Splurge

At one of my local quilt shops, Quilt Expressions, they mail you out a postcard during your Birthday month and you can go in and save 20% on your purchase. Since today was the last day of the month, and heaven forbid that postcard go unused, I ventured into the shop. I had intentions of buying some precuts as I've never purchased or used any before. Turns out, it would help if I knew what I wanted to make and who I wanted to make it for before going shopping for fabric. Sooo....I ended up with a quilt kit, spent way more than I intended to (especially considering I got 2 gift cards for my Birthday for a different quilt shop...but that means I still have them and can get precuts after I decide what and who they would be for).

This beautiful fabric is for this quilt pattern:

Photo courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop

I'm super excited to start this quilt, but I think that it's going to have to be put away until after we're moved and settled in. If I start another new project I will never get this house packed! Maybe this quilt kit will give me the motivation I need to get through the moving process! Oh, well that and my new quilting space that I will have!

Wordless Wednesday (AKA Why I Haven't Been Posting Much)

"Get 'er Done, Got 'er Did"

Love that line from "About the South" by Rodney Atkins!

Like I was tellin' ya, I got my hair 'did' yesterday! I had my sister take some before and after photos. Now, keep in mind that I hadn't done anything to style my hair in the before...it was just some wash and go action, no product or heat had touched it (i.e. it looks like a nasty mess and I don't usually just wear it this way) but you get the idea:

After (mostly the same length, I think she took an inch or 2 off and added a bit more layering):

Can you see the new colors (a caramel-ish color and deep red)? I look a little 'crooked' in this one, but it shows the colors a bit better than the one above it.

Happy Sunday!

Superhero

Our Oddball knitting group was challenged to do a Superheo blanket. Maybe it's because I have two boys but when I read it, I really wanted to have my section include a 'logo' for a superhero rather than just colors to represent a certain character. I settled on Batman so I searched for patterns and found this one. Next, I had to learn how to knit with different colors in a pattern...yeah, I'm really going all out here. I was the second knitter on this blanket, it arrived at my house and the first section was a beautiful red, white and blue to represent Captain America. I had this blanket in my possession a little longer than most of the blankets I work on because I was searching for the perfect pattern and had to learn (and hence practice several times) a new technique before adding it to this project. Once I had it all figured out, I went to town on this blanket and it really didn't take that long to whip it out.

After I was done, I had loads of ends that I needed to weave in:

Overall I'm really happy with my section. I put a lot of time and effort into it and, while it is far from perfect, I'm proud of myself for taking the time to learn a new technique and spending time to make this a wonderful blanket for some lucky little boy (I'm assuming it will go to a boy, though I suppose some girls might appreciate it too).

Enjoy your Saturday. I'm getting my hair "did" and looking forward to a new cut and color!!!!

Shopping Around

Let's say I'm in the market for a new sewing machine.

I want one for piecing as well as one that works well for quilting

(because, even though I've only finished 2 complete quilts,

this is something I really want to do more of).

What should I look for (size, features, whatever)?

What do you use and what are some of the features you love about it?

I know you can go from mild to wild here and I don't even know

right now what price range I'm going to be looking in so just share

what you want and then I'll narrow it down after that!

Thanks!!

Keeping Up

things are crazy right now:

-turned in my application for nursing school last friday

(almost cried while standing there as the guy was filling

out my received receipt - can you say PMS emotional).

the application process required some fabulous testing

first and i learned that i really don't know as much

about Excel as i thought i did

-we're trying to buy a house

-i'm trying to keep up with bee blocks

last month's was finished on the last day:

this month's are done but waiting to be mailed:

working on cutting my fabric for my quilt group:

(they all have the fabric now, can't wait to see

what i get back next month!)

(my block design from Oh, Fransson!)

also thought I'd have the group do a charity baby quilt:

-i think i've signed up for more oddball

blankets than my life is allowing right now

recently finished my section in this one:

just finished this one last night:

this one is next - Superheroes

and i'd love to make a batman section

with the batman logo in the center

(never done anything like this so it's a bit

of a looney goal if you ask me) and

a "Wizard of Oz" blanket is in the mail

so i can add a section to represent munchkins

-i've been really exhausted all of the time so

usually i'd rather just go to bed than to work

on the things that are on my to do list

-my iphoto was full so i'm working on moving

pictures to disks so i can get the photos

off of my camera. i had a dilemma, save

photos to disks or thumb drives?

disks seem easier because i can write dates

on them and file them in order.

i would inevitably lose thumb drives.

How are you today?