Finished Scrap Quilt + Southern Utah Scenery

It was Spring Break for my kids last week. And that typically means we head to Southern Utah to explore some of the National and State Parks in our State. And of course, because it’s my tradition (see here, here, here, here), I hauled along a quilt along to photograph somewhere along the way. 😉

It worked out nicely because this quilt just got quilted and binding in the car works so well for me. (Thankfully, my husband loves to drive, we’re typically on long, straight roads, and I don’t get carsick.)

You may remember this scrappy log cabin quilt that I started last year and the quilt top pictures in the wind from last fall. It was such a fun project to make! (And I think I only made a dent in my drawer of red scraps. I could probably make another version this big again. And that’s just the reds…)

I can’t wait to get this quilt washed so that it’s extra soft and drapey. It’ll be a fun one to just haul around and use. If you want to make one of your own, check out the scrappy log-cabin block tutorial in this post.

It’s also part of our Sew Goodness challenge for March! You can use your scraps to make one of these blocks and mail it to me and we’ll use them to make quilts for Project Linus. You can check out all of the details here.

For the backing and binding I used some of the Gingham Girls prints from my first fabric collection, so that makes it even more personal and sentimental. I decided to use some of the yellows on the back, just to give it another pop of color.

The charming setting for this photo shoot is the Mary Ann Schow house in Escalante, Utah. I would love to own that house.

The state of Utah was largely settled in the second half of the 19th Century, primarily by early Mormon pioneers.  I’m a sucker for old pioneer homes and buildings from that era and Escalante had many still standing. This is an old Tithing office built in 1884.

Loved this old mercantile + lots of surrounding 19th century homes made of the same brick.

An mid-20th century service station in the tiny town of Boulder, Utah on the way to Escalante. Love those old gas pumps!

Part of our trip was to hike the slot canyons of Grand Staircase National Monument including the Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons. Whoa. It was an adventure!

The slot canyons included climbing up and passing through very narrow passages. The setting is pretty incredible. I don’t get claustrophobic, but I came close through some of them though! I will admit, I felt pretty hardcore getting through there.

And definitely couldn’t have done it with out my husband and teenage son to pull and push me up in a few places. 😉 I’m definitely getting older.

We also hiked to an oasis in the middle of the plateaued desert at Upper Calf Creek Falls. My photography doesn’t do it justice.

On the way home we stopped at one of my favorite National Parks – Bryce Canyon. It’s just mind-blowingly stunning.

(This time around I did not have my husband perch on a precipice holding a quilt. Another sign that we’re both getting older.)

So there you go! More glimpses of amazing Southern Utah, quilt included.

Also, I reminder to send me a scrappy quilt block for Project Linus! You can even fold it up and put it in a regular envelope if you want. Email me at amy@diaryofaquilter.com for mailing info. THANKS!!