... but I finally did it. :) I finally made a quilt for myself. And it is oh so pretty.
True, it's not technically a quilt yet, but it will be soon, and there's a good reason it's not yet...
Because I made this quilt pretty big (it's 12 x 14 rows), my little machine can't handle it.
And because Jay (the hubs) was sitting next to me while I was quilting this quilt (to be posted Nov. 8), and thus he witnessed first hand my frustrations with free motioning when the tension kept going all wonky, I think I'll be getting a new machine next month!
It'll be a stretch of the budget, but I'm a good rationalizer (won't have to hire a long arm for bigger quilts, have been hired to make quilts for some friends, and my niece's big girl bed, and we aren't buying any Christmas presents this year; I'm making them all, and quilting them on a new machine will go much more smoothly)...
Truth is, I just married a good man, who likes me happy... and though I want a Janome Horizon, I think Amanda Jean has sold me on the Juki TL-98Q (well, her review and the fact that it's $2200 cheaper).
I've already got 4 quilt tops waiting for it. And I bought a large case of basting pins... so I'm ready to baste, baste, baste the next couple weeks. :)
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I'm a bit distracted while trying to write my one year post, and in a rather reflective mood.
Here's the post where I officially turned this in to a quilting blog.
And here was Steiger on my first real-size finished quilt a year-ish ago,
And here he was yesterday.
Getting so big.
(tangent warning)
I'm having one of those days/moments where I don't know if I should venture in to the land of self-exposure or not... but I think I'm going to, because I'm finding myself unable to write a simple bloggiversary post due to being overwhelmed with reflectiveness.
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(getting a bit emotional)
This morning, I read one of those blog posts that re-cements the reality that on the other end of these computers are real people. And when real people come in to contact with one another, they have the power and potential to be conduits of love and hope and blessing.
I'm crying like a baby right now while typing, and it's completely because of that blog post. I watched it over five hours ago for goodness' sake!
I've only mentioned it once on here before, but Steiger's birth day was not an easy one for me (you don't even want to see the picture of me after I came out of surgery). Many of you read that post and connected with me with stories of your own, but the truth is that a year and a half later, even though I'm feeling so much more sane about the idea of gearing up for round 2, I still have a lot of fears and regrets about how things went the first time.
I'm stumbling over my words here.
The bottom line is that you all have helped me. I am a sensitive soul, and was in desperate need of a healthy coping mechanism to help get me out from under some difficult emotions... and you gave me quilting. And designing. And swaps. And comments. And giveaways. And pretty pictures of pretty fabrics. And creating.
So I thank you.
I'm still waiting and praying to see how that day will be used in my life, but I do believe I am loved and all things work together for good...
(And -- if any of you are on the hunt for a VBAC as I will be soon -- not pregnant yet -- don't hesitate to be in contact...and I think I'm going to need to make a story quilt here soon... though Angela set the bar pretty high)...
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Now for the appreciation giveaway!
I ♥ Dresdens, and I want to make one for one of you, in the form of a mini quilt or pillow cover...or even a quilt block if you'd like to add a Dresden to a quilt you're making (like the 3x6 Sampler bee for example).
You can pick the colors and style (maybe even a link to a quilt or room you'd like it to coordinate with), and I'll make it up for you. :)
Here are a few I've made... to help inspire you. :)
To enter:
1) Leave me a comment with either:
- an introduction (if you're new especially)
- a sewing machine recommendation
- a suggestion for how to quilt *my* quilt
- a link to/mention of something you've made recently
- a link to/mention of something you've loved recently (or)
- some other friendly little word
2) If you like it here, and are a follower, you can get an extra entry. Please leave the note in a separate comment.
I'll probably pick the winner randomly on Sunday, but I reserve the right to both be busy at the pumpkin patch that day, and/or use something other than random.org to decide the winner.
Good luck! And from the bottom of my sappy heart... thank you for creating with me.
