One Creative Family

Got up early this morning and was on the road by 3:30am Central time.  We had lunch in Cloverleaf, Indiana.  We enjoyed a wonderful hamburger and hand dipped onion rings.  The burger was open flamed grilled and so good.  Then drove to Indianapolis, Indiana at Quilt Plus and visited her.  This was a modern quilt store and she had some really cute things.  I purchased a pattern for little felt animals, some cork fabric to try to make a little bag and a license plate.  Indianapolis, IN is home to the Indy 500 race car track. So in honor of this her license plate is “Sew Fast’.  Finally stopped for the night at Richmond, IN.  We are just a few miles west of Ohio.  Tomorrow I will see what quilt stores are open and stop and visit.  We hope to get as far as Gettysburg, Pennsylvania tomorrow.  We will see.  .Sunrise west of St. Louis, Missouri, and the temp outside is 68 degrees.

St. Louis Arch.

This was so pretty the way the sun was shinning on it.  This is Effingham, Illinois..  Love the names of some of these towns.

So many quilt shops closed on Sunday and finding them closed even on Mondays.  Oh well this was a nice shop and the owner was so friendly.  Gave us some good advice on travels..  Stay tuned for tomorrow.

We are enjoying music, the smells of funnel cake, kettle corn, and so much more.  It’s a little hot right now, but nice breeze. Alicia had shirts made for us.  I love them. 

I have been making peanut and pecan brittles and decided to make something a little special for Alicia’s good friend.  She and her family have been adopted by us and we love them to pieces.  For her hubby I made peanut/rum brittle.  I know the alcohol cooks down so I used only a 1/4 cup of rum in the syrup.  Then instead of the vanilla and water at the end I put rum.  Of course I had to try a piece and it tasted like butter scotch peanut brittle, but with little kick at the end.  I do think Phil will like it.

If you haven’t tried  Farmhouse Quilts, go there, read, and subscribe if you like it.  She has great ideas and fun happenings.  Once you decide to subscribe do so and then sign up for a chance at a wonderful giveaway..  https://farmhousequilts.blog/2017/09/21/a-bit-of-this-and-that-and-a-giveaway/

I have everything ready for tomorrow and Saturday.  Craft fair days.  Pictures will be on tomorrow.  Then Saturday night unload the car and re load the car for vacation.  Hubby will be staying home and will take a nice long nap Saturday(a very hard job, but then someone has to do it.) Then we leave Missouri and head out to the New England states.  We will be seeing the beautiful maple trees in the fall (I hope), eat fresh seafood, see some history and visit about 14-18 Quilt shops along the way.

Now to find something to do to kill time.

 

I have been getting ready for our vacation that is in 3 days.  I have made my lists and have the important things lined up.  Clothes, list of Quilt Shops, and a hand applique project ready for the time in the car.  The rest will come together and that is good.

I found a cute pattern in Arkansas and will have a new wall hanging for the Holidays.  It will even last thru the winter.

  Now here is what I have for it.  Just the window panels. I think this will last me for 2-3 weeks.

The other day I was asking for suggestions on how to start designing my own quilt and have gotten some great ideas.  I have gotten a sketch pad and am trying to get inspired.  I need to just let it happen.

As we travel around I will bore you with the highlights of the trip.  Only good and funny stories.

Here is hoping you have a wonderful day today and tomorrow.

I find that lately I am in a rut.  I started my sewing in clothes as a young girl.  We sewed our own clothes and this is what I did for years and years.  I would push myself in looking at fabric and seeing a blouse, dress, or slacks and would make it.  Sometimes it was a success and sometimes a failure.

Since I found quilting and learning how to quilt, I taught myself thur books, magazines, youtube and then new friends at my local machine store, I have made quilts and wall hangings thru someone else’s patterns and now I am wanting to challenge myself to make my own pattern.  Not start too big, but maybe a 12×12 block, mini quilt, or wall hanging then grow from there.  Any suggestions?  To my thinking the steps are in this order….1) chose an inspiration, idea of what finished product should look like. 2) draw it out, 3) choose fabric, 4) make pattern from drawing.  Then decide how to put it together.

What are your ideas?  Something I should do that I left out?   Help me out of my rut.

I have been patting myself on the back for being organized and ahead of schedule being ready for the craft fair and then vacation.  Yesterday I made 6 lbs of pecan brittle and feeling pretty proud of myself.  I will never do this again, being over confident.  Lady down the street brought down a baby quilt she made for me to quilt, a friend dropped off fabric for a cushion, and then someone brought over fabric for 3 Art Portfolios bags.  So today will be spent at the sewing machine and hopefully I can get a good start on these things.

I have to show you the baby quilt.  I don’t have the patience for this and think it is so pretty.Lighting isn’t the best, but you can see the hand work.    Well time to start the sewing machine and get to work.  Hope your day is all you want it to be.

We will be taking off to the New England states in a few weeks.  While Hubby is planning our route and things to see, I am planning the quilt shops to visit.  I just wish he would see to letting me take my sewing machine with us,  but that is a little too much.  While I had my laptop out and looking at a map of our route and marking Quilt shops (Row by Row Experience) he laughingly said, “While in Rhode Island we should hit all the quilt shops.”  What self respected fabric-aholic would say, “No, that is ok” so I said “Sounds Great to me.”

Now I am getting some hand piecing ready to take with us and have something to do in the car.

We are hoping to see the Fall trees in their glory if we are lucky, and then we will be seeing a lot of the History and maybe be able to make it to Washington DC.

Any suggestions of where to go?  Things to see?  We usually go to the South West area so this will be very new to us.  Very excited.  Especially since I realized Keepsake Quilting is on our route.  YES!  This is a must for me.

 

Before I started hand quilting this Illusion Quilt I wasn’t sure how to proceed.  I did some reading up on it and decided to do the “rocking” stitch.  My questions for those who hand quilt are

1.) What finger do you put your thimble on?

2.) How did you get used to using the thimble?

3.)How do you regulate your stitches?

I ask these for the obvious reasons I am not used to use a thimble.  I have always used the underneath of my finger nail on my index finger when needed to push a needle through.  Doing this now on quilting my finger is getting sore, but I don’t want to stop quilting.  Any of your suggestions are very helpful.

We have been getting ready for the next and last craft show of the year and that means 12 lbs of peanut brittle and 6lbs of pecan brittle.  Then the mini quilts, lap quilts, pillows, tea towels, potholders, etc.  We are finishing up the little things and then we will be ready to go.  THEN off on our trip East.  Very excited.

To my Floridian people, you are in my thoughts and prayers for minimal damage and all safe.

 

 

Smile it causes less wrinkles then frowning.

 

This week I have stepped outside my comfort zone.  I have been reading on hand quilting and decided to hand quilt my illusion quilt.  Thanks to my friends on Facebook Friends of Farmhouse Quilts and my own site, Facebook One Creative Family I finally decided on the color for the quilting.  This has been more fun than I thought,  I really like the blending threads and looking at the photo above I am seeing several mistakes in the darker blue triangle.  Now is the time to fix it before it is finished.  I did have to mark the fabric because my stitching was NOT very straight,  I think when we  go on vacation I will be taking this with me to do some quilting because I WILL NOT be finished in 3 weeks.

We will be going to the New England states for a few weeks and since hubby has the map out and plotting the way we are going to see all we want to see I will be plotting the most important places to stop.  Quilt shops and places to eat.  Any suggestions on what to see going from Missouri  thru up to the Canadian border and down to Washington DC if time is on our side.  I will be trying clam chowder for the first time.

Well till next time and hopefully I will have more to share.  Stay safe and be safe for the folks in Florida.

As I watch the weather get cooler and the trees starting to change colors I look forward to the fall.  This is one of the prettiest times of the year.  Soon we won’t be mowing they yard, but we will be raking leaves, then comes the snow.  With fall we see such beautiful oranges, red, gold, green and yes, even a few brown leaves.  I have been enjoying the squirrels running around getting ready for the winter months.  Walking thru the grass barefooted is usually fun, but there are so many acorns from the Oak tree in the front yard.

I will share a few of last years trees as I embroider some more tea towels.

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In only 3 weeks we have our Craft Fair and then after this is over we leave for the New England states for a vacation.  This is wonderful.