Road Trip Quilt Along Day 35, Drive to Florida - Star of Virginia Block

This block got changed from the original plan - Virginia Reel was going to be too challenging in this small size, so I picked a different Virginal block - a nice star!

Today was a drive of a little more than 400 miles, but it actually was more than 30 segments on our GPS - including one road called Thigpen Trail!

We started in South Carolina.  We saw some lakes.

Lots of clouds today, and rain here and there.  We crossed into Georgia and drove many roads!

Some pretty country roads, too.  

We stopped at a Waffle House for lunch.  We weren't overly impressed.  The cashier told us it was like a Denny's and my first thought was that she had never actually been in a Denny's before!  When we told my brother about it, he commented that someone was always getting stabbed or shot in a Waffle House!  Later that year I saw a viral video about it, and have heard lots of jokes, too.  You can look it up, if you don't know - just a fun side note and a trip memory for sure!

Looks like we ran out of hills, too!  It's pretty flat in this part of the country.  But very pretty and green!

Finally we arrived in Florida!

It was very cloudy and humid.  And look at those beautiful trees!

We'll be staying put for a few days here, so will be getting close to caught up!  I was very much excited to visit my brother and sister-in-law and see their house!

Three inch Virginia Star

The nine inch block.  This is a variation on a variable star block.

And the nine inch will finish up this week's blocks!  Tomorrow, we start week six!  By this point in our trip, we couldn't believe all the places we had been and were excited that we still had three weeks left!  I hope you are still excited to work on these blocks, too!

If you want to see some gorgeous quilts, check out this blog post from Island Batik, it's the end of week 1 of the Pieced to Perfection Blog Hop!  Sorry I forgot to add it to my post last week, but don't worry, I'll be sure to keep you informed for the next few weeks!

Purchase and download your Road Trip pattern here!

Road Trip Quilt Along Day 34, South Carolina - Maryland Block

Just when I was getting close to caught up, we are heading out on the road again!  Today's block is the Maryland Block.

Not many pieces in this one!  

The Roanoke hotel was one of the prettiest we stayed in.  This cute statue was on the lower floor near the lobby.

Today's drive took us through the Carolinas, heading south toward Florida.  

Rocky hillsides!  

We got caught in a couple downpours on today's drive!

Sometimes the best views are on the wrong side of the truck!

A pretty lake by the side of the highway in North Carolina.

And then it was time to visit South Carolina!

Nope we weren't in Georgia yet, but we saw a Giant Peach! 

 We were ready to stop when we got to Greenville.  One more day of driving, then we get to spend the weekend with my brother in Florida!  

This one went together in a flash!  3 inches.

Here's the six inch block.

The nine inch block.  More suitcases!  This was a nice big piece to show off the fabric.  This is another block where you will have leftover pieces.  You may be able to use them later.

Purchase and download your Road Trip pattern here!

Road Trip Quilt Along Day 33, Rocky Mount - Delaware Flagstones Block

Today's block is a nice easy one!  I think you will like it!

Today we had a special visit planned - to go see my Grandma, who turned 102 the following month.  It had been more than 35 years since we had seen each other!  The last time I have been to Virginia to visit here was in 1978 when I was still in high school!

It was a beautiful summer day!

First we had to stop off in Rocky Mount to buy here some bread and pick up some Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch.

Grandma's house!  She and Grandpa built this house when they were young and have lived here for so many years!  Grandpa's been gone for over 20 years now, but Grandma has been here ever since.  We enjoyed our lunch and had a great afternoon visiting!

So cute!  Me and my cousins!

And here is my Grandma!  Sadly, she has passed away now, but I will always be glad that I got to go visit here when she was still doing so well.  It's a precious memory!

While we were in the area we took a half hour to go visit my Grandfather's grave.  It was nice to see the cemetery.  

We found a pizza place to eat dinner and ended our day.  One of our best memories of the trip was getting to see my Grandma!  I am truly blessed to have had her in my life for so long!

The cute little 3 inch block!

The six inch version.

The nine inch version.  Strip piecing makes this block easy to put together. 

We'll be back on the road tomorrow - more states coming up!

Purchase and download your Road Trip pattern here!

Road Trip Quilt Along Day 32, Roanoke and Natural Bridge - New Jersey Block

 Today's block really was a struggle for me in the three inch size!  Make sure you measure your units as you complete them - it'll save you from having to do as much unstitching as I did!

Today was a one state day, and we were looking forward to a 2 night stay!  Our destination today was Roanoke, VA.

What a beautiful day!  We drove through mostly countryside today, and it was lovely.

A pretty painted water tower!  It was fun seeing these, we don't see them where we live!

The scenery was just beautiful!  

The mountains are so pretty!

Before we got to Roanoke we stopped to see the Natural Bridge.  Naomi recommended it to us, and it was a light day of driving, so the perfect opportunity for an unplanned stop.  We did get a little sidetracked by the GPS, but got it figured out in no time!

And it's historical as well as Natural!  It was a bit of a hike down to the Natural Bridge and it was a very hot and humid day.  We just took our time.  I was thankful that there weren't any mosquitoes around!

Photographs do not do this place justice at all!  You can't capture the scale of this massive hole without seeing it in person!

And would you believe, there is a road across the top?  You drive over it when you exit the park!

We took the hike down past the Natural Bridge, and enjoyed the different exhibits, showing how the native americans in this area built their villages.

We spotted many of these pretty butterflies, and this one posed for me!

A beautiful hike along a stream.  We only saw a few people while we were there, so really enjoyed being able to take our time and look at all the pretty views!

At the end of the trail there was this waterfall.  See the heron?  We had to watch a long time before we finally saw him move!  I almost thought he was a statue!

On the way back, we stopped for one more picture!  See me in the middle?  Maybe that gives you an idea of how tall this is!  We walked a lot of steps back up, then stopped in the souvenir shop for some mementos! 

After this we headed to Roanoke and got settled in our hotel room.

New Jersey Block in three inch size - a good challenge!

My six inch version came together much easier!

And the nine inch wasn't bad at all!  Careful pressing, and watching those points is the way to go!  It's not easier, but it does help you gain those skills for later use!

Purchase and download your Road Trip pattern here!