My Summer Vacation...

Having been an elementary school teacher, I am all too familiar with the routine of class starting with "What I did on my summer vacation..." I consider myself blessed (thank you University of Northern Iowa) that I was encouraged to think outside the box....way outside the box. I have always looked for the challenges and what is beyond ordinary.

It has been a few weeks since we went on vacation to a cabin with the fam. However, I JUST got around to unpacking some of my projects as the trip was followed with a trip to San Francisco with Bernina. Then when one is away from the store for such a long period of time, the mail and the responsibilities just don't go away. As I unpacked projects, I celebrated my learning on our trip.

I ventured out with a small suitcase of clothes and my largest suitcase with sewing projects. As I packed I dreaded the thought that some of this stuff would go untouched and return home and be put back in the cubbies to wait for another sewing venture. The thought of carrying that heavy suitcase upstairs and facing the guys (especially Henry) saying, "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TAKING IN THIS CASE?!"....well, it was overwhelming and I considered shipping it Fed Ex as my private stash of fabric.

When I gave up and lugged my suitcase upstairs to be loaded in the van, I was shocked to see that my girls each had two or three times as much stuff as I had packed. I felt much better as I watched them trying to stuff everything in the vehicles. A week of fishing and sewing and enjoying the beautiful weather and lots of rest and I am happy to report that I sewed on every parcel except for one in my bag and even that I made sure I did some studying and cutting before I packed it up to return home.

What I liked the best about this journey was I took mostly bundles of fat quarters. I studied them and selected a project, sew it, then I would study what was left and sew another. I worked every stack down into a little mound of scraps that I saved until the end of the week. Very little went to waste and I even had a hard time not scooping it up and layering it into Aquamesh and creating a free motion design scarf for myself. (Guess that venture will be another day!)

Now this week as I prepare for VIP....we are featuring Christmas in July....I can't wait to show what I did with this great new collection from Benartex, Winter Parade. This quilt took me only a matter of a few hours. It will be a great little throw for my godson, Kai. I used up the rest of the fabric in two other projects. I will be showing those this week as well. Hopefully some of you can join us. It is free to attend. However, we are asking that you give us a call (319-373-0334)or an email (sew@pineneedles.net) and let us know when you want to come. It is always a fun time as we get to show you what is going on in our sewing rooms and give you our tips and tricks and share the learning we are doing all the time. If you want to know more about the times, you can go to our VIP (VERY INSPIRED PEOPLE) section of our web site.

I am glad that I rarely have ordinary times...even on summer vacation!
All the Best to You, jill