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”

Stormy Beach

Batik fabrics in ocean hues combine beautifully with a muted blue-gray mini dot to make the storm at sea blocks on this quilt. I've been wanting to sew this one for a while, but I don't have the die.

Fortunately, I do have individual dies for the pieces needed. I laid out the block using EQ8 to fit those dies. Perfection! I had to make more cuts that I would have with the block on board die, but it's certainly easier than rotary cutting everything.

For quilting, I stitched with cream to gray variegated thread, using a walking foot, mirroring the motion in the design. Borders are quilted with a serpentine pattern. Binding and backing is a wide beige cobblestone print. Stormy Beach is 47” square.

These seaside colors remind me of a cloudy beach after a rain: so relaxing, peaceful, and mellow. I hung it on the wall in our great room for the summer, adding other display quilts and pillows in complementary colors. We're not traveling to the beach this year due to COVID, so I made the best of it with décor.

Accuquilt dies used:
55018 Small value die
55047 Quarter square triangle 4” finished
55031 Half square triangle 4” finished
55409 Triangle in square 4” finished
55818 Half square triangle 1½”

Everything is better 

at the beach... 

even rain. 

Full Sun

It's a perfect sunny day for a bright and cheerful quilt like Full Sun. Evidently I'm still on a beach theme.

Bright orange, melon, and yellow prints cut into isosceles triangles sew into octagon shaped beach umbrellas. Corner triangles of white on white swirls complete the squares, making a kaleidoscope block. Narrow sashing between them gives just enough space for the umbrellas to float on a bed of white sand. 

Just right for the beach, which is where I'd love to be. Curved free motion quilting in white thread on the blocks accents the triangles. A small serpentine stitch along the center of the sashing frames each one. Finished size is 46” square.

Dies used:

Blue Wren
6015 1 ½” strip
6396 Isosceles Triangle 5” x 6”

Accuquilt
55017 2 ½” strip
55009 3 ½” HST

I found me

under an umbrella

by the sea

Oasis + Fabric

oasis: something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast

As I hinted last week, we've just returned from a seven day trip to my favorite oasis – Alabama's gulf coast. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach offered sunshine, balmy temperatures, and an escape from daily routines.

The highlights:

Morning and evening beach walks. Calming sound and scent of the waves. Amazing sunsets. It didn't take long for me to slow down to beach time.

Outstanding meals, including “the best fried shrimp in the entire civilized world” at Doc's Seafood (it absolutely is!), Parmesan Encrusted Flounder at DeSoto's Seafood Kitchen, fried whitefish with corn fritters at Mikee's, and a perfectly awesome bacon cheeseburger at Duck's Diner.

Touring the wonderful exhibits at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, plus the bonus of Blue Angels flying down our beach daily.

We shopped at thrift stores, local shops, a giant flea market, and …. FABRIC STORES! As usual, I filled a grocery cart with quilting prints at Fabrics by the Pound in Summerdale, AL. 

A & E Fabrics in Pensacola started their Black Friday sale early (50% off); so many beautiful designs that it was difficult to choose! It was my first visit, but I'll be back. My stash has grown by another 67 yards thanks to encouragement by my tolerant, generous husband.

Everyone needs a break from routine life now and then, even retirees! Find your oasis and plan your escape.

Seaside Carnival

As soon as I got my latest Accuquilt die (on sale!) I grabbed some scraps and started cutting. Bright turquoise and sunny yellow colors with crisp white are perfect for contrast to show off this pretty design. They remind me so much of my favorite place, the beach.

I sewed four Hattie's Choice (55220) 9" blocks together and added a coordinating striped border to make a cute table mat. These pieces are small, but easy to sew. Backing is bright yellow with white dots. I quilted with white thread 3/4” apart from the center out, in quarter sections, creating a nice geometric pattern. Seaside Carnival is 21” square.

I already have several more ideas sketched out that use this die but they may have to wait...this one made me hear the beach calling. I'm headed there 'cause I need sea therapy and toes in the sand.  There will be plenty of inspiration for new quilts, a couple of fabric stores to visit, and lots of fresh seafood.

This Thanksgiving week I am grateful for being able to live the simple life that I love, surrounded by those who genuinely care for me. I'm glad I learned to let go of things, people, and situations that don't bring me peace and happiness.

🌟  Count your blessings! 🌟 

Meditation

Calming colors of light aqua, cream and white give today's quilt a light, airy feel. I started with a 5” charm pack of aqua prints, cutting them with the Accuquilt signature block. I added 5” squares and triangles of scrap pieces and arranged them in a diagonal cross pattern.

Backing is a white and gray print. I quilted ½” apart with white thread in four quadrants, following the diagonal cross. Meditation is 46” square.

It coordinates perfectly with my recent queen size quilt (Cool Lagoon). Our master suite has been transformed into a calming retreat. With the addition of some ocean sounds, I'm falling asleep dreaming of the sea.

Sky above

sand below

peace within

We dream in colors

borrowed from the sea

Seaside Cobblestones

Nature's muted colors combined beautifully with large hexagons in this throw sized quilt. Light aqua, soft brown and cream prints made me think of a cozy beach cottage.  

Measuring 42" x 53", Seaside Cobblestones is currently draped across the back of my bedroom chair.

The AccuQuilt half hexagon die made sewing this one quick and easy with all straight seams. The backing and binding is a tan and white crosshatch pattern.

Free motion quilting was done on my Flynn Frame. I stitched large swirls with medium tan thread in each hexagon first, then removed the frame to decorate the borders. Small swirls and applique stitching finished it off with flair.

Until I can get a beach trip scheduled, I'll just retreat to our bedroom and dream of the ocean.

“For her 

the ocean was 

more than a dream, 

it was a place she needed 

to visit to find herself.

And when she returned 

to the city, 

you could see 

the sun in her eyes, 

the wind in her hair, 

and the taste of 

the infinite salt 

on her lips.” 

 ~Jose Chaves

Sea Cross

Last month, I gave a hint about today's quilt. 

Sea Cross

Sea Cross is made from the same fabrics as Poolside, and I don't know which one I like better. What a fabulous color combination! This one is made with Accuquilt's churn dash block, but the fabrics are arranged to focus on the center cross.

This smaller 39” square quilt is made up of nine blocks in navy and pool green prints, separated by white 2” strips. It's framed with a border using 2” x 4” patches. The backing features the same aqua chevron fabric and quilting was stitched in white with a triple swirl pattern.

That's what I love about quilt design: the same block can look totally different once you change color and pattern. Now you know why I make so many quilts!

Addicted to fabric? Me?

Glad there's no 12 step program for that.

Water And Sun

Seaside

Shades of aqua and yellow remind me of water and sun, the beach, and tropical paradise. My two newest quilts feature these colors.

The first, Seaside, is my version of the Speedwell pattern. Light shades of yellow, aqua, gray and white blend beautifully for a cool refreshing twin bedspread. The design reminds me of Mediterranean tile. I love the way the blocks spill over into the border in slightly darker colors. 

The center is quilted in straight channels. Borders have three serpentine rows, intersecting at the corners. I added an extra border to make the final size 78” square.

Seaside

Almost Square is a brighter quilt using large hot yellow and intense aqua squares and rectangles, split by contrasting white strips. Fabric from my new stash in chevrons, dots, prints and checks give this one a more modern feel. It's quilted with an overall scalloped stitch.  Finished size of 44” x 54” is good for a throw, child's quilt, or wall hanging.

Almost Square

I'm using both in my spare bedroom, along with newly stitched white linen curtain panels. Now I have a beachy retreat for a quiet read or a restful nap. Sounds good, but I have too much sewing lined up to nap. Maybe I'll just sit in there and brainstorm my next design. 

 

We dream in colors

borrowed from the sea.

Beach Music And A Blue Angel

What a fabulous Christmas gift to ourselves...a week on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama!  The house we rented, a gulf front cottage called Beach Music, sits on the Fort Morgan end of the peninsula. It was nicely equipped with wide windows, big screen TV, satellite, a fireplace, and wi-fi. No one stayed in the houses around us until the last two days.

It was chilly when we arrived, and we had one night in the lower 30's. So what? We put on hoodies and jackets, and walked the beach anyway. Most days were fine, from the upper 50's to 70. Sunsets were bright and colorful; the stars were amazing. December is perfect here, since there are no crowds and rates are at their lowest. Shopping was fun, and the seafood was mouth-watering. We ate at our favorite places, Mikee's and DeSoto's.

The Blue Angels are based just down the road in Pensacola, and we've seen them practicing several times when we visited Gulf Shores. This trip, we only saw one of them, but he gave us a private air show that made our day! We were walking the beach, no one else in sight. He flew low toward Mobile Bay and wagged his wing a little as he passed us, very close to the beach. Then, he came zooming back and just as he got to us, turned on the smoke and did a loop in his F-18. Couldn't get the phone camera up quickly enough for that one! Then he moved out further over the gulf and went through some other maneuvers. We did get a few shots of those.

The beach is my happy place, rain or shine. I must have seagoing ancestors, because since the first time I saw the beach, I have been drawn to the rhythmic sound of the waves and the breathtaking beauty of the sea and sky. 

I am renewed and relaxed, with a sense of peace and happiness. And that is what I wish for you this Christmas.