STASH REPORT AND OUR TRIP NORTH!

Used this week 0 yards

Used year to date 37.625  yards

Fabric added this week  14.75 yards

Fabric added year to date  68.5 yards

Net used 2019  -30 875 yards

 

Our trip north almost didn't begin.  Car was packed, house was locked, and car wouldn't start!  Went in to call AAA, and our phone had been put on seasonal hold already!  Got out our emergency cell phone and  called AAA and got a boost to start the car, then headed to Walmart to get a new battery.  We got on the road by noon instead of 8am!  We decided to cancel our first night's hotel reservation, and our stop in Athens GA at the botanical garden - that will have to wait for fall.  Managed to get to Orangeburg SC in time for bed!

Day two - the car was hard to start.  Luckily, there was a Chev dealer about a mile from our motel.  They found out that the new battery had a dead cell, and gave us directions to the nearest Walmart.  We were back on the road in about 2 hours.  The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful.  We enjoyed the redbud trees and dogwoods in bloom along the way, and reached Winchester VA.  Thank heavens for no more car problems the rest of the way!

Day three - we continued on the interstate until shortly after we reached Pennsylvania.  We meandered along Hwy 30, and our first stop was at the Sew n Place in Fayetteville PA.  I found some Hallowe'en fabric marked down, so picked up some for my grandkids future quilts.  + 4 yards!

 

Then we meandered to Zook's Fabrics in Intercourse PA - I had an email saying that they had fat quarters on sale for 99 cents!

More Hallowe'en and neutral fat quarters.
+ 4.75 yards!




It started to rain, so we headed to our hotel in Lancaster.  The rain had stopped by the time we headed out for our evening of dinner theatre.  We had a lovely dinner, and were entertained with a performance of Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat!  The cast was great, and we really enjoyed the childrens chorus!  DH booked a package at the Heritage Hotel, that included a full breakfast in the morning too!  We are hoping to stop on our way south in the fall.

Day Four we headed out to Denver PA to visit Burkholders Fabrics.  We enjoyed driving through the country, looking at all the lush green farms along the way.  The forsythia and daffodils were adding their colour to the scenery too!  I managed to choose 6 more yards of fabric to add to my collection!  I love the diagonal stripe - it will make great binding!  From there we headed north and finally got back on I-81.  We made a quick stop in Watertown NY, and then headed home, with a stop and welcome home at the Canadian border.  We were home in time to unload the van, and enjoyed a quick dinner before heading to bed.  

PACKING, PACKING, PACKING

My least favourite part of moving between 2 homes with the change of seasons, is packing up my quilting things.

I always arrive with a plan for the season, with some homemade kits of fabric collected for quilt projects.  When I get together with my quilt group, plans get rearranged, some things moved forward, and some never started.  Of course, there is the temptations at quilt shops and quilt shows each season as well!

We are nearing our deadline to get the van loaded, with lots of little last minute chores to complete.  We always find a few forgotten items on the last day, so I save one tote to pack last, just in case.

We have some stops planned along the way, as there are many wonderful sights to see.  We plan a stop at a botanical garden in Georgia, and have reservations at a dinner theatre in Pennsylvania.  

I'll be anxious to get my sewing room back in order when we arrive, but I have a tiny Easter dress to finish for little Miss A, and then we are heading out for some grandchildren hugs from Mr. D, Miss A. and family!

SEWING IN CIRCLES!

Our time in our southern home is coming to an end.  Our final visitors have departed, and the guest room has become a space for staging all things that need to be packed for the trek north.

While we had visitors, we stashed items in every nook and cranny, to make their visit more enjoyable.  Now, we are getting everything out of hiding, and checking our lists of things that we need to take along.   There has been some shopping for small items, and even a couple of parcels shipped to us to bring home for family and friends.

I always find it difficult to work on a project at this time, but I still need some sewing time.  I looked at the past and current leader and ender challenges at Quiltville, and decided to give one or two a try.
Part of my shopping lately was to buy some Kona black and white fabric for Checkerboard Rails.  I cut rail pieces from some scraps that I had been given, along with some leftover 1 1/2 inch strips, and made a couple of sample blocks.
Then, I thought of Jewel Box Stars, the challenge for this year, so back to some scrap triangles etc., for a few block parts. 

Then, I remembered admiring the basket blocks that Bonnie had worked on during her last teaching trip.  I made a drawing on graph paper, and figured out what size I wanted to make, and thanks to the Essential Triangle Tool, I have 8 blocks completed!

I also decided to try the Canadian Quilters Association challenge - 
52 Blocks in 52 Weeks.  I had picked up fabric for project as well, this during my last shopping trip, and have the first 12 blocks completed.

Tomorrow is the last day my quilting group meets, and then I plan to clean and oil my sewing machine, and pack it into its case, so there will be no more distractions and I can get organizing!  DH and I are looking forward to the trip north, with a few side trips planned, and getting some grandchildren hugs too!