Some of this and some of that

Last week I worked on several different things and I did it in my camper. More on that in a minute, but here are some projects. In Wednesday's post I showed the start of my blue pineapple blocks. I couldn't resist making more and since I had more blue and neutral scraps with me why not make more, now I have a grand total of 10 blue made. These were really so enjoyable to make. 

Here they are all together.

After the scrappy fun I decided I better get the pieces cut and sew up this snowman panel. An identical one was made and sold last winter, lucky I had purchased two of them! This week will be a longarm and binding kind of week.

A little more accomplished on the flag cross stitch.

We were up north at the PGI convention(Pyrotechnic Guild International). It is a week long fireworks convention with seminars, classes and then several displays in the evening. These are not your ordinary everyday fireworks, they are from professional businesses that design really neat fireworks. Three nights of the week are PGI members and the public and the other nights are just for the members. We are members as hubby enjoys the classes and seminars and then in the evenings we go in together for the spectacular displays. Unfortunately the weather didn't always cooperate. There were two nights that events were postponed because of rain. And it was darn cold at night sitting out and watching the displays. We were wearing five layers of clothes plus wrapped in fleece blankets!! The wind didn't help either!!  It was mid 50's at 11pm, plus one night it was a bit of light rain off and on. Thank goodness we have a fireplace in the camper so when we got back there we could warm up quickly!

And this one is made up of drones, the drones kept changing within the display and consisted of 1800 drones. It started out with planets, the earth, and landing on the moon. It was so neat. This is a very shortened video of one part of it. Put your sound on:)

Linking with our favorite Monday linky parties: Monday Musings, Sew and Tell Monday, Design Wall Monday

Fireworks and Quilting

All of last week was spent camping in Iowa so we could attend PGI.  PGI is Pyrotechnic Guild International-think huge fireworks displays and classes to make fireworks. Every August there is a big convention.  We love seeing the nightly displays, three nights are open to the public for viewing pleasure.  Hubby signed us up to be members so that he could attend classes. While he was enjoying himself learning to make some, I was able to stay at the camper and be happily sewing away.  But at night we both went to see the big firework shows.

Here is some of what I worked on, piecing of snowman runners, it was so hot and humid but my AC was keeping me cool.  These six are now ready for their quilting and the finishing applique after.

 After getting all the snowman runners pieced that I brought along, I started a new quilt!  Some improvising was done as I needed a design wall.  Looking around the camper, I decided that the big window in the back of the camper was the right size and I could pin right into the cornice of it.

With all the modern technology with phones now it was funny to see this old phone booth right outside the camper!  It was not useable since the phone wasn't there anymore.  But the pole beside it was like our own personal WiFi tower!  It was the best connection in a campground we have ever had.  

At the PGI displays they set off these big fireballs-wow did it ever get hot!   For this one we were about 300 feet away. 

During the big shows at night there were mulitple shells being shot off at once.  You were looking up, down, left, right, round and round!  So glorious.  It was like gold dripping from the sky, along with diamonds, ruby, sapphire, and emeralds

Just one of the prettiest blue shells that went off.   It is just hard to capture good firework pictures so I took very few, instead I just wanted to live in the moment;)  Usually the conference is over our Anniversary but this year it was a week early.  Today is our 36th Wedding Anniversary!

I just want to let you know that the big Island Batik blog hop is going on right now.  You can get the links to the Ambassador blogs on the Island Batik blog.  There are some wonderful giveaways too!!  I will be sharing my project on Aug. 28th.  Here is a sneak peek of the fabrics I am working with.  Remember that these are the fabrics released at Spring Market a few months ago.  Ask for them in your quilt shop!!

Linking with Connie and Susan

Sewing, camping, fireworks!

I know it is long past the 4th of July but we saw fireworks, a whole lot of fireworks, this past week. Every year the Pyrotechnic Guild International(PGI) puts on a week long display of fireworks, seminars etc.  This year it was in Fargo, North Dakota, so off we went with our camper, kayaks, and Terra Trikes.

DH wanted to join the guild this year so he could take some seminars during the week, not to mention if you are a member you can be on the grounds the whole week and watch competitions on nights there were no public displays. The public displays were Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights.  Wednesday night it got rained out and they moved  it to Thursday night.  You also get better parking if you are a member, easy in and easy out.

So, while DH went to his desired seminars a few afternoons, I got to have a sewing day in the camper with the doors open(no bugs!) and my view was this...Ahhhh so relaxing!!

 Here is my sewing area... it worked perfectly sewing on the dining table and then my mini iron on a portable table from Walmart(which doubles as a dish drying area!).

And what did I sew you ask... I pieced these 2 table runners.

They really need a good pressing, which I will get to before I quilt them.

And then, I moved onto starting a coral, gray and white quilt, I have been collecting the corals and been just waiting for a chance to get a start on it.  I have all nine big blocks pieced and one row put together.  There was a bit more time to sew, and I would have, I thought I had cut enough pieces before leaving home, but I couldn't find them in the camper.  Well wouldn't cha know, the very next day here they lay over on the couch with our jackets-bummer!  DH didn't take any more classes, so no more sewing time either!  We spent the day doing fun things.

                                        

While sitting there sewing one afternoon, here comes this beautiful horse drawn carriage.  There was some big picnic event and they were giving rides to that group. 

We also had some time to do fun things like biking the wonderful trail along the Red River.

The Lindenwood park was just gorgeous with it's fountain, tons of pretty posies in bloom, and the big trees.

  If you like the smell of petunia's this was heavenly!

As we were biking along the trail there were a few times you actually biked by a neighborhood and we came upon this little library-how cute are these!

We also had a couple of kayak trips up and down the Red River which ran right past our camper!

 There was, however, a very sad event that happened in the river along the park-one young man lost his life.  I saw the rescue trucks, police etc come through the park and put their boats in and went searching. We didn't know for sure until we looked it up online what happened.  He told his buddies he was going swimming while they fished.  Makes you look at the river a bit differently for sure.They say the river looks calm but it has under currents.  It sure did look calm to us.

I never was able to capture a good still shot of the fireworks but I did take some movies. However, we are not sure it is OK for me to post them, so just imagine watching a couple hours(or more) of fireworks each night for 5 nights, WOW, KABOOM and all that jazz, the biggest best ones you have ever seen.  It was just wonderful!!  We have attended several of their shows over the years.  Next year it is in Mason City, Iowa.  There are several different big companies that put on the shows during the week. This time my favorite was Vortex out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The PGI convention has fallen during our Anniversary many years, this year it was over before our Anniversary.  Thirty five years today!!!  Woohoo, where has all the time gone!

Back to normal life this week and catching up on lots of piecing, binding and quilting!  Soon I will have my Island Batik project done for August so watch for that in a few days.

Linking with MCM and Linky Tuesday.