Back from vacation!

I managed to whittle my projects for the road down to a reasonable quantity . . . I could carry them myself in one trip! While traveling, I worked on tea cups, a Lori Smith applique in progress, and I finished the applique of some berries on the center of a Blackbird Designs Christmas quilt. I thought it was finished previously, but reconsidered, thinking it needed many more berries on the holly. This was a quilt that I wouldn't have looked at twice in the original pattern because it was done in tans and reds to replicate a vintage look. Then, about three years ago, my friends and I were on our annual December "Oh-hi-ho-ho-ho Tour" to Waynesville, and Fairborn, Ohio. In the Daisy Barrel, we saw a display of the quilt in brighter colors that was more inspiring to me, but I still didn't buy the patterns. Laura mentioned that Labors of Love had executed it on dark fabrics, and had a kit available. When I saw the picture, I thought I would faint! I ordered it on the spot. Of course, I have so many other things going, that I have yet to complete it. Periodically, I pull a kit out, and assemble all those components, and then move on to another UFO. One of these days!

We had a great vacation . . . the grandkids are growing like proverbial weeds. My grand-daughter, Lisey, has mastered knitting, and goes like a house afire! She wants to make a quilt, and I was trying to think of something to be used as a template for her, and it struck me . . . her brother's blocks! So, we picked out one that was about 3" square, and I showed her how to trace around it to mark a sewing line. She has a little fabric stash already, so she began marking squares, and hand sewing them together. Now, her brother, Addison, wants to learn, too.

I managed to visit five quilt shops on the trip! I always go to Cottonwood on Barracks Road in Charlottesville, Virginia. As we started for home, I got to Rachel's Quilt Patch in Staunton, Virginia, two shops in Chillicothe, Ohio, and polished off the trip at The Fabric Shack in Waynesville, Ohio. I found two fabrics suitable for settings and borders for my perfume bottles, a black with some gold on it, and a very heavily gold fabric that is sort of a window pane plaid with black. Also, picked up several white with red prints for a Kansas Troubles; then, once home, I pulled out the drawer of red strips and scraps from other projects to launch a sample for Camp.

Yesterday, my husband said he was suffering from auction withdrawal, so off we went to an auction. There was a box with one piece of white with red print in it, and the box sold for much more than I wanted to pay for one piece of fabric. So, I approached the winning bidder, and offered her $1 for the piece I wanted, and she accepted, so we were both happy!