Thanksgiving Beach Adventure

We're home from our Thanksgiving week escape to Orange Beach, Alabama. I'm relaxed and happy, but already wanting to go back. The two of us been going there regularly for over 30 years. It's my favorite place to visit, especially in late fall.

Here are a few observations from our adventure:

If you wash and wax your car before vacation, it will rain before you get out of the county.

 

Walking on a sandy beach is the perfect way to begin and end each day.

Doc's Seafood advertises that they serve “the best fried shrimp in the entire civilized world” and they are still absolutely right.

 

There were more dogs on the beach, despite the no dogs on the beach rule. That chihuahua looked totally embarrassed about wearing a pink ruffled sundress.

 

Beach sunsets are amazing but seeing a red half moon sinking into the gulf is phenomenal.

Another delicious meal at DeSoto's Seafood Kitchen: Parmesan Encrusted Flounder with Tarragon Aioli, two sides, rolls, and tea was the lunch special.

 

I sure wish we had bought that little bitty $99,000 beachfront house back in 1991.

 

The best plan for the day is no plan at all, just go with the flow. Antique and thrift store shopping, exploring side roads, and reading on the balcony.

Watching and listening to the waves is a natural stress reliever.

 

I intend to stay longer next time!  I'll take the Featherweight and sew by the sea. 

See you back here next week with my latest quilt. 

Kites On The Beach

Kites On The Beach

This design is an old classic, and these beachy colors made it even more special.

The kite and triangle dies combine for an 8” version of the kaleidoscope block. I dived into my scrap bins once again to hunt for restful shades of sand, sea, and sky.

Using a straight stitch, I quilted in ecru thread on both sides of the seam lines to outline the design. Kites On The Beach finished at 48” square.

The Gulf Coast is my favorite place to escape, relax and recharge. Load up the car, it's definitely time for a road trip!

Accuquilt dies used:
55254 Kite 4” finished (kite shape)
55409 Triangle in a Square 4” finished (triangle shape)
55017 Strips 2½”

Mowing Leaves

Here's another autumn quilt that's super quick and easy to sew, inspired by nature.

I used only two contrasting fabrics on this one, a gorgeous green and rust fall leaf print with green and cream crosshatch design. Each 8” block is constructed with 2½” x 4½” rectangles.

I chain stitched them all before assembling the blocks. After sewing them all together, I added three borders using 1½”, 2½”, and 3½” strips. Final size for Mowing Leaves is 53” square.

I quilted with light green thread, using a scallop stitch in rows 2” apart. This one didn't take long at all, mainly because of the two color palette. 

You can probably guess the name came to me while we were mowing our leaves. It seems like they're staying around longer this year, as we still have them falling. I'm hoping the wind might blow some of them away but we'll be out there again this week unless we wait till they're all down.

Accuquilt dies used:
55159 Rectangles 2½” x 4½”
55017 Strips 2½”
55032 Strips 3½”
Blue Wren 6015 Strips 1½”

 

American Pie

American Pie

Curved seam lines with red, white, and blue prints give this striking quilt a patriotic vibe.

The 12” blocks make it quick and easy to cut and sew. American Pie finished at 48” square. I quilted with white thread, using a circle ruler template for the loopy design.

Striped red and blue binding finished it off perfectly. All piecing and quilting was done on my Janome MC 9450.

Dies used:
Blue Wren 6602 Curve in a Square 6” quarter block
Accuquilt 55017 Strips 2½”

Grateful for our military personnel, 

past and present