The Quilt Project

above: Some of the Ranger Badges the Dudes have earned.

 

The Dudes have worked very hard over the last nine months to earn Jr. Ranger Badges from all of the National Parks we have visited. The badges are a reminder of everything they have learned and experienced at the parks so I didn’t want them to be shoved in a drawer or closet, or worse yet, to be thrown away at the end of the trip. So, the Hippygeek came up with the idea to make a quilt wall hanging that they could be pinned to so that they could be seen and enjoyed long after the trip is over.

 

 

I thought it was a great idea and it was handy that their Granny, who we would be spending the winter with, is a quilter. It was also the perfect answer to “snow days”. The Dudes would need a project to keep them occupied (i.e away from the T.V.) during those long winter days that we would be snowed in.

 

above: The Dudes “shopping” for fabric.

 

Granny has shelves full of fabric from previous projects and the Dudes did a little shopping through her inventory to choose the fabrics they wanted to use. Once the fabric was chosen, they each came up with their own design for their projects. The Big Dude designed his with mountains and valleys so that he could pin his badges in their correct locations. The Lil’ Dude chose fabrics with colors from nature and a few patches with wildlife to depict time in the National Parks.

 

 

 

left: Sewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…… spraying

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….. ironing                                                                 ……. voila!

 

Granny then helped them through the process of making the quilts. She made sure they did as much of the project as they could on their own and then helped out when it was needed.

 

 

 

…… designing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

……. sewing

 

 

 

 

 

….. more sewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

…… Voila!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The result is a beautiful Granny/Dude collaboration which I hope will hang on their walls for years to come, a reminder not only of the big trip but also of a really fun project and experience they shared with their Granny.

 

above: The proud quilters. Thanks Granny!

 

“What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance.  They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life.  And, most importantly, cookies.” Rudolph Guiliani