Photo of the Month

Djinni, my new studio assistant, holds down the fabric stacked on my ironing board. She's quite the helper.
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Toronto, Ontario

 April 14-16

Mackinac Island, MI

May 2-6

Harpswell, ME

May 9-10

London, Ontario 

June 2-6

Kalispell, MT
 June 18-22
Kalispell, MT
June 25-29  

 

Harpswell, ME

July 22-25

Harpswell, ME

October 12-15

Houston, TX

October 16-18 

 Columbus, OH

November 18-21

2015

Pacific Grove, CA

March 22-April 1

 

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Tickled Pink Bag Serendipity Quilts

by Susan Carlson 

Signed by the Author 

8.5 x 11 inches, 96 pages 

$27.95 plus S&H

 

Click Here to Order

 


 The Given Land is a novel written by my husband, which was inspired by our family's trip to New Zealand. When predators invade their island home, the bird heroes of the Given Land are forced to fight for their existence. Geared to young adult readers (aka our son, Sam), it will appeal to adults as well.
For more information, visit the website:
tomallenbooks.com
News for February/March 2014
Where do you start?
 
"You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something--anything--down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft--you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft--you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it's loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy."
 
--Anne Lamott from "Bird by Bird"


How do you eat a 20 foot crocodile? Bite by bite.
 
This is the lesson I learned from the writer Anne Lamott, whose book "Bird by Bird," I use as inspiration for the students in my classes. And this is the lesson I try to remember as I start on the largest piece of my life: a life-size saltwater crocodile. It's been in my head for years now and I have an obscene amount of fabric collected for it, her. "Stevie" to be exact, in honor of the late Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter and conservationist of Australia. We must have seen his shows and movie dozens of times when our son Sam was young. This piece is so big my fourteen-foot pinning wall wasn't big enough. I had to have my husband add on a temporary extension.
 
Unexpectedly, I found it hard to get started on this project. Where do you start?! So I just got something, anything, down--like I tell my students. And, as Ms. Lamott has titled the above chapter I quoted from, it was a "shitty first draft". This was last November.
 
Instead of getting too critical with myself, I regrouped and decided to work on a couple smaller projects instead--as warm-ups. Often I'm asked if I work on more than one project at a time. Usually not, but these last few months have been an exception.
 

By Christmas I had the first draft of a cousins portrait ready to present to my parents. 


By early January I had the first draft of a Full Wolf Moon to start a new series. More on both of those in coming months.

And then, before I left for two weeks of teaching in CA mid-February, I started anew on crocodile first draft #2. I'm keeping her progress to myself for now, though, suffice to say, she's gradually emerging from that 20 foot piece of white flannel. The warm-up worked.

So remember, bite by bite, bird by bird, or step by step: we make progress a little at a time. It all adds up to something rewarding in the end. We just have to keep at it.

Take it easy--Susan
Mindful Cooking
$15 plus shipping.
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As some of you know, I am now a cancer survivor. During my treatment I decided that I would change my eating habits. I would cut down (or cut out) fats and sugars. At one point I ate strictly macrobiotic. A valid way of eating, but I've eased into a general vegan (especially no dairy), with an occasional cheat.

To help me to learn how to cook and eat healthy, and to understand health better, I took a two week class at a local hospital called "Lifestyle Choices." I took away many great ideas from that class, but also something very tangible, this cookbook written by a participating NP. 

At my own hometown retreats starting last Spring, the innkeeper and I choose recipes from the program and this cookbook to serve my students. The healthful and yummy food was a hit. I offer copies of the cookbook at cost to my retreat students, and decided to offer it through this newsletter as well. Click on above link if you are interested.

Here with permission of the author is a sample recipe--a favorite of mine this cold and snowy Maine winter:
 
Fresh Corn Chowder
1 Tbs Canola Oil or water
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup sweet red bell pepper, minced (optional)
4 cups fresh corn or frozen may be substituted
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp basil
1 cup water
1 vegetable bullion cube
1 cup nut milk (soak a handful of cashews in 1 cup of water for an hour, then blend together)
 
In a medium-sized pot, begin cooking the onions in the oil or water over medium-low heat, stirring. After 3-5 minutes, add celery and keep cooking. Five minutes later, add pepper and corn. Add seasoning, stir well and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add vegetable bullion cube and water; simmer for 10 minutes. Using a blender, puree about half the solids in some of the soup's liquid. About 10 minutes before serving, add the milk. Serve when heated through.
Newsletter Archives Now Available
Miss a previous issue of News from Susan Carlson? Are you a new subscriber? Now you can catch up on all you've missed. Visit my newsletter archives by following the link below.

Dates for 2104 Harpswell Retreats
 
May 9-10, 2014

 

July 22-25, 2014

 

October 12-15, 2014

 

Students hard at work during the October 2013 Leaf Peeper's Quilt Retreat.

2014 will be my fourth year offering retreats at the historic Harpswell Inn, a classic B&B, in my hometown of Harpswell, ME. I've settled into either 2 or 4 day offerings. The shorter retreat is on the Friday and Saturday prior to Mother's Day in May. It's great as an introduction to my approach to fabric collage, since subject matter is kept simple and fun with fish, butterflies, or bugs. However, it's also been popular to returning students who want to get a nice jump-start on their next project.

 
Welcome to the Inn.
The four-day retreat is, of course, lovely in that there's time to get thouroughly involved in a larger project of the individual's choosing. It also provides time for the class to bond in great ways, starting with an opening night sea-side lobster dinner the evening before class begins.
   
What both offerings have in common is that I only take 12 students per retreat to give everyone plenty of guidance and workspace. The workroom (in the same building as most lodging) is open 'round the clock for both early birds and night owls to get in as much work time as desired. The innkeeper will even put on a fresh pot of coffee, though wine is often the beverage of choice!
From the 2013 Mother's Day Quilt Retreat. A fresh fish by Jean Savalchak from our fine state of Maine.

Our creative days are broken up by tea and coffee breaks, and relaxing chair or hand massage given by massage therapist extraordinaire, my sister Heidi. This is not nepotism, she is truly an artist with a healing touch. Walking down to the shore from the Inn is a quick and relaxing break during the day as well.
From the 2013 Summer Solstice Quilt Retreat. A portrait of her grandson by Rit Verhoeven. (All the way from Belgium!)

One of the evenings we walk or drive the 1/2 mile to my (new!) studio to see how I have it set-up and for a showing of slides and quilts. Here's a nice article about Harpswell, that highlights our own Lookout Point Road, where both our home and the Inn are located. My former yurt studio is mentioned, now replaced with a red-roofed barn-like studio.
From the 2013 October Leaf Peeper's Retreat. A colorful bird by Linda Baar of Colorado.

Finally, to cap it all off, we include healthy and yummy foods for lunches and dinners (breakfast is included with lodging at the Inn). Part of my own cancer recovery plan has been to make careful choices in what I eat. Starting with last year's retreats, I've chosen menus that I can indulge in and enjoy along with everyone else.  Dick, the innkeeper (also former restaurant owner and chef), then puts them together in delicious ways. The food has received rave reviews and many recipes are requested and sent home along with quilts and great memories.