Who knew.....

I would turn into a sewing freak? I think maybe it's genetic. My Grandma Helen was a quilter. She made other things, but the thing I remember most is her quilts. I have some baby quilts that she made in my cedar chest. I also have one she made for me when I was still in school that was perfect for my twin bed. She's 94 (I'm pretty sure) and has had a rough year. She finally quit sewing a couple of years ago, I swear the woman is an angel. I always remember her saying she had bad eyes and I just can't understand how someone with bad eyes can make such beautiful things. I also have several other family members who have made some pretty amazing things. You all ROCK!

(Rylie's quilt that I finally finished)

I bought my first sewing machine around 6 years ago I think. Just a cheap singer from WalMart. Nothing fancy. I don't remember what made me buy it in the first place, maybe I saw something in a magazine I wanted to make. Actually, I think the very first thing I ever made was a pillow that I gave to my mom. (She has many things I've made, from the clay dragon I made in highs school art class to the wooden scrapbooks I've made.)

I have never had the time to take a sewing class, I've pretty much learned everything I know (which still isn't much) from books, magazines and trial and error. I do know that if I ever get good enough to feel like I am as good as my grandma and my aunt then I'll be doing ok.

I don't know what possessed me to buy an embroidery machine. Maybe because I've been talking to her about the one she has, and all her plans. I know a lady who has one (the one who did the names for my quilts) and I've seen all of the really cool things she's done. I started thinking of all of the things I could do with one. Then I was at Joann's one day and saw some. I decided they were way out of my price range for something that's just a hobby. Then I went to look for some fabric last week and wandered my way into the section with the machines again. They were having a big sale. Not big enough, but I started talking to the ladies and they said right now was a great time to look at used machines because they had a huge sale after Thanksgiving, so a lot of people brought their older machines in so they could trade up. I bought the one they said was by far the best deal. It wasn't one of the newer ones, so I did have to give up a couple of things, but all in all I got a great machine for a great price. I even checked out eBay to see how much they were asking for this exact machine and I probably got it for at least $500 less than what they were going for on there.

If you're in the market or even just dreaming about it, do some research and look them up. I bought a Husqvarna Designer 1 and because I bought it at JoAnn's, I get free classes, and 1 year of parts and service warranty. They also give you 12 months to trade up and you get the full value of what you paid for your machine. I figured that if I don't use it that much then I can still sell it for close to what I paid. If I like it and use it a lot I can go back and check it out next year to see what I could trade up to. Either way sounded like a good deal for me.

Did I ramble enough for you? Here are some pictures of Hunter's jacket that I "made". I bought the hoodie at Target, and then I put his name on it, and put a spiderweb on the back for my Spidey lover.