See Ya Later Alligator My Day!

Posted byCarol AndrewsPosted inBlog Hops, Finished Projects, Life, Quilting, What’s Going OnTags:, , , , , , ,

We get to thank Carla from Creatin’ in the Sticks who is the hostess with this month’s great theme. I must confess to taking a trip down memory lane when I read the call out for bloggers with this theme. 😁

The challenge is:

Travel…anything from places to go, to how you get there, and anything in between.

Maybe even an alligator?

I kept hearing the song See Ya Later Alligator in my head every time I thought of the hop. That led me to memories of my father singing the song when we were kids. He had a wonderful singing voice and often sang while we were doing chores, family projects or this particular song while we were getting ready to vacation. After singing See You Later Alligator, he would follow up the song with the comment, “Pitter Patter, Let’s get at her” as an admonition to speed ourselves up so we could begin our adventure.

This in turn reminded me of a pattern I’ve been anxious to do, Pitter Patter by Phoebe Moon Designs. It is such a fun pattern to work with, was designed to use charm squares, but easily adapted to use supplies my scrap bins. 😁

I was able to quickly sew the various segments of the blocks using some scrap squares and leftover strips from my scrap saver system. I used my Prairie Spirit Alpacas pressing mat to get my seams perfectly flat so they will nest properly. Did I tell you how marvellous this mat is? It is just over 12” x 18” and sits perfectly on my ironing board or the little table I set by my sewing table. It also doesn’t smell like my other cutting mats did so I really enjoy using it. (Not an affiliate, just a very happy user of this product).

My version of Pitter Patter went together in just a couple of days, but then I waited until I could get to the Guild to sandwich it and do some stitch in the ditch to get it stabilized. Now I have the time to get the quilting done on my DSM while I’m at home. I’ll measure it once it is finished. 😁

There is a need to get this quilt completed. My daughter will be having knee replacement surgery in the upcoming months (whenever they can get her on the schedule). She said her old quilt is in need of repair, but I think a new quilt is in order so I can bring her old one home for repairs 😉

Since my daughter lives in Alberta and my favourite driving route includes Millarville along the highway, I am planning on taking the time to stop at Prairie Spirit Alpacas. This is an amazing farm where they raise Alpacas (each one has a name and Carmen, the owner, can tell you the lineage of each). The alpaca wool is combined with wool and sent to Ontario to create some very impressive pressing mats. The mats don’t have the smell of other mats, don’t cause me to have an allergic reaction to the wool, and are the perfect size: 12” x 18” which fits perfectly on both my regular ironing board and my little travel board as well. As long as I can take the time to stop, I am planning on picking up some socks for winter (they are very highly recommended and should mean I will have warm feet) and some new dryer balls so I don’t have to use fabric softener or dryer sheets ever again. 😁

Of course getting the quilt to her means I will have to take a road trip so one always needs a new bag. 😉

I checked my stash for a nice piece of fabric I had been saving, some fusible fleece , waterproof lining and a zipper. I had everything I needed except a pattern so I had to get creative.

I decided I needed to put a divider in my zippered bag, so I took one of my EPP practise blocks and sewed it to the lining fabric which was sandwiched with a leftover piece of very thin batting.

Before I knew it I had a finished travel pouch.

I just love those purple tulips but thought this pouch needed something more 😉

So I had to pull out some more of my EPP pieces and play.

Once I made a couple of pieced flowers I had to audition them on the bag to make my choice.

Once I had the extra front pocket with a Velcro fastener on the envelope style pocket section added to the bag, I decided I’m happy and it is a finished project.

Now it’s ready to load with my toiletries, iPad, and chargers, and grab the quilt and go when I know my daughter’s surgery date. 😉

Here is the list of bloggers participating today:

Just Let Me Quilt

Days Filled With Joy

Samelia’s Mum

Karen’s Korner

Quilt Schmilt – you are here 😁

Beckys Adventures in Quilting and Travel

Thank you for visiting, reading my post, leaving me a comment or subscribing to my blog. 😁 Carol

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Published by Carol Andrews

I have been fondling fabric and creating things with fabric and fiber for as long as I can remember. My children had homemade clothes, blankets, canning and quilts most of their lives. Now I create goodies to share! Hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoy making them! When I am not creating with fiber or fabric I keep busy with Dear Heart, kids, grandkids, great grandkids.

28 thoughts on “See Ya Later Alligator My Day!”

  2. Cool projects! I love the Pitter Patter quilt! Your project bag is neat too, especially with the added EPP on the front pocket. Very clever. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Oh my goodness, where to start??? Your quilt is awesome and your travel bag is perfect. I love how you were able to use a variety of things to complete it. Those are my kind of projects! Wishing your daughter the best with her knee surgery.

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  4. Pitter Patter really is a cute pattern! How sweet of you to plan a new quilt for your daughter. Is she nervous about the surgery? I just read about Prairie Spirit on Kathleen McMusing’s blog. Looks like a fun side trip. What a wonderful bag you’ll have for your trip!

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  5. Your dad must’ve made prepping for a trip fun – I love the little pitter patter ditty, and the Pitter Patter quilt is fun, too! Of course you needed a new bag! I hope her surgery goes smoothly. I’m amazed at all you get done with everything else going on in your life!

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    1. Thank you Wendy. My Dad was a pretty incredible guy and made life a real adventure. I think I inherited that from him! I think waiting for a surgery date is the hardest part in these times so I try to keep busy. 😉

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  6. I have always wanted an alpaca – I don’t know why, but maybe one of those mats could satisfy me. lol Your quilt looks like such fun and what a great reason to take a trip – delivering a quilt. I love all the details you put into your new bag. It’s gorgeous!

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    1. Thank you Carla. I have to tell you when I lived in Kelowna years ago, we had a horrible wildfire come through. I lived on an acreage and we did animal rescue while the fire was going. We inherited two alpacas and they were so much fun to care for. They each had their own personality; Maurice and Hitman. Glad you enjoyed seeing my projects 😉

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  10. All those little blocks in the bright colors made a beautiful quilt that I’m sure your daughter will love. We can never have enough travel bags, especially pretty ones like those. Knee surgery is a big deal…prayers for her quick recovery.

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    1. Thank you Carol. Nothing more cheerful in my view than a scrappy quilt to snuggle under while recuperating. Thank you for the prayers. Anything will be an improvement over what the poor girl is experiencing now.

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