Oooooo FUN!

I've been waiting and waiting and finally.....................

I ordered this on Sunday and got it on Weds. Couldn't be happier with the customer service. Couldn't be happier with the possibilities of this book. Can't wait to get started!

More about Houston

I don't know if I posted these or not but here they are. I just couldn't walk away from the booth at School House Quilt Shoppe without buying them. As usual, there is a story.....

School House Quilt Shoppe is the home of Judie Rothermel. Don't know Judie? Perhaps you are familiar with Aunt Grace Fabrics? Civil War Repros? Well, she is the designer. Hers is also the first quilt shop I ever visited. School House Quilts was the first place I ever took a quilting lesson. I do have proof.....unfinished proof, but proof. The class I took was beginning quilting (mid 80's) and it was all templates and hand sewing. This is the one and only thing I semi finished in the class. It is hanging in my sewing room.
I loved that quilt store. They had this gorgeous six pointed star quilt hanging. I used to go in and hope that somehow the kit miraculously became more affordable (I was a young bride, a new mom and broke!) I almost cried when I went home to visit and they had closed the shop. I guess she got too busy. But, they are always in Houston and I always drool over the fabrics. Even though I don't use Civil War repros often, they are my very favorite fabrics. I think that the influence of going in School House Quilts really stuck with me. When I was in Houston, I told her that this entire obsession is her fault! I also asked her about that quilt. It seems it's hanging in her house. She said that she would take a photo of it for me and email it. Well, today I got brave and sent an email. I sure do hope that she is able to take that picture!

New Table

I finally got the table I bought in Houston. It came about 2 weeks ago but luckily UPS dropped it and it got here looking like thisLovely huh! The owners of Sew Perfect Tables were so nice. They immediately sent out another table. After a bit of grunting and groaning...deciphering of directions and whining....DH got the table together. There are 3 reasons I bought this as opposed to other tables out there.

1.)price. It is reasonable. I didn't need a loan or financing to be able to afford it! Plus it's the same price as the Janome table but a few inches bigger.
2.)it has an extension table that folds down. This is great in a small room. When I need it I can open it up. When I don't, it's down.


3.)it is adjustable!! whoohoo!! I am short and am so tired of stretching to sew. My feet never touch the ground as I have to raise my chair so high. I used to have my foot pedal on
books to reach it after I raised the chair high enough.

It is a bit industrial looking. To be honest though, I want something that works and don't necessarily need beauty. I quilted a panel on it last night and was thrilled to have a totally flat surface! WhooHOOO!

Goin' GaGa

I just love, love my new phone. I went to the Sprint store with the intention of getting any ole' simple phone. However, my daughter and I share a plan and because she needed to have XYZ features, with the ability to download L-M-N-O-P files, I knew that we were going to have to upgrade our plan.

My conversation with the ever so perky sales clerk (but very helpful) at Sprint:

Me: I'm just looking for a plain phone. My daughter needs to do XYZPDQ on her phone and I just need a phone.

Perky Sales Clerk: Well come down to this end. This phone is very simmmple and has larrrrge numbers. (read with your talking to a two year old who doesn't speak your language, voice.)

Me: (Chuckling) Why thank you...and on went the conversation.

We moved to the computer screen

Me: Oooo how did you get to that on the Sprint site? I haven't been able to find it.

PSC: Fiirssst, yoou cliiiick heeere. Theeen, yooou cliccccck heeere.

By now, I am so amused with this sweet young thing assuming that I am dumb as a doornail that all I could do was smile. I didn't buy a phone just then and chuckeled all night long reliving our conversation. When I went back in the next day I bought this

a Samsung Instinct. The poor girl nearly fell over. She was just so amazed that I chose the total opposite of what I'd asked for (and what she assumed I'd understand how to use).

This touch phone stuff is very nice! Plus because DD needs XYZPDQ, I have internet, texting, GPS (invaluable when lost in Houston and tired from Quilt Festival), and on and on. I can't wait to have the time to go back to my sweet little sales clerk, who was certain I was going to return the phone, and tell her how much I like it.

So Much to say

I don't even know where to begin.......

Ok, let's start with Houston. If you judged by my checkbook, it was a blast!!!! I will probably revisit the quilt show theme more than once but let's start with my checkbook! I have been, as my friend says, gritching over my table for a long, long time. Well, I finally bought this one. I had looked at the Janome table (I sew on a 6600) but this one had an optional extension table. Uhm....did I say optional? This table is not the most beautiful table out there. Let's face it, the cabinets that run in the thousands of dollars are beautiful , BUT, and this is a biggy, this table has an adjustable height for those of us that are not the standard 5'4"! The owners of this company were very, very, very nice. I just can't say enough about them. Trade shows are exhausting and they were perky and friendly each time I visited their booth (I kept taking all of my friends back to show them my new baby!) I am waiting on pins and needles today because if it shipped exactly on time and all of the stars aligned, I may get it today.

Next checkbook depleter.....thread! I bought some of the Brytes by Superior. I've already used it and am in love. I love the thickness of it. I also bought PolyQuilter thread. I cannot wait to try it.

I also bought fabric from my favorite quilt shop and designer, School House Quilts, Judie Rothermel. I bought not one but 2 fat quarter bundles of the Lancaster line. Pictures later.
I bought this specifically to make a quilt for my bed.

I also got a new phone and in my infinite wisdom thought the camera on it would be enough for pictures of quilts.....Wrong! I will try to get them off the camera and see how they look.

Thats all for now.....

Shopping

I have been hitting the "submit order" button a bit here....


I promised a door prize to Ms. A's professional group. Since they are all deaf interpretters, I think the fabric on the right is just perfect! You may remember the purse (scroll down to see) and bag I made from the blue colorway. The Browns fabric is because, although we deep in Cowboy territory, we are diehard Browns fans. I have no idea what I'll make for DH but I can't wait to finish it!! LOL!!!! DH will love whatever it is just because it is Browns fabric. I need to photograph my other purchase.....at least it will lead to another semi-quilty type post.....

Shopping II

I may not be sewing much but I never stop shopping! I think if I ever move a pre-requisite would be having a Half Price book store. My latest purchases are just fun! This is the entire set of quilting patterns.Best yet, look at the price!!!!

These books, although older, are still loads of fun. They seem to be filled with many animal type patterns. I guess I'm collecting for a someday Noah's ark type quilt.

My weekend haul

Gotta Love Half Price Books. It's one of those things I would miss if I moved out of Texas. They may be in other places but I know they are concentrated in Texas and college towns. Half Price is a huge used book store. They also must buy poor sellers or last runs or something because they also have a large selection of new books at reduced prices...well, half price. I love it when someone cleans out their closet and then I get to buy the books for next to nothing. The magazines are old but they were .50 each so I don't mind. The books are great . I love the Judy Hopkins book. How many times do you want to size something up or down. This book has directions for cutting many multiple sizes of the same block. There are directions for hundreds of blocks in the book. The strips and borders book is okay but it does give a few ideas. By far my favorite is the fat quarters book. How can you pass up a book that has this quilt ...

.......and this.....I bought all of those books for less than the cover price of one of them! Add to that my teacher discount and I am happy, happy, happy! Now I only need to finish the 57 things in front of these projects. I really need to quit work so I have more time to sew.