Scrappy Trips anyone?

  It is always nice to get email from followers.  And even better when they share their version of a project that I inspired.  Just this morning I had an email from Nancy with a photo of her version of my "Tripping' thru the Flowers"----the one I use as a banner photo. 

Made by Nancy and shared at Stitchin'  Therapy

  Nancy said she has just recently retired and got going on this.  Didn't it turn out great?  I love her border fabric and how it just pulls the blues out of the center.  Just fabulous and exciting design.  I like her very clever borders too.  Thanks, Nancy, for sharing your finish with us.  

  

   My post with details for Trippin' thru the Flowers is here.    Links to the original source, Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville, and some details about my version.  

   It's a rainy day here, so no photos from my finish yet.  I plan on making a label today at least.  Yet viewing Nancy's quilt inspires me to play a bit with floral fabrics......wonder what trouble I can get into?

Happy stitching.  

Cactus and woodworking

    Time to decorate I know.  Just a few items came out this year and we are using the simple small pre-lit trees.  Sir Old Man hung the door decorations. 

  I spotted this lovely red blooming cactus at the store this week.   I have several cactus---purplish pink, and peachy tone one.  But loved the red for a change, even if the red fades as the blooms age, it looks like holiday to me.




 

  Sir Old Man has been working on serving trays for gifts and this is the first one finished.  He has been experimenting and arranging wood strips for several weeks.  I think this one is walnut, maple and cherry.






 


    Different combinations give a different look.  He tries to make me pick a favorite and I can't.   They are each special and unique to the wood combination.
  The photos don't show how satiny smooth they are.  He hand rubs the finish in.  No stain is used after he fumes the wood to give it a mellow patina. 


 


   
   I was feeling much better after the weather cleared and spent a bit of time in the sewing room..  I added a few more blocks to the Scrappy Trips on the wall.  I love how you can not predict the result, you just never know what the outcome will be like.  And yet, it always seems to work.  Those crazy fabric combinations  can highlight and hide the ugliest of fabrics. 

  I spent some time cutting parts for more of the Chandelier chain blocks.   And woke this morning with pain...severe tendinitis pain in my wrist and thumb.  Guess that is a no-no......and combine it with the bad weather ---could be rain, or sleet, or snow----heading our way, I may be out of business for a few days.   I already feel it in my shoulder and feet. 
  I have cookies to make for the holidays.    And fruit cake bars were/are  in the plans for the weekend.  Maybe I can sew up the parts I already cut, and then teach Sir Old Man how to safely use the rotary cutter if I need extra. 
Happy stitching.

Another inspiration photo

  I love getting emails from like-minded quilters -----who love floral fabrics.

Cynthia sent a photo of her recently completed water color quilt.  Look familiar?

 Scrappy Trips is done in floral fabrics.  The pattern is available at Quiltville under the free tab with a full tutorial on the block.   Cynthia was careful to keep a very light and a very dark fabric next to each other when laying out the strips for piecing.  That is how she achieved the distinct design.

  I have explained this before, but once more for new readers.  This pattern is made in blocks that look like a large Trip Around the World.  The block is strip pieced and made up of 6 different fabrics.  When you look at the quilt, the distinct "block" you think is the pattern is really made of 4 blocks.  Here is the link to my post   that explains it in more detail. 

  I asked Cynthia is she had a large floral fabric stash or had she been on a big buying spree.  She acquired the floral fabrics from searching----wait for it--- thrift shops!  She used  curtains and sheets she found there.  What a super way to create a stash for this project!    And she did a really great job on the quilt.  She says this is the first of many more watercolor projects to come.  

  I am delighted to share these photos from others.  It  inspires me to keep at it.  And I hope it inspires and motivates you to jump in and try a project you love.  

Thanks for a great start to a very warm week.

Happy stitching.  

Blog banner quilt is Scrappy Trips

    I have been quieter the last few weeks, slower too.  I had debated on resting a longer while from blog posting and not really starting anything new.   I wasn't going to close my blog, but I did feel I had repeated myself so much that I was boring.

Insight:   Things occur and happen to direct you along the road 

you are suppose to take.  There are signs we can chose to ignore, 

but with advanced age I have learned to be more 

receptive to directions.  At least sometimes. 

   All of this to say......this has been a week for emails and questions....not just requests for patterns.  Questions are a good thing.  Questions ask for help, provide direction, point up details I have forgotten, and they let me know what readers/followers want to know.   So after 3 questions about the quilt shown in the blog banner, I think I needed to provide details.  A hunt thru past posts revealed a big lack of details.  I have no idea what happened about that.

   Trippin'  Thru the Flowers is from 2014.  I began working on this as a Let's Book It project in April/May 2014.  The pattern is from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.    She calls it Scrappy Trips.   It is a Trip Around the World variation.....many small trips in fact.  My version is based on value rather than one color.   So.....chains of value radiate around the center square creating diamond bands of value.   Doesn't that sound rich?

  Value......not color.  Value is the lightness or darkness of the fabric.   And the secret to a quilt with the changes in value like this is variety.  You can't have enough floral prints to chose from :)   

 Three things I use to work with value in a water color (or a scrap quilt) are

•  a value viewer (ruby beholder), 
• a design wall, 
• and a camera.   

Learn to sort your fabrics into correct value groups.   I use a ruby beholder viewer.  Additional tip....... Visit Exuberant Color for some good lessons... variety of value  ,  a lesson on value .  I learned great lessons from Wanda's blog, and there is no reason to create my version when she is a master at this.  

Design wall.....big, small, permanent or portable, it is so important.  I can stand back from a design layout about 8-10 feet and see how the values are working together.  In this design I wanted to  see distinct lines of dark and light.  I needed areas of medium value fabrics to blend to the dark and to the light fabrics.  

A camera....if all else fails, take a photo.  Look at it on the computer and amazingly, I can see where problems lie that need to be fixed.  Added tip....turn the photo into a black and white version and you will see instant photo based on value!

Back to the quilt............  

This is how the Scrappy Trips is put together.  4 blocks come together to make up the small trip around the world unit that you see.   If you read thru Bonnie's pattern, you will know that it takes 6 strips for each block unit.    So I had to make several variations for the variety in the full quilt.

   I laid out the strips according to value from dark to light before sewing them together.  It was important to be sure the dark and light fabrics were distinct and not too "mushy".   The lowest block on the left is just a little bit too mushy.  Compare it to the upper corner block that is diagonal to it.  Much stronger light in the center creates the radiating diamond.     So yes, I did have to do some planning--not too much--- to be sure I had light center units forming as well as dark center units.  

 And now a little further along.

   I got better as I went along....selecting fabrics to put together to blend and to have contrast.  

  In the pattern instructions, after you make sub-cuts you unpick a seam to join the rows.  The strongest dark or lightest light fabric was needed to run thru the center to get the pattern.  

   So many Scrappy Trips became Trippin' Thru the Flowers.   And  then became my blog banner.......as it speaks dearly of the floral fabrics I love.   The blended values  remind me of shadows  in the garden in the evenings.  Movement can be strong and still gentle and that is what this quilt says to me.  

Happy stitching.

Bargello questions

    Emails and questions about the bargello quilts I have done came in over the weekend.  Everyone asked for the pattern.....I can only give you the book for the technique, you must plan for yourself.
    I refer to them as bargello, but truthfully my projects are more of a "bargello-style".   The most recent one, Lavender Scents, is done  in the matched bargello technique, but the previous ones employed the technique Eleanor Burns teaches in Quilt Trip Quilts.    Find the book on her site, or Amazon, or if you are lucky in a used book shop.  I did!



    Her technique uses a dropped square so that you do not match every seam.  I have done several Trip Around the World quilts this way.    You still end up with the staggered effect of a traditional TAW quilt.


 And like the commercials say...."But wait there is more."
 

Toward the back of the book  in the gallery of quilts are luscious  quarter trip quilts.  They inspired me to experiment with blending some fabrics for a waterfall background.
  Evening Serenade is from 2010, and is the same technique, only it is  a quarter of a TAW.  This is Eleanor's quick trip!  This was so successful I went on to make a few and even one for a wedding gift.

 So here's a collage of bargello and bargello-style quilts.

  Top, left is the wedding gift quilt....quick quarter trip.
  Top, right.....Catching the Light from 2015, florals, quick quarter trip.
  Bottom, left.....Lavender Scents.....matched bargello in florals.
  Bottom center.....Just Go with the Flow....blended, quick quarter trip.
  Bottom, right.....Shenandoah Colors.....from 2009, king size, quick quarter trip.

  It's fun to look back and compare similar quilts and styles.
What have I learned -----

•  My natural inclination is from left to right :)
• Deciding on the color way is the first step, and the hardest.  
• Be sure to make a color card chart like the book says!
• The narrowest sub-cuts I like are 1 1/4''.  The narrower the strips are cut, the faster the pattern drops when sewn back together.
• My favorite border is the mix leftovers on Go with the Flow.
•  I love the  technique of Eleanor Burns.....faster and less matching, and less chance for me to make a big mess.   

    After the dental adventure last week, I now seem to have developed an infection with swollen face, sore teeth, etc.  Sir Old man tracked our dentist down---he was at Comi-Con---and got antibiotic ordered in.  Hopefully, that will work and clear me up by the end of the week.   Dr. Scott called at 8 am this morning to check on me....I have to give him daily reports this week.  Such is my life :)

Happy stitching.

September is a wrap

   September felt very busy, but looking back I did not have finishes.   We were gone for the first couple of weeks, so......progress counts, doesn't it?

Two scrap projects underway are still in progress.    The scrappy project for Let's Book it from August has grown and looks so much better because of the extra variety of fabrics.  I assembled the completed blocks into 4 patches, using 2 dark paired with 2 light or medium blocks.   That will keep the values scattered and running on the diagonal line.  I probably need about 24 more blocks before putting this one together.

  A stack of 62 blocks for the Carolina Chain.  These are only 6" blocks, so I will need to keep on adding scraps to get the 120 blocks I think that I need.


     




  The small watercolor is off the wall, fused and under the needle.  I have had a very hard time locating gridded interfacing locally.....and on line the price has jumped dramatically.  So who needs those lines, anyway.  I purchased regular interfacing---lightweight---and drew a couple of reference lines on it myself.  Then just fused away.





 The blended Many Trips is pinned and ready to quilt....progress at least.   This will be my main focus for October....get this one finished as I want to use it in the trunk show in November.  And then there are all the quilts to pull out and get ready for that program.....and a class to teach.  So light plans, will give me time to breathe, relax, and plan.   Happy stitching.    
               

Bound and determined!

   Bound for a Habitat for Humanity home.......made by a guild member from donated fabrics.  I only did the quilting and binding.  At guild, Susan said they gave 11 quilts in one weekend this month to new home owners.  That means their quilt stash is low.











    Bound for the guild's Auction..... I finished up another cascading watercolor wall hanging  that will be donated for the auction booth at the guild Quilt Show in October. I really like the banner size.  This one is 12" by 36".   I used a swirl quilting instead of the usual meander which I tend to do on these.  Just for a little variety.



   So two are cleared out....and one added.  Susanne said she had a little something for me at guild meeting Monday night.  Her something little was a Quilt of Valor that needs to be quilted.  So since I have nothing else on my plate---ha!----I brought it home.  I will consider it an honor to quilt it so a service man/woman can be "covered".   It is a striking one, and I will be featuring it when quilted.  And I am bumping it to the head of my list....my two can wait a few more days.











  That leaves the design wall project.   I sorted a lot of strips into sets to be sewn....about 20 stacks of those.  Eventually they will be added to these.   My photo just does not capture the glow that is developing here.  The arrangement will change as I progress, as I keep twisting and turning the blocks.  But I am loving it so far.

    I am working on the database/listing of quilts I have here that I will narrow down for the trunk show.  I keep finding ones I over looked/rolled up/stored away/absolutely forgot about!  I realize there is no way to show them in chronological order.  I would be jumping from one focus or influence  to another.  So I think I will figure out 3 main influences to focus on and find quilts to show how I grew in these areas.   Just putting this idea into words helps.....thanks for putting up with that.     So far, I think my break is working.
Happy stitching.  

Let's Book it in June

  End of June and I just got the May project put together.   I added a single strip of floral fabrics to finish it off.....but I am thinking I need one more round before I get it quilted.












 Here is the post where I started this Book It project.  Quite a change from where the idea began!













  I made a start on June's project......it is from my "someday file", just a page torn from a magazine of a few blocks.   So no directions, or pattern available, and that is why it has never made it to the worktable. The caption called it "Many trips", but no other details.    I decided to try a few blocks using the Scrappy Trips  from Bonnie Hunter technique and see what happened   I started with several stratas of floral fabrics arranged dark to light.  These are then sewn into a tube and sub-cut again.  Bonnie has a great tutorial on the technique, so see her tute for details.


 



   Here are seven blocks that I completed so far.  Yes, I know it looks like a watercolor.....what else would you expect?   I am a broken record.
 
   Since I did not get very far this month, expect to see this one again for July.   What's in your "someday file"?

 Linking to Vroomans Quilts for Let's Book It.


  

Value and design Part 2

    Value and design go hand in hand for me.  I think that the Trip around the World design is one that lets you use both to get fabulous looks.  My quilt, the World is a Garden, is probably my all time favorite using only floral fabrics.
  I used the Eleanor Burns method for this, and about 14 or 15 different floral fabrics.  Actually, one of the strata has 2 different fabrics used, as I did not have enough of just one.  I just found a very closely matching print and mixed it in.








   Anyway, my point here is to show the value change from very dark---black background does it---to light.
   As the background value changes, the overall value of the fabric changes, too.  That is why I look for fabrics with black or dark green background, tan/ beige, and cream/ white backgrounds.  It makes the transition from one fabric to the next easier.
   Note, too, the different scale of the prints.  Some are large with little background showing, while others are smaller with background that does show.  You need both for good transition.

   Evening Serenade was done with batiks and tonal fabrics using the same method to create a bargello look.   This time I really concentrated on the value since I did not have a lot of print in the fabric to do the work for me.  This little wall hanging lead me to try several bargello designs recently.









    And finally, Sir Old Man's retirement quilt.  The blending was much harder with this one, as he picked out the fabrics!  But we got that central "glow" that he wanted by concentrating the lights, then the accent color, and blending the tans and browns.
   Note here:   I laid out the fabrics in a run, and took photo.  Then I viewed it on the computer and turned the photo to black and white to have a better look at the value.  Just don't ask how many times I did that!

   And that's the archives trip........as recently I have tried bargellos, coins, and quarter log cabins using floral fabrics and value.

  Insight:   Good design principles work, you just need to use them!



On the up side......the back is better.   Happy stitching.

Progress for September

   The house is quiet now....company is gone and the laundry is caught up. This week has flown by, yet even so I managed to get a bit done on my September list.
  The Scrappy Trip Around the World is ready to put together...yea!  I will web the rows together and add a simple border to this one.
  What I learned on this one......Follow the plan on pressing the seams.  Bonnie's hints on this make it so easy to get things to match up.








    Between loads of laundry I was cutting up fabric.  Now the cutting is done for the first Faux Braid --my NewFO--using floral fabrics from the stash.   I can't wait to see what they look like.  So some stitching is planned for them over the weekend.  For the instructions to this....click here  for Tutorial at VroomansQuilts. 

  And lastly, I put together a quick doll quilt....or two!   I had a pile of floral units pieced and put them together in a zig-zag pattern.   This is the one for Sydney, the twins sister.

  And more doll quilts arrived in the mail.  I am heading outside to take some photos and post them tomorrow.
Happy stitching.

End of August and NewFO

   Time to bring all the August projects together and see where I ended up.  I am cutting this month a day short because of family coming in for the weekend.   Holiday weekend, too.....and the last hurrah for Summer.
   The partial section of watercolor that was a UFO became Renewed.  Turned on end, added to, some thread painting and done.  I am enjoying this daily now, as it is in the sewing room.











   Twin Chevrons----for Maria's twin boys---are pieced and quilted.  Some how I knew I needed these to be done sooner than later....and sure enough, the twins arrived early.   The boys are thriving and still in NICU .  Maria is home and recovering.  We dropped a meal off to them yesterday and while I visited with Maria, Sir Old Man made friends with Sydney, her young daughter.   When we left, Sir Old Man had an insightful idea......give a doll quilt to Sydney so she doesn't feel left out when the chevron quilts are given.     Absolutely brilliant idea......add a NewFO for September.

 An unexpected project...NewFO, begun and completed in August.
This is for my older nephew's birthday tomorrow, as a memento/reminder of his trip to Alaska this summer.
  I detailed this process here.

   The scrappy TAW, a  NewFO started a couple of months ago,  is large enough now for the design wall.  I am still sewing strips and making strata to cut apart in between other stuff.  So this one could just go on and on.  But I will stop when it is large enough for a large lap quilt.  This is going to be for Habitat for Humanity  project at guild.

   As for the other project that was on my list for August.....mainly the Buzz Saw quilt.  The borders are on.  It is pressed.  Now to tackle the pinning to ready it for quilting.  I have that planned, so it is just the pinning to do....when Sir Old Man is able to help!


Plans  for September:

Photo snitched from Vroomans Quilts!

•   Quilt the Buzz Saw.  I know everyone is tired of hearing about it!
•   Make a doll quilt for Sydney....a small NewFO.
•   Continue with the Scrappy Trip around the World.
•   Start a NewFO.....see photo I snitched from Sharon at Vroomans Quilts.  She created this using a jelly roll and getting the look of a faux braid.  I love the diagonal design, and the easy assembly of the quarter log cabin block.    I have a few ideas for this that I will share soon.  

Linking to Cat Patches for   NewFO.
Enjoy the holiday weekend......I will hold the doll quilts to share for another day or two.  Happy stitching.

No vacuum here

     Nature abhors a vacuum and I do too......even the kind you push and pull around.   Since the design wall was empty, I  pulled out the on going Scrappy Trip Around the World.   I was curious as to how this one would look..... given the wild variety of fabrics.  Yesterday I had 9 blocks completed.  And right, it looks like a huge mess.
   Last night while getting caught up on a few episodes of Project Runway, I put together a few more blocks and sewed together a lot more stratas to cut apart.

    Project Runway......sometimes I love it and sometimes it's a disaster.  This season is more personalities and disasters.  I see only 2 stand outs in the whole lot of them....Dom is right on the mark, I think.
    So why do I watch?  I know I will be shot for expressing this........but for years all I heard from my daughter was fashion design.  We struggled to get her into the right school,  lived through the ups and downs,  and watched her fulfill her dream.  With every challenge on the show, I remember her calls about the current assignment......and the un-conventional sources, her design vision,  and things she had to do.
     There was one dress she did that had to feature "closures"----like zippers, hooks, and such.  She created a futuristic dress of red pleather with a 50 inch +  double ended zipper on the diagonal  (quite a feat and quite revealing  when both ends were unzipped :)    The sleeves attached with D-rings.  It was a success and featured in articles for a fashion show event in Philly.  
  So I watch for the memories it brings, and because it gives me a good time to stitch.  And that brings me back to last night.


   Three more blocks completed and a little re-arranging and this one is taking shape.  Even with all the strange, crazy color and fabric combos, it is working!  I kind of like the off-set trip....but don't hold me to it until it is done.
  Each block is 6 fabrics of 2 1/2" strips, so the blocks will finish at 12".   20 blocks will make a nice lap size, but 30 would be a good size one.  I  will just keep going to see where it ends up, or when I get tired of it.  
You can find the directions at Quiltville......thanks to Bonnie Hunter.

   Happy stitching.

NewFO in July

  Whew!  For some reason July has seemed like a long month to me....all the rainy days, and I think I'm ready to start a new month!  I can't believe I am saying that, since August is the really hot one, but that only means cooler weather will be here soon.

 July NewFO:     I started the string pieced geese last month.  Sorry to say I lost interest in them.    I turned part of them into 2 place mats.  Maybe the remaining ones will end up in something.  But these 2 are fine by me and just need to get quilted and finished.    Remember it is okay to give yourself permission to change your mind, alter the plans, and do something different.  Otherwise, give it away!  

  So the Scrappy Trip Around the World became my for real New FO for July.  The pattern is from Bonnie Hunter.  Five blocks done  and a few more strip sets sewn.  I am working on these at night as I feel like it.   I was really surprised how quickly they go together.  So far I have just thrown things in with no thought as to placement....except for the dark value running on the diagonal.  For right now anything goes.  Later I may play around with the value placement and see what happens.  










Confession Time:
   When I was re-arranging the sewing room for the new machine and cutting table, I uncovered a real UFO.  A forgotten project that was started last year sometime before I broke my shoulder.  I don't even remember exactly what I had in mind with it, as it was only a partial piece....a watercolor project.    I plan on adding to this one and coming up with a finished piece.


   So that means NewFOs are on the horizon for August.
I have a plan for that.....2 baby quilts and bibs made from the leftovers!    Maria is expecting twins in early October and finally let us know it is boys on the way.  I decided on a modern style chevron / zig zag pattern.  I got the large blocks cut and ready to pair and stitch.  Then this morning I saw the cutest bibs---scrappy bibs---on Pinterest.  So I tracked down a pattern to use.  I don't plan on using batting in the bibs, just a bit of top stitching to hold all in place.  

      Plans for August:

•   Finish the 2 place mats.....those stringy geese.
•   Add to the watercolor and get a vision for it.
•   Get the baby quilts pieced and make 2 bibs.  An almost finish would be good here!
•   Continue making Scrappy TAW blocks.
• Buzz Saw quilt.....get those borders on!

Linking to Cat Patches for the July NewFO linky.    By the way,  Mrs. CatPatches put out a strong hint about something special coming up on Friday.....it's about covering outbuildings.  I am fairly certain I know what it is, I am very interested, and thought about not even mentioning/sharing/letting anyone else know.........but here I go opening up my mouth.  Be sure to check it out.
  Happy stitching.

Insights

When my mind is cluttered,  I catch myself talking out loud.  Not to anyone....just to verbalize what I am trying to figure out.     It drives Sir Old Man crazy and he tries to answer or participate in the conversation.  So this post is to de-clutter my head.......it is really blocking my creative instinct.

   String geese.....some things work and some things don't.  I  added the background to a few those I had made.  Once I got them onto the design wall, I realized I did not want to make a large quilt this way.  I like them....but all those different sizes mean a lot of fussy piecing to make them fit together.   It is not something I want to spend time doing.   I have been looking at them for a couple of days.... I think I will play around with what I have completed, and maybe do a runner and some place mats, or just a small quilt.  .
   Insight:  Admit it when you don't like a project.   Don't let it  be a UFO.  Turn it into something small and useful.

 
  I needed to feel like I was making headway on projects, so I turned to some quilting.    Nothing like hands on fabric and going fast to make you feel better.  I  used the "Jester Hat" quilting motif from Wendy at Ivory Spring on the string quilt that was ready to go.    She taught this during our 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge....and I finally got the hang of doing it all over, edge to edge style.
   Insight:  See practice is good!




Maybe  a NewFO.......I still have a lot of strips....but then who doesn't?  What I need  to start is  an on-going/ kitchen sink/waste nothing project.  A project I am not compelled to finish in a season, but that can grow a lot or a little and still be something.  The best place to look for an idea was at Quiltville.

   My choice is the Scrappy Trip Around the World.  From my 2 1/2" bin, I pulled  strips that were long enough  for 6 blocks.   I will tackle the unsorted box for more long  strips later.  These blocks are 12 1/2"....so a couple of dozen could make a small lap quilt.

Insight:  Don't be compelled to finish this in a month.  Let it grow.  




   OK, now that I got all this out,  I feel so much better.   I think I am ready to move on and find that creative mojo.
 Happy stitching.  

Let's take a trip

Welcome to the Bloggers' Quilt Festival.   Finally, after blogger being down. 
 Hope you are enjoying all the quilts.

Take a trip with me....A Trip Around the World, maybe. 
  I like easy, easy ,easy.  Trip around the World, and variations of it,  fits the bill.   I used Eleanor Burns' pattern and fell in love with how easy this one is. 
   First up is The Road Warrior, my husband's retirement quilt.  After 35 years and a million miles, he should have been round the world at least once, so this pattern seemed perfect to make.    I used  just a few  flying geese in the corners to finish it off.

   I like his so well, I had to make one for me.  The World is a Garden done in florals, of course, and lots of quilting, too.  I made a few adaptations  to the pattern to get a blended watercolor effect.  I cut the strips narrower and used twice as many fabrics for this one.  I never tire of looking at this one.  There is just too much to see.

  Evening Serenade is a wall hanging.  The background was a practice piece using the quick quarter trip pattern from the same book. I wanted to try the technique to see if I liked it before tackling a full size quilt.  Just recently,  I "uncovered" this  in the closet  and turned it into a wall hanging with thread painted dragonfly and a frog. 





Can you stand one more?

   Shenandoah Colors is the quick quarter trip too.  It is so big, I wasn't able to get a full size photo.    I used about 22 fat quarters plus the border fabric for this---each color way for some of the sights and things we did while on vacation in the Shenandoah Valley.  The vineyards, the caverns, garden tour, and dayliliy farm, and the beautiful mountain views come to mind when I sleep under this one. 
   Same pattern and technique, and  four  different quilts and overall effect.  I like that.  Just viewing them again makes me want to put together another one. 
Anyone want to take a trip?

  Enjoy the festival, thanks for stopping by, and come back when you can visit longer.
Happy stitching,