Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel

 I almost skipped this blog hop because I was really struggling with an idea for kitchen projects I hadn't already blogged about.  Then my local quilt shop left me know that the grill fabric I'd ordered (and forgotten about) had arrived.  Now I needed to come up with an idea for both the fabric and the blog hop.  I pondered a while and decided that we're quickly approaching the time when in the kitchen really involves prepping the food to go outside to the grill (or better yet the campfire!) and with Mother's Day approaching I could make a table runner for my mother-in-law.  She's one of the more difficult people to shop for because she likes to pick her own things out but she always likes to use one of the table-runners my sister-in-law or I make her and she doesn't have a summer one yet.  I love bright colors in my quilts so I decided to highlight the brights of the grills.  I also thought it would be nice to set them so that from either side of the ...

As soon as the theme Salt and Sand was announced I had a lot of ideas, however when I think of the beach I usually go to bright colors not blue and tan.  Then while I was still trying to figure out what to make we stopped at a quilt shop not far from home and found an Ebb and Flow charm pack on sale.  Not only was it beach themed it was also the blue and tan.  I got the top made pretty quickly but then projects with a definite recipient plan took priority.   I have the backing purchased, but I wasn't able to get it quilted in time for the blog hop.  I would have loved to go to the ocean for pictures (any excuse for a break right now!) but we haven't been able to do that so I went to a local state park and got some lake shore pictures instead.   Check out all the other blog posts.  You’ll be inspired to visit a beach or quilt; maybe both! March 22 Creatin' in the Sticks Selina Quilts That Fabric Feeling Days Filled With Joy Elizabeth Coughlin Designs Ka...

Time go away from me with February being a short month and we finally took a weekend away at the very end of the month.   Of course that meant a lot of playing catch up the first week of March, and I never got my post written. A couple of friends from work and I have been doing an exercise challenge to encourage each other.  I spent a lot of time I’d likely have spent quilting on my exercise as a result.  So how did I do on my February goals... 1. Bind the second quilt for myself-no 2. Finish  at least 2 of the baby quilts in progress- this happened but not until March 3. Make that birthday present I slacked off on last month-I think it’s now a Christmas present... 4. Participate in the Show your Stripes Blog Hop-done, but I’m not sure I managed to read all the other posts 5. Keep up on my mini Monday quilt along-done.  A new clue comes out tomorrow 6. Get a top or two made for Hands2Help 2021.  I just keep adding more scraps to my pile.  I did work on...

 Today is my day for the Show your Stripes blog hop hosted by Carla of  Creatin in the Sticks  I love the creativity of the themes Carla and Carol come up with for these blog hops, but I have to admit when Carla announced the theme of stripes I wasn't going to participate.  I started sewing clothing when I was in 4h and I remember all the rules about trying to line stripes up perfectly...I'm not that kind of a sewist!  I had actually just told my quilt shop owner not to let me buy stripes for one of the projects I was looking to make this spring (After creating for this hop I ended up buying the stripes!)  I have a couple older quilts I think were made by my Great-aunt and one of my Gram's good friends and guess what both have stripes; they don't match and I still love them, so if that's not justification for stripes what is? After thinking about the stripe theme a while it hit me that I had a blue and browns stripe flannel and needed a super simple baby qu...

 We made it the whole month of January with only one unscheduled virtual day, which is great for work planning but it means I lost my extra hour a day I could devote to sewing.  I had set a goal of 15 minutes a day minimum, and it did help me relax a little more after work.  I had told myself I wasn’t starting new projects unless they were for specific events, then a lot of my guild friends started posting about Temecula Quilt’s mini Monday quilt along and I caved, and started it in two color ways.   This past weekend Confessions of a Fabric Addict posted about  hands2help 2021  and I cut pieces for another project.  One of the “charities” is to give to front line workers in your own community and I have a recipient in mind for it.  I don’t know if peer pressure affects everyone so badly of if I’m more prone since I spend so much time around teens... How did I do on my January goals?  1. Like I said above 15 minutes or more a day of sewi...

 One of the hardest parts of adulthood, at least for me is that many of my dearest friends live hours away so even when we’re not in a pandemic it’s difficult to visit as often as we’d like.  Thank God for technology, so we can keep in touch.  I really don’t know how I’d have handled the past year without the support of my long distance friends. So over Thanksgiving break when I saw Burlap and Blossom’s  Love Across The Miles  quilt block, I knew it was perfect for one of my long distance friends who loves to travel.  I finished it in time to add to the Christmas presents I was sending for her family.  The day I was putting binding on this blog hop was posted, and this met the description of a heart in any color but red. In the living room, they have a map marked with places they’ve visited, this compliments it well.  Check out all the other great projects, I’m sure there’s something to set your heart afire!  January 18 Creatin' in the Sticks...