We Ran Away …

/ quiltinggail

That’s right, my husband and I ran away. It was a spur of the moment trip. It started with an idea, it fell into place and away we went.

We went to Hawaii’s Big Island. Compared to all of the other Hawaiian islands – it got it’s name for a reason!

The weather was OK … not good for snorkeling, but a lot warmer than here at home! We explored a lot of places, walked a lot of beaches, saw some sun, some rain and some wind. And, I visited 2 quilt stores. I’d say that was a fun thing to do when it’s raining out!

The first store we visited was Quilt Passions in Kona. It was FULL of fabulous eye candy and lots of Island Batik fabrics!

While in the the store, I met Steve. He showed me a few nifty notions. See the blue scissor holder on the end of his featherweight? That is “Annie’s Tool.” She’s 11 years old and makes them, using a 3D printer. 

Then we went to Kilauea Kreations in Hilo. A smaller store, but friendly and bursting at the seams will all sorts of goodness.

While in these 2 stores, I bought a few yards of fabric and some patterns. So much for my “I’m NOT buying any fabric” mantra!

  • Sea Cookies – Teal Cool
  • Floral – Multi Green
  • Blender: Lg Wheat Leaves (and the rest of the tag was cut off)

A Finish

Just before we left, I did manage to add the binding and finish this Christmas Countdown!  It is a free pattern from Helen Godden Quilts and there are Youtube videos to help you do the quilting. My sister and I Zoom quilted and did this together, after the holidays. I used Island Batik solid white for the base, outlined the bobbles and ribbon with Sharpie Stained markers. Hobbs 80/20 batting is in the middle. It’s quilted with Aurifil Black (Bobbles), Red (Ribbon), White (stippling), and a Green (binding). The bobbles and ribbon were coloured with Inktense pencils and I used Aloe Vera gel to set the colours. This is now destined to one of the Christmas boxes and will appear next December.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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28 thoughts on “We Ran Away …”

  1. Running away to Hawaii sounds lovely! My middle son has taken to saying he should have been born in Hawaii (he’s not a fan of winter, lol). Your Countdown to Christmas quilt is gorgeous. I’ve never tried Inktense pencils, but I should!

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    • Oh Leanne … you SHOULD try Inktense pencils. You can set them with water, but it does run. Once I discovered aloe vera gel for setting them, I’ve never looked back. Plus, aloe makes the colours more vibrant than water. They are fun to work with!

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  4. When my husband was stationed in the Air Force in Hawaii, the Big Island was my favorite island. So much to see and do. Great purchases! I have a couple of those patterns too but I bought them when I started quilting after leaving Hawaii.

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    • Oh Sue, I can imagine the adventures you had when you were stationed there! I know I could probably have bought the patterns somewhere closer to home, but I was in HI and couldn’t resist! When I eventually make them, they will remind me of where I bought them! 🙂

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  5. Have to read it twice to understand. I think, you did right. You will have now more power und motivation to manage the January. We had some days cold – but people have forget what winter means and how to deal with it (cloth, preparation of cars…).The wife of my boss brought long time ago exactly some presents from this quilt store you are in (the second one). And my sister bought me (10 years ago) this turtle pattern! She will be there in April this year and you remind me that I will give her some wish-to-get items from this shop, if she can manage.I am veryyyy exited to start with the first border of SAHRR 2024. Start well and with fun and good vibes into the new week!

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    • Eva, you are so sweet! On the west coast of Canada, we had some of the coldest weather ever while we were away! How fun that you have the turtle pattern! Have you made it yet? Looking forward to seeing your SAHRR!! Happy Quilting!

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  6. A faboulous trip and a fabuloous quilt! I love reading about the Hawaiian adventures and seeing the 11 year olds cool tool! Your HG tree really turned out great. I did get the pattern printed off….don’t know when I might do it…probably later in the year…not feeling very Christmas-y right now – although it is plenty cold.

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    • Thanks, Kathleen! My sister & I quilted the HG tree in a couple of days … we certainly didn’t do one bauble a day! So it was pretty quick to do! I hope you’re able to stay warm! 🙂

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  7. The Christmas Countdown looks great! I enjoyed seeing the items at the Hawaiian shops. I’m drawn to sea life and the pattern you selected looks like fun. The Hawaiian Squares Two pattern is pretty. Have fun sewing them

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  10. Sounds like the perfect get away for the middle of winter. You found some very pretty souvenirs to bring home. Christmas Countdown turned out beautifully. Hopefully you aren’t dealing with the subzero cold this weekend. Happy stitching. 

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    • Hi Gretchen,
      I did see lots of Hawaiian fabrics that I resisted buying because my stash is already HUGE! And it was nice to miss the deep freeze … although it was still bitterly cold when we got home!

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