Slower Progress Due To Trip Prep....

We'll be leaving on our trip to North Carolina very early in the morning on Saturday.  We've spent this past weekend and all this week reviewing itineraries and menus, checking reservations, doing laundry, pulling out our camping stuff from storage and checking to see if we needed any additional items.  We also shopped for the food supplies that we didn't already have in the house that we want to take along.   I also had to organize the project supplies that I want to bring on the trip.  As a result much time was taken away from the quilting and cross stitching I had planned to do for this week.  

Cross Stitch

I had planned to work on the cross stitch I reported on Sunday for Stitch-tober this week but so far that hasn't happened.  So instead of one, two cross stitch projects will come along on the trip.

Considering that we have an eleven hour drive down to the campsite,  a five hour drive from there to my MIL's after we break camp and an eight hour drive back home when we leave her, that should provide plenty of time for stitching!   

APQ Scrap Happy Quilt Along

I had planned to try to work on two blocks a day to continue my progress on APQ's scrappy QAL.  So far, I've only been able to make five more total:

So I've packed up my squares and will take this along for the "quilt retreat" portion of the trip at my MIL's.  This will also be another chance for me to raid the scraps she is holding for me and augment what I already have.  

My MIL has been skittish about working really scrappy so I wonder if she'll think something like this is doable or appealing?

"All Carolinas" Quilting

I've also packed a few Shop Hop related projects.  I had purchased supplies last year to make a bag patterned in the magazine issued for the Hop.   I figured I'd try making that up on this trip.  

In this year's magazine, they included the instructions for Annie Unrein's "Piecekeeper" bag  (it's a free pattern that you can also pick up from the "By Annie" website).   I had already purchased a Fat Quarter bundle of this year's Hop prints and want to make that one up using two of those to feature in the front and back of the bag.  

I'm hoping to find two more coordinating fabrics for the bag lining and binding.  I would love it if I could find some of last year's "Cities" print (the center print on the left, preferably in red) for that.  A web search shows that Cary Quilting Company has some so I hope when my MIL and I Hop, we can get over there (BTW, do you watch their You Tube videos?).  I also need some Annie's mesh and a 24" zipper to complete that kit which I figure one of the Hop shops will have.  Hmmm, it could be that I'll wind up taking that one back down to work on next year too!

Pat Sloan's "Thankful" Wall hanging

Another reason I didn't get further with the Scrap Happy blocks was that I pushed to finish up all the blocks for this wall hanging.  I'd like to put it up for Fall decorating when I get back.

From Pat Sloan's new "Holiday Hoopla" book.

I also cut the border setting triangles and triangles to do the "flip and sew" corners on the center squares that are also in the setting triangle fabric.  

I'd like to get the center of the top sewn together today.  I want to add borders to make it a little bigger but whether that happens will depend on if I can finalize that decision before we leave.  Of course whether I get the whole thing completed and hung up before the Fall season ends will depend on if I can quilt it when I return.  My track record on that hasn't been good this year so I hope the time away will leave me refreshed and charged up to get right to it when we get back.

I will be taking my laptop with me but am not sure if I will get to post while away.  If not, at the very least there will be a full report by month's end of all the doings!