Travel Tip Thursday #4

We belong to the Evergreen Bed and Breakfast Club.  When you are an "Evergreener"  you can spend the night at another club member's home and have breakfast and lovely conversation for 25.00 the first night and 20.00 for the next 2 nights.   My friends and I stayed with someone in Wimbledon (just outside of London) for 12.00 (a piece) per night for our week in England.  The advantage to belonging to a club like this is , not only do you get a clean bed, bathroom privileges, and a hearty breakfast, but the hosts know the area and can give you the information you will need to navigate their area.  Saves time and frustration.

In return for staying in others' homes, you are obligated to host a few times a year.  We have only had one bad experience in the 10 years we have been members.  We have stayed with families in London, Nova Scotia, Vancouver,  Victoria, and Seattle.  I even stayed with a family in Huntington Beach when I went to Camp-Watch-a-Patcher at Vanguard U last summer.  For 15.00 a night I had a single room and bath and a lovely breakfast while the ladies in the dorm fought with their sheets and snoring cabin mates.  It made the class possible for me.  The gentleman of the house even let me use his GPS to get to Vanguard-lovely people.

I can't think of a less expensive or more enjoyable way to travel.   We have met the nicest people and have had experiences we would not have had if we had stayed in a hotel. 

The is another travel club, Affordable Travel Club, that has more overseas and West Coast selections and we are planning to switch over as soon as our year is up.

July's A Lovely Year of Finishes

"Lizzy" is officially done.  Tracy Potter did the quilting and thread painting over the Inktense painting I did.  I was afraid I would not do as good a job and she did a fabulous one. I love that face:)

Lizzy at 4 months

Last HSTeria submission

I started this quilt a year and a half ago.  Pat Speth did a Nickle Quilt workshop in El Cajon and this is Tillie's Treasure (I think).  I have renamed it Nickle Lavender Sky and I have been working on it a little this week but am taking it Sunday on the quilt retreat along with the baby quilt that is cut out and not put together.  Click on the HST button to the right to see what others are doing.  I plan to finish it at the retreat.

. . .and More Flowers

It really is like watching a garden grow

More Flowers

I cut out 5 more to sew today at Paradise Sewing. that will be 10 down and 4 to go. Wish the colors showed better in the photo-just much more vibrant in person.

One more large to sew, five medium and 5 small.  The small ones will take no time. I need to have the top done by the 11th.  Ordered 6 yds of purple batik that will be here Tues.  Hancock is having a Batik sale.

Travel Tip Thursday # 3: Organizing your Luggage for Travel

How do you get everything you need into a 21" carry on for a 2 to 3 week trip?  After doing tip 1 and 2, lay out what you have.  I put my suitcase on the guest room bed 2 weeks before I am leaving on a big trip.  On my quick trips to Seattle 4 or 5 times a year I pack the night before because I go so much it isn't hard to throw in the things I need.

I have used the compression bags and they are great-they keep clothes organized, compressed and helps minimize wrinkles.  I use three: one for pants, one for blouses and one for sweaters etc..  I also like the cube mess bags to help with organization.  I used 2 on my last trip to Eastern Europe.  In one I put individual bags of peanuts, crackers and cheese, snack size snickers, raisins and jerky.  Yes, I take food on our trips.  We eat a big breakfast in the hotel or B&B and then eat an early dinner at a pub or similar.  A package of cheese crackers and a purchased pot of tea (2.50) at an outdoor table facing a cathedral was just as special to me as a 7.50 lunch would be and the 5.00 per day savings is 100.00 worth of goodies I can bring home.  In the other bag I put all my undies.  The bags fold flat and take up no room when you empty (food) them.

I also take a large purselike bag that has several compartments that zip.  I put my purse in it and add maps, portable handwipes, IPad, medication, airline and accomodation emails, earplugs and earphones, very small first aid and mending kits and a couple of bags of peanuts.  When I get to my destination, I leave the bag in the room and just carry my purse which has an over shoulder strap and hangs under my right arm making it hard to steal.  My passport, credit cards and identification goes in an over the neck holder that goes under my blouse.

Bon Voyage!  God has made an amazing world for us-go see something wonderful!  We just returned from a short trip to the sierras-just beautiful!

3 Down, 11 to Go

This quilt has 14 small, medium and large flowers scattered across the surface. I am not sure that middle flower will work but I'll wait until I have the rest on the quilt-think this will take a week.  I am going to my first quilt retreat the first week in August and was going to take this quilt to work on.  Because of it's size, I think I will take a few smaller easier to work on projects and get this laid out before I go-better get movin . . 

Will still need to make middles-just want to get the placements done first-2 a day should get it done in a week:)

Finished the Canvas-Now to Paint the Flowers!

I have had my friend Jan come to visit the last two nights-but she is off during the day to visit a multitude of other friends so have had the chance to finish the background of this 70x88 quilt.

 

Heading out to quilt a vintage quilt top at Quilter's Paradise with my two friends, Jan and Patsey!

More Progress

First 2 sections done!  Now, if the bottom dark value works, I will be happy happy!

Tomato worms=0, Elaine=8-YUK!
I have moved from tweezers to taking off the small section they are on-can't bring myself to touch them-Kay you are a gardening studette!

Some Progress!

This has been more difficult than I thought it would be.  It isn't the sewing, it is the planning and color choices.  Would someone just stand over me and tell me which comes next?

The middle will be the largest section of medium toned fabrics

The problem with this kind of design as you go quilting is that I have no neat little piles of cut fabric to work from-I am pulling everything from my stash-what a mess!

Lots of thoughts crowding each other in my brain-what color flowers will go in this section?, Will this print be too busy behind the flowers?, am I being too conservative?, How do I move gracefully from color to color? can I go from light blue to dark purple (or should it be green) in one quilt?, when will you finish the baby quilt you are supposed to be working on?  I want to have the back done before the quilt retreat at the first of August so I can finish the top during the retreat.

On another note-I hate tomato worms-pulled 2 off with tweezers yesterday-yuk!

Never, Never, Never Give Up!

So, the class on Harley Cow only had 3 sign-ups. Rats.  Lots of admiring of the quilt, but people were scared.  So, went down to the shop last night and talked to the owner about another proposal,"Last Blooms of Summer"  Which will fill in one of the dates I already had for Harley and one more.  She liked the concept and now I am sprinting to get it done.

Kathy Doughty's Garden Party out of her book, "Making Quilts"

My version of the quilt will be called "Last Blooms of Summer" because it will be in Sept.  Also, the background won't be quite as busy-but the flowers will.

This is a large 70x88-almost done with the light strata

Flower colors-there will be more orange and the background will fade to greens browns and dark purples

I have always loved that quilt and wanted to do it so, it just moved up the line!  the point is that I want to teach and if the peeps need a pattern, they shall have one.  I can practice ambiguity at home:)

Piecing Finished!

I finished piecing, "Lizzy" last night at the Tiny Treasures class.  It is probably the most accurate piecing I have done ever.  Didn't lose many points and most seams lined up.

I

I plan to finish the details to her face today and then take her to the quilt shop to hopefully hand to off to Tracy Potter for quilting.  I am going to enter her in the SD Quilt Show and Road to California so want an expert job.  I don't quilt enough to be adequate let alone expert:)  Lizzy is waiting for an offering from my breakfast plate-as she sits at my feet her eyes are totally closed with head bobbing almost asleep on her feet.  I love this dog!

Tomatoes!

I planted seeds from the dollar store and have been waiting months for ripe tomatoes-We are finally getting close!

Pretty Darn excited!

Vacation and More Lizzy Progress

We haven't been camping in the Sierras for 4 years.  We met Greg's sister, Donna and her husband, daughter, son in law, son, DIL and 3 grandchildren.  Some extended family and her DIL's parents also came.  We had complete rest because Greg got conjunctivitis in his eyes and picked up a cold.  We had to check in to the emergency room in Truckee, CA (which is a great hospital) and get some antibiotic drops before we ever got to camp.  The rest of the week he took many naps and went to bed early.  He worked too hard before we left and paid for it.  Still and all we had a nice time-beautiful weather and lots of Sequence and rest. 

I couldn't wait to sew.  Finished the top row and the layout of the pieces today. The pinwheels and hourglass blocks are 2" finished so sewing is slow.

Need to make 1 more pinwheel block to fill in the empty hole on the bottom

This project has a million and one HST's so it qualifies for the HSTeria quilt along run by Vicki Welsh.  See the blue button in the side bar to see what everyone else is doing.

Progress on Lizzy

I sewed all the half square Triangles for the pinwheel blocks but will have to wait to put them together for a week and a half.  After the blocks are assembled you lay out the pieces of the hourglass blocks to match the pinwheels-before you sew them together-luckily I reread  the directions for the border.  The top left is lined up correctly-one on the right is not.

Lizzy's picture is already packed for a short trip, but this is the way the layout should look-so need to have all the pinwheels done before i can put it together.  I am enjoying this process-the HST pinwheels are 2" finished. I am linking up with the HSTeria quilt along-button on the right.

Because we are 1 block from the high school, we have perfect viewing for the fireworks-we expect 15 people to join us for an annual BBQ and croquet tournament before the light show.

Happy 4th of July!!

Travel Thursday, Whittle, Whittle, Whittle

Travel Thursday Tip #2

Make a list of activities that you will be doing.  A swimsuit is important if you plan on going to the beach-maybe not as important if you will be staying in B&B's and traveling across country.  I packed a light robe once because I really wanted it when my girlfriends and I rented an apartment in Paris-it was an old one with a bleach spot or two but it kept me cozy in the evenings.  I tossed it in the trash before flying home.

Throwing out clothes along the way leaves room for the mementos you pick up.  Most of us have the mindset to wear our best clothes when traveling, however, look around you-only the tourists are all dressed up.  When in Europe you really want to look like a local-it is safer.   The Europeans wear clean but understated clothes-no white tennies.  They are not as concerned as Americans about everything matching.  I take clean, neat clothes, blacks, whites and beige with 1 color accent-but not my newest, in fact I take at least 1 pair of pants that I am going to throw out along the way.  I take 1 washcloth for every 5 days I plan to be away and throw them out (leave them in the bathroom) when done with one.  I also take my oldest undies-forget what your mother told you about no holes in your undies in case you are hit by a car and are taken to a hospital, I take 5 pairs and wash them at night in the room and then throw them out one by one on the last leg of the trip.

You are going on a trip for the experiences not to be a fashion plate.  Wearing comfortable, lived in clothes relieves the stress of loss and gives you room in your suitcase for the "small" trinkets you are gathering.

My sister in law and I in Prague-black and white were my colors on this trip and my accent was Red-hence the red purse and I had a button up the front maroon red sweater that went with everything.  I left my light black jacket on the plane by mistake but I really only needed it one day and thankfully it was nice but 8 years old so I bought a new one when I got home and it saved me from having to haul it all over Eastern Europe.  Old is good:)

Last thing-shoes.  On my first and second big trip I only took one pair of nice looking and comfortable walking shoes-Clarks.  However, on my third trip I added some comfortable walking sandals-it gave my feet a break and allowed the shoes to air out-worth the extra space.

Next Thursday: Organizing tips for packing

Finish Along 3rd Quarter Goals

Because the little Thistle that is lovely enough to run the FAL lives in Great Britain-I missed the due date-time issues-so, this time I will have this post ready to go.  Problem this time is that the window for entries is 7/7-7/14.  We get home from vacation on the 13th and I am worried I'll miss it again. We'll see. So, this quarter I have lots of things to finish up:

Lizzy needs to be pieced, thread painted, quilted and bound

Blue Baskets needs to be trimmed, quilted and bound

 Christmas Squared  needs to be quilted and bound

Star Light needs to be quilted and bound.

Tree Skirt needs to have quilting finished, binding attached

Mug Rugs  quilting and finish bindings

Baby Boy quilt:  I have cut it out-needs assembling, quilting, and binding

Sweet Pea:  stitching, basting, quilting, binding.
 

Makena's pillow needs to be painted, quilted and stitched into a pillow.

The blouse will be the back of the pillow-the buttons and button holes are already in it!

Nickle Colored Sky needs to be pieced, basted, quilted and bound

This is a 2 year UFO.

Number 10 in the UFO Parade

Makena's Pillow
Makena passed away this year at 8 yrs old.  She belonged to my son and DIL and was the best dog.  I am making a pillow with her image done in Inktense Pens.  This is long overdue-should have been done in January-an official UFO

That is the last entry for the Finish Along 2014 3rd quarter