Paducah, Ky

4 different Log Cabin quilt tops

This year has been the year of quilts.  Back in the fall I found a Facebook group making a mystery quilt.  (I actually found the group through AQ.)  The group was making Bonnie Hunters Celtic Solstice.  I had never heard of a mystery quilt but at the beginning Bonnie Hunter tells on her blog how much fabric to buy, what colors, etc.  She gives you a few weeks to get everything together and then every week for 5 weeks she tells you what quilt square to make.  She tells what size, colors, gives step by step instructions, etc.

On January 1st, Bonnie Hunter has the big reveal and shows how to assemble the squares into her Celtic Solstice quilt.  Every one on the Facebook page was showing their progress and finished quilts.  Earlier this year I decided that I had to make the quilt.  I got all my materials together and completed the top in just a few weeks.  When I was done I sent it to a local woman to quilt it and I am eagerly waiting for it to be finished.

Outside the National Quilt Museum

During this process my kids have really enjoyed watching me make the quilt and then they all wanted quilts.  The first quilt I ever made was a Log Cabin quilt.  So I told the kids that I would make a bunch of Log Cabin squares and they could arrange them.  I just finished the tops this week and to celebrate we went to the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Ky.

Paducah is about 2 hrs southwest of us and it has 5 letterboxes (now 6).

You are not allowed to take photos inside the quilt museum but here are the kids goofing off with a sculpture outside.  While we were there we planted a box nearby.

 Also in Paducah is a RR museum and it has a letterbox inside. You might recall that we went to a train museum on spring break and it was awesome.  Well this one was not so much.  Oh well, you win some you loose some.

Oak Grove Cemetery

There were two boxes in a local cemetery and they were easy to find.  However, the grounds crew had nothing to do on this gloomy rainy day so they drove in circles the whole time we were there.  We ended up taking the first box with us to the second box because they were hanging out too close to the first one.  We eventually were able to get everything back where it belonged.

Just down the road was a nice large park.  It had a cool amphitheater that the kids ran around on while I stamped the near by box.  We were almost attacked by ducks on the way back to the car.  The park had several play grounds so we had to stop and play for a little while.

The last box we looked for was another Whispering Giant mystery box.  This is our third one to look for and the second one that we have found.  These stamps are amazing!  If you haven't looked for one, you should!

Wacinton made of Red Oak 

We had a great trip.  The quilt museum was nice, we found all of the letterboxes that we looked for, and the kids were pretty well behaved.  We did miss our turn on the way home and went a little out of our way.  I always tell the kids that letterboxing is all about driving in circles ;)