Things that blessed me today and could bless you too.

These beauties are due to go on my Market quilts. I just got an order from Theresa who does all kinds of wonderful things for her community and she hires challenged adults to fill the bags. I think her buttons are out of this world and also she is a wonderful person. Go to her website at-
http://www.hillcreekdesigns.com/ You can find her buttons in any color of the rainbow....

I got this in the mail today from my friend Mel who knew I was looking for these silly and wonderful foods by Eric Carle who wrote the books I read to my kids and read to my Grandkids.

This fabric is the stuff of imaginations and everyone should have some for a story quilt.

"My wallhanging surprise from Cherise and Robyn"

As a quilter you don't get many quilts from people as a gift. My two friends surprised me with this and I adore it. If you click on the photo for a close up, you will enjoy the cute quilting that makes it even more special. Stay tuned in a few days I am going to show you an awesome angel quilt my chatroom friends made when I sent them free angel patterns . It's awesome.

AND- if you scroll down on the right side you will find TWO very important things. One is the signup for my newsletter which I am almost done with and will post this week and two is the TEACHER LIST OF BLOGS (in the little box)-These are Grand Poobahs in the nicest way and they have loads of cool things to share. It is well worth checking out what these ladies have to share about quilting and cool stuff.

I have more to share this week, stay tuned.

Teaching at John C.Campbell Folk Art School

The new catalogue is out for the John C. Campbell Folk Art School and I am teaching there in January. It is going to be a wonderful time in a wonderful place.

A FINE TIME WITH GREAT FRIENDS

Can you feel the danger I had to face when I went to sew with six of my closest friends? It was scary but I faced the terror (of this sign) anyway with sewing, chit chat, story quilts, new quilts made of my new fabrics from "HAPPINESS IS" (Benartex) shhhhh IT's a secret, gourmet cooking, learning to make notebook covers, trying out new gadgets, praying for friends with cancer who we love, fairy gifts and alot of laughter.

Our house on the ocean we lived in...

The scene out our window...the sunsets were beautiful and watching eagles fish, ospray and herons go for food each day was so fun to watch. The man next door to us took his Mother out in a row boat to get crab out of a crab pot and the Mother stood up and we watched the rescue...don't stand up in a row boat in the ocean :0) That's my advice....

This was part of our lesson (above) of how to make book covers and glitz them-they are cool!

Here is a finished quilt out of my new fabrics that will eventually go to a nice child. Love those plaids which you do NOT have to match. :0) My girlfriends had this put together in NO time.
THIS FABRIC IS NOT ON THE MARKET YET AND WON'T BE SHOWN SO IT IS A SECRET UNTIL THEY OFFER IT, FOR ONLY MY BEST FRIENDS-SHHHHHHHH

This is an adorable "Happiness Is" quilt that I am hoping that benartex will offer as a pattern to those who buy the fabrics for their shops. This photo does not do justice to this quilt. It will be doubly as delightful once it is quilted.

NO ONE HAS SEEN THIS QUILT OF THIS FABRIC BEFORE-IT IS NOT ON THE MARKET YET BUT SHOULD BE THIS FALL AROUND MARKET TIME-WHY AM I SHOWING IT TO YOU? BECAUSE I AM ONLY SHOWING IT TO MY BEST FRIENDS TO SHOW HOW WONDERFUL IT IS. I ADORE THE MANY COLORS IN THE LINE AND THE POSITIVE MESSAGES TOO-


Part of the sheer joy of traveling with girlfriends is the things you see. We stopped for lunch at this cute town and I took this photo of the ocean through the doorway with the eye of my friend helping me get it just right. :0)

If you come to Washington State on the west side you will see the wonderful artwork done by the Indians that live here. Their art is wonderful and many quilters take their designs for inspiration.

This sign was on the building we ate lunch in........

I am proud of the beauty of Washington State and when I was little my Father took us to the ocean each summer while he salmon fished...I will always have the ocean in my heart.

I bought earrings in this shop for my daughters and Granddaughter and Daughterinlaw. It is where the movie Practical Magic was filmed...I never saw the movie but there was a sign there.

This is a peek of a quilt that is going to be in my story quilt book I am working on. It is spectacular and I can't wait to see it quilted.

There were so many many beautiful poppies and flowers on the western coast of Washington. I took dozens of photos of just flowers to enjoy. Hope you enjoy this also.

Perhaps you cannot afford to do something like this for a week but if you and some dear friends wanted to get together to sew perhaps you could find a friend's house, a hotel room, a church that would allow you to use for sewing and fun. The point isn't so much where you stay but that you are with true, loyal and dear friends who laugh with you and care about you and that you can love back. This is the beauty of quilting. You meet friends and your friendship grows if you nurture it. I have become good friends with many of you and I hope for a good summer for you and for the gift of true happiness and beautiful flowers, good vegetables and fruits, great friends, fresh air and water, something good to put on your hands to make them soft and smell good, great fabrics to work with, inspiration, something good to read (including the Bible), cold lemonade, good pasta, great bread, enough walking to keep your weight in check (my battle), and something funny that makes you laugh several times a day.

Seasons of my Garden-it's a miricle I am thankful for each day

Winter it is pretty empty in my garden

Spring brings a few little plants looking for the sun....

Early summer and things start hopping and I hope for some color back there....

The 4th of July hits and the color and happiness and whimsy of my garden begins again

I have so many different colored, beautiful roses this year...like a colorwheel in my backyard!

I thought these poppies were really quite different and wonderful.

Here is one of my little garden angels hiding. My Grandkids love looking all over and trying to find them.

Hops climb around my bottle tree-more color whimsy and fun back there

The poppies were blooming by the hundreds and sadly, i took this after most of them got caught in a huge rainstorm.

Now I am waiting for my tomatoes, chard, dill, eggplant, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and onions to come on strong....
I am on my way to Whidby Island for a week of sewing with friends.

BY THE WAY, IF YOU LIVE IN SPOKANE, I WILL BE GIVING A LECTURE THERE THE 24TH OF JULY-WANT MORE DETAILS? CHECK OUT WASHINGTON STATE QUILTERS/SPOKANE CHAPTER ON GOOGLE.

I HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU THERE.

Beautiful Lopez which has my heart

If you have read my blog in past years you know that I go to visit my good friends Laurie and Kit on Lopez Island each summer and my husband and I go a couple of times a year to visit them, play cards, walk the beach and share the beauty of everything Lopez.

The picture above is outside of Holly B's, one of the worlds BEST bakeries. There is also a nice restaurant named Earnie's that serves up excellent fish tacos and other delights and a good dress shop where I always buy some kind of top, earrings or jacket each year.

This is a lovely restaurant called 'The Love Dog cafe" and look at the wisteria!

I cannot get over all of the beautiful blue seanocia that is everywhere on the island.

Once you get off of the ferry to go on the island, you always drive by a lovely house that is kind of fairytale"ish". I snapped this photo this week to share...isn't it pretty?

Wach summer they have a Saturday market that sells all kinds of produce, jewelry, pickles and jams, pottery, beads, quilts (simple and traditional),and other things I might have forgotten.

It is kind of earthy and fun to see and great to people watch. Everyone is happy and friendly.

Below is Debby who will give you a nice bag with a smily face if you buy her products. I love her stuff and help her out when I sell some of it on my website and on the road.

I like mailboxes that have a little pizzaz and took a photo of this one for fun.

Aren't the flowers below cool? I love them...like rockets on a stem!

Below is a few flowers from Laurie's flower pots. I loved the colors!

A GOOD joke to make you laugh today

Morris and his wife Esther went to the state fair every year,
and every year Morris would say, 'Esther,I'd like to ride in that helicopter.
'Esther always replied, 'I know Morris,
but that helicopter ride is fifty dollars, and fifty dollars is fifty dollars .
'One year Esther and Morris went to the fair, and Morris said, 'Esther, I'm 85 years old.
If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another chance.
'To this, Esther replied, 'Morris that helicopter ride is fifty dollars, and fifty dollars is fifty dollars.
'The pilot overheard the couple and said, 'Folks I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride.
If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and not say a word, I won't charge you! But if you say one word, it's fifty dollars.

'Morris and Esther agreed and up they went. The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard.
He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word.
When they landed, the pilot turned to Morris and said,
'By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't. I'm impressed!
'Morris replied, 'Well, to tell you the truth, I almost said something when Esther fell out,
but you know, fifty dollars is fifty dollars!'

Empty Spools Quilts and Students

Above and below is Susan Typpi's wonderful story quilt about the prom dress her Mother made her

Above is the border for the Prom dress quilt.

Stasi Wilson works on the Flower Power quilt for her Mother (each class member provided a block for the quilt.)

Marie from Minnesota works on a winter quilt (note the "cool" colors)

Jan above is working on a ski quilt behind her while the one on the left is from Donna about her Grandchildren and Grandmother (an angel)

Above are border blocks from the famous Melinda Bula

Sandy (above) decided to adopt the sweetest little stray kitty and she got a litter of new kittens to go along with it. :0)

Sandy's cat highly approves of her quilt borders....
If you would like to take a class at Asilomar now is the time to sign up. Come join the fun!Emptyspoolsseminars.com

Something good to memorize

"FILL MY MOUTH WITH WORTHWHILE STUFF AND SHUT IT WHEN I'VE SAID ENOUGH."

PLANTING A BOTTLE TREE PUTS COLOR IN YOUR WORLD AND PROTECTS YOU FROM EVIL SPIRITS TOO

I have had a lovely bottle tree in my yard for four years and in my last house I had several bottle trees out in my garden to trap the evil spirits (an African legend) and provide beautiful color to my yard. Now I am on a mission to find small blue bottles to get more color and fun out there. Remember all of those cute little blue bottles people sell at thrift stores? And where are the red and purple bottles? I can't seem to get enough beautiful color in my life.

Happy Autumn. :0)

Large or small old trees make great bottle trees.

Great perspctive here...though I would not want to live with the man that did this to his yard.

For a great bottle tree in California, scroll down.