| Photo of the Month | 
While teaching in MD, a Valentine's bouquet arrived from my sweetie in ME! The hotel ice bucket made a fine vase. |
susancarlson.com
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Serendipity Quilts
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by Susan Carlson
Signed by the Author
8.5 x 11 inches, 96 pages
$27.95 plus S&H
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March 2015
(February's newsletter was cancelled due to too much time spent on snow removal! Definitely ready for Spring!)
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Introducing: Croc Watch!Quilt shows are such a great way of getting work seen by a huge number of people. Unfortunately, I often loose track of entry deadlines. So the last couple years I've made it a goal to get at least one quilt into one show a year. Baby steps on those applications. Well, so far this year, I've received notice of 6 quilts into 4 shows! Thank you to show organizers and judges! My wonderful husband (aka web-guy) has now added a sidebar to this newsletter with exhibit info for those of you potential attendees.
This is all great news, but the scary, and thrilling, news is that a work-in-progress has also been accepted into an October show in WI. Talk about faith in my work! The piece will be a full-sized (20') fabric-collaged rendition of a salt-water crocodile. See me and my 20' blank flannel canvas above. What was I thinking!?
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| | Stevie the crocodile hanging out on my pinning wall! |
I've already nicknamed her Stevie, in honor of the late Steve Irwin, "Crocodile Hunter" and conservationist extraordinaire of Australia. Since my now 17 year-old loved, loved, loved watching Steve's shows and movie again, again, and again when he was 4 years old, my husband and I got to learn a lot about crocodiles ourselves. And then there was the nature encyclopedias... and reptile books... did you know that the saltwater crocodile is the earth's largest living reptile? Well, it is!!
So, the idea for a quilted version got in my head and I've been collecting (and receiving) fabrics for it for years. I dove into her construction at the beginning of last year (see Feb./March 2014 newsletter in archives link, left-hand bar). Travel and general busy-ness distracted me from returning to Stevie, but now the newly looming deadline has re-ignited her progress.
With the blessings of The Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Art in Cedarburg, WI, I'll be keeping you up-to-date on Stevie's progress via this newsletter and a page on my website entitled "Croc Watch!". To see her beginnings, click here. To see her final results in person, plan on attending the WI show, titled "From Insects to Elephants", Oct. 21, 2015 through Jan. 10, 2016!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work. I've got a large scaly-skinned friend waiting for me in my studio....
Take care, and for my fellow northern neighbors, keep your heads above the snow!
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Social Media Survey Results
 
Thanks to all who took my survey on use of social media.
Here's what we learned:
1. Almost everyone who responded would be interested in seeing student work. So I will be showing off the work of those who give me permission. I'll do that through this newsletter, Facebook, and my website.
2. Facebook is clearly the most used social media site. It's popularity is closely followed by Pinterest. Eventually, I'll need to get into that too, but for now Facebook and Instagram are enough to fill my social media allotted time!
3. Of those who commented, those who use Facebook and those who hate Facebook and would never use it are about equally split.
What I've decided: I'll be posting student work, and occasionally my own, to Facebook so that FB users can share, enjoy, comment, and add photos of their own.
For those of you who don't use FB, I will continue to produce this email newsletter, in which I'll include photos of student work. Take this issue for example. Scroll down to "Where in the World is Susan Carlson" for a few photos plus a link to more choice pics from my trip to Maryland.
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2015 Harpswell Quilting Retreat Dates...
... June retreat is full! Plus new October dates and venue to be added!
 Sign-ups have been steady for this year's Harpswell, Maine quilting retreats and the June retreat is now full with 12 students! Thank you! Space is still available in the May two-day and Oct. four-day retreats at the historic Harpswell Inn at aptly named Lookout Point.
I'm still working on adding a five-day (been having requests for that) retreat but on the "other side of town" at another gorgeous location (tba) in Harpswell. The dates will be from October 4-8, 2015. I picked those dates 'cause 1) it's a beautiful time of year and 2) you could actually have almost two weeks of instruction if you combine with the Leaf Peepers retreat (see below)! Just trying to give students all that they ask for! I don't have all the particulars yet, like schedule or price, but if you email me your interest you'll be first to know when I get all that figured out. Hopefully within the next month. Otherwise, you'll hear about it in a future newsletter for sure!
At all my Harpswell retreats the participants enjoy a smaller class size (maximum 12) giving more one-on-one instruction, have class in view of and easy walking distance to the beautiful Maine coastline, good and healthy meals provided, chair massage(!), and great camaraderie with their fellow students.
Find further information about these 2015 retreats by following these links:
Thurs. and Fri., May 7-8, 2015 Tues. through Fri., June 9-12, 2015 Sun. through Wed., October 11-14, 2015 |
Where in the World is Susan Carlson?
February Teaching Review
In February, I visited a familiar part of the world, suburban Maryland, just north of Washington, DC and south of Baltimore. I grew up there and had lots of fun visiting some old friends between two lectures and two days of teaching. Thanks to the ladies at Faithful Circle Quilters of Columbia, MD and Four County Quilt Guild of Mt Airy, MD for inviting me back home!
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| At the Four County lecture, I was surprised by a family friend, Bonnie Dank, who showed up wearing a top my mom made approximately 35 years ago!
It was a FBT (Flash Back Tuesday)!
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| Maria O'Haver, my contact for Faithful Circle Quilters, collaged a spectacular fish in the 2-day class!
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| In that same class, Kenzie Preston created this wonderfully prickly and unique scarab beetle.
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Teaching Schedule Preview:
This coming Saturday, March 14th, I start the first day of a 3-day, once-a-month on-going Celestial Portraits class at Quiltessentials in Auburn, ME. Then I leave the cold far behind as I jet out to California and the Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar conference grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. I'll be teaching two classes for two weeks straight! Lots of work but lots of fun. It's been an annual trek for a few years now and I appreciate the repeat invitations - especially this time of year! And who can resist morning walks along a crashing Pacific surf? See Upcoming Classes bar at left for more info! Special Announcement for "local" classes:There are three upcoming classes at two Maine/NH locations for March through June! A 3-day Fabric Images class and 1-day Spiral class at Portsmouth Fabric Company in Portsmouth, NH, and a 3-month on-going Celestial Portraits class at Quiltessentials in Auburn, ME. See Upcoming Classes bar at left for more info!   
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