Cow Parade, Road to California and Creative Ideas for YOU

I had to show you what someone can do with the Flower Power book and a little imagination! Isn't this wonderful? This lady was a lovely and fun student and she really was creative!

Wanted to show off my photo of me and my friends- me, De Tina and Mel -we had so much fun together- quilting friends are the best aren't they?

So at the Road to California show we had so much fun and here are the cow quilts from the show "cow parade" that Mel and I curated. The good news is there are other shows we will be doing and the new cow quilts keep coming! Wanna make a cow quilt? Buy the easy pattern and choose a theme- the pattern is in the book "Out of the Box with Easy Blocks"-buy it from me and get a fat quarter, a free chicken pattern and a pin. Marylouweidman.com







Want more photos from the show to be inspired by?
Go to my other blog which is "google "Mary Lou and whimsy too" GREAT stuff to inspire!

Images to Make You Think And Inspire Your Inner Artist

The beautiful quilt above was made by Sue Cresse. My friend who I met while she took many classes at Asilomar and other places. She inspires me. This quilt won first place and it is covered with crystals and lovely details. Sue and her friend De got into a car crash in Sept, that nearly killed both of them. De broke her neck and Sue broke most of her ribs, her arm in many places, crushed her hand, punctered her lung etc. She is still healing. The loevly thing is she is planning new quilts and what she wants to make next! That has to be healing. Many of us have prayed for her and that her inner artist gets some rest and comes out raring to go!

This girl was photographed when I taught in Galveston last year...I think she would make a lovely quilt! BUT, she needs a bit more color.....

I have two new favorite subjects....farms and farm people and trees. I thought this photo was cool and the following one is a great beginning to your own Tree of Life




The photo to the left came from my files. I am cleaning them out bit by bit and I thought these were very cute and might inspire you to make something very fun! Don't copy it, do your own version.Stay tuned for quilt photos from Road to Calfornia. Please check out my other blog as well. Google "Mary Lou and Whimsy Too"

OHHH the Weather Outside Is Frightful, and Not at All Delightful,I've got Somewhere to GO, Stop the Snow Stop the Snow, Stop the Snow!

So here I am in Washington State which is basically shut down. I called two business's in Seattle and also called the Washington Tax Commision and they said they are closed because of the snow....wow.
It has been coming down all day long and we are supposed to get between 2 or 3 feet this week. I am flying to LA tomorrow to attend Road to California and I need to get there for photos of quilts to show here! I am sure thwy will be impressed when I tell them this at the airport.


I am always looking and thinking and inventing in my head and my artist is out here so often, she almost never goes back in as I have TOO many good ideas. I have posted some fun photos here and want you to enjoy the artist "Mattie Lou O'Kelly" who did fabulous folk art and not that many people know of her. Since I am trying to get more and more people to do story quilts I like to show her work and give examples of how she tells so much in one painting. This could easily be done with fabric and embroidery which is my new passion....that and free form cutting!
I am teaching alot of longer workshops this year and I hope that you are one of the quilt artists I get to meet. This is such fun and there is so much to say about one's life. Hope these photos inspire you.






I added these two heart blocks to show you something I love to do. The one block has two hearts in it for my husband Mark and I . The other block has three hearts sewn in for my three wonderful children. You could make these kinds of heart blocks to show who and how many you love too! Simple ideas lead to great quilts!

The Costco Diet Plan-Thank you Wendy-I howled at this.....

MY LAST TRIP TO COSTCO

Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Jake, the Wonder Dog and was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

What did she think I had an elephant? So because I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a Perfect Diet and that the way that it works is, to load your pants pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care, because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff a poodle's ass and a car hit me.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.

Costco won't let me shop there anymore. Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the World to think of crazy things to say. Forward this (especially) to all your retired friends...it will be their laugh for the day!

Here is another use for those heart Shaped Cookie cutters.....

Thank you Carol, this was funny.

A Winter BLAH Day NEEDS Color and Happy Inspiration and HERE IT IS!

I don't know what it is about New Mexico that thrills me so much but it does. I think it is the color and the mix of people-I have said this before, I have never seen such beautiful bone structure on people as I do there. And the color and the subject to create from is wonderful. I am ready to start a couple of large New Mexico quilts again. I am full of ideas and hope that these photos I have given you here of some tree of life sculptures jmight help lift your blahs into "aha!s" and "ahhh's." Color is so much fun to play with just watch me!




You know I would not want to ruin my sewing machine under any circumstances but when I saw the sewing machine here covered with buttons I had to stop myself for a minute and say "NO do not get that glue gun!" Isn't it wonderfully fun?


So, if you have the winter blah's, I hope I gave you a little something to laugh at and to ponder for new projects!

A Little Time and Timeless treasures Fabric Leads to a Sweet Memory Quilt

This bird above is my new signature in my quilts...I have been putting him in everything-he makes me happy-he is my bird of happiness
After Market I received a box of Timeless Treasures Fabrics. It was especially welcome because they had wonderful colors and even more important the hand or feel of the fabric (cotton) was NOT whimpy as it has been with other companies. I felt the fabric and it had a nice solid feel to sew with. I started four projects immediately and am finishing up all of them this week. The quilt pictured here will look far different soon once it is quilted and bound and embellished...I cannot wait. I have already made changes to the faces of the girls here. It is such a sweet story about my daughter when she was five and her best friend and how they sat outside all day selling lemonade and how thrilled they were with "dollars!"-they looked very much alike and today they are in their 30's and still giggle when they are together just like before. A nice blessing-friendships that last.


It was fun taking some fabric from Timeless Treasures that was French for leaves and it made it far more interesting. The clouds in the sky are script and I love those clouds with the lights and darks of different fonts and play with black and white...I would LOVE a bolt of that stuff for backgrounds and faces and dresses and trees (colored with textile paint).
Don't you love the colors they provide with their tone on tones? SO much fun to work with! Wait until you see my flowers and cats!
I hope to meet you this year in one of my workshops as I travel. I have many new ideas and things to show you how to bring out your inner artist to play! YOU have some great stories to tell in quilts and I want to help and encourage you!

Feeling like creating? Check some ideas here!

You know how sometimes you have a favorite subject to make? Well, I can't get enough of cats and birds and today my Granddaughter drew me a picture of a cat (which I left at her house) and I have been working on a little quilt from fabric from Timeless Treasures and cats are in it and French fabric is the leaves on the flowers and the clouds are alphabet fabric and you know, my artist came out about a week ago and she is letting me have so much fun! I am getting the border on tomorrow and then will share it once the rick rack is sewn on. This year I am going to have so much fun teaching you new tricks and how to think "artistically."
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Speaking of, the secret to art is below by Andy Warhol who I did many papers on in school. He was NOT a good friend but he was a very good artist. Maybe alot of famous artists are that way come to think of it.

I LOVE good photography and this photo below was sent to me by my friend Pam from Camerillo. Many of you know her as she is a fabulous quilter. She quilted many of the quilts in the new book that Mel and I did together. Anyway, isn't this photo beautiful?


You know when you are in the laundry room and you have socks that don't match? How's this for a great idea?

I took this photo of a quilt at one of the quilt shows (maybe Road to California I can't remember) but isn't it wonderful? I would love a quilt with many of these in it...I don't want to do it, I just want it. :0)

The cat quilt is one that I will be teaching on the Panama Cruise-you can get the pattern in the "Out of the Box with Easy Blocks" Book. Easy, fun and people love it!

Loved the peppers in different colors and this wonderful saying-I can relate though I shouldn't say that....