The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny packs for a car trip

On a whim, Hubby and I Googled a rental we had stayed in 9 years ago. We had such a lovely time. Could it possibly be available sometime in July? We were shocked to find an opening for this great home, on the banks of the Deschutes River near historic Drake Park in Downtown Bend, OR. Score! Bend is near great hiking, biking, fishing and other water sports. It has excellent craft beers and dining. Downtown Bend has lots of art and fun places to poke around and shop. Oh, and there are THREE quilt shops! What’s not to like?

River view from the back patio.

In a way, it’s kind of silly. We live in a nice home, Hubby golfs and I sew. So, we are going to drive 450 miles, to stay in another nice home. Art will golf and I will sew. Well, we will actually do a lot more than that, but it is kind of funny to think about. I hope to do some hiking and biking, not much of a shopper. But I will hit all the quilt shops! I don’t know if I will make it to Sisters, just up the road. We will be gone before the quilt show in Sisters:-( I’ve never been, but that’s okay, I can catch it another time.

The fam at this same house, 2010.

I am not picky about my vacations. I just want to go somewhere. If Hubby is happy, I am happy. I could enjoy an urban vacation, say NYC, abroad, or a more nature-oriented vacation. The main thing I want is lots of activity and fun things to do. That does include sewing by the way.

So, packing for this vacation got fairly amusing. I plan to sew a bit as well as do outdoor things, so I am prepared for both. I think I may have overdone it on the sewing prep:

Are 7 feet enough? You never have too many…

I’m bringing 3 projects. This is all I need (hopefully!) to work on this vest. I haven’t sewn a garment in a coon’s age and I am really craving it. I have wanted to make this vest for a long time. It’s not complex at all and fit should not be an issue. I’ve got some light-weight navy denim which will be perfect.

And two more projects! I am going to make a set of placemats from Kraft-Tex and I also am bringing my trapunto quilt. It will never be done.

Every one of these is a necessity. How could I live without them?

There is one problem in my plan – I don’t have a lot of this thread, my new fav. I am using it in my bobbin for my trapunto quilt as well as on some of my other projects. I won’t be able to go forward on my trapunto quilt without it. Oh the tragedy.

And none of this is light-weight or compact. I’m taking my BERNINA 765 and my Sew Ezi table. I actually need to get the Grande Sew Ezi to fit this machine. I’ll make do with the regular-sized version.

I did have to think about what to wear. Look what happened when I laid my dresses out:

Isn’t that a hoot? Do ya think I like stripes? And navy and white? I did take one of those out and replaced it with a skirt and top combo…navy skirt, white top. I wear dresses almost exclusively in the summer – they are cool and don’t bind at the waist. What’s not to love?

Can you relate to this? Am I the only one who thinks it is perfectly sane to spend time and money on a vacation and take along my machine? Do tell. I’ll link up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday.

 

 

Comments

  4. I love your I inspiration!
    I just finished picking out a very detailed machine quilted section. Any insight into quilting areas with bias? I may never be a national quilt show winner but I would really like a blue ribbon for this in my county fair.

    • Oh Mj, sorry we have this in common. I will stick a few straight pins in place to control the creep. Yes, I carefully quilt over them and then remove them. A crude way to handle it, but safety pins are miserable and hand basting does not hold.

  5. hmmm 7 feet…I couldn’t actually see your FMQ foot amongst them Jenny, don’t forget it. It looks a wonderful place and you deserve to have a relaxing break, hubby too as no doubt he helps you a lot with your packing bits and lifting heavy stuff. Good man. The dresses and stripes what a laugh, I cannot wear stripes they make my eyes go lala, but I understand the feeling of wanting to be cool in the Summer. Just enjoy, Relax and come back home refreshed and raring to go.

    • Ah, the fmq foot was on the machine Janet! And yes, Hubby is a big help. I so hope I can relax. That is hard for me!

  6. Hahaha! I share your summer clothing preference for cool and comfy dresses, but no horizontal stripes for me! I am in no position to judge your packing decisions, but although I love my Sew-Ezi table, I’m pretty sure they have disclaimers on their website that the Grande version is NOT portable. Not sure whether that’s just a warning that it’s bigger/heavier or if it’s REALLY not portable, like no wheels or doesn’t fold up? Have fun on your trip!

    • Didn’t know that about the Grande. My regular size has a crack in it and I assumed I just banged it sometime but maybe because my Grande machine is not in a Grande table? I had a great trip!!