Fiji

January into February, the quilt visited Fiji. I have waited to make this posting to give myself time to have some distance from the trip and put it into a better perspective.  I will say nothing negative.

I can sum up Fiji in 3 words..... Rain..... Rain...... and Rain.  This first photo sums up the vacation perfectly.

Rain in the pool

The quilt seemed to be a little shy this trip. So I feel that I must supplement the quilt photos with a couple of birds. Forgive me.

Collared Lory

Multi-colored Fruit Dove

Tropical islands with lots of rain have lots of waterfalls.

The International Date Line passes through the island of Taveuni. Here I have one foot in today and one in tomorrow, or was that one foot in today and one in yesterday???

Orange Dove

Christmas Table Runner

For the family Christmas grab bag I thought I'd make a quilted table runner. We have a $25 limit and I figured that I'd be able to make something nice, and stay just over the budget. I settled on a Blooming 9-Patch (a pattern that I had always called Bleeding 9-patch) in Christmas colors. The patches are set on point and the colors from the solid blocks appear to bleed into the adjoining 9-patch blocks. The binding done in the matching forest green batik.

The top turned out beautifully. It seemed too special to use as a grab bag gift, but alas, that was the plan. I went to the quilting store to have it quilted and found the perfect pattern: Holly Leaves and Berries. In my excitement, I neglected to inquire as to the price. Imagine my surprise when the quilting alone (without factoring in cost of fabric, time, etc) cost almost four times the grab bag budget limit. I will say that the quilting is absolutely beautiful.

The sticker shock soon wore off and I realized that instead of a grab bag gift, I was holding a potential family heirloom. I remember a sunny spring morning. We had grabbed some pastries from Panera Bread and gone to my brother's house. Inside, the dining room windows were open wide; outside, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and all you could see was green ... the rustic dining table made us feel as if were were eating patisseries in France. That table is where this runner belongs. The decision made, it would become my sister-in-law's Christmas gift.

On the back, in a lower corner, I did something I usually don't do... I initialed and dated the piece. MLP 2011 Christmas.

I had to postpone making this post until Laura received her gift. I hope she likes it and that it graces her Christmas table for years to come.

Christmas Time Once Again

Here's the quilt with the Christmas Tree. I'm posting this picture because I was looking back at earlier posts and saw the picture of the quilt with the tree back in December 2007. Check out that post. The quilt was much smaller then. This quilt is certainly a life lesson. If someone tells you that you must prepare 9000 hexagons and then sew all 6 sides of these hexagons together, it sounds like an unsurmountable task. If you work a little, work a little, slowly over time, the project doesn't seem quite so overwhelming.

Thanksgiving in New York

The quilt travelled to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday. It did NOT want to get roped into another game of Bingo!

One of the most enjoyable things we did was a circle boat tour that made a complete circuit around Manhattan. Here is a quick visit to the Statue of Liberty

The quilt visited the birth of the gay rights movement: The Stonewall Inn.

In New York, we stayed in a condo found on VRBO, Vacation Rental By Owner. Here is a view of the Empire State Building from the condo. The view was truly amazing.

What would a visit to New York be without a visit to the New York Public Library? Here we pose in front of one of the lions in front of the main library with the branch in the background.

After seeing the Empire State Building from the window of the rental condo, the quilt insisted on visiting the top floor observation deck. Here we see the Chrysler Building in the background.

Hawaii - again

Once again the quilt travelled to Hawaii. And what could be more Hawaiian than sunshine and rainbows?

May in Costa Rica

Again the quilt wished to visit Costa Rica. I mean, really, what can I do when the quilt insists?

This photo shows the Manuel Antonio National Park in the background. Costa Rica is wonderful in May. Don't take my word for it..... visit.

Quilt Seeks Relief from Winter

Here are a few pictures showing the state of the quilt on 1-1-11 (that is a lot of ones!). A full 9 rows have been completed and the pattern has certainly emerged. I believe the quilt is about 1/2 finished. As I was finishing this last row, the quilt requested (actually it sounded more like a demand) that it be taken some where warmer. It was sick of winter and wanted to get away for a little relief. Of course, being someone who also hates winter, I was quick to comply.

I like this zoomed in picture with none of the edges in evidence.

So... where did the quilt get to go? Where in the U.S. would there be the best possibility of warm weather. My first thought was Florida, but hey, it's been cold down there too this winter. Then it hit me.... Hawaii.... guaranteed warmth.

Here the quilt continues its preoccupation with flags. I had to continually remind the quilt that it was still in the U.S. and not in a foreign country. We heard other tourist talking about their trip to Hawaii being their first outside of the country. Americans are NOT known for their geographical prowess.

If anyone watches Hawaii 5 0, they are sure to recognize the next couple of photos. The Hilton Hawaiian Village has been featured quite prominently on the show. Friends David and Cathy stayed in the Rainbow Tower. The grounds were remarkable, everything you could want including 2 Starbucks and drum roll...... Lappert's Ice Cream!

This building and statue also figure quite prominently in Hawaii 5 0. While in real life it is the Judiciary Building and King Kamehameha, in the TV show it is the Hawaii 5 0 Headquarters and King Kamehameha. You might not be able to tell in the picture, but the quilt was quite impressed.

And what is a trip to Oahu without a picture of Waikiki and Diamond Head.

A fact that few people know is that Hawaii was a Kingdom. Which means, of course, they had Kings and Queens. What it also means is that there is a royal palace. The Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the U.S.

Finally, we'll end with a picture of Scott Caan (Hawaii 5 0's Danno). The quilt was witness to the filming of an episode of Hawaii 5 0 on the grounds of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. It wanted to have a picture taken with Scott Caan, but he was rather aloof, so the quilt settled for a picture taken with the telephoto lens.