Block 1 - Pennsylvania

 My first fabric Treasure Hunt care package came today from my QBFF Laurel H at Lively Stitches.com .  I was supposed to be packing, cleaning, and generally preparing for vacation.  And technically, I did wash the fabric she sent along with the clothes I'll be packing.  While Guitar Girl drives over the river and through the woods to G'mas house...I'll be stitching this beauty by hand.

And since every good quilt has a story...here's my thoughts behind this block.  In my original planning for this quilt, I tried to match traditional block names to states.  I'm sure that I picked Anvil in honor of the Steel industry.  But I'm also a football fan.  And Merril Hodge is an Idaho boy who played for the Steelers (87-94) after he played for Idaho State University in the only years we actually had a winning season.   Maybe it's a stretch, but it works for me.

I'm actually very pleased that I've made a decision on the PA block.  I'm not having nearly as much luck on the Oregon block.  My original plan was Tall Pine Trees.  Guitar Girl wants Ducks.  Skater Girl is emo...so her converstion wanders off about how depressing Fort Clatsop & the Whitman Massacre were. Harley Dude suggests volcanoes and lava...but would settle for a big circle to symbolize Crater Lake.  Now they're talking about onions. [SIGH] Why do I ask?   I've been thinking about ferns...symbolizing the west coast humidity as well as the John Day fossils.  Well...at least I have the fabric.