THE END OF THIS BLOG--COME VISIT MY OTHER BLOG PLEASE- MARY lOU AND WHIMSY TOO

Hello Dear Cherry friends, I have had this blog for many years and for some reason Google has made it so I cannot see the photos I load, I cannot post until they are all loaded, I cannot change the size of the photos and it just takes too long for me to post, go in and look and then write and then go back and forth. I could finish a quilt in the time I post these...haha. SO I am going back to only ONE BLOG and that will be Mary Lou and Whimsy Too. If you have not signed up there please do as I am cleaning out my sewing room and would love to give prizes away to people who sign up and comment. I have lost about 20 pounds since the middle of december and I am going to be sharing my ideas for still eating and being healthier and thinner. I am not trying to look like a model, I am trying to be healthier because I want to feel better. Drink water. :0) I also have been cooking some family favorites for my family and want to start sharing those recipes and some photos and also some fun things people send me and also some of my adventures on the road. Many people are sending in story quilt photos and COW photos and I want tho share those and some more cow ideas for you. I always wanted to go to blogs where the writers sounded like fun girlfriends and this is the flavor I want my blog to carry. I am proud to be a quilter, a Grandmother, a Gardener, a Friend and other hats I wear and I hope to share this and that you will share too. Please come and visit me at Mary Lou and Whimsy Too and we will both be very happy...and I will be honored. Thank you................

Farm Chicks, Art Fest and Story Quilting + Golf for your Hubby

Here is the Farm Chicks Poster for this year. This is where we will be going the day before my Idaho Retreat. It is sure to have lots to excite and a ton of ideas that you will love to think about to make once you get home. I always buy old trims, fabric, old tablecloths, some old dishes, a little furniture, last year I bought darling picnic boxes to store fabric in, a painted ironing board for a side table, an old American flag and earrings...as well as some charms to sew on quilts. We all meet up with a cute apron on and I hand out our tiaras for the week. It is fun because alot of people dress up in Vintage clothing, cowgirl attire and darling tops and aprons. Many people asked for photos. Then after that we will go to Artfest in historic Browns Addition in downtown Spokane where our Museum is. They have juried vendors with awesome art, jewelry, garden art, good food, and tons of things you will want to see. I bought the coolest pair of earring cheap there last year and I want more this year. :0) Then the next day starts the story quilt class. My husband has offered to take any husband's golfing on Tuesday which is his day off. We have beautiful golf coarses and lots to see here. Tourism is one of our number one industries and since we are on the Idaho border there is lots in both States. Hope you can make it...we are down to two openings and I would love to fill them....

A MOOVING SHOW AT BACK PORCH IN PACIFIC GROVE CALIFORNIA....

I have more cows to show you....I can't load them on my computer today...sigh...so keep checking back.... Tami Levin from Lemon Tree Tales had her photo taken with Mel and I at the book signing at Back Porch (I see I posted it twice...I must have loved it for the color and the three of us (FUN)...so much fun...we gave out black cow candy and cow pins and we had lots of fun planning new cows with quilters... if you always do what you have always done, you always get what you've always got...make a cow and bring your artist outside! Mel and I have made LOTS of cows and wanna make more...they are so much fun and they look adorable on your porch or entry hall....gives people smiles who come to your home! Friends, I am now offering a TWO day COW quilt workshop for guilds and shops. Email me if you are interested...Marylouquilts@aol.com

Mary Lou's STORY QUILT Retreat June 2nd will give you lots of new ideas, handouts and I will show you lots of new pieced quilts for fun....

The first quilt here is a wonderful easy pieced quilt was done by Rebecca from Nebraska...she is Out of the Box in the Best Way-so fun! Have been having a ball getting ready for my workshop in Idaho on June 2nd. I have all kinds of fun piecing ideas, embellishment ideas and things that you will want to see and learn. You like original and fun borders...just wait! For more information on my retreat that I guve every year, go to Marylouweidman.com and check out the retreat on menu's at the top of the page. Miss Tina from LA will be coming again to cook for us and we will also be going to Farm Chicks and Art on the Green in Spokane. Lots to feed our senses, stomachs and soul! Please come and join us at the JACC art center. We have a ball! These are some quilts that I am auditioning borders for...they are complete now and you should see them! So fun and so colorful. Just what you want to hang for Spring which is just around the corner.... I am also going to do a quilt with old table cloths and pieces to show what one can do with the prizes they find at Farm Chicks....new fabrics, old pieces and old things all make for fabulous quilts....let me show you how!

VISIT FRANCE IN STYLE-TASTE,SITE,SMELLS-OHH LALA

Beautiful foods and fruits and cheese and breads at every turn in France. Jeanne Mills Tours is the best way to see France as Jeanne lived there, speaks the language and loves beautiful things and places!

A little description: Join quilters, who love to travel, on a tour to Southern France. The tour features activities, adventures and discoveries to inspire your creativity. In addition to visiting a Provençal fabric-printing factory (and perusing in their outlet), we’ll visit the museum in Nimes where denim was first made and have as tour through a museum of small quilts, known as “boutis”, the corded, quilted and stuffed textiles from the South of France. Of course, we’ll be on the lookout and stop for fabric along the way. As well, we’ll fill our minds and cameras with the bright colors of the region, see the works of artists who lived and painted here. We’ll be inspired by architectural and decorative elements, the countryside we drive through, the food we eat, and the gardens and markets we visit. For more information and details, download the 2013 Tour Brochure at www.jeannemillstours.com, or contact Jeanne at jeanne@jeannemillstours.com

Above is the Louvre fountains and Ferris Wheel...such a wonderful place to visit!

Above, look and see how fabrics are printed and get a chance to buy some of the most beautiful fabrics in colors we hardly can get our hands on. When I was there with Jeanne, I bought lots and I am still using them. This trip is a trip of a lifetime and with wonderful people. You will learn so much and have so many opportunities to meet and see and enjoy. France has so much to offer and you will get it all on this trip.

St. Paul is a darling little hilltop town with cobblestone streets and awesome shops. If you like beautiful things, this is the town for you. People here are so friendly and I noticed that French ladies (ever the sharp dressers) would wear high heels on these streets with bandaids on their heals. Some advice...wear comfy walking shoes. I bought many beautiful things there- a silver bracelet, little dishes with painted flowers, a large serving dish with a beautiful rooster in fabulous colors (I always have it out), and little French cards with children on them.

I loved the Museums and the way people dressed and so many other things. I took hundreds of photos and many many photos of the beautiful signs of shops etc., but alas it was before digital cameras and I only have them in prints so they are too hard to get redone to share. But you can take my word for it that you stay in beautiful hotels, eat good food and see wonderful and beautiful things you will never forget. If you have any questions about what i saw, you can contact me. If you have more questions about the trip and Jeanne's plans, do contact her. She is the BEST and the trip is first rate!

Super Bowl and More COWs

This made me laugh and it is so true. I am working on borders and I had alot of uninterupted time....

My neighbor Connie made two cows for the COW shows -this one above is called "COWculator" and could also be called "ACOWtant"

I forget what the "real" title is for this cow but it is ALL wool and has lots of fun things....like icycles on the udder. We are hoping for more cows....if you need ideas, let me know and I will print more here. The pattern is available in "Out of the Box with Easy Blocks" book by Mel and I. These go fast and are so much fun to do!

How about a quilt called "MOOving on!" This was suggested by Pam Dransfelt...very fun!

Mari Linfesty's story swap blocks quilts and Granddaughter' BUGS!

Mari Linfesty has been my friend for many many years. We first met at Asilomar and over the years have gotten together in many places. Mari is now coming to my retreat in Idaho (last year and this) and I love being with her. We started doing a block swap on my Yahoo groups chatroom and it has gone for four or five years, maybe longer. Mari is now in charge of it and does a superb job. On top of that she finishes her quilts using the blocks we swap. I am missing her pails and fish photo which is awesome. They are all awesome. You can see by the themes what the blocks were and ladies from all over the US and Canada swapped. Now we have a group of skilled and talented quilters who do a super job and get their blocks in at the exact time. This has taken some time to get it together but we finally do and now everyone is very happy.

Don't you think these quilts are wonderful? They are all getting quilted as we speak. And her quilter is awesome. She inspires me alot and when you give her a challenge, she runs with it which is very fun too!

I think this photo is hilarious....my Granddaughter has LOVED bugs since she was two and drawn them on paper, studied them, caught them, held them in her hand etc etc etc. She had alot more bugs than this and their family cat got ahold of them and chewed them up. So now we are trying to build her collection back up. I think the cat got ahold of that moth too. She is six now and when she does show and share, it is usually about bugs. I started a bug quilt for her and haven't had a chance to finish it, but I will. I have promised her that I will look for bugs on my travels everywhere. I used to keep a tupperware container in my luggage for this. I found some good ones in Hawaii but couldn't bring them home. Hoping I get to go to Florida in the next couple of years.

The day starts with a FUN Puzzle! Stay tuned for four new quilts and more!

I have dozens and dozens of blocks that have been sitting here and I am finally taking them and putting them together for some quilts for examples. Such Fun! I have all kinds of black or dark background and am adding and subtracting to make new sections and then quilts....it is such fun to see how the puzzle goes together and what else we need!

I am going to make more and I want lots more birds and bugs and flowers in here...

I am thumbing through the Flower Power book for more ideas (so many!) and adding some wonky baskets and pails and fun things....it is really ALOT of fun not knowing exactly what a quilt is going to look like and learning to trust your inner artist! THAT is the making of a mature inventor and a great way to take the road less traveled which is actually ALOT more fun. Come in June and take MY retreat which is held in Idaho and you stay in Washington...we go to Farm Chicks for lots of inspiration, go to awesome "Art in the Park" and then spend five days sewing, making super friends from all over and visit one of the best quilt shops ever. We have a ball and make some pretty wonderful quilts. See more info at Marylouweidman.com