Back from Vacation and Back to the Sewing Room

Getting up this morning after vacation was rough, but the very first thing I did when I walked in the door last night was head straight to the sewing room. My dachshund quilt is on a deadline, and truthfully, I just couldn’t wait any longer to dive back in.

I had planned to prep some English Paper Piecing to take along on the trip, but time slipped away and it never happened. Instead, I packed books—finished four, almost five—and had a wonderful time reading. Still, nearly a week away from sewing was harder than I thought it would be.

What's funny is I found quilting inspiration everywhere!! Here are some random things we saw that made me want to put the memory to fabric:

I love this piece from The Museum of Illusions, and when I googled it, there are  already many quilts based on the illusion!

We've seen this in quilting before, but here is was pictures. I think it would be fun to take a personal pic and work up a mini-quilt using this technique.

Windows on the sidewalk above underground Seattle with colored glass- am I crazy that I immediately saw a circles quilt?

I've never done landscape quilts, but this sunset might be an easy start!

In the middle of a street on Capital Hill this....thingy was just installed on the sidewalk. I love illusion/perspective quilts and these colors really made me smile!

So now we all know my secret-- every vaca view is a quilty view.....

At one point, while we were sightseeing, Kimball mentioned he couldn’t stop thinking about his book, and I laughed because I completely understood. It reminded me of when I first started knitting years ago. I used to bring my project bag on the train to work, and some days I’d sit at my desk, glance at that drawer, and think, “I’d so much rather be knitting.” That same feeling followed me on this trip: we had a great time, but I kept thinking, “I’d so much rather be sewing.”

Now that I’m home, I’m working my way through projects by focusing on one at a time—and

it’s making a difference. Since my last update, I finished a baby quilt, bound another, and completed all the blocks for my Sandy Stitcher’s swap. It may not look like much compared to my overflowing stash and pile of WIPs, but it feels good to see steady progress.

The only catch? I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished baby blanket before gifting it. All I have is a snapshot of it tied up with ribbon! Next time I’ll remember to pause for photos before the handoff.

It feels wonderful to be back home, back at the machine, and back in the flow of sewing. Vacations are great, but it doesn't quite compare to fabric under the needle.

I'm so excited to see what everyone else is working on at our meetup next week! Now that we've finished a mini swap, I'm thinking we should do a Secret Santa swap. I know everyone is busy for the holidays and we are a pretty small group, so I thought maybe a handmade/quilted/sewn ornament? What does everyone think?