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It's the time of year in Maine to find alternative uses for ski boots! |
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
Click Here to Order
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Croc Watch! Volume 2Springtime in Maine is glorious. After six months (half a year!) of greyness and, in the case this year, piles of snow you thought would never melt, you blink and the world is green again. We have lilacs at full bloom, and full scent, azaleas and violets scattering the landscape. And warmth. The sun has returned and our days start to lighten at 4am and don't reach full dark until after 9pm. Glorious.
I feel that sun's energy as much as all the other growing things, which is good since I have much to do! I did one of those finger counts and realized how quickly my croc-time is going to pass. In a short four months Stevie the Saltwater Crocodile will need to be done. Yikes!
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Here's lookin' at you, kid.
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The last couple months have been quite full with teaching, but I've managed to squeeze some Stevie-time into my days at home. She has been re-drawn, re-worked, and blocked into her full size of 20 feet. Having never worked on a piece so large, I find it interesting how her perspective changes depending on where in my studio you stand.
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I've been asked what color Stevie is. Quite a few, actually, but I still want her to appear "earthy".
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I can see that there's still a few tweaks to take care of with her overall silhouette, but she's turning into the impressive girl I had envisioned. At the moment she's footless since legs and feet were part of the re-draw. Need to make sure I get them right! They'll be next on the list.
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A changing perspective depending on if she's coming or going.
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So It's a good thing my travel schedule lightens up a bit the next few months. I've got my work literally "cut out" for me at home. Send me any extra energy you may have, and wish me luck! Click here for more pictures of Stevie in progress.
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2015 Harpswell Quilting Retreat Dates...
All remaining retreats are now full, waiting lists only... Second October retreat shelved for this year.
 This year's May retreat has come and gone and the June retreat will be the same before you know it! That upcoming 4-day Harpswell, Maine quilting retreat as well as the mid-October retreat are now both full with 12 students! Thank you! I look forward to all the creative energy that will occur at the historic Harpswell Inn at Lookout Point.
As you may remember, I've been hoping to add a new five-day retreat in early October of this year. I appreciate the interest I've received for that, however, for the sake of my health and sanity, I've decided to put it on hold until next year. I was excited about this new venue, but had a lightbulb moment about timing. I realized that my crocodile quilt (see above article) due date and and the new retreat prep time coincided. The croc won.
Sometime by late summer or early fall I'll be scheduling 2016 dates. I'll definitely repeat the 2-day retreat on the days before Mother's Day, and the 4-day retreat over Columbus Day in October. I don't know yet when the summer retreat will happen, and there's that new 5-day retreat to get up and running too. If you'd like to reserve a spot now, drop me a note and I'll pencil you in. Actual sign-up forms will be available in September.
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?
April/May Teaching Review
I may live in a more rural part of the country, but I'm lucky to have a few excellent fabric stores within a couple hours drive from my home. Every so often, I can take advantage of that proxcimity and set up an on-going class over the course of a few weeks. Such was the case from April into May at Quiltessencials in Auburn, Maine.
Then by mid-May both my Harpswell retreat and a trip to Texas came and went. Another 30 lovely ladies to meet and spend time with, another 30 quilts to show off and brag about! Click on link below to see full class photos.
Click here for more class and travel photos from April and May. |
| At Quiltessencials I taught my Celestial Portraits class. Here Kitsie Claxton combined both sun and moon in a soulful interpretation.
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| At the Harpswell Inn, my 2015 Harpswell Retreats opened with a 2-day retreat just prior to Mother's Day.
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| Hard at work and cracking the whips. There's a lot of info to fill those two days!
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| Returning student Marilyn Davidson with her portrait of a Hmong woman and child.
I'd like to brag that she did this in the retreat, but really she brought it to just add the finishing touches. This is her second quilt in what's turning into a series of portraits based on photographs taken by her husband.
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| Then off to Texas where wonderfully colorful armadillos live. My kind of state! This specimen was created by Pat Corcoran.
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| The class was filled with animal lovers and their quilt subjects. Here Isabelle Isabelle Toliver captures her cute pups.
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| And then there's Chickin' Dumplin'. A vibrant memorial to a real-life chicken industry refugee. She's all dressed up and ready to go out on the town. Thanks for the story Patricia Wood. RIP Dumplin'.
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Teaching Schedule Preview:
Staying home to teach is always a treat. It's fun to host people in this part of the country this time of year. June means my annual Summer Quilt Retreat here in Harpswell (see details above). I look forward to meeting (and seeing again) the twelve students signed up for that class. No traveling until July, when I return to Kalispell, Montana, for a visit to The Quilt Gallery. Another beautiful part of the country and a great time of year to visit. This will be the third year I've been invited to teach there. Maybe the pass through Glacier National Park will be open this time. Two years ago I brought home a soft and fluffy souvenir: our little dog Kali (named for Kalispell). She was an unexpected find, and proved impossible to resist.
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