"home camping"

 Is "home camping" a thing?

We moved into our house on November 1st.  

We only had what we packed into our suitcases to fly to the Netherlands. Our household items are being shipped over. The latest update on delivery is 22nd of December, though it has been pushed back once.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed! 

In the meantime, we are living with the barest of essentials.
(...  oh, I know that's a bit dramatic. It's not the barest. Many have less. I am grateful that we are comfortable.)

It's not bad, really. We made a considerable downsize from the house in Texas. Nevertheless, what I am experiencing at the moment is that with not much in this house, it feels big! It doesn't feel like a downsize at all!

See what I mean? My studio looks huge!! 😄

So, now that we are settled in, and we are comfortable,

I can stitch in my studio!

Except, I had the desire, but no oomph to get started. I kept looking at the scrap bags I brought with me, but I needed inspiration to get started.

I decided it was time for a trip to the Quilt Puzzel store. I needed to soak in some quilter energy. 

Browsing the shop was a bit meditative, 

walking through the fabric isles, letting my fingers pet the fabrics...

... breath in quilting vibes,

... breath out moving tension.

Then the "Caution! Curves Ahead" book by Jen Kingwell magically appeared in my hands.
I am positive there was a glowing light on the book and I heard celestial choir music.
Yes, this book, along with a few fat 1/8ths for background fabrics, is just what I needed for inspiration to get started!

However, at home with my newly acquired book, I soon realized I didn't have my regular supply of notions. No way to transfer the patterns from the book to the fabric, no pencil or fabric pen, no plastic template sheets, no paper or cardstock, or even a printer to make copies.... 

I considered my situation and decided this was not going to be a "make do with what I got" moment.

Luckily, a few days ago, I noticed a copy shop near my house! It took a couple days for me to work up the courage to step in. But there was no need to be anxious, the clerk there was super nice! I had copies of the pattern pieces in no time.

Also, Smitje is a fabric store that is closer to my house than the quilt shop. It is a sewing store of all sewing stores!! Fabrics from baby knits to casual apparel to fancy fabrics to burlap to quilters cotton. And walls of yarn, buttons, sewing accessories, notions... And trims, and beads.... I mean this place is THE sewing store!! 

I found plastic template sheets there and more needles for hand piecing.

And, finally, I can happily stitch in my studio!

I made pattern pieces of block 1 from the template plastic. Used those to mark the seam lines on the backside of the fabrics. And traditional hand pieced the first block. 

Oh, how wonderful to push the needle back and forth as I loaded stitches onto it.
So soothing to feel the draw of thread through the fabric as I stitched pieces together.
So satisfying, stitching the block up piece by piece...

camping or whatever,

I am HOME!!

Thanks for visiting my blog.