After reading the column, right off the bolt,  by Alison Dea Bolt in the February/March 2009 issue of Quilter’s Newsletter, I think that it must be also be a “special form of patriotism” to  visit all the local quilt stores whenever we travel.  It not only provides us with more ideas and fabric that we can use in a lifetime.  It also serves as a “stimulus package” that might just lead us out of today’s economic woes.

I believe that as long as I have UFO’s, I will never die.   As of this date, I should have a lifespan of at least another 40 or 50 years.

So consider it your patriotic duty to visit as many quilt shops as you can while vacationing this year.  I certainly plan on doing my part!  On this trip I have visited Tomorrow’s Treasures Quilt Shop in Homosassa, FL and Sew Studio in Naples, FL.  Both were stores that I will definitely revisit when we come back here next year.

I’m sure our husbands will understand.

Lucia, Quilting from the Road!

We were able to spend one last day on the beach.  It was in the 70′s for most of today, but very windy.

I still was able to work on the reversible wool bell pull as we sat on the beach  completing the button-hole applique one of the cardinals and starting the second.

Tip (passed along to me by a friend):

In order to separate embroidery floss or pearl cotton, pull one strand at a time from the hank. The thread will separate easily and will not tangle. This certainly saves a lot of frustration!

We were also treated to a beautiful sunset while overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

Lucia, Quilting on the Road!

We’ve been spending some time kayaking since we’ve been here at Homosassa, FL.  Here the kayaking is more to my liking – open water where you can glide on the water endlessly.

We kayaked on the Crystal River today.  When we first set out, the mist was dancing on the water.  By the time we left the sun had come out.

Tom saw quite a few Manatees yesterday, but they were hiding when we went out this morning.  These creatures are as gentle as dolphins  – just not as pleasing to look at.  They come right up to the kayak and swim along with you.  One of the attractions here is to swim with them. Gentle as they are, I still prefer being in the kayak.

Normally Tom is on the water before sunrise to take pictures, but he went out a little later this morning and I went with him.  What a beautiful paddle!

Hopefully we’ll get on the water again before we leave.

We came upon a great quilt store this afternoon.  Tomorrow’s Treasures Quilt Shop has a large, well lit classroom and some beautiful quilts on display.  If we come back to Crystal River next year, I plan on signing up for at least one class.  I did find a couple of patterns that I couldn’t resist, but no alligator fabric!  So, I’ll have to keep looking!

Lucia, Quilting from the Road!

It’s hard to believe, but we only have a few more days left to enjoy the Florida sunshine.  We’ll be starting the return trip to New York on Friday, but will ease back into “our real world” gradually.

We leave Homossasa, FL on Friday morning and drive to Savannah, GA for a 2 day, 3 night stay.  We stopped in Savannah on the way from Syracuse, NY to Old Cypress, FL and enjoyed a guided tram tour of Savannah’s 21 historic squares.  This coming weekend we plan on taking a self guided walking tour to visit some of these sites “up close and personal”.

Monday we will be heading to Pittsboro NC for a 2-day visit with our son and his family.  The grandkids are planning on serving us a dinner complete with the pomp and circumstance of fine restaurant dinning.  Can’t wait!

Then back to Syracuse, where we are looking forward to enjoying what remains of winter.  Our hope is that any remaining snow storms will wait until we have the RV safely parked in our driveway.

On the trip back to snow country, I should have plenty of time to finish the Fall/Winter Reversible Bell Pull from The Stash Store. (Jan 28 post)  The Winter side is about 75% complete.  I appliquéd the wool pieces with the buttonhole stitch using the technique described in the directions that came with the kit:

The needle is inserted at the outside of the appliqué piece and comes up at a point parallel and even to the previous stitch.  The result:  the stitch length is easier to control and is uniform.

Lucia, Quilting on the Road!

I had a full day to spend on quilting yesterday. Since it was a warm and sunny Florida day, I set up my sewing machine outside the camper. While my husband was kayaking and taking pictures on the Turner River, I completed two quilt tops.

The  Autumn Pennies table topper last week was completed last week.(January 28 post).  From Kim Diehl’s book Simple Seasons, the pattern suggested black fabric for the borders.  Instead I chose a rust and gold leaf print on a black background.   I think that the print accentuates Fall even more.  (My favorite season!

Since we’ve been camping in Big Cypress , I’ve added Churn and Dash borders to the 12 monthly and center embroidered blocks of the Seasons sampler (February 1 post) . After auditioning two different border fabrics on my portable design wall, I chose the fabric on the right and added borders and embroidered corner squares. Now I’m not sure how to quilt it. Any ideas?

What a great day!

Lucia, Quilting from the Road!