Have you ever taken a multi-day quilt class? I took my first one last week, and it was spectacular!
I went to the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area and spent five blissful days with nine other quilters,
Tina was our cook all week long. Everything she made was scrumptious!
a fabulous cook named Tina (above)…
Mary Lou Weidman
…and Mary Lou Weidman. It was pure heaven.
There was nothing to do but sew, learn, eat, relax and talk quilting with like-minded women. I sewed for about 8 hours each day. I could have sewn longer but I was two time zones from home and I got tired early in the evening.
I started this "Flower Power" quilt during the class with Mary Lou Weidman.
You just can’t imagine how much fun it is to work on an exciting original project (above)…
…stop just long enough to eat…
Sisters Laura from Texas and Charlotte from Florida were enthused about their matching bunny ears.
…and continually enjoy everyone’s enthusiasm!
Mary Lou Weidman makes some of the most interesting quilts you’ll ever see. She helps quilters move “out of the box” to create their own fun, funky, artistic, original quilts which tell stories. You may be familiar with some of her books.
The most recent is Out of the Box with Easy Blocks: Fun with Free-Form Piecing. I absolutely love it.
Other books by Mary Lou you might enjoy are Out of the Box: Unleash Your Creativity Through Quilts, published by Martingale,
and the self-published Flower Power
and Hoochy Mama Quilts. Each one tells something about Mary Lou’s story quilts and the techniques she uses. I have read them over and over. Now that I’ve met Mary Lou, I’ll read them again in a new light.
A small story quilt Mary Lou made and shared with us
I love the idea of story quilts because everyone has stories! My family is known (for better or worse) for telling stories, dramatically! What good’s a story without a little drama?!
Oh yes, I know you have photos like this too. They're perfect fodder for story quilts!
I had a great time brainstorming ideas for future story quilts. My list is long! I want to do a quilt about my Valentine’s Day birthday, one about my grandson Duncan who is nicknamed “The Donut,” and a quilt about being the area “pork queen” when I was a teenager. (Believe me, I know how strange this sounds now.)
If you think through the fun, weird and happy things that have happened to you, I know you’d have a list of potential story quilts, too.
Grandma Was a Cowgirl by Mary Lou Weidman
Mary Lou shared many of her quilts with us. Her quilts say things like “Grandma was a cowgirl”…
This is the House That Jack Built by Mary Lou Weidman
…and “This is the house that Jack built.”
I Love Moo by Mari Linfesty
In our group last week, the themes ranged from “I Love Moo” by Mari from California…
This story quilt is by Judy, who volunteers at Monterey Bay Aquarium.
…to a quilt celebrating the Monterey Bay Aquarium by Judy, also from California. Besides California, those attending were from Florida, Texas, Idaho, Washington and Nebraska (that’s me).
A few more blog posts related to this adventure are percolating. I hope you’ll stay tuned because there is much more! At any rate, I would highly recommend this experience. Perfect bliss!
I too recommended extended quilting workshops/retreats. Great fun. And yours with MaryLou at this retreat center just sounds like a blast. I look forward to hearing more insights from you on this event.
SewCalGal
http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
This looks so fun!
Oh what fun! I’d love to take a workshop or retreat with Mary Lou! Think we can talk her into coming to Colorado?
Your pictures and comments only show a small part of the good time that we had. It was great meeting you and everyone else that was there. Learning can be fun!
A-ha! You’ve found there is life outside of Nebraska! And we are a crazy bunch up here in WA state. About 15 yrs ago, I made a vest out of Mary Lou’s first fabric line — the one with the wacky quilters. I still have it. Glad you enjoyed your visit to the Inland Northwest. Come back anytime.
Diane, I love, love, love your flower power quilt u started at the workshop. Keep up the beautiful fun.
That looks like so much fun! And the story quilts are bright, exciting, and funny, too. Pork Queen 1978? Really? It must have been exciting at the time. I want to see what quilt grows out of that photo. Have a super day!
Hi Diane,
What a lovely post about our time together. I had a lovely time sitting beside you and watch you develop a hoochy attitude!
Your daisy quilt is coming along nicely and I love what you are planning for your hoochy blocks.
I look forward to seeing you next year at the same time!
Sandi in New Westminster B.C.
Hi Diane-
I’m so glad you got to spend a week with Mary Lou. I love your quilt and your colors are great.
I am so glad you enjoyed your class with Mary Lou. I have taken three classes from her in the past two years and only wish i lived closer. West Virginia was wonderful and i took a class there two years in a row. Mary Lou has a wonderful imagination.