Sew and Tell

Ok, time for full disclosure. I currently have four sewing machines in my yarn room. Now to be fair, one of them belongs to my mother-in-law but it has been at my house for almost a year and she only uses it when we quilt together, so it might as well be considered part of my collection. So, without further ado...my own little version of show and tell:

First up we have my very first sewing machine. I picked this up at a yard sale about 6 years ago for twenty dollars. I had to have it serviced which cost about 30 bucks, but I'd still say I got a deal. I'm not sure how old it is, but it still works. Although it does take a little patience to get the thing threaded and the bobbin tends to be a bit tempermental, but it's not my primary sewing machine so it doesn't bother me.



Next up, my primary machine. Now I say primary, but this thing only sees action every few weeks when the mood strikes. It is the one that sits out on the sewing table most of the time, but it is usually wearing it's dust cover.


Next up, my mother-in-law's machine. Like I said, this one might as well be considered part of my collection. I think she has used it once on her own, but she doesn't really know much about sewing so she relys on me to show her how to use it. (Which is funny because I only barely know how to sew anyway!)



Finally, my most recent addition to the collection. This is one of my most proud bargain-shopping finds ever.

(Thanks to Chance for making the shot more interesting.) I know what you are thinking, that's not a sewing machine-that's just a table (and a pit bull). Where's the sewin machine? Well, I'm glad you asked....

It's one of those tables that folds up all neat but is secretly concealing a machine underneath! I found this at Goodwill for $10!!! I was so excited to find it just to have a relic like that in my yarn room, but I was convinced that when I got it home it wouldn't work. Nope, runs like a dream. I haven't used it though, because there is a spot on the cord where the wires are showing so I am looking for a replacement cord just to be on the safe side.

So there you go....my collection. It's a little weird to have that many when I hardly ever sew at all, right? My scrapbooking and knitting are by far the much more actively practiced crafts, yet...I can't pass up a sewing machine at a good price. I really really want an antique one. You know, the kind that you use a manual foot pedal and they are black and really heavy. Wow. That would be like the holy grail of sewing machines.

In other news...I went to my sister's last weekend for my nephew's birthday. My other sister brought her nephews from her husband's side with her which resulted in 4 kids there all under the age of 9. (Three of them were under the age of 5!) This little guy stole my heart...

That's Caden. He's 2 yrs old and is sooo adorable. He invented this fun game where he would throw his arms in the air and run at me and I would swoop him up. Then he would do it again and again.

So the hit of the party wasn't the presents or the cake. It was a simple cardboard box that my sister and nephew had turned into a pirate ship the day before. We spent a good ten minutes singing "A Pirate's Life for Me" and saying "Ahoy!" and "Arrrr, Matey!". The three youngest boys managed to all fit in the pirate's ship while Galen was the caboose.

Fun times! Morgan has some new knitting, but I forgot to take pictures to show here. I did however remember to take a picture of my only completed quilt.

This is hanging in my living room. (on my boring white walls...I want to paint them SO bad!) I made this in a class that I took at Cottonwood a few yeas ago. I think I completed the whole thing in less than a month. I don't think you can see the prints that well, but it had a sort of "Americana" theme to it.

My blog needs some major updating. I haven't changed anything in the sidebar in a long time. Look for some changes coming soon....

Blah.

Do you ever have one of those days? Nothing noteworthy happened to put me in a bad mood. But I'm just not really feeling all that right with the world, if that makes sense. I saw a woman run a stop sign today and I got unreasonably upset about it. As in, the thought crossed my mind to pull her over and give her a toungue-lashing for being so careless in an area where there are so many pedestrians, many of them children. So, not one of my more rational moments. How could I have I really pulled her over, anyway? Not to mention I hate confrontation, so where would this well of sudden courage come from?

I have no new pictures to share. I have been working on reorganizing the yarn room though. I got some more shelving to keep things a little more in order and a new TV (Thanks hubby!) to hang on the wall. I really want to make some curtains for that room...I just can't seem to find the right fabric to match the theme and colors of the room.

I'm going to my sister's house tomorrow...she has new knitting to share, maybe I will post some pictures here when I get back since I have nothing new to report.

Like I said....blah.

New Horizons

Does anyone out there use bloglines? I personally love it because instead of littering up my favorites page and having to search through the list each day to see who has posted I can go to one website and read all the latest blogs from my favorite bloggers. Problem is, my bloglines feed list is horribly outdated. There are blogs on there I haven't read in months, and I need some new inspirations. I have several favorites that I am loyal to and still read every day, but my sights have changed a bit since I created my blog list and I could use some new inspiration. That being said, I have an idea....anyone who reads this blog (if anyone does) and used bloglines, post a link to your bloglines list in the comments. That way we can all surf each other's faves and come up with some new links to add. I am going to post my list as is. You will be able to tell which ones I have stopped reading because of the amount of unread posts. Most of the ones with no new posts are ones I read daily, or people who have stopped blogging that I haven't removed. Alright, ready...share!

My List

ETA: The link works now...thanks Sarah!

A different kind of stitching...

Is it just me or is quilting taking over a lot of knitting blogs as of late? Some of my favorite blogs have started featuring sewing on their blogs, some more than others. I have dabbled in quilting a little here and there, but have no finished projects to show for it. (Unless you count my modest wall hanging I completed in a class...I'll try to remember to take a pic sometime.) A few years ago I picked up some Block of the Month kits from a chain fabric store. I love these because the pieces are all pre-cut. I hate cutting...I'm not an exact person by any means and having to be exact to the 1/16th of an inch isn't my cup of tea. I'm more of the if it doesn't work go with it variety...you can tell it in my seams. So these blocks are all from those kits...I've only gotten three months' worth done, nine to go plus sewing them all together and then the actual "quilting" process.

Here is my only finished quilt top. There's a secret to this one...see if you can spot it.See the center panel? Looks like I spent an awfully long time piecing little nine-patch blocks and mixing them up with preprinted blocks, right? Nope...the whole center thing is one panel of fabric. All I did was add a small inner border and then a large outer border. Simple, quick, easy, functional: the names of the game. This just has to be basted and quilted. I am going to try to get it basted today, and I want to try hand quilting this one. It's not quite twin-sized...it's more like a lap/couch sized.

Just for your enjoyment: Last night I went out karaoke-singing with some friends. My friend Stacy and I pretty much dominated the stage, we were up there about every third song or so...I sang "Suds in the Bucket"-Sara Evans; "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under"-Shania Twain; "Shoop"-Salt'n'Pepa (that one was a lot of fun...it's the picture below of the four of us-we got the whole bar dancing and on their feet!); "Baby, Now That I've Found You"-Allison Krauss; "Don't Stop Believin"-Journey; "Whiskey Lullaby"-Allison Krauss and Brad Paisley (photo below); and "I Think We're Alone Now"-Tiffany. I know, quite the mix, right? Karaoke is my new favorite thing to do...I'm always a little nervous at first then you realize you probably won't see any of these people again and who cares what they think anyway? Plus, there is always the teensy chance that I'll get "discovered" one night by some megawatt talent scout, right?

If you live locally you should come check it out one night....Lazy Parrot every Saturday night (up in Pantops Center near the Food Lion). We are going again on Mar 1...come sing!

Sniff.

I had intended on posting today. A good hearty post with knitting content and everything. Then I caught whatever ugly virus has been floating around work the past few weeks. And when I say I caught it, I mean I caught it. I hardly ever get sick, so when I do not only am I a giant baby about it, but it is crippling. This is no slight case of the sniffles or some mild coughing. This is lay in an ice bath to bring your temperature down from 103.2 kind of crippling. This is can't take two steps without getting so dizzy you think you might pass out crippling. I left work early both yesterday and today, which I can't stand because we are so short, but I literally had no other choice. I went to a doctor today and all they were able to offer me was Tylenol to keep my fever down and the tried and true "plenty of fluids and rest" line. Ugh.
Well, back to my warm spot on the couch....I'm dizzy.