Monticello Hexies Bag

 Created for Project Quilting 12.3 Virtual Vacation challenge.

Virtual Vacation was an interesting challenge for me this week.  First of all I was off for a three day road trip to pick up jars for Lapacek's Orchard. We can lots of applesauce, apple pie filling, apple butter and jams and jellies at the end of every season. We were out of jars, so we made a trip to the manufacturer in Arkansas to pick up more. Not the most exciting road trip ever, but better than any other road trip I've been on lately.  I have been making some hexies for a future hexagon quilt and packed them up to work on while in the truck. Great idea! Problem is I forgot to put glue sticks in, so I didn't get alot done. Oh, well. 

Anyway, I decided I could use a better bag to keep my hexie project in while on the road. A bag was quick and easy, so it fit into the rest of my week, which should have included a day babysitting for my littlest grandbabies, but Frank had to spend 5 hours clearing the driveway this morning so we could get out. No grandbabies for me today.

My daughter heard about this challenge and she told me I should use Monticello for my virtual vacation theme.  She lived in Virginia for 10 years and we took road trips to see her 3 times a year. Coming and going we passed close to Monticello and I said it was something I thought would be interesting.  I'm a gardener and we have a family orchard, so I thought it would be my kind of thing.

There is a standing joke in my family that Frank's idea of sightseeing is to drive past. So, we were near Monticello a few years ago and Frank said we could check it out. We pulled into the parking lot and there was half an hour to closing.  Obviously, this would not be worthwhile. But Frank now says we were there. (No wonder I've stuck with this guy for 44 years!)

I found some scraps of upholstery fabric I had dyed for a previous project and made a bag. My hexie supplies fit in it perfectly and I made sure to put in a few glue sticks. It's ready to go when we head for Monticello. Or maybe I'll work on those hexies when we go to watch the granddaughters play basketball or to babysit the little grandbabies or even just to the store. I believe this will be a long term project.

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, Wi.

  

On the Road Again

On the Road Again was created for the Project Quilting Season 7 I Need a Vacation Challenge.

Last week my husband, Frank, needed a getaway, so we called some friends and took off for Paducah for a few days. The National Quilt Museum, Hancocks of Paducah, the Moonshine Company, Paducah Beer Werks, Boos butcher block and cutting board outlet in Effingham, IL. Four fabulous days.

My goal was to complete my Sun Prairie Heritage Quilt show challenge before we left, but I didn't quite get there. I came home on Sunday afternoon (in the snow) and knew it needed to be ready for the hand work by Tuesday when I was helping at the polls. Success. Finished.

Now, time to figure out what to do for the I Need a Vacation challenge.  Yes, I think up these challenges for Kim, but that doesn't mean I have an idea in mind. Sometimes, but not usually.  This time I did not.

Our daughter lived out of state for the last 10 years and Frank and I would drive out to see her, usually 3 times a year. I have taken multiple pictures of him driving with the scenery in the background and looked and looked for them on my computer. No luck. I pieced mountains and continued to look. Still no luck. Finally, I told him I needed a favor. I wanted to take his picture in the truck. What a great guy! He said yes!

So we sat in the truck in the garage and I took his picture.  I played with the size a little and printed it out. I cut out his profile and added the shape of the window.  Done.

So this quilt is a memory of all the road trips we made to Virginia. Our daughter recently moved back to Wisconsin (YEAH!!!), so our trips will be going in other directions going forward.

Created by Diane Lapacek near Poynette, WI
15" x 20"