Afternoon Project

I had some leftover strips just sitting around from a baby quilt I made a couple of years ago, waiting for me to finally do something with them.  I had considered throwing them out because they weren't sewn perfectly but I decided they would make a cute doll quilt for a special young lady some day.

So I sewed them together, used a fusible batting scrap, and quilted it with a decorative stitch on my brand spankin' new Juki F600, which I bought Thursday.  

I think I'm finally done buying machines!  I'll have more on it later but here's how it greets me:

Like many others who have purchased this machine, I'm calling her Hazel.  The model number is HZL-F600.  So everyone -- say hello to Hazel!  I may have to thin out my stash of machines soon before my roommate catches on that this is yet ANOTHER machine....

P.S. The baby quilt is in the photo stream in my blog header !!

Saturday Fun

Life has been busy lately -- too busy to sew -- but I'm changing that today.  Right now.  Well, right after I finish writing this post!

I gave up buying fabric for Lent and I'm half-way to Easter Sunday and I can't wait.  I was watching a tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company and I nearly logged on to buy fabric for a project!  This video on a quilt using charm packs to make half-square triangles is so good I'll have to make it.  Once Lent is done!

I also found this video today.  It's not new but it's new to me and I just loved this woman -- she was so wise and there's so much to be learned from Fern.

Pattern Weights

I like to sew clothing and other items with a pattern but I really hate pinning the pattern pieces to the fabric when I cut it out.  Once I discovered the rotary cutter I pretty much gave up pinning and just free-wheeled it!  When I do need to be more precise I've been using some pattern weights (similar to these) I bought eons ago with thumbtacks in them.  I only have six of them and sometimes that's not enough.

Hmmmmm????  What to do?  MacGuyver it of course!  I headed over to my local family-run hardware store, Frentz & Sons, and bought several shapes and sizes of these metal plating pieces.  I considered a few other options -- no doubt perplexing the shop boys, before settling on these.  There's just enough heft to them and they had plenty of shapes to do the trick.  Total cost -- about $20.

I also bought a heavy duty magnet so I can pick the pieces up easily without disturbing the tender tissue paper patterns.  But I wasn't done.  A few of the pieces had rough edges, which I attributed to their Made In China stickers, if you know what I mean.

Stanley...you're letting me down guys.

 Next, I found some faux suede fabric in my stash (thanks Diane) and made covers for each of the straight braces -- voila:

There was definitely nothing complicated about this task and it will make my next garment construction project go so much better.  I love patronizing my local store -- they're always helpful and appreciative of my business.  

Time to choose a new project!

Feeling Better

My sewing Mojo is in high gear and I need to reel it in a bit.  Too many ideas and not enough hours right now.  I think it was brought on by spending nearly every hour in bed last weekend with a wicked upper respiratory infection.  I even missed sewing on International Quilting Day on Saturday!  Egads.

I did manage to crawl out of bed long enough on Sunday to finish quilting my Perfect Balance wall hanging.  Now I'm working on a spiffy two-sided binding, which I've never done before.  I'm using a great tutorial from The Pattern Basket blog to help me out.

It's amazing that I have any cells functioning in my brain -- I spent two+ hours at the dentist today getting a crown prep and a wicked filling.  Four shots to numb me up, including that incredibly painful one in the roof of my mouth.  Now I'm thawing out and definitely feeling tired.

I think I need a good night's rest so I'm ready for a busy day at work tomorrow.  Things are crazy there and I need to be in top form!

P.S.  Keep the prayers coming for my friend's husband, who is still recovering from multiple strokes, and for my new great-nephew who came home from the hospital last Friday.

Prayers Please

So much has been going on right now, I can barely breathe!  A good friend's husband had surgery for his a-fib and has suffered multiple strokes - please pray for Joe.  My niece Carla delivered her son Owen on Monday (too late for my birthday!) and he is in the NICU -- please pray for them too.

Work is crazy as we are at the end of our testing phase and not quite done -- woops.  I'm behind in my quilting and sewing and tomorrow is our quilt guild meeting - yikes!  My roommate is down with the flu -- pray that I don't catch it!  Geez.

I had a fabulous birthday weekend though and of course that included spending time with my grandson Denver.  We went to the Rainforest Cafe and at first he was completely frightened by the crazy alligator but warmed up eventually to the other animals.  He kept saying 'I don't like alligators, I don't like alligators'.  We didn't make that mistake again.  He got to ride on the carousel in the mall and rode his pony like a PRO!

Today we had another crazy winter snow storm -- I certainly hope it's the last. I shoveled and shoveled and swept off my car. I hope I don't see another snowflake until next Winter.

Catching Up

I've been swamped at work and feeling like the last thing I want to do is spend time at my computer -- SORRY!  

I had a fabulous weekend up north with my girlfriends and I've got loads of pictures to share.  If I didn't spend so much time on the computer at work, I'd feel a lot more like spending time at the computer at home.

I went to the doctor's this morning and you would think if you had an 8:10 am appointment you'd be out quick but NOOOOOOOO.  It was after 9 am when I left and I was really only there to get some blood drawn.  Arrrgggghhhh!

I sent a package off today to Georgia for my niece and her family.  They're expanding their family by one next Monday (wish it were Sunday -- it would be my favorite birthday present EVER!) and I put a few goodies in a box and dropped them off at the post office this morning.

I realized yesterday that I missed my Blogoversary -- how did that happen???!!!  I've been writing a blog for FIVE, count 'em, 5 years!  Many of you have been reading all along but some of you are new.  Thanks for sticking with me, even when I've lost my mojo.  It will be back once I'm done with this crazy testing at work.  I promise.

In the meantime, it's the beginning of Lent here and I've given up, gasp, buying fabric for the next 40 days.  Keep me honest -- don't. let. me. near. any. new. fabric.