Christmas Hexies

I have this pieced and I look forward to quilting it and using it for years to come. These are half inch English paper pieced. The quilt is about 60"x72". I worked on it while we drove around the country in our RV over the past 18 months. 

Here are the other Christmas quilty projects being shared through our wonderful leader and teacher Bonnie Hunter 

<http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/12/a-very-merry-happy-holiday-linky-party.html?m=1>

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sent from my iPhone

Merry Christmas Wishes to All

 I am writing this post instead of sending any other sort of Christmas cards. We have not done those "snail mail" kind for years. I am grateful for the folks who keep up the tradition. I especially enjoy the photo cards and letters. 

 I have been puzzling about what news or message to send... 

This past year was quite spectacular. We participated in building with Habitat for Humanity a total of 6 weeks. For me, there is more "Christmas" in building a shelter and home for a family than there is in contemplating a stable and manger. I don't get too caught up in the whole "put Christ back in Christmas" conversation. Christ is everything and everyone all the time... sometimes we just don't recognize him.

We made some great new friends this year and we look forward to seeing them again. We saw a whole lot of this grand country - we were on the road for 8 months in 2014! Our daughter married a wonderful young man in May in a beautiful ceremony. We had a fun weekend with family and many long time friends. 

Christmas...

 I came across this favorite old card... I always tried to talk the family into a "Charlie Brown tree." They never went for it...maybe next year.

Last evening we had a dozen family friends here for dinner and celebration. Several of the older of the younger generation were missing, our daughter included. "White Elephants" were exchanged- the fruitcake disappeared but the harmonica is still lingering. 

My bags are packed & ready for our train ride to Seattle in the morning to celebrate Christmas with the kids in their home. 

The piecing is complete on my Christmasy half inch hexagon quilt. I plan to have it quilted by the time I have grandbabies to snuggle under it. We will read stories and and share dreams. I guess this is my dream of a Christmas "future". What is yours?

so reader-- are you still with me?      

Our wish for you and those whom you love --

a very joyous and wonderful Christmas 

and a blessed New Year!

Note: I plan to send this to a few folks who may not have previously read my blog. If you want to read some more about our travel adventures and Habitat experiences this past year you can navigate to older posts in the right side of the "full-web version" of this page.

Grand Illusion Part 1 the Wheely way

 Each holiday season my favorite quilt designer/writer/instructor, Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com Here, gives her readers a mystery quilt. Over the course of a few weeks she tells us how to make a quilt she has designed. It is a "mystery" because although we know the colors and finished size, we have no idea what the quilt will look like. I live more than half time in a small RV - pick-up camper - so I have some different obstacles in doing Bonnie's mysteries. Bonnie publishes a new clue on Fridays through December and on Mondays she invites us to a "Linky" thing to link our own blog about our quilt progress to those of other quilters... Sorry, I am not explaining that too well hopefully I can DO it better than I can describe it. Actually, that explains why Bonnie is the teacher and I am the quilter! To see other quilter's blogs go Here

We were in the Great Smoky Mtns Nat'l Park when Bonnie revealed the quilt theme and required colors via paint chips from Lowes. 

 I was thrilled to learn this year's quilt Grand Illusion was inspired my the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Michigan. We were there in September. See the yellow awnings and the aqua porch ceilings?- those are both incorporated into the quilt. I had to wait a few days to find a Lowes where I could get my paint chips and start collecting fabric. We were in SE Kentucky when I found a Lowes with all of the needed chips. Here are the towns where I purchased my Grand Illusion fabrics: Tazewell, Tennessee -- Corbin, Kentucky -- Murfreesboro, Tennessee --Lawton, Oklahoma -- Paris, Texas -- Lubbock, Texas -- Tuscon, Arizona -- Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Here are the colors and paint chips perched on my bedside clothes bin in the camper. 

This is my third Bonnie mystery quilt. Last year my holiday time was limited so I set the goal each week to cut the pieces for the clue and sew just a few then "kit" the rest for future sewing. 

When I left home in March all of Celtic Solstice (last year's mystery) was in this shoe box. (Those are HSTs for Smith Mountain Morning in there now) By the time I returned home in June all of the blocks were complete and ready to be assembled. We left home again before I could get to that so they are still waiting. During the two weeks I was home I busily cut more parts for other blocks. 

 So back to Grand Illusion-- here is my "studio" we are currently at Harris Beach Sate Park on the Southern Oregon Coast. 

Work space on camper table. 

Featherweight, stash & tools under table plus Dan's foot. He does feel a bit crowded out when I start sewing!

My aqua and pink half square triangles all 280+a couple are cut and bagged. I do use the Easy Angle ruler. The strips of blacks and yellow are cut, they will become squares soon. 

We will be home to Salem in a couple days where I can spread out into my sewing room. I will continue with this method of making a Grand Illusion "kit". I have blocks completed for several quilts waiting to be assembled and those will be my stitching priority. 

If any other Grand Illusion makers have read this whole post please let me know. My theory in quilting and in life -- Relish the journey and you will love the destination. Happy Trails

From Sea to Shining Sea and Back Again

Pacific in May, Califonia coast

 Atlantic in September, Maine coast

 Pacific in November, Califonia coast. 

We are still about 700 miles from home but it has been nice to see some familiar territory. We took a couple days off of the road to stop in Lake Havasu City Arizona. We checked in on Dan's mom's house. It is on the market so we may not see it again. While in Lake Havasu City we went to visit some long time family friends. Elizabeth, at age 90, was preparing to cook Thanksgiving dinner for her grandchildren who are coming with their children. One of her other dinner guests will be Doug. She thinks of Doug as just a kid since she has known him since he was a teenager. Doug is 87, he is the other long time friend we visited. He shared an interesting story from when he was 15 during WWII -- He took off from LA with a couple buddies on a greyhound bus for Idaho. After they got there, they decided to "ride the rails" hobo style to get back home. They were arrested and released about three times (including once in Bend Oregon) before they opted to hitchhike the rest of the way. Doug and Elizabeth have both buried their respective spouses; they lead quiet slow lives. The visits left both Dan and I feeling a bit melancholy about that time in the future when either of us would face life alone. 

 We spent one night in the desert at Red Rock Canyon in California. I took this photo of this hat accessory to block sun. This lady was looking for a deck of cards and we had a spare we could share. In exchange for the cards I asked her to model the hat for me. I may try making one of these sun shades. It is adjustable and may be worn with or without a hat.  

 She was sweet to "model" for me. 

We scooted on across to San Simeon. We stayed at a state park there then took a tour of Hearst Castle. 

 Here are a few of my photos. It is a spectacular place. 

Dining room

Fountain

Dan & the ocean view. 

 Roman bath. 

Waterless Neptune pool (it was under repair)

 A different style of "selfie". I took this looking into one of the guest rooms through the window. 

We spent last night in the dark redwoods at Big Sur State Park. We hurried back out into the sunshine this morning. 

 Now we are soaking up the last bit of November summer at New Brighten Beach. We reserved our spot ahead of time since it is a holiday weekend--unintentionally we are back in the same campsight where we spent a week in May as we were making wedding preparations. 

How random is that!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We will go over the mountain to Los Gatos to join my Aunt & Uncle and family for a holiday feast. 

My the Lord find us grateful and ever mindful of the needs of others. 

Amen

Two weeks in Hobbs, NM

This has been home for the past couple weeks. Our little camper along with five other larger rigs parked in a big empty lot near a dead pecan orchard. We are Care-a-Vanners - a subset of Habitat for Humanity. This was our fourth build experience with CAVs. We met some new folks and got reacquainted with others whom we have worked with at other builds.

 We had some crazy weather. Over two inches of rain in one day and less than a week later many hours below freezing and even a few snow flakes. 

The work was the usual variety. We had all kinds of projects - painting, mudding drywall, tiling floors, framing, finish carpentry, etc. I spent most of my time building closet "innards". Here are a couple of my accomplishments. 

 Today I helped hang some doors and install baseboards. 

 Dan spent most of his time next door and saw lots of progress - 

Last Saturday above - one week later below: 

 I helped on the framing just a bit. In the picture above I am using a Ramset, it is a kind of gun that I hit with a hammer to drive a nail into the concrete slab below the framing. Every strike and bang of gunfire set the neighborhood dogs to barking. You may notice I am quite bundled the temps that day while we worked ranged from 21 at the beginning of the day to a high of 30 when we quit in the afternoon. 

 Here is the ice on the water faucet at the campsite. We had it running to prevent broken pipes. These were the coldest nights we have ever spent in the camper. 

There are times when my muscles ache and I am tired and cold I wonder why I am doing what I am doing... Today I was privileged to share a moment with this woman and to remind myself  of the answer. 

 This is Victoria and two of her children. She is standing in here future front doorway. As I showed above there was a lot of progress made on her house this week. When she saw her new home for the first time this morning she "welled up" with joyous tears. I lack the words to describe it, but that was what I call a "kingdom moment". And that is why we do what we do. 

CAV Crew with future homeowner, Anita. It was Anita's closets and pantry I was building shelves in. Anita is in front in blue; if the CAVs keep on schedule she will be in her home by Christmas. 

For most of our travels it is just the two of us so it was lots of fun to spend time with these new friends. When weather permitted we had afternoon "happy hours". Several evenings we went out to eat.

Here are Dan & Scotty holding the table for the rest of us at Dickey's Barbecue for our final evening together. 

Our work days begin with a devotion and prayer circle which concludes with all of us together saying - "Habitat is not a hand out, but a hand up!"

Good times with good friends make good memories. 

Happy trails to all. 

Two weeks in Hobbs, NM

This has been home for the past couple weeks. Our little camper along with five other larger rigs parked in a big empty lot near a dead pecan orchard. We are Care-a-Vanners - a subset of Habitat for Humanity. This was our fourth build experience with CAVs. We met some new folks and got reacquainted with others whom we have worked with at other builds.

 We had some crazy weather. Over two inches of rain in one day and less than a week later many hours below freezing and even a few snow flakes. 

The work was the usual variety. We had all kinds of projects - painting, mudding drywall, tiling floors, framing, finish carpentry, etc. I spent most of my time building closet "innards". Here are a couple of my accomplishments. 

 Today I helped hang some doors and install baseboards. 

 Dan spent most of his time next door and saw lots of progress - 

Last Saturday above - one week later below: 

 I helped on the framing just a bit. In the picture above I am using a Ramset, it is a kind of gun that I hit with a hammer to drive a nail into the concrete slab below the framing. Every strike and bang of gunfire set the neighborhood dogs to barking. You may notice I am quite bundled the temps that day while we worked ranged from 21 at the beginning of the day to a high of 30 when we quit in the afternoon. 

 Here is the ice on the water faucet at the campsite. We had it running to prevent broken pipes. These were the coldest nights we have ever spent in the camper. 

There are times when my muscles ache and I am tired and cold I wonder why I am doing what I am doing... Today I was privileged to share a moment with this woman and to remind myself  of the answer. 

 This is Victoria and two of her children. She is standing in here future front doorway. As I showed above there was a lot of progress made on her house this week. When she saw her new home for the first time this morning she "welled up" with joyous tears. I lack the words to describe it, but that was what I call a "kingdom moment". And that is why we do what we do. 

CAV Crew with future homeowner, Anita. It was Anita's closets and pantry I was building shelves in. Anita is in front in blue; if the CAVs keep on schedule she will be in her home by Christmas. 

For most of our travels it is just the two of us so it was lots of fun to spend time with these new friends. When weather permitted we had afternoon "happy hours". Several evenings we went out to eat.

Here are Dan & Scotty holding the table for the rest of us at Dickey's Barbecue for our final evening together. 

Our work days begin with a devotion and prayer circle which concludes with all of us together saying - "Habitat is not a hand out, but a hand up!"

Good times with good friends make good memories. 

Happy trails to all.