Austin to Atlanta

Name that state capital.

Austin, Texas. 

We were in Austin for our niece's wedding.

It's good to  get dressed up every once in a while.

One of our son's made it to the wedding with us but he kept running off  with his cousins so I didn't get a picture of him dressed up. I'm hoping the wedding photographers did.

So now I am in Atlanta for a week...visiting my best friend. Today I went to two quilt shops and added to my stash. Both shops are in Marietta, 15 minutes from my friend's house. I don't think I've been to them before...at least not in their current locations.

First was Red Hen Fabrics. A huge space. They are an Innova Longarm dealer so a large room was set up with longarm machines. A large variety of fabric types for quilting. They have several towers of dishes and cups throughout the shop...kind of their little signature decor item.

Huge book racks...

Huge wall of patterns...

This dragon is made completely with thread stitching. 

One small section of this store.

There were some batiks. I bought the pattern for this quilt, Braidwork by Cozy Quilt Designs.

Had to get a picture of some runners made using the Quick Curve Ruler. I really need to try out the ruler...especially since I have one.

Then I went to Little Quilts.

This shop is a small house with little rooms full of fun stuff. I think they have just about everything in this little place. Right by the front door...wool appliqué.

Lots of traditional prints for little bitty quilts.

They had adorable small quilts of Santas, Mrs. Claus, Pilgrims...

These quilts were adorable...but I already said that. They were in a very small space...so difficult to get photos. The patterns were "Applique Patterns by Anne." I googled it and can't find them. They are not on the shop's website. I'm sure I could email them if I ever really wanted to buy them. 

A Kaffe Fassett section...

that crossed to a modern design section. I bought this heart strip quilt pattern. Heartstrings by Black Mountain Needleworks.

And finally...batiks! A small, but fabulous selection of new batiks. For the first time I got to see the Jinny Beyer batiks...and of course I love them.

There was just no time to explore quilt shops in Austin because we were having too much fun seeing all of our family in Texas. Great BBQ and Mexican food was eaten. Yum! I have a constant sore throat from talking and laughing so much since I've been stateside. 

Quickie Update

I just wanted to get my blocks to a certain point before beginning the chore of packing.

This quilt will finish to 48 x 64...not quite big enough for me. I have several strips leftover from a Tidal Pool bali pop that might be enough for a scrappy border. I think 12-inches to the length and width will make it more comfortable as a lap quilt. A project to look forward to working on when I get back to Paris.

Monday Groove

Just one more day in Paris before I leave for Austin, Texas. We have a niece getting married there. I will be eating Tex-Mex and barbecue as much as possible! I'm not sure if I will find time to visit any quilt shops in the Austin area but after the weekend I am heading to Atlanta to visit a friend for a week. Surely I will find quilt shops to visit in Atlanta.

I did not stay awake all night to watch the Superbowl, which started at 12:30 a.m., Paris time. Hubby took a nap and got up at midnight. When he came to bed about 4:30 a.m. I asked him the outcome...heartbreaking for Seattle. Sounds like it was an exciting Superbowl...lots of times the ads are the best part...game...not so much!

Still in the spirit, I started another football themed stocking.

And I have been pecking away at a quilt, Café  Paris...a giant pinwheel block.

Using my Bali Crackers, Tidal Pool. It is going together very nicely. Not the quickest, but an easy pattern to work on for a few minutes at a time.

Finished With Just Hours to Spare

Santa's got his Seahawks banner and is ready for the big game!

My Typical Fitness Walk Along the Seine

I was halfway through my walk today when I decided I should take some photos. The weather was perfect. Then temperature was around 40 degrees.

The torch monument is the Flame of Freedom and is a replica of one made for the Statue of Liberty in 1986. It later became an unofficial memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales, as the flame sits near the entrance to the tunnel where she died. In the far distance is Sacré Coeur. The skies are rarely clear enough for me to see the cathedral from this location.

Right behind me was the Eiffel Tower.

Looking the other direction on the Seine.

I then get off the street and head down to an avenue along the Seine that is free of car traffic and full of joggers and other walkers on the weekends.

Then up toward the Invalidedes which has a nice park strip in front of it.

And finally to another park strip that is five city blocks long and gets me pretty close to my apartment.

I've picked this route over the years as it has lots of nice wide sidewalks and fewer traffic crossings than just heading out without a plan in mind. It takes me just over an hour of brisk walking.

Snowing...in Paris

It didn't last very long and the kids will not be getting a snow day....oh yeah...it's Friday anyway.

Yesterday I had a fun day with Christelle. Lots of talking and walking. We started out at Place de la Bastille.

This monument is surrounded by a roundabout that is at least a six-car width. No official lanes...it is who ever has the most nerve to move! I guess there is some kind of protocol for drivers. I do know for most of the major roundabouts in Paris the drivers in the roundabout have to yield to drivers with green lights to enter from side streets. I have to mention roundabouts because we have a couple of small roundabouts in the Anchorage area that people complain about and after being here...I have a different perspective...bring on the roundabouts! Europe has an absolute ton of roundabouts. Somehow they work very effectively...it is a mystery. I think it is an example of fewer rules getting in the way of common sense. 

The Bastille prison was completely dismantled over the course of a year during the French Revolution. This monument is called the July Column and rests on the spot of the Bastille. It commemorates a second revolution in 1830.

The walk continued...and I failed to take a picture of our cool walking spot. That just means I will have to go back. But...along the way we found a needlework shop and I bought an adorable kit...here's the shop sample.

Of course you recognize the Eiffel Tower or la Tour Eiffel. It is grouped with the Arc de Triomphe and Sacré Coeur. 

We hunted down an antique shop...no old sewing machine finds. More walking and then the rain increased...our luck with the weather was running out. After getting on the metro and relocating to a different part of the city....we had a wonderful lunch at an Italian restaurant. 

Christelle's pedometer says she walked 13 kilometers...I was with her for most of that! I was sore this morning when I got out of bed but I certainly enjoyed our outing.

I was glued to the couch the rest of day where I worked on my latest stocking kit. 

Just a few more accessories to add: bowl of popcorn, mug of hot cocoa, a football and a football helmet.

Beachside Bungalow #2

This is one of the quickest strip quilt patterns I have ever made and yet it has a complex look.

Just for the sake of comparison...the purple version...

Corinne and Cécile think I should be make a third one for some gifting...which would really mean making a third and fourth one! I certainly have enough fabric in my stash to do that!

So this is how a quilter copes with being alone for almost a month...she makes two quilt tops. Hubby gets home tomorrow so quilt production will drop...that's a good thing.