Inspiration

Inspiration from Vacation for Future Keepsake Projects

Taking Inspiration from Vacation

St. Simon's Island lighthouse
St. Simon’s Island lighthouse

Taking inspiration from vacation is a great way to remember your travels long after vacation ends and school starts. Whether it’s motifs you see that remind you of a special place, or great architecture from a church or building, or perhaps a food you can reimagine in fabric and thread.

My family ended the summer in style. We took a wonderful trip to St. Simon’s Island off the coast of Georgia. I got a lot of project inspiration from vacation to fuel my fall by looking through my favorite photos.

School Starts from Vacation

 

Kelly Nagel on Vacation

We hung out at the beach. The colors of sand and sky will make their way into a nice quilt to remind me of these days with my young girls.

Kelly Nagel on Vacation
My oldest daughter, Korey, fishing with my her Papa, my sweet Daddy

We did a little fishing. Adding fish appliqués to a fun wall hanging or scrap book, using batiks and mermaid prints, will remind me of this time spent with my sweet Daddy.

Kelly Nagel on Vacation
Spirit Tree carvings are all over the island but you have to know where to look!

We saw some very interesting art. This feather could be stitched free-motion style onto just about anything. I snapped a pic to remember how to curve the edges to border a quilt or pillow edge.

vacation photos
Ft. Frederica National Park

Photo Jul 28, 1 59 03 PM

We took in a little history. My girls will remember these times and take their own inspiration from vacation, I’m sure.

vacation inspiration
These amazing tapestries are all needlepoint!
A gift from Mr. Tiffany himself!
A gift from Mr. Tiffany himself!

vacation inspiration for projects

We saw some amazing needlepoint and Tiffany stained glass at Christ Church. The ceiling offers a lot of quilting inspiration. Using strips of Sulky Sticky Fabri-Solvy, I can create these intersecting lines along the quilt surface rather easily! Noted!

back to school

And now my girls have gone back to school!

Photo Aug 05, 6 56 58 AM

I know most Mama’s love the first day of school, but I hate it. It’s as if in that 5 minute drive from my house to the school, my kids grow one full year. In my mind, I still had a 3rd grader and and 4th grader until they walked into that building this morning. As of today, they are 4th and 5th graders!

I know they will have a great year, and I suppose growing up is inevitable but it truly does happen so quickly. I guess I will just have to sew all day to keep my mind off of it!

Happy Sewing!

11 Comments

  • LaVerne

    Oh my, how they have grown! They are such beautiful young ladies. Is Krissy almost as tall as Korey? Unbelievable. Thanks for sharing your beautiful vacation pictures. Looks like you made beautiful family memories.

  • linda gillian

    Thank you for sharing your vacation adventures with us. Yes, the girls are growing up. . . children grow up too quickly. . . that 18 years is like a flash before your eyes it seems. (my baby turns 40 next week and I promise you it was only yesterday that he was born!) Thank you again.

  • Yolanda Oleary

    How nice of you to share your family and vacation with us. So many times when we are on line and focusing on the patterns, stitches, instructions etc etc we forget the people behind all that work are just like us with families and other loves in life. Tell your daughters I think they are both just beautiful. Thank You
    Yolanda Oleary

  • shoy124

    Beautiful children! Time goes so quickly. You want to soak up all you can, and find it slips all too quickly away. I miss those days. But take joy in knowing my family has grown. It truly is the blessings of the seasons of life. Lovely pictures, thank you for sharing.

  • Jackie Andress

    Know the feeling. But children grow up and suddenly you are a grandmother and have grandchildren and the cycle starts again. I loved being a mother (still am!!) and I love being a grandmother. God is good!!!

  • Kim Harrington

    We used to live in Athens, GA, and have been to these very places! My kids were about the same age at the time. Now they are mid twenties, and we are empty nesters! Except for the puppy that is. It really does happen fast! Treasure every moment…

  • Teresa Kuhar

    Your girls are lovely. I agree with the last comment …it happens so fast. I found some photos of my daughter recently she was 5 in them and now she is 37. Enjoy them while they are young and rejoice in every age even the teens.
    Terry. Kuhar