Patchwork Chevron

Well, I saw this quilt a while ago and it stuck in my head.  Then I saw Jen's quilt right before I started mine.  I had two charm packs, so wanted to make it bigger than the first, but didn't know how it would all work out until I saw Jen's.  Then I just copied her!  (She was totally cool with that...)



Anyway, here it is! It's been done for a while.  I finished it in June, just before we went on the road.  (We're on day 90 today!)  I've been sooo many pretty places that I should have taken pictures of the quilt there, but this cute little camp ground in PA will have to do.  (Because I finally remembered, had a moment, had internet...these things rarely happen to me these days!)





 For the back and binding, I wanted to use up some fabrics that I had in my closet.  I don't really want to buy a ton more fabric until I use what I have.  But I like the way it turned out.  Used up a few scraps of muslin and smaller pieces of fabric.  I'm very happy with this quilt!


 It's perfect for cuddling on the couch, which is what I mainly use it for.  And occasionally on the feet of my husband and I as we are freezing in the trailer.  Thankfully on our first night of really cold weather, my in-laws were in town at a hotel and the kids stayed with them.  We tried out the heater for the first time, only to find it didn't work and we were freezing! It was definitely below 50 in the trailer.  We've remedied the problem and have heat now...but man, that was cold!

Pin it to win it

WHAT?! Fresh Squeezed Fabric is having a little contest.  If you pin an item from their shop and you get as many repins as it costs in three days, it's yours.    Full information here.

I'm going big or going home.  I'm going for this sweet baby....hopefully I'll get it.  Or I'm going home crying.

                                                                   link to the listing
It's $68.25...so I'm going for 69 repins. 

I'm just a girl on the road for 4 months, in a trailer with 3 boys and a man, with no sewing machine, trying to have a little reward for me when I get home.  Can you help a woman out?

If you have a chance, head over to repin mine.  You help me, I help you.  Leave me a comment if you have one. :)

PINTEREST LINK :  http://pinterest.com/pin/286963807477896559/

New fabric

I got to my sister's house after two months on the road.  We were going to have a grand ole time, but then my kids got sick.  Like throwing up all night sick and breathing treatments sick.  Antibiotics and pink eye sick.  Ugh.  So sad. 

But we are still having a good time.  Making the best of it.  Seems like we're all on the mend, as long as nothing else happens.


This was waiting for me in the mail from Julie at IntrepidThread.  It was the last of my birthday money.  Man, that money went a long way in her shop!  Great prices and sales.  Seriously.  And no, not getting paid to say so.  She even sends you a few 5" squares from a different line with every purchase, just to entice you.  Sneaky, sneaky.

This is my favorite fabric from the Indie line.


My mom, sister and I also went shopping for new fabric for my nephew's new quilt.  He is due in December and will need something to cuddle up in.

Here's what she picked as the main fabrics.

And these are the extras.  I love it.  I think it's so cute.


Hope all is well with you.  I'll be showing you what I've been working on in a bit.

I miss my sewing machine, but we're having a great time on the road!

Pics

We visited a friend who has a little farm with chickens and goats!
 
This was our front yard for a few weeks in Golden, Colorado.

Mountains in Boulder, CO.
 
Freezing water at Eldorado Springs, CO.

A nature walk in Rocky Mountain National Park.


EEWW! At Oklahoma Aquarium, Tulsa, OK.


So close to bison and prairie dogs at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

Artsy Fartsy on the Road

Well, hello America.  I've been seeing you!  So far FL, GA, TN, IL, KY, MO, KS, CO, OK....not in that particular order, although it could be...I don't have a map in front of me.

So anyway, lots of cool sites along the way, I'll share a few pics. 

And my need to finish something is really getting to me.  So I put down my hand piecing for a few days and hit up Joann's for some remnant fleece and the boys and I got to work on these cute little monster thingies that they made up.



They drew up what they wanted, or told me what they wanted, and we made it a reality!  My first time doing a blanket stitch was successful.  And so far the stuffing is staying in.  The kids thought it was so cool to do this.  We have a bit more fabric left over and will probably make one for my niece for when we see her in a few weeks, but I think we're supposed to make some food for the monster thingies as well.


No really, he likes it.                           Cell phone pic...you can see me in the reflection.

New Quilting for Kid Project!

I've missed you all!
I am still on my very loooong road trip. Still in Colorado right now then headed to Oklahoma from here.  So Laura, a Flickr friend, has asked if we could send her blocks for a quilt that will be used for foster children. 

It's a very simple string block.  The tutorial is here: http://www.107quilts.com/2011/09/sew-modern-bee-october-tutorial-string.html



It's a simple sew, and Laura is making it even easier, because she wants each block to be one color.  So get out your scraps and use 'em up for a good cause!

Read below what this quilt is to be used for.  And thank you all for your help!

Head on over to the Quilting for Kids group to sign up.  If you haven't already joined the group, you're welcomed to! And I'll take any advertising you can give for this project!


Laura says:

Cross Bridge Ranch will be opening this fall. It is a ranch for girls in foster care away from their homes while they await placement in foster homes. It will also be a transitional home for girls between high school and adult life on their own.
Cross Bridge is a Christian organization affiliated with a local church and will house up to 16 girls ages 6-14 who are in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services system. These girls are getting ready to go into foster care. Some on-site counseling will be available and employees will take the girls to psychiatrist and doctor’s appointments. The children will be enrolled in the local school district and involved in sports, community and church activities.
In the future, they will be adding a facility to house girls ages 15-21, who aren’t going to be adopted or aren’t going back home. They will be able to get a GED or high school diploma, be taught job skills, learn how to drive, etc. Often times, children that turn 18 are turned out of the system. As long as they are enrolled in college or job skills courses, girls 18 -21 will be allowed to stay in the facility.
The third phase of the program will be to add a facility for boys. This will make it easier for siblings to have regular visits with one another.
They have the housing and are currently acquiring beds, bedding and other necessities. My hope is to have a quilt for each girl in the facility, by the time they arrive. I want them to take the quilts with them when they leave, and I will have more quilts made as new girls arrive.

Thank you so much for volunteering to help.

Hi Y'all!!

Well, we have officially been living in the camper for 9 days.  We are on day 10 now.

All in all, it's been great.
 
We're learning a lot along the way, but driving through seven states will do that.



 We had a great time in Georgia at a state park that had a great little beach area.  My husband's cousin and his family (I love his wife) came and camped next to us in her parent's camper.  We had a great time roasting hotdogs and marshmallows.

We spent a few nights at some KOAs along the way.  The one in Goodland, Kansas was the boys' favorite.  It had a miniature golf course and some really old playground equipment that the rest of the world has deemed unsafe.  You remember the merry go rounds we all used to ride on? And the really tall metal slide?  Ya, they're still fun.

My youngest has started swimming now, thanks to the pool being the only entertainment as some places.

All the boys are doing great.  I'm really proud of them.





And here's what I've done since Georgia, a week ago.  Actually, I have 14 flowers done, but no current pic.



I hope you all are well! More pics later. I'm hoping to find a nice quilt shop around here. We were supposed to go to one just before Chattanooga, but missed the exit, and I didn't want to keep 3 kids waiting. So hopefully somewhere along in here I'll get a little bit of "me" time.