Getting ready

I never know what to use for a title for these blogs.  My creativity has never been in writing!

We are getting ready to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for a few days.  The camper is cleaned up, the water tank is filled and we are ready to start loading food and clothes.  It's not really a huge job, the camper is a small one and we travel light.  I'm not taking any sewing with me, I think we have lots of things to keep us busy, plus I don't want to loose a needle inside the camper.  I do have some magazines to get more ideas of cute things to make.  If we get some good pictures, I will post them when we get back.

I have finished quilting Patriots Home but I don't have a label on it yet:

Here is a close up of the center block:

It is hand quilted, mostly in the ditch, with stars stitched into the corner squares.  I love the fabrics and the pattern.  It turned out quite nice, I think.  It is from the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of McCall's Quilting magazine.  I ordered the fabrics online so I could get the exact ones used in the magazine.  There is a mini quilt pattern on the McCall's web site that I may try someday.  The hexagon template for it is less than an inch wide, so that might be fun.  The mini finishes at 16 1/2 X 16 1/2 inches.  The larger version is 41 1/2 X 41 1/2 inches.  I had fun making it, the flower blocks were what really caught my eye.  They are made from a striped fabric that has 2 1/2 inch wide strips of each of the different fabrics in the line.  The hexagon template is centered over the line between two different fabric stripes to create the pattern in the flower shape.   

I have my September Snowbound block all finished, too:

I think I have to call her Miss September since she is wearing a purple hat and pink scarf.  It's hard to believe there are only three more snowmen to come before the BOM ends.  I am having so much fun with them.

My other finishes are these:

This one is all done.  The next one is almost done.  I still have to add the little glass beads for eyes on the owl, bat and cat and "write" on the headstones. 

Each headstone has a quilty saying.  There are two more blocks to be made yet, one with a pumpkin and one with a black cat.  They will make up a Halloween wall hanging that I hope will be ready by the end of October.  These block patterns were free at the shop stroll from a couple of weeks ago.  

I have been working on Two Piece Puzzle a little.  I have about half of the red star blocks finished and only one of the blue star blocks ready.  I am anxious to get them done so I can sew them into rows and get the quilt top together.  Once that is done, I can put my swap blocks together into a top and I still need to sew the Snowbound blocks together with their Irish Chain blocks.  I still have lots to keep me busy!

Now it is time to go bake some oatmeal cookies for our trip, tomorrow is laundry and packing.  I won't be near a computer while we are away so I will catch up with everyone when I get back!