Story Quilts and Last Story Quilt Class at Asilomar in 2015

My friend Kathy Sandler took my workshop at Asilomar and also came to my retreat where she worked on her "Gone to the Dogs" quilt.  Great news as she entered a number of quilts into Paducah and this dog quilt was chosen. I can see why...it is charming and well done! Kathy is very talented and does lots of cool things.

I love the red dog because he has a reindeer toy in his mouth...isn't this cute?

Here is beautiful Kathy below....

I taught in Modesto and stayed with my friend Pam Toombs who has done story quilts and won awards. Very lovely group of fun girls too. We went to lunch in Modesto and this painting was on display and I thought it was great!

Below the painting was this alter and I thought it was cool. Love hispanic things...they do great with color and God....

Kathy and I sat by a garden in San Juan Baptista where we went for lunch on the way to Asilomar...Love this green planting

While I was in Modesto Shelly took Pam and I to meet the "Honey guy" who has been written up in Time magazine. His name is Orin Johnson and he had loads of kinds of honey. Here in California and I bought honey that was made an hour from my home in Washington State

Below is Ursula who is the president of the Modesto guild. She has a great personality and she makes great quilts which they are showing and this was about her Mom's dream.

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Below is a photo I took of my husband and my daughter. I know this has nothing to do with quilting but I wanted to share that she finds comfort in laying on his lap she says "like when she was a little girl"...she has her favorite blanket over here covering her up....We all love hugging and being close to Mark. He is wearing coveralls now because he cannot zip or tie his shoes....

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I took this adorable photo of Emily who owns Tessuti Zoo in California (my favorite shop). She is holding a dress I wanted to buy for my Granddaughter but was not sure she would wear it...Isn't it darling? Emoly has great stuff!

In my classes we have great fairy gifts- we all bring a little something for everyone in the class. Emily brought us these beautiful cookies...aren't these pretty? They were delicious too

So I will be showing Asilomar things in the next blog installment but wanted to share a beginning to that. 

Susan came all the way from Indiana to take my workshop at Asilomar. She was learning about warm colors and cool colors and knowing what to put with what and then she drew her picture of her story of when she was a little girl and a chicken came down and chased her...I think this quilt is going to be very cute! 

Here you can see her blocks better.

I have more photos to show but I have to figure out how to get them on my computer first.

SO the deal is that in 2016 I will be teaching Christmas quilts and wreaths at Asilomar and I do not know when I will be going back to story quilts. So I am telling people if they would like to do a story quilt, next year is the year to do it. They will be taking reservations in May and it will fill fast so get in while you can. Tiaras, fairy gifts, stories and fun girls and this might be your last chance at Asilomar to do it! Hope to see you there!

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COLOR and Quilts with Stories go hand in hand

Kim Procknow took my Asilomar Story Quilts workshop last year and put this away for awhile and now has gotten it back out to finish it. It is about her and her golf cart, martini's, dog, fruits and wonderful wild clothes....isn't this great? I think it needs her name up in the left hand corner or something clever to say! Kim is very fun, very interesting and very talented! Don't you love her colors?

Terri Jones made this adorable set of quilts for two little twins. Are these not the cutest baby quilts you have ever seen! One thing that is so nice is that they are not blue and pink and  did you notice that only one of them has an udder? Really fun! I just LOVE these! Great job Terry!

I took this photo of a bright quilt at Aunt Mary's quilt shop in Arlinton (Smokey Point Wa). I thought it looked really fun and I think slicing and dicing is very healing. :0)

I guess it is that time of year that I am just crazy about color and when it is all over the place even better! I think this girl in the painting is so cool...layers of color and pattern...she is a quilt waiting to happen!!!

I have put these on my blog before but now I am going to have them blown up larger and they are going to become a story quilt...one was drawn by me to show my Granddaughter and hers is next to it only better- I love how the body does not line up....and I love how the sleeves are different and I like her colors better! Such fun to do drawing with kids....try it!

I am adding this half recipe thing because I often need this and wonder what a third of something would be and it is a hassle to figure it out...now you don't have to!

I will be staying with my friend Pam Toombs in her guesthouse...she built a pizza oven outside and when she took my story quilt workshop, this became a wonderful story quilt with she and her husband in it! Isn't it wonderful?

Found this photo of a bunny I created for my Southwest quilt and thought I would share it....pretty fun and I just whacked it out with a pair of scissors and no drawing...we talk about this in my workshops

Thought this Flower from my Flower Power book in Mari Linfesty's quilt is quite special! Love the complimentary colors!

Was looking at old photos and found this one of rhubara which will be ready in a couple of months....Yummmmeeee. And hey isn't that color yummy too???

I DO love my bed. So snuggly and cozy and NICE.

Wanted to share this photo of my son who is going to do the Iron Man this Spring. Hard to believe he had cancer when he was a kid and went through all of the bad things we associate with it. He is a fine young man, son, Father and Husband.....I am really proud of him.

I saw this and laughed and no I didn't put it below my son to make a statement....

How is this for color??? Reminded me of my Flower Power Sample!

Did this sample for spring and it is quilted now so will take it and share and then hang it on my bright green entry walls for happiness!

I am headed to Modesto this week and then I am headed to Asilomar from there. I will be teaching both places...such fun! I will be going to the RED HOUSE for lunch, Tassuti Zoo for a happy creative time seeing what wonderful things Emily has to sell and inspire, and to the Back Porch which is a fabulous quilt shop that we had our COW show featured at last year along with my Asilomar quilt.
I am going to love being at the ocean, using my lavendar soap I take there every year, laughing with friend, rejuvenating, breathing deep and drawing new story quilts for Connie and I to do a series of small SHIRT stories with...stay tuned.
And for those that have been asking, the drawing book is coming along finally, you will love the ideas and for those people that keep asking about Chicken Soup, I was charging $9. for it and it was costing me that much to print it....so I am raising the price to $12.50 and selling it. If you were one of the people who asked, please contact me.
     I want to please those of you who come and visit my blog. I can see how some of you come in through other blogs and websites and thank you. Those of you who have written me lately and the girls who send postcards to my husband are most appreciated. He has three girls who send him cards all of the time and he calls these girls his girlfriends...and some of you send them often and you are part of the group. Additionally he gets cards in a group from Australia and Germany and he is really tickled about this. Me too...for what makes him happy, makes me happy.
Hope your week is wonderful. My dear kids will be staying with Mark both night and day and I feel so lucky to have such a sweet support system as does he.
Count your blessings friends! It is better to smile than to frown...feels better and helps your cells too!

, 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

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• 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.