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

What I am working on, getting hurt and West Virginia Workshop from Last year and five day workshops!

This is Sarah my little neighbor whose Mom sews with me. She makes a snowman every year and the snowmen get cuter and so does her....she is kissing him. :0) Stuff memories are made of!

I think a MOOdern Cow would be great fun so I started one this week and my friend Connie helped me piece and it was alot of fun and since many places are borrowing the cows we know of this year, we are looking for all of them. We want all new variety when people go to see the funand the invention and the creativity! STAY tuned!

This is the beginning of the embellishing I did on this small Southwestern piece. So much fun...there are about 500 more things on there now (no kidding) and it will be all ready in another week or so for my embellishment classes I am teaching this year...I will br bringing large quilts and wool things and other surprises. If you are taking any five day workshops from me, you will get some great tips on doing this type of thing. :0) Slammed my hand in the truck door last night ....I must be getting clumsier...I dropped a suitcase on my foot not long ago Maybe it is because I am getting older but I remember in fifth grade I was always falling because I could not control my longer legs etc... Five day workshops are my most favorite because so many people can get their story quilts going to the point of them finishing them and knowing where they are going. This year I am teaching a five day workshop at Asilomar (it is full), At John C. Campbell Folk School in Mary, At Cedar Creek West Virginia in May and in June, I will have my very own Story quilt in Idaho. To find out what you need as in contact person and price and dates you can go to my website at Marylouweidman.com and click on schedule above. Hope to see you there! I ran into some photos by Sharon B. from our West Virginia class at Cedar Lakes West Virginia...a five day story quilt workshop we will have again in May.

This is a photo of Rosemary's quilt about her husband...so cool!

Carolyn from Baltimore finished her quilt for her Granddaughter's Graduation...you have seen it here before and it is wonderful in so many ways!

Carol made us all smile...

Kim's smile and Happy attitude helped alot even though she sat in the corner...haha

This is why it much better to take a longer workshop to develop, think and invent along with the concepts...one day isn't much of a time to learn anything in workshops...If you can find a five day workshop, this is what your artist wants and then you are on your own ROAD less taken.

Isn't this the most wonderful story quilt drawing? So fun!

I LOVED this necklace! SO SO cool and hey with her smile it is even better, don't you think???

Sharon did a story about sewing with her family and isn't that a story many of us can relate to??? So glad that you are seeing these photos. I have a great finished quilt from this workshop I just got of a woman on an elephant in Thailand....will be sharing it next with some other stories people have sent me. If you aren't doing story quilts and whimsical quilts and happy quilts and family story quilts, you are missing out! Hope to meet you sometime this year for one of the Creativity workshops...they are so much fun and so fulfilling too!

Chicago, Illinois and Lincoln Nebraska, Here I COME ready of NOT! Let's have some quilting fun and Adventure together!

Here is the information for Chicago....the classes are "Embellishing Makes the Quilt!" and "Invention with Easy Pieced Blocks". Both are very free and very fun and very habit forming...I love both! February 7th-9th-Evanston, Illinois -rlevin2000@aol.com Illinois Quilters Inc. www.illinoisquilters.com Meeting Overview Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at Beth Hillel Congregation Bnai Emunah 3220 Big Tree Lane Wilmette, IL 60091 No monthly meeting is held November or June. Meetings begin at 7:30pm. Doors open at 6:45pm. Workshop Overview Workshops are held the Friday and/or Saturday following the monthly meeting. Workshop Registration registration form and fee schedule All workshops are held at: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church 1133 Pfingsten Road Northbrook, IL 60062 Workshops begin at 9:00am unless otherwise noted. Supply lists for each workshop along with a brief description of the workshop are available ------------------------------------------------------- Lincoln Nebraska workshops are on February 16 and 17. Nancy Holman SouthEast Community College 301 South 68th Street Place Loncoln, Nebraska 68510 phone- 402-437-2712 For questions, please contact Nancy Above...it is two full days of piecing FUN and bringing yur inner artist out for invention and discovery! Nancy Holman

COLOR of the Year, and some good advice too

This color is ggrowing on me again...it used to be in once earlier in my life and everyone mixed it with cranberry and my goodness almost everyone had this green carpeting and restaurants too. I have always been a red, white and yellow girl in my home so I didn't sway to green BUT I am finding myself really studying it. The reason why is I am invited to do an Ireland tour for the quilt show in 2014. I have started telling people that I would LOVE to have friends go and that with the date a year and a half away this would give you time if you started saving a bit now. We get to see the Ireland Quilt Symposium and also go on a bus tour to see the delightful country of Ireland. Now to me this is music to my ears as I am Irish and with a name like Mary Donahue and my brother Danny Donahue, you can get much more than that. For years my Grandmother would send me a little package of Irish girls in porceline. Now I have the bright idea of doing a nice big Irish quilt. And what better color to base the quilt on this shade of green, am I right? So , if you are Irish or want to be, then you might plan on a trip along with me to Ireland in June of 2014 and also making an Irish quilt which I would happily feature here on my blog and if we got enough of them I can find us a great venue to show our work! FUN!

What are your feelings of this color? I have a few give away things and if you post in the next two weeks, you might be lucky and win something fun.