8. Accessories. Make sure you have belts if necessary. You should only need one belt if you've packed color coordinated items. Keep jewelry to a minimum.

9. Shoes. Be sure your shoes are comfortable! Don't go buy a new pair of shoes and try to break them in away from home. I plan my wardrobe so that I only need one or two pair of shoes. I've cut heels out of my wardrobe, and flats go great with long skirts or pants. If you're packing shorts, take a comfortable pair of sandals that will work with shorts or skirts. If I'm taking tennis shoes, I try to wear them on plane because they take up too much room in suitcase. If you're going on a business trip, be sure to polish your shoes before you pack them, and then slip them inside a plastic grocery bag so polish doesn't rub off on your clothes. Don't forget to take socks or nylons that will fit with shoes you've chosen to take.

10. Vacation gear. Don't forget your swimsuit, cover-up and a pair of flip-flops (we used to call them 'thongs' but now that has an entirely different meaning!). My husband always forgets swim trunks and I accuse him of just wanting to buy a new pair in every city!

11. Hair products. I have short hair that can easily air dry on its own in summer, but I have a travel hair dryer I carry with me if I'm staying in a hotel that doesn't provide one in room. I have a hair brush that always stays in my bag. Condense big bottles of shampoo and conditioner into smaller ones. I carry a shampoo/conditioner product with me so I only have to use one product. If you need gel or hair spray, buy travel sizes first time, and then refill them from your big bottle when it runs out.

12. Electronics. With cell phones and computers,neither are any good to you if batteries are dead. Be sure to take cords with you and remember to recharge every night. Don't forget your camera, film and batteries. Take film mailers with you and send it off before you leave to have a head start on processing, and save on those one hour prices.

13. Backpack. I always carry a backpack for things to entertain myself on plane or in car. About a week before I leave home, I pull backpack out and as I think of things I want to take, I throw them in and then repack it before I leave. Seems like it's always heavy going to my destination and lighter coming home because I'm tired and pack more of it in suitcase. If I have a connecting flight and am worried about my suitcase arriving at same time I do, I include a change of clothes and my toiletry bag. I always carry something to read, my journal, a bottle of water and a snack. I put all travel documents in outside pocket so they are easily accessible. Do NOT pack your manicure tools or they will be taken away from you.

14. Purse. I don't carry a purse when traveling, so I condense everything into a fanny pack and put anything else I have to have in backpack. If I'm carrying much cash, I use one of those money pouches that hangs around your neck and can be worn under your shirt. It's a good idea not to carry all of your money in one place.

15. Maps and other. Before I visit a new place, I do some research on internet and get driving directions from airport. I pull information on that city that might be of interest to me and my family. Be sure to include a small sewing kit, or at least some safety pins, as well as your basic first aid supplies.

Each trip I take becomes a challenge to me to pack even better on next one. I discover what's important to take and what's not. Having your list available as you pack for each trip allows you to pack and feel confident that you haven't forgotten anything. Of course if you are traveling with children, you'll need to take their needs into consideration, and that might include taking in-laws with you to help carry everything!

3. Clean up any accidents immediately. Washable quilts can be cleaned with cold water. My quilt, with delicate cross-stitching fabric and thread, would need to be dry cleaned by an expert.

4. Before you wash, test fabric to see if colors are going to run. Use a white towel and cold water to test each color.

5. Do not put quilts in dryer or hang them over a clothesline. They should lay flat between two sheets placed on grass in shade.

When I was a young, married woman I discovered a box of fabric in my grandmother's closet along with pattern for a quilt that had been published by Kansas City Star in 1920s. Grandma told me she had bought fabric when my dad was born and had just never made quilt. She told me if I wanted to make it, she would pay to have it quilted for me. I accepted challenge, and without knowing anything about quilts (or anything else!), I cut and assembled all of pieces. It was beautiful, and I remember pride I felt in knowing that I had sewn every stitch, but even as I laid it across my daughter's twin-sized bed, I could see how thin and worn fabric had become. I wish now I would have used pattern and bought newer, more sturdy fabric, that would have lengthened life of quilt, but that was just one of life's lessons I had to learn.

Going through process of piecing that quilt helped me to have a deep appreciation for all of time and love that goes into each stitch. As I worked on it, I tried to imagine my grandmother as a young mother and wondered what life was like for her. Was motherhood as challenging for her as it was for me? Did she ever imagine that she would have a granddaughter who would treasure this old fabric and bond it gave to both of them?

Buying a bedspread is fast and fairly inexpensive because they are mass produced, but you can't expect it to give you you same warm feeling as when you run your hands over stitches of a quilt that was made by you or someone you love. When your hands caress fabric and stitches of quilt you have painstakingly created, memories of past are guaranteed to rush into your heart. If that quilt was made by someone who loved you, you will feel a connection that seems oblivious to time.

Copyright 2002 Joyce Moseley Pierce http://www.emersonpublications.com Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of Emerson Publications.She is creator of "All They'll Need to Know," a workbook to help families record personal and financial information. She is also editor of The Family First Newsletter, an ezine for families with young children.

Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of Emerson Publications.She is the creator of "All They'll Need to Know," a workbook to help families record personal and financial information. She is also the editor of The Family First Newsletter, an ezine for families with young children. http://www.emersonpublications.com