vacation...in the works

Ahh Fall. Actually this time this year it’s not fall-like yet. I am actually enjoying these last lingering warm days of summer, especially since this summer was not that intense and even was chilly some days. I love the lightweight sweater days. I am a sweater kind of gal. I love to wear them with jeans, slacks, skirts and dresses. I like them because I always feel safer and more comfortable in them. I haul a cardigan around with me wherever I go during the warmer months and wear one under my jacket in the cooler months. I love sweaters. I only own about four, so they are well worn, Maybe I need to ask for some for Christmas.

The great part about these warm days is I don’t have cabin fever. I am actually looking forward to those cold days where I don’t want to go outside and run errands, but at the same time I am enjoying running all the errands I can now without worrying about snow, or bundling myself and R up. I have been stocking up on things to do, and as I have mentioned I have lots of quilt projects in mind. Lots to keep me busy and entertained. I am going to take my tip money this week and get some books by my favorite author and put them in my bedroom for those cold days when all I want to do is curl up with a good book under a warm blanket.

I have talked to A and made an update on my resolution to never start a project without finishing what I am working on. I know this is my least favorite part (the sandwich) and I like the quilting part but I get bored with it especially on my small machine with limited space, but we have agreed I could make lots of tops this winter. There is a reason behind that. Let me back up and tell you more to the story.

A few years ago my mom and I went with two of her friends on a Shop-Hop, the 2005 Western Washington Shop Hop to be exact you can get information about it at http://www.westernwashingtonquiltshophop.com/ ). We found a few shops we would visit again and a few that were great for the shop hop but not something we’d drive all that way to gather material from. We had lots of fun memories and lots of time spent telling stories. I was young (this was the summer before I became pregnant with R) and really let my mind wander and enjoy the time away from school, work, and responsibilities. It’s wonderful to get lots in a world of fabric. I still have not finished, nor even started, the blocks from the shop hop…I have been very intimidated by them so far (I have my moms and mine in a box in the laundry room) I plan to start and work on them slowly (this is one of the exceptions to the rule, I will work on blocks individually when I have time and need something to keep my hands busy between projects) and finish them before the next one I move onto.

I was looking online at In The Beginnings Fabrics and did an MSN search for the Shop Hop. This year it’s in late June, the 24th-28th. I wanted to go back and do the hop again with my mom but having R I didn’t think I could for a while. Then I thought about it, the Pacific Northwest Historics is always the 4th of July weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA (information about this event can be found at http://www.northwesthistorics.com/ ) My family has been involved in these races since the fifth year or so…so a long time. I have missed the past two or three races because I took my vacation in early June to be with my family instead of trying to make it to the races with a baby. I miss them. This year I will go to the shop hop, then rest a few days and go to the races and rest a day or two and come home. A two and a half to three week vacation. I am saving up all my tip money and anything else A may give me after gas and groceries for these events.

That is part of why I am only going to work on the tops of quilts, because I want to save my money for more! Also there is a fabric outlet near Boeing Field/the Museum of Flight in Seattle that has wholesale discontinued fabrics. A whole warehouse of them! I forget what it is called, I want to say Pacific Fabrics but that might be another store I go to often. I was thinking of saving money and buying all my backing fabric for tops that I finish this year that are not recipient specific gifts and finish them next fall and winter, using this fall and winter to explore new patterns and next year to explore new quilting techniques. This plan may fall to pieces when I miss making tops or when I start to build up too many but it’s an idea for now. The backing fabric doesn’t have to match the top…in fact it could match, it could be similar, it could be complementary or it could have nothing to do with the top at all, that’s why it’s on the backside! I think if this pan does work though I might ask A or my parents for a quilting loop to try my hand at hand quilting. I love my machine but it I am working on new techniques next year might as well try something totally new! We will see though!

I can’t wait for my vacation in June, but I need to get to work on some of these projects before I go and get new ideas and new inspiration. I also really need to work on setting aside my cash for this! If nothing else, I deposit a small portion of my paychecks into an account A doesn’t have access to to build up some emergency money…I could use some of that and then rebuilt it up. That’s my money (ok I don’t play that game with him mine vs. yours it’s all ours) and needing fabric, I think that’s an emergency! =)