun.
This is the show that has fab things for sale....pils and piles of old linens, old tablecloths, old flags and loads of old things that you could use in and on quilts. I buy jewelry there and some collectibles I like. There are people from ALL over the US selling things and you will want to bring your camera as the booths are adorable and give you lots of ideas for your house, your porch and your garden. Many of the girls who flew in from California this year are driving up so they can take stuff home in their trucks. I know of at least five from California and two from Southern Idaho who are driving after seeing it last year. Others ship things home. It is a huge highlight to attend.
    Then after this we will go to Artfest in downtown Spokane- an historic area called Brown's Additon. Old lovely houses and a huge beautiful park filled with juried artists who have fabulous stuff. I bought more than I should have last year and can't wait until this year. They have fab jewelry, yard art, paintings, pottery (awesome), steam punk, clocks (Tina and I both bought one last year and lots more.
     Then in Post Falls where the art center is, we can check in before 3pm to dump our stuff off. Post Falls Days is that day too so there is lots to see in Idaho.
    We will all meet at a great Mexican food restaurant and introduce ourselves.
    Tina will be coming to cook for us again this year (all meals) and you will love her food. This year we are doing a little french theme and I have some little gifts that are French and some nice surprises. Fairy gifts will also be a part of the week with the students.
    We will also be going to a local (and good) quilt shop.
    I am sending an itinerary this week to all who have signed up.
Great fun, great food, new friends and awesome quilts.
And now some COW photos from Back Porch show- Pattern is in the Out of the Box with Easy Blocks book...please make a cow so we can show it off like Wendy did below!

     Would love to have YOU join us!

Above Mary Lynn visits the show and bring in her positive energy!

Above these adorable girls came to the book signing where we gave out Black Cow candy...so fun-Mel thinks of all of the good stuff to go along with signing....

Here I am with Latte, ready to sign books and have fun! I DO love each and every cow! SO SO much fun!
Make a cow from the book or one in one of my longer workshops...they are so much fun!

HAPPY STORY QUILTS with Mary Lou at Asilomar

Penni finishes her background and her drawing is below. Penni met her husband in Vietname around the time of 9/11. She was a widow and a nurse and he worked in the operating room and he was a widower. They LOVE to dance and do alot of dancing out and in their kitchen too. Such a fun story. Won't these dancers be wonderful on her colorful background? SO cute!

Here is Kim who is doing a story about herself on a vespa...she is holding a wine glass and her dog and golf clubs are on the back....drinking in a quilt and driving are legal...Kim is a pip ...

 

This is my adorable hostess Vicki Jones....she is so cute! Loved having her help....

The quilt below is by Pam Griffith-she has taken my classes before and does great work. She is doing her house with little chicks in it for her darling Grandkids...with flowers and all kinds of happy things....her background is a fabulous turquoise fabric...it is going to be wonderful...she has a pieced house to add that is delightful in many ways...very whimsical

Our Motto in my workshops is "igf You Always Do What You Have Always Done, You Always Get What You Have Always GOT!" SO, Think OUTSIDE THE BOX!

Elly, Esterita and Mary Lynn (my student) from Memphis...NICE Gals!

Above is Christie Cutting who has gone to Asilomar for years and she is doing the saying "What IF the Hokey Pokey IS what it is ALL about?...her border is beautiful and done....She gave me one of the nicest compliments I have ever received...

Susan Powell is above and a repeat student...she is doing a window with she and her husband in bed with coffee cups looking out at the birds and trees and flowers...she is magic with color...I wish you could see this palette in person....New Hampshire is her home and she came with her sister Pam

Above is the sign post to our class....
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Below is Susan McKenzie who is doing her birthday cake for a big birthday....she has awesome border blocks and is doing this in bright and happy colors for her home...LOVE the happy feel of her colors and drawing

This was a riot....to stretch one afternoon, Penni led everyone in some excercize and it drew lots of laughs and made everyone feel energized for more work....

We had 22 lovely lovely women in class. I used to take 25 or 26, but I can only handle 22 now....and I have to say if I had people like this class I could handle 100...five days of no complaints and nothing but positive comments and friendships made for a lifetime....so wonderful to have such NICE girls

I look like a dope here but everyone else looks beautiful....love this!

This is Stephanie and I wish I had a better photo of her borders...she is fabulous with color and I helped her draw her Granddaughter and she will be surrounded with images of her drawings all around her....see the darling cat? She did sunshines and the cutest owl I have ever seen! I "think" I will see Stephanie next year....

This is Janice in front of Pam's quilt. Janice is a go getter and does fabulous work with fabuolous color....she is appliquing on her border and doing a quilt about Ann from Denmark who also took the class....so fun!

 

This is Barbaras border blocks on the left (aren't her flying geese great?) and Linda's corn for her Farm quilt on the right....awesome.
Linda came to my Idaho retreat last year....

We all brought little fairy gifts to leave by people's sewing machines. I always do this and give tiaras in my longer workshops. You cannot believe the darling things people brought...flavored salt, purse note books and pens, crayons (NEW and a great paper about coloring outside the lines, Fabric, candy from Denmark and some from the US, bubbles, refrigerator notepads,pens and I have to look to see what else....so fun!
We will do this at the Idaho retreat also....

This is Jamie who helped my Hostess and Vicki who was my hostess. Both were so fun and so positive....see our cow pins and our tiaras? Got some of the girls talked into making a cow and some will be headed up to Idaho for the retreat...they are driving so they can haul stuff home from FARM CHICKS show.
    I cannot download all of my photos onto my computer but will get it fixed this weekend so I can show you the other girls.
If you were in the class and have good photos, please send them.
This class was such a nice week with girls who all got their borders done and their pictures blown up and ready to applique...stay tuned for more photos of our wonderful and happy time doing stories about who and what we love!

More Reasons to Take the STORY QUILT Workshop and Come to Idaho

This story quilt is going to be featured at the APNQ (not the initials but what it used to be) show as one of the winners that year

Story quilt Ladies from Idaho...the night before (not everyone here yet)

Betty, my story quilt DOG....

Mattie, my story quilt cat....

My Witch Story Quilt....

and here is some new stuff with my left over blocks....

Just thought I would show you a photo of what you can expect in Idaho at my retreat and in my future workshops. I am also working on some "Short Story" quilts with people and they are quite cute! Wish you could see the color in this -it is so pretty! Love that fast and EASY piecing. It will be quilted and then the centers of flowers go on and birds eyes etc.

Easy piecing Flower Power for Spring and summer....come to Idaho and learn the hows and the whys of color and fabric choices too! Hope to see you somewhere in a workshop!

I took this photo, looked at it and my toe that got a suitcase dropped on it and I promptly went for a manicure.  Anyway, photos do not do these justice....I got the centers done and my back went out again and Connie my neighbor came and got my plans and fabric and completed the borders. I have some more really cool border tricks up my sleeve.
How about promising yourself you will do something fun and NEW for your house or someone else's! These are so much fun!
     I will be teaching at Asilomar this week and hope you will plan to join me somewhere else so I can show you many of my new and happy quilts!
Be positive, be happy and share your smiles with someone who doesn't have one!
And I am leaving you with this darling little girl who a friend sent to me.