15 Days, 14 States, 4,800 miles

I haven't posted in a couple weeks, because we've been travelling maniacs! We got home Monday, and this is Friday, but it's taking me some time to get in the swing of things again.

What can I say about our trip? The travelling days were loooong, scenery was spectacular, visiting with family priceless.

I'll post a few photos of our trip, but try not to overdo it.

 Bridge in New Mexico

Sunrise in Texas. We were on the road at 4:30 AM, so got to see the entire sunrise, from the first crimson on the horizon, to the first spark of sunlight, all the way to daylight.

Corn Palace in South Dakota. They aren't finished decorating it for this year, but was done was amazing. The texture of the ears of corn on the murals remind me of quilting texture. They've been decorating the Corn Palace for 120 years, a different theme every year.

DH at Mt. Rushmore

Covered bridge in ....Wyoming???

My favorite photo that I took in Colorado.

My favorite photo DH took in Colorado.

Shiprock in New Mexico. The wall looking formation to the left is a natural phenomenon.

Both these pics are Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. In the second photo you can see cliff dwellings in the caves, that Native Americans lived in long ago.

It really was an amazing trip, DH got to drive his scooter around the Indianapolis Speedway, I got to visit South Dakota, my 49th state! We saw deserts, plains, forests, mountains, waterfalls. We saw an Amish man in Minnesota plowing his fields with a horse drawn plow, we stayed at our first bed and breakfast, we stayed off the highway as much as possible, and travelled via farm roads and scenic byways. I got to spend some quality on on one time with DH, and we're usually so busy, that's a rarity. I am blessed.

Crafting on the Go

I'm on a trip, but that doesn't mean the crafting was left behind. I brought three car projects with me, and one machine project.

So far I've only worked on one car project. I was way behind making names of new family members for our Christmas tree. I still need to whipstich around the names in red, but good progress so far. A pencil box makes a great place to kit things up. See those folding scissors? I think my mom gave me those when I was about ten. The scissors are on one end, a pin cushion on the other, and you can hang it on your neck. I still use it regularly.

Here are some of the blocks I made as my machine project. I got 12 blocks finished, with another 30 or so partially done. My machine time is finished for this trip, so I'll continue the pineapple quilt when I get home. I usually overcut on a project, but for the pineapple quilt I already know I didn't cut enough. The only problem with that is I have no more batiks or grey on blacks to cut up. I kitted all I had. So, I need to buy more, and there goes my no-buy pledge. DH insists any fabric bought on vacation doesn't count, so maybe if we hit a few quilt shops, I can get the needed fabric before we get home. I still say its cheating, but I have to get fabric to finish the quilt, and it needs to be completed this year, so I can't wait. I'm not going to feel too bad about it, since I'll be using it immediately, and not just putting it in stash. I've made it 7 1/2 months without buying fabric, so not too shabby anyway. 

Wondertwin Powers Activate!

You know the best thing about doing some small projects for kids? Getting to see them play with whatever you made!

Here are Mr. L and Miss S in their new superhero capes.

 

They just had to do the "Wondertwin Powers Activate!", even though their capes don't match the Superfriends Wonder Twins. Zan and Jana will simply have to move over and make way for these two. Instead of a space monkey, they have a puppy, but it's all good. 

In case you are wondering, I did NOT make the masks and gloves. The masks would have been easy enough, but I'm not tackling gloves any time soon. I just happened to see the masks and gloves at Oriental Trading Co, and just made their capes in similar colors. 

Since three of my grandkids live on the other side of the world, I usually just see photos of them using whatever I sent, but with the twins I see it all. 

Speaking of my grandkids on the other side of the world, DD#1 sent me a pic of her boys wearing their capes too.

I just finished making their baby sister one too, but since she can't walk yet, there's not much of a hurry to send it. All in all, I am making nine capes, with two left to finish. I should be able to finish those pretty easily tomorrow. All the applique is finished, and I have the loops and Velcro fasteners made. It's just a matter of sewing the outside to the lining, and they will all be finished!

I watched a tutorial on making pillowcases, and now I'm digging out fabrics for those. I always run out of time during the holidays, so I'm hoping to get couple holiday projects done this summer, to give as gifts at Christmas. I still have quilts to make this year, but if I can get all the pillowcases I want to make cut out, that's half the battle in my book!

Little Projects for Little Ones

Now that my big projects are done for now, I'm working on some smaller things until we leave on our trip.

The piece of furniture I use as a coffee table is actually a vintage two child school desk. It has adjustable height legs, and two cubbies underneath. The twins often sit at it to eat, so I made the some placemats to help keep the table cleaner.

I made them three placemats each, so they can have extras to use while some are in the laundry. I took a pic of all six, but usually there are only two on the table ;-) I've been storing the extra placemats in the desk cubbies. I've already had a request for placemats from DD#1 for her kids, so it looks like I'll be making more. They are really quick to make, no piecing, just using novelty fabrics, so it's an easy request to fill.

I had hoped to make all the little ones in my life superhero capes this past Christmas, but as usual, I ran out of time. I only had two done in time for Christmas. 

I finished this Zelda-inspired cape, which I can hand deliver on our trip. I'm hoping to have the twins capes done before we leave too. I was working on one of those today, but I was interrupted, and never got back to it.

I've realized that it's these little projects I tend to put off so long. I forget how quickly something like a cape can be made, since I'm used to making huge quilts which can take months. If I just made some little things the priority, I can knock several things off my to-do list in just a couple weeks. I guess the crux of the matter is simple. I'd rather be quilting!