Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel

 My parents picked Little Pine for our Labor Day camping trip and invited family friends along.  We used to camp together at least once a year, but it’s been a few years since all three family schedules have made a larger group trip possible.  Even this year, the daughter wasn’t able to join us because she was busy with last minute wedding tasks.  We booked sites next to each other in the hopes that we could park facing each other. While that didn’t work our site was plenty big enough for us to gather together on one.   One of the activities we have always enjoyed on our camping trips is kayaking.  This trip the lake was far lower than my parents have been there before.  I wasn’t able to kayak as long due to my wrist but it was nice while it lasted and we were able to see an eagle soaring overhead.   Sunday we took a walk on the Pine Creek Rail Trail.  I suggested it thinking we’d go about two miles total we ended up walking around five. ...

 When this hop was announced I knew just what I wanted to work on.  I’m the Vice President of my quilt group and pick a block each month for members to make for our disaster victim quilts.  Last fall I’d picked a leaf block and hadn’t gotten them out together so I figured it was an ideal fall project.  I didn’t have enough leafs so I combined them with Mr. Roosevelt’s necktie blocks.  Once the top is done another lady usually ties and binds them.    Then I think I got a case of quilters ADD and started several more fall projects.  I’ve wanted to make a quilt with veteran outline for Veterans and Memorial Days for a couple years, I have the saluting soldier outline picked and the background, I just need to get them put together.   Then I decided I needed to use a Halloween charm collection I had from Connecting Threads a couple years ago.   When I was looking for those charm blocks I came across a few remaining pieces from a table ru...

Last week I kept my list short to accommodate the realities of teaching this year.  Did I make it short enough? Not really...   1. Continue working on hand quilting a present -I made a little progress but not much 2. Post about camp and the arboretum-I decided there wasn’t much to say about the arboretum I hadn’t said, but I did post about Parker Dam 3. Work on some Christmas presents-it might be a gift card Christmas at this rate! I am really hoping for some quilting time this coming week, I know I need it for stress relief...so what’s on this week’s list. 1. Continue working on hand quilting a present  2. Post about camp from Labor Day  3. Work on some Christmas presents 4. Post in the Hello Fall Blog Hop-here are the other bloggers participating  Monday, September 21st Just Let Me Quilt Websterquilt VroomansQuilts Karen's Korner Elizabeth Coughlin Designs QuiltFabrication.com Karrin’s Crazy World Seams To Be Sew The Joyful Quilter Kathleen McMusing  Tues...

For several years my husband and I helped with the musical at my school and then rented a cabin the weekend after our performances.  Parker Dam was one of the first parks we rented a cabin at and we saw enough to know we'd like to visit again but it was too cold to explore much-if I'm remembering correctly I also had a lot of grad school reading that weekend.  Over the course of the summer I saw several friends post about visiting Parker Dam so we finally made that return trip just before inservice for school.  Our first night was raining but Saturday turned into a beautiful day.   The spillway was flowing much more than I remembered and I enjoyed the rocks around the campground. Sunday before we left we walked a boardwalk trail built by one of the local schools' conservation club.  Parker Dam is one of the many parks built by the CCC and has a museum near the lake-unfortunately the museum was not open when we tried to visit.  I guess we'll just have to go ...

 Two weeks ago when I posted my short list, I wasn’t thinking about being away Sunday at camp when it would be time to see how I did. I have to admit it was a rough two weeks and I wasn’t able to find much time to sew or blog.  The past couple years I’d made it a goal not to have to bring school home.  It’s clear that goal won’t be achievable this year, so my revised goal is not to work on schoolwork past 7:00 in the evening.  So much just seems to be taking longer this year, but hopefully I’ll get a pattern down and that will improve.  So with two weeks to work on my list how did it go? 1. Bind some recently finished projects-one done, one waiting to be done Kittious loved “helping” 2. Continue to work on hand quilting a present-I think I made a little progress but not much 3.Keep making Christmas presents-I didn’t make any progress. 4. post about the arboretum-no 5. post about camp-no 6. finish a gift for a special friend-I delivered it this afternoon but didn...

This week had some unexpected plot twists.  I am a reader but I've never been into graphic novels, but I saw something that made me think some of my student may understand history better in that format; however before suggesting a graphic novel I need to be sure their facts are accurate...so I spent a fair amount of time reading books related to my content and picking some that might work for my students.  I loved some of them (March and Maus) but didn't think they would work for the purpose I need.  Of course reading physical books means I'm not able to sew as much-thank God for Audiobooks!  Then one of my best friends was in need of a babysitter because one of the regulars is a student in the district I live in and they started at normal time.  I have been wanting to go to the Arboretum at Penn State University Park for a while now and I thought the kids might also enjoy it.  I kind of expected I wouldn't see as much with two  kids along, but they re...

 Just around the time school closed and everything was shut down I learned that a young couple in my church was expecting their first child.  Of course I expected that none of this was going to last and I'd have no problem giving them a quilt.  When I found out they were expecting a girl I picked an Asian themed fabric with pink and rust tones because mom is a big fan of K-pop and Korean culture.  Going through the quilt shop website I picked another fabric and asked the owner if she thought they'd coordinate and about backing.  Through I series of photo messages I was ready to order (eventually adding another fabric) but it took me a while to decide what pattern to use.  I'd pinned a tutorial for this twister block on Pinterest a couple years ago and decided it would work well and the top went together super quickly.  Then the top sat on my stack for a couple months until I got a message that mom was on her way to labor and delivery...I had been think...