Wendy's Witches

You read earlier that my Tahoe Chicks Group and I are madly making witch blocks to swap. We got this idea from Wendy Price above who is adorable, fun, kind, witty, and just all around a ball to be around. She and her best friend Sandy Fisher came to the Post Falls retreat last year and are already signed up for this year too. We have a "few" spots left if you are interested, I am kind of keeping it on the down low. It is $600. and you get your own hotel for five days of story quilt, hoochy quilting fun.
Anyway, I had to brag on Wendy because she and Sandy have the most awesome ideas for fun things. I love this quilt and now I will be getting fourteen blocks back-wow, that is one big witch quilt! But a ton of fun...wanna do some easy pieceing lettering from our book....what can one say on a witch quilt?
Please comment. I am on my way to the Apostle Islands and will be teaching on Madeline Island....prepare for lots of beautiful photos next week! Can't wait and I will be teaching there again next year. If you live in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan or just in the Midwest you should prepare to come and have fun in the fall! Have a great week.

Nancy's Cocoanut Cake Recipe- Prepare for Compliments Coming Your Way

Cocoanut Cake-from My friend Nancy
1 pkg. yellow butter cake mix (2 layer)
1 pint sour cream
6 or 7 ounce of angel cocoanut
2 cups sugar
1 large cool whip
Mix cake accordning to Pkg, directions. COOL.
Mix together sour cream, sugar ,cocoanut and cool whip. Split layers, making 4 layers. Spread mixture between layers and over the entire outside. Sprinkle extra cocanut all over the outside. Place in refrig. three days before serving.
I am not sure my family would leave it alone for 3 days so better put it in the back of the fridge where they never look anyway.
You won't be sorry you made this and get ready for many compliments. Yum>

Message with Meaning for YOU and Me Too

Making quilts and doing something that inspires me and I truly love Please read this to the bottom to see my point....

Traveling and being safe.....

Kissing my Grandchildren and family and enjoying the color and beauty of cherries (and taste)

Being thankful for the true beauty around me

The colors,smells and flavors of Autumn

How about YOU?

Message from My Blond Girlfriend....

New Carpenteria, California Quilt Shop Photos...this is sure to be one we all want to visit!

Years ago I could hardly wait to go and visit a shop called The Treasure Hunt. This shop was sold and eventually it closed. Now Roxanne who owned the original shop has opened up a new shop called "Roxanne's". She knows color can you tell and she speaks to my creative soul and she does story quilts! Different than mine but sort of the same in that she loves whimsy, color and angels. I am so excited she is open again and welcome her back to this world of creativity and invention. I am hoping to do a book signing there and bring some cows with me to visit....There has to be a cow that comes out of this shop...doesn't there? The shop is in Carpenteria and is a lovely place to drive to and spend the day shopping, planning quilts, eating great Mexican food and nosing around the wonderful shops and darling streets. I am giddy this is going to be open! See the cutting table on my other blog- Mary Lou and whimsy too - Marylouweidman.blogspot. com
I want a cutting table like that one when I win that lotto....

Roxanne is known for her darling people and angels...pretty cute!

She knows how to keep her man happy I guess.....My husband would be looking at me and saying "how much did you spend getting this place ready?" Not really...he pretty much lets me do as I please too.......

Laugh for the Day

I thought this was very funny...especially since I wonder why anyone who want their pants hanging down...

All Systems GO for creativity to make pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, bee skeps,baskets,and more

Just sat down to cut out my base fabrics for Autumn quilts of pumpkins and gourds and other lovely things like animals and other harvest things for a story quilt about Fall.



I am swapping gourds and pumpkins in my yahoo groups room and I am teaching alot of fun techniques at Madeline Island...imagine buttons spiders hanging from webs and cats that look like fall. This fabric is for gourds and pumpkins only. Inidan corn, pieced strata leaves and other piles of items are ready to be cut out and sewn. SO much to do, so much to enjoy with every stitch.



Oh the joy of creativity and fabrics! Hope you are enjoying the ideas that Autumn brings...I need some words in there too! Stay tuned....


New- just got a genius idea to draw up several Fall patterns blow them up large and take them to the workshop with me. Makes it more fun and easy to pick and choose........thank goodness for Kinko's!

Comment on last post I think I get it NOW ! DO I? My eyes are old too.... Can you all comment and let me know what you think?

So, someone wrote in and said I should write a paragraph on my blog postings...is she being mean? OK, I know she isn't being mean or she wouldn't come in here....seriously.

I am wondering if there is something you would rather have me do instead of this.....what is it?

Are my postings too long? Too close together? One of my blogs will not let me write anything until the photos are posted and I cannot see what the photo is...only numbers and letters...

.I am trying to do what I can to please those of you nice enough to come in and visit.

Honestly, I appreciate you coming in and being a part of my life through my blogs. Thank you,

So, is this what you mean? BETTER?

Witch Story Quilt Comes in Handy This Time of Year!

I would love to do another Halloween type of quilt without using a pattern...it is much better to use you mind and use the invention. Maybe you want to bring out your inner artist to play. If you live close to Wisconsin or Minnesota, come join us on Madeline Island and see the secrets of Easy Piecing Autumn Ideas and other Fun Things!

How Now Brown Cow?

Well, since the book came out, Mel and I have been making cows like crazy for a Market show. Our friends are all making cows and somehow, I keep thinking of new cows. They only take a couple hours to put together and are simple. I guess that is why they are so addiciting. Dawn who reads this blog and takes workshops from me (my retreat and others) has made four cows. It is going to be quite a show. The cow above was made my Mel who also did "Holy Cow." I am doing the borders for Cow Town, De-Calf, and PsyCOWdelic. Someone said "where would you hang them?" Well, I have a nice place in my entry hall, a place in the tv room and I'd have one for the road. I used cool fabrics and they are awesome and I know people would love seeing them hung up. The cow above would be cute in a little boys bedroom.
I got the nicest note this week. She said that she made a cow from the book for a charity and she showed it to her ten year old Grandson. He said "Grandma, would you save this quilt for when I am married and have a baby?" How is that for a compliment? Very fun. Make a cow, you won't be sorry.
NOTE- "Outside the Box-With Easy Blocks" is the book for the pattern-Martingale.

Berry Gallette-Simple and Delicious! And Rice Pudding with cooked Berries! YUM

Every once in awhile I get a hankering for a good gallette with berries. Tonight for example I know I had plenty of berries in my fridge and freezer. I grabbed one of those pillsbury pie dough things that is already rolled out and started creating. I should have kept the pie dough refrigerated up until the end but I didn't and really it didn't make that big of a difference.
I took three cups of frozen berries and added 2 t. corn starch, a good squeeze of half of a large lime and about 1/3 cup of sugar and a little cinnamon. I cooked the berries for awhile until they thickened over medium heat and watched them...it only took a short time. I took those off the stove, put a handfull or two of blueberries in the middle of the pie crust plus a handful of fresh strawberries and then dumped most of the cooked berry stuff on top. I gathered in the sides and two of the sides tore because I didn't keep it cold through the whole process. remember the number one cardinal rule with pie dough is cold ingredients. Anyhow, I just gathered up the foil it was laying on and made a dam. :0) I sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on it and five pats of butter here and there. I put it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes and then took it out to cool. It looked beautiful and the berries were firm and the pie crust was crisp and not soggy and when I went to post the photo to show you, either google or aol erased it....NO where to be found. And I had erased it from my camera once it loaded...gone forever...until I make another gallette. We ate most of it and it isn't pretty anymore. We served it with vanilla bean ice cream and it was heavenly while it was still warm! Try it-it's easy and delish!
I wanted to show you something else we do for a treat-for some reason those photos loaded first instead of last. Blog photos sometimes have a mind of their own. I put rice pudding into a bowl and then put the cooked berries on top, and when I serve this to guests, I usually heat a few frozen berries and then put them on for the juice and the wholeness of the berries. It flavors the rice pudding and everyone raves. Easy and good.
Hope you try these....summer is almost gone and I am trying to enjoy the fruit while I still can. I just bought peaches at Costco again...they have been the best I have ever had.

Houston Area Guilds Provide happy Smiles for Everyone Who Wants to Quilt, Do Charity and Have Fun!

The quilter at the top of this post is Ginger who used to work at Thimble Creek in Walnut Creek many years ago when I would go there to teach. It was fun to see her again and to catch up on California, quilting styles, kids and Houston. She is a really fun and energetic gal.







The group at the bottom is from Woodlands Quilt Guild and it was fun to see Ginger who used to live in Walnut Creek area. This guild did great quilts and lots for charity as did the Bay City Guild above. Both guilds showed many charity quilts and talked about giving. During the time I was there, firfighters were fighting the flames close to Houston and so the guild took up a collection of over $500. to get snacks for them when they could take a break. I find that quilters are the most giving people in the world. We all want to fix things Right? Mona was my hostess at that Bay City guild and helped me lift all of my heavy quilts using her won suitcases to help haul everything. Ever notice how heavy quilts and fabric and machines are? If you quilt, you know what I mean. I taught wreaths at both guilds and hope someday they will try out the "Hoochy" way of letting go and piecing. Texas girls always come in with humor and ready to go and they like color as do I!

Galveston Quilt Show and My Time with Peggy Baldwin enjoying the quilts

This quilt was one that a friend of Peggy Baldwin's did...and she called Peggy to say her dog "ate it." Peggy finished it and gave it back to her....isn't it funny?
These photos show the Galveston quilt show and the many story quilts. There are quilts there from myself and other quilters and the majority are Peggy Baldwin's work. The show goes until Sept. 30th. Sandy Fisher's daughter's six year old birthday party quilt is there as is Sue Cresse's Mom's quilt (in the bath tub). I love both of those. The room is huge and well lit and it is colorful and happy and a nice experience. Hope you get to see them too and see the beauty of Galveston.

Peggy did a great quilt that I loved about Hurricane Ike and here is a photo of she and her Mother and then the image of her Mother whirling through the storm of Ike in the quilt. Fun and a memory of a time with a date for the future...thnk of storms many years ago, wouldn't you love to own a quilt that was done about that storm? I would!


Julie Quilt Diva took a workshop from me at John C.Campbell and this is one of my all time most favorite plaid quilts! The class is called "Plaid to Meet you." Lots of fun and really gets your imagination and ideas going.











Peggy did a quilt about getting her Christmas photos taken with her Mom. I thought this was my favorite quilt because it shows how you try to look good and to get animals to sit and look good too but they are squirmy and have a mind of their own. The last little frame, the photo is taken and perfect. Maybe you can relate to this.

Here is a photo of Peggy Baldwin, myself and her quilter (I am having a senior moment and forget her name-she is darling and so nice) and I at Peggy's story quilt show in Galveston at the historical Museum there.
We are standing in front of my hippie quilt.