AS I WAS SAYING BEFORE I HAD TO GO OUT OF TOWN....

So earlier last week I was trying to introduce each girl from my John C.Campbell class and then I got up early, had a cup of coffee, looked out the window, chatted with my husband, came down to my office to look at my emails and realized I had a 5:20 plane trip I had missed to Michigan to start teaching the next day. You have never seen anyone move so fast in your life...I actually got packed, showered, dressed, made up and out to the airport in 90 minutes to make a flight....pant, pant,pant. Now that I have taught three classes in Michigan, I am home and can finish this post before I start a new story.
Julie who is from Memphis is one of the blog online quilters who are extrodinarily creative, fun and have great taste in color. I was thrilled that she became part of the class. She goes by Quiltdivajulie@blogspot.com-be sure to check out her blog for inspiration and fun. I go there all of the time for a shot in the heart...I hope this is why you come here...we all need more fun, color, inspiration, kindness and oommph in our lives. Right? The class was alot of fun for me and John C. Campbell provides alot of happiness and time and a place to reflect on what is right with the world. Remember that song that said "where seldom is heard a discouraging word"? Well, that is how I feel at the school. If people didn't like me or what I taught, they said so behind my back and on my evaluations.... Think about coming next February for more piecing fun and a little applique to add pazazz to your quilts.----

This was Julie's original layout before she threw caution to the wind, got more creative and had loads of hoochy plaids fun and added letters....note she did four tiaras all different and all whimsically original

Above, Julie looks at the Hoochy Mama plaid directions and says "right sides together!"

Above, "Princess Julie" stitches and shows off her wonderful smile-she is great fun Above, Julie shows off a piece of her wonderful stash-she has awesome taste!

Kathy Collins has been my friend for many years. She has taken at least five long week workshops from me and I have stayed at her home in Georgia with she and her husband Greg. She is an attorney and a person with a kind heart and fun. I asked her to come and be my helper at the folk school. She did many demo ideas and in doing so, came up with some pretty cool block ideas. She put stilts on many of her houses and I think the barn was my favorite. It is always fun being with people who like people, can laugh and can have creativity prompt them into great energy. This is what Kathy provided for me and the class.This is Kathy Collin's darling crooked house and wonderful tree....isn't this cool?

There is something so beautiful as the swoop of the clothesline and I am surprised there are not more quilts and art with clotheslines...I loved the look of this with the rock (hand done) in the background and rags on the line though I imagined pretty dresses and shirts here....

These two gentlemen showed off their kilts-the one on the right played the bag pipes beautifully

These were treats set out by the cooking class (Scottish favorites)

This fun guy was from the clay class for Scottish week when I was there....pretty creative!

More photos of John C. Campbell and two people left to meet-stay tuned

Here I pose with a Moose on the main street in Murphy-fun for me on a lovely day

Above is one of my plaid samplers that I was working on....it is called Plaid Ave. I have NO idea why it did not load right....sorry

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Pat from Maryland created smiles for anyone who loves birds and plaids and sunflowers...

This is Pat who has taken another class from me at the folk school-she is always nice and has the best laugh of anyone I have ever been around-she makes me giggle just listening to her delicious laugh...

Maureen in front, Gretcheon and Mary...Loved that Maureen wore her tiara all week

Camera shy but showing off this great piece of fabric that we all LOVED-isn't this wonderful?Shy of cameras but isn't this flower block adorable???

This is Gretcheon's blocks as she builds her story for her Grandson age 5

Gretcheon from Florida cuts and comtemplates-see her great quilt blocks next to her?

Dessert is always homemade and wonderful at John C.Campbell

Just some of the students in the plaid class at John C.Campbell Folk School-stay tuned for more later on.....

These blocks and the quilt above are Joanna's. She phoned and emailed before the class to say she had sewn little and hadn't taken a beginning quilt class. I discouraged her from coming (big mistake on my part) and she ignored me and came anyway much to my delight. She showed me that she was positive, willing to learn, delightful to the class, and luckily had faith in herself-something I try to encourage others to do. She came a long way and I loved her blocks and also her as a neat person who added alot to the class. She was a giver and not a taker-lovely!

Darling bird isn't it?

Every artist needs a tiara though some people are afraid to wear them for fear of what others may think.....who cares? Barb's quilt in process.......

Years ago I created a really fun line of fabric for Benartex called "Crazy Cats and Mary Lou Too"-Mary a student in class brought the entire line and used it in all of her buildings...this was wonderful for me to see as I hand painted all of these things and to see them all used in one quilt by someone who did a great job was lovely. It ended up being a fun town because Mary placed the buildings offset and you could imagine streets and hills and valleys and water...

Below is Mary who is a quilt judge in Florida and she is holding up her house-I loved each one and the end result was wonderful-I thought the lighthouse was especially creative and funThis is a photo of Gretchen and Barb-I goofed and didn't get Barb's eyes open but she is cute anyway

The quilt below is Barbara who is from Florida-she had a nice sense of inventing and it paid off-fun to watch this develop and watch her smile-she is a lovely and fun person

Isn't this polka dot flower of Barb's darling? A few polka dots with the plaids adds alot of fun!Key Lime pie, I would take this over chocolate anyday...give me lime, lemon and orange anything.... this was delicious

John C. Campbell creates a place for five days of creativity, beauty and joy

This is one creative group here and one of our members if cut off on the right...poor Pat.

We began sewing one block at a time and building a quilt. One never knows in my classes what their quilt will look like when it is completed and this is the charm of learning as you go. Most traditional quilters who have quilted for a long time, taken alot of classes and always done things the same way are uncomfortable but OH! the end products are wonderful.

Stay tuned in this week for more wonderful photos and ideas from creative girls in class.

A lighthouse, a turtle, some flowers, a wonky house- bit by bit people piece and create stories....

I will show all my students in the next week but I wanted to start with the local girls who live close to the folk school. They are great. I think I may have pulled Maureen out of her box and I am hoping she doesn't go back to the quilts she used to do though I never saw them. :0) She was very very nice and a good friend of Pat's below.

I had a lovely photo of Maureen here and blogspot won't let me put it on so, tomorrow
This is Maureen and Mary Lou-I am not looking at the camera because I always close my eyes...it is hard to get a flash photo of me with my eyes open....This is Pat who is in charge of the quilt teachers at John C. Campbell. She knows all about quilting and she is good at what she does-great in fact! See the beginnings of her quilt and her quilt for her Grandson of trucks etc, is going to be awesome.This is a dump truck that Pat made for her Grandson's quilt...isn't it great? All in all it was a lovely week for me and reminders of what is lovely and wonderful with life and it gave me nice things to write down that I am thankful for.

A PLAID HOLIDAY FOR FUN FOLK ARTISTS AT JOHN C.CAMPBELL DURING SCOTTISH WEEK-

So tomorrow is Saturday and on Sunday the Scottish week begins at John C.Campbell folk school. It is a wonderful place! Lots of acres of beauty and about ten or more classes of all kind going at once. What could be more fun than that? Good food-like Grandma made and the most lovely vegetarian fare of any place I have ever visited. Plus people come from all over the world to take classes and keep the Appalachian crafts alive and going. Luckily I do quilting and story telling so I am "in." The beauty and the love and the humor of life are all so alive at this wonderful school. If you do not get their catalogue, you should. I make little money there (I break even really) but it is so worth doing it for the experience. I hope you come someday. Think about taking a class from me and enjoying getting out of the box! By the way, this week's class is called "Plaid to Meet You"

Libby Montana Provides a Chance to Create Something New-Mary Lou Dog Booties!

Tha main story here is that I went to visit my Aunt in Libby Montana. She has a love of golden retrievers like no other person. Her friends brought over a little boy dog and a little girl dog. I want to surprise my husband when I got back to Spokane but since he is allergic to animals, I decided against it. I adore Kitties and puppies!
My Aunt's friend has a darling golden retriever who comes to visit and Meg, the dog has sharp nails on her paws so she uses paw socks. Well, my Aunt asked me to find some fabric in Spokane to make new socks for the dog. My Aunt said "why don't you find some "Mary Lou" fabric and bring it over. Well, no one loves polka dots more than I do, so I bought some fabric with dots and used the old paw socks for a pattern and Joila! Instant (well sort of) socks. I had never used velcro. The sticky tape stuff got on the needle and that was kind of tough but it was fun! I hope Meg likes them!
Below is my Aunts best friend, cook and nurse Lillian. The family loves Lillian because she makes us all special meals when we come and visit. She spoils everyone who knows her and we love her for it.
I would like to say one more thing for you to think about. My Mother who passed away about a year ago would invite me over when she was sick and I would lay on her bed and we would talk about life and what was important and memories she had forgotten. Those are the best times of my life with her-it was so wonderful. This week I laid on my Aunts (temperpedic and wonderful) bed and we talked about what mattered to God, what makes life wonderful, old memories and things that made us laugh. It was such a nice experience. if you are close to someone it sure is nice to sit and share like that and it is something you will always remember. I hope you get to experience this with a friend or a relative.
Loving someone whether you are related or not, is such a nice way to spend time and it is what life is really about.
Lillian is below loving the little puppy and wondering if she should bring one home to her 7 year old Meg (the golden retriever). Time will tell on whether she does or not....