Unpacking the Goodies!

I made it home this morning ---and look who was reluctant to give up her seat so I could get in the van? Somehow I think that gaze tells it all --- she thinks it would be fine if *I* rode in the back. She’d claimed my seat while I’ve been gone!

I do feel pretty much like a zombie. My flight out of Los Angeles was delayed, and I missed my connection in Dulles last night, the last flight to Greensboro had up and left without me ---

I have to say that United handled everything VERY WELL.

Can you see it now – the behind the scenes? “That Quiltville woman is on this flight and we screwed up her schedule, we better treat her nice or she will blog about it in an open letter to the Universe AGAIN!”

We were met on board by an assistant who told us they’d already rebooked all of our flights, and were comping us for a hotel for the night, and giving each of us a $10 meal voucher too.

Nothing in the airport was open for food. It was 11pm. We took the shuttle to the Embassy Suites – checked into our rooms….I set my alarm for 5:45 am so I could catch the 6am shuttle back to the airport. Luckily the hotel was only a short 5 minutes away.

Not much is open at the airport at 6am either, but I found a bakery place that had breakfast sandwiches. $5.00. Still have coupon money left. Added two brownies…for the men folk at home.

My 8:15am flight boarded on time. I had an exit row seat. I landed on time in Greensboro, and ALL my luggage made it! How’s that for a happy ending?

Actually, it’s fine that my flight was missed last night. All the little alterations in my schedule are helping me get back to East Coast time zone in small steps.

And --- I got a blissful nap upon arrival home.

I’ve started unpacking the clothes and doing laundry.

I smiled at the fact that there is sand from Bali still on the bottom of my sandals. Bali. So wonderful!

And then. The souvenir unpacking started. The souvenir Tshirts for the boys, the wood carved komodo dragon for DH—the wood carved kitty sculptures for me.

And the fabric goodies! Oh the fabric goodies!

We stopped at a couple places where they were doing ikat weaving. AMAZING. There is a whole post coming up on that…but they had a shop where they sold stuff made with the Ikat, and this handbag called to me! I never would have imagined what a time consuming art that Ikat fabric is……Oh, I’ll never look at this the same either! Wait til you see!

Cotton Sarongs in all patterns and colors! These are also batiks, but of a different nature than you might be used to seeing. The fabric is wax stamped, and then the color is placed where it needs to go in layers. BEAUTIFUL fabrics! The blue/white on on the far left is from Java. Most of the others I think are from India. Three of them were picked up on our last shopping day in Ubud. I’m not good at wheeling and dealing with vendors, but it is expected there. Sarongs come in approximately 2 meter lengths…and no, I don’t know what I’m going to do with these, I just love them!

My meter cuts of batiks from the factory warehouse we hit on the first day!

Do I wish I bought more? Probably. But I have a really hard time buying yardage. I never know if it is going to be enough, or too much or what to do with it. I’m much more happy dealing with things like this:

I peeled the plastic bag off of one of my scrap bundles…the small one. This cost me about $3.00 US. There is a TON of fabric here, a lot of variety and I feel free to dig into this with reckless abandon! Yardage? It feels “holy” some how..don’t know if I can cut into it! But give me scraps and there is no stopping me...

Two bags opened up side by side! Now this is more like ME!

These are not all small pieces…the back part of the warehouse was a shirt factory – women sewing at industrial sewing machines. There are a lot of die cut pieces in here…BIG pieces all stacked with random batik yumminess!

SEE?!?

These pieces were gleaned out of huge bags of scraps and floor sweepings. If it didn’t cost so much to ship, I’d have them send me scrap bags! As it is, I have plenty to work with and am really going to enjoy using the fabric I actually bought in Bali. I will remember digging in the bags, laughing and having a great time with the other travelers on my trip. This fabric has memory, and every time I see it, touch it, cut it, sew it, quilt it – I’ll remember!

Now the work begins – how to STORE these? I’m not sure I want to strip anything down yet. I think I’ll just iron, sort and stack by color family until I figure out what to do.

It’s about 5pm as I write this post. Hmmm…do I have to make dinner?