Gobblin Valley Spookies + Peanuts Debut

I thought i might share a little bit from the Gobblin Valley Camping Trip.

Gobbling Valley--It was ---windy, and when it wasn't windy--it was biting knats, and there was very little shade in the camp. That is my compliants...here are the goods.

It was neat---cool rock formations, the goblins..good stuff. Very cool at night with a clear night and the sun set. Riding the 3 wheelers and bikes, fun. oh, it had bathrooms (the toilets actually flushed! + showers.....nice)

Sorry- one more complaint---we have been home since friday night and I think i have chicken pox!! oh, wait that is just the biting knats spots!! i keep finding them. more each day..did i bring them home with me? hmmm....

Capitol Reef---it was shady. Lots of trees. There were webs all over the trees filled with catapillars (fuzzy too). Luckily we were a week early for the filling of all the trails, handrails with them!! We had the best Apple pie at the farmhouse (is that because it didn't taste like dirt?) no it was gooood. Nice hikes with the kids, cool arch way back in, and the narrows (steep cliffs on each side) were spectacular to say the least.

Besides the family picture this is my favorite. My little girl -Eliza- kept posing and saying "take my picture" so i did and this one turned out way cute.

I have fallen off of the "normal" wagon...really i am not sure that i was ever on it! So i was thinking as i was packing... i need (of course it is a need) a little girl to take with me. She wouldn't be afraid of getting a little dirty and anything dark, deep, high, or scary. She will be my "spokes peanut" of my trip. I put a little elastic on her wrist so she could be hold her other arm, or hang from something if she needed.

Her name is Peanut. this would be Peanuts first outing in her life. I have a feeling she will be going on many more!! This would be i guess "peanuts gallery": take a look

Off we go on our 4 hour drive.....Are we there yet?

Here she is attempting to smile in the pokey cactus found in Capitol Reef. Ouch!!

Wow- i would never attempt this one on my own!!

The honey is such a good sport, with all of my "foolishness" (really though, i didn't do this to him).

Take a look at that stunning view!!

Here she is attempting a shot with a scorpion!! yikes. IT is really in the picture.....kind of a whitish color. She is soo brave!

After the 3 days in the warm and windy air, we headed on to the Quilt Retreat. We were at the base of Nordic Valley Ski Resort. It was up in the cool mountain and shaded by a bunch of trees. I was Tired, but i guess not tooo tired for quilting!! I of course shared Peanut with everyone and they posed her a few times.

Here is Peanut sitting on my machine. She soooo enjoyed herself! Sewing, laughing, friending, sewing, eating, sleeping, sewing....

Let me tell you though....i have such good friends...they really look out for me and my machine.

Last year while sewing strips, my machine would shake the whole table (we're not talking little shake, this is earthwake shake), so there were a few who said something about it last week at meeting. so i show up, and start to sew, and my machine squeeks. I oil behind the bobbin and it stops....the next morning it was groaning before it started to sew....push the peddle, groan, then sew. One gal Jen said ----what is the deal? Your maching is shouting at us!!! Let me have a look....soooo she unscrewed the side (yikes, but she just taught a class at HMQS on cleaning your quilting machines...so i let her) oiled it all down, found some strings, pulled them out, screwed it back closed.......again the groan. Let me take off the throat plate (big metal plate where the needle goes down). unscrews it, removes it.....and finds!!! LINT CAKE!!! i have been baking while sewing!!! There was sooooo much lint and oiled lint in the feed dog area that it was groaning to get going!!! (sorry i missed the picture moment). So it was cleaned (5 minutes), oiled and screwed back down....and oh the joy!!!

It is like a new momma!!! So smooth, so quiet....no shouting, groaning, complaining...just happy sewing!! oh bless you Jen.

Here is peanut hiding amongst the many fabrics strewed about! She looks like she is enjoying herself.

Here is Jen and her sewing away!! Peanut climbed to the top of Jen's Make shift thread holder (the paper towel holder--snifty)

This is what i accomplished at the sewing retreat!! I had taken a class at Houston in October taught by Jacki Robinson. It was a mystery quilt. I am a quick sewer and so i thought ---i will sew extra pieces!! So when the class was over i had miles of chained pieces. I stuffed them all in a ziploc baggie (luckily a big one) and went on my way. Every time i saw that bag i sighed... i have no idea what all those chains mean!! so i brought it, dupped it, sorted it, and actually went off of the final picture pattern. Counted the blocks, sewed that many and then put it together. I still need a stop border ....maybe green?... and a checkered outer border. At least i know what i am doing now!!

Well- it was a LONG week... but a great one. Hope everyone had a great one too!!

Is there anyone working on bindings? Just wondering!