Gwen Marston's
Liberated Quilting Page

Freddy and I have decided to sell many of the quilts shown in our book Collaborative Quilting, Sterling Publishing, 2006. Our second Collaborative book will come out June 2009 with yet more quilts and frankly, we are running out of room. The Collaborative quilts we are selling have had a terrific run with exhibits at the MAQS in Paducah, the LaConner Quilt Museum in Washington State, New Pieces in Berkeley, Back Porch in Pacific Grove, and in Sisters Oregon.

Here is how the sale will work:

• Our book will serve as your shopping catalog
  
• The collaborative quilts for sale exclude the cover quilt, and the 4 Lady of Guadalupe Quilts. All collaborative quilts are priced at $5000.
  
• We are selling most but not all of our individual quilts. Prices vary.

You may contact us by mail or phone:

• Freddy Moran, 85 El Gavilan, Orinda, CA 94563. 925-254-6123
  
• Gwen Marston, Box 155, Beaver Island, MI 49782. 231-448-2565
  

...Gwens Newest Book

Ideas and Inspirations
Abstract Quilts in Solids

Gwen has written a new book and this one is especially designed for grownup quilters. It's a book for the many accomplished quilters who are not looking for yet another project book with pages of detailed elementary instructions on how to make someone else's quilt. Rather, it's intended for quilters who are seeking ideas and inspiration for their own work.

This 67 page book begins with a seven page discussion about working with solids and Gwen's fresh approach to design concepts. The remaining pages are in full color showing full page photographs of 28 quilts with close-ups and captions of each on the opposite page. Gregory Case did the photography and it is first rate. He also did the photography for the Freddy Moran/Gwen Marston 2006, Collaborative Quilting book and the upcoming Marston/Moran quilt book to be released July 2009.

Ordering information:
... Book is available from Gwen at Books  or Gwen Marston Storefront 

...Gwen Marston Quilt Designs on Tile

Now you can own permanent images of Gwen Marston's delightful quilts in the form of art tiles with which to grace your home.
Visit New and Improved Gwen Quilt Tile web store at Loudeac Tile Studio

New Zealand Quilters

At Home With Gwen

This past fall I celebrated the 25th anniversary of my wonderful Beaver Island Quilt Retreat...oh we had such a good time! Five action-packed, quilt-designing, late-night-sewing, coffee-and-donut-eating-mornings, dining-out-with-friends-evenings and lots of quilt-talking weeks. Five fabulous retreats right in a row! What fun!

I can't begin to tell you all the great things that happened, but here is one you might like: Karin Peirce from the great state of Maine was talking with me about the type of fabrics she was told to use as a beginner quilter years ago and she described them as "dusty rose, dusty blue, and lavendirt".

To help celebrate my 25th year, I did a little specialty art book called Ideas and Inspirations: Abstrast Quilts in Solids, to support the theme of this years retreat by the same name. It's been doing very well in large part because people are finding it on the internet, which I find interesting. Could be the wave of the future, who can tell.

Now I'm home and it's snowing...a lot! It's incredibly beautiful out my windows and morning chores are always a thrill for me as I get dressed up in my serious winter-wear and head for the woodshed. I have a brand new L.L.Bean toboggan which I load with wood and pull around to the front of my house, where I open the door and toss the wood in my wood box. It's just so lovely outside with the fresh snow up to my knees, and blowing off the pine trees and whistling through my woods. I guess I'm just a natural-born country girl! On with the chores which includes sweeping off my front porch and cleaning off the truck windows just in case I decide to go somewhere...like town. And one more thing about life in the country: as I have been updating my webpage, we are enjoying a full moon and there's nothing like it when you live in the country and there are no city lights. A full moon, shining down on a snow blanketed natural landscape is magical. It's like daylight. You can see almost as clearly and as far as you can on a grey day. There is something very reassuring and calming about the quietness of a snowy woods under a full moon.

Oh yes, I'm also writing a sequel to Liberated Quiltmaking!!! Yeah! I really like being able to do this book. I'm updating 3 ideas from the first book and introducing 7 or 8 new Liberated methods. And, what a great excuse to make new quilts! I have some out being machine quilted by my quilter, Robyn House, who does a great job for me. And I have others that I'm running through my quilting frame determined to hand quilt them. Writing and quilting complement each other: I write until I get stuck and then I go quilt until I get un-stuck at which point I run over to my computer and continue my writing. When I get tired of one, I go happily to the other and days and days pass happily that way. And, speaking of new books, Amazon.com is already advertising Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again even though it won't be released until July of '09. It suppose that's good, that way you can save up your pennies and be ready when it's available!

Soon however, I will be taking a little break and heading to my daughters for Christmas. There I will find two little boys waiting for their Grandma to arrive and join them for the excitement of Christmas. And speaking of Christmas, Merry Christmas to one and all! And may we all look to the New Year with hope in our hearts for peace in the world.

On The Road With Gwen

Well, let's see here. I've actually been home most of November and most of December and all of January. Come February and March, however, I'm barely home at all. I can tell you that I will not be on the road as much as I used to be. Airline travel has gotten so bad in terms of inconvenience and the uncertainty about if I'll even get there, that it has finally gotten to me.

Even as I say this, however, I have had so many delightful experiences and met so many lovely people in my travels, that I will miss that part of it a lot. I have friends all over the country from my quilt travels and I do so value that and so appreciate the many kindness's people have shown me. I'm not quitting entirely, but I am taking less bookings. And my dears, it's not like I don't have plenty to do.... My quilt retreats take time to prepare for and I have books to write and quilts to make! Life is good!

How to contact Gwen
I'm not wired up yet here on Beaver Island, but please feel free to contact me at:

Gwen Marston
Box 155
Beaver Island, MI 49782
231-448-2565