Cities, Quilt Shops and Whales

My husband and I just got back from making a trek north to visit New York City and Boston for a few days. I have been to New York City many times, and never tire of it. In fact, every time I go I am amazed at the way the city energizes me! I love it there. We went to see a show on Broadway, Phantom of the Opera for the first time and I was awestruck. A fabulous evening, to say the least. I would recommend it to everyone. If you have never seen a live show, you really are missing something. The talent in front of you is truly a gift - I feel so blessed to have seen the few I have thus far. At the top of my mental "To Do" list is "See More Shows". I intend to follow through.

Naturally, I also had to hit a quilt shop while in the city. The City Quilter is more than worth the trip if you are in the Big Apple. My husband and I had been out for a nice stroll in Central Park when a rip roaring down pour began. I knew I would never find a cab in the storm and I was quickly getting soaked to the skin. My husband, always willing to support the arts (and probably avoid a tantrum), changed his afternoon plans and escorted me to the door of the quilt shop. The people in the shop were as nice as can be, and the stock was exemplary. I was in heaven and spent some of my children's inheritance while there. They will love the quilts more than any money I could leave them anyway, right?

The second half of our mini vacation was a trip up to Boston, a city I have never been to. That, too, should be on everyones "To Do" list. My sister-in-law lives in a neighborhood adjacent to Cambridge, a great place called Davis Square. I know that many people carelessly throw the word "cool" around, but honestly this place is totally cool. I loved it! From there we went whale watching, took a helicopter ride over the city, and ate some of the best food I have ever had. I don't want to be one of those people that drones on and on about their vacation, so I will end here, but honestly people - Boston is a city we should all go visit. Oh, and just so you know, my husband actually took that photo of the whales beside our boat.

Calling all Grandparents!

Here is my latest project - a bag and
pillow for my darling one year old Granddaughter, Madelyn. Her parents just moved to New York, and they took her with them. Imagine that! This was my first weekend with them living in New York, and me living here in Florida. To help myself with the tremendous "missing," I sewed up a few things for her.

Let me give you a tiny bit of background - Our last name is Freebery, so I came up with this design. We have a lot of family up in New York, and there are two sets of Great Grandparents up there as well, and I fear her forgetting about her Florida Grandparents. I want to sew up a multitude of "Berry" projects so that everywhere she looks she will be reminded of her Florida Berry Grandparents. So, all that being said, if any of you have any Berry projects or ideas - send them my way! Help this very sad Grandma create a gazillion Berry projects so that I am always front and center for little Madelyn! Terrible, probably, but it can't hurt to have a constant presence, can it?

Oh, Happy Day!

Oh, happy day! I finally took the big step and bought a new machine. Here she is, the Janome 11000. I have had the Janome 9000 for at least seven years, and have thoroughly enjoyed it, but always wished I had a second machine. It will be great to be able to do regular sewing while my 11000 is embroidering. The 11000 also has a much larger embroidery field so the sky is the limit with what I can embroider. It will also be nice to still have a machine at home when I take one or the other in for routine check-ups.

Before now, it just never seemed like the time to make the additional investment. Recently, it simply “became the time,” so down I went to this wonderful sewing machine shop in St. Petersburg called Sue’s Bay Area Sewing, and I bought it. The best part is that I have met the most wonderful of women there, and am very happy I discovered Sue’s shops. There are actually four shops in different parts of the county to choose from, and that is going to be splendidly convenient as well.

Since this machine does exponentially more than my old one did, I keep getting distracted trying all the new capabilities out. So, in the 48 hours I have owned the new machine I have only completed these two bags for my niece who is about to start pre-school. I was very pleased with the ease with which I can take designs directly from my computer to the machine, and combine them, laying them out directly on the machines computer screen exactly the way I want them sewn out. It is a wonderful thing. My mind is racing with the projects I want to do. The other night I actually had a dream about dish towels! Now THAT is a good thing…

Summer Fun, Motorcycles, and Sewing Machines

So, I have been away for awhile for two reasons. My previous post discusses the pillowcases I made recently for my son, who lives in New York. My baby boy had recently purchased a motorcycle and subsequently I was “blessed” with the phone call every mother dreads. Yes, there had been an accident. Jordan hit a deer on his motorcycle and though he faired much better than the deer, it was very frightening for a few days. He is doing fine right now, and is on the mend. He was lucky enough to have “only” a bad concussion, a severely broken left arm (that will require surgery), a few broken fingers in addition to the customary road rash that goes hand and hand with a motorcycle accident.

I always try to find the good in every situation that arises in my life, and yes, there was good in this accident. My son has decided that motorcycling is a dangerous thing. He found that even when a driver, such as himself, is doing all the right things, it is dangerous. He is giving up his motorcycle and going back to four wheels only. For this I am very thankful. I am very pleased that he is still here with us to have learned this lesson.

Secondly, my husband and I have been very busy wrapping up the sale of a large building that is on Duval Street in Key West, Florida. The sale closed on Friday so as soon as I have time to look up from all the work that I neglected in the last several weeks, I am heading out to my favorite sewing machine shop to pick up the Janome 11000. I need a shiny new toy right now. I have had the Janome 9000 for years and absolutely love it. I will never give that one up. Besides, I have only ever had one machine and think it is time to have two. Soon my granddaughter is going to be sewing beside me and she will need a machine all her own to work at (ok, since she is only 15 months old, it will be a little while, but it is always good to look to the future…). Now I will be able to send one in for maintenance without going into a deep depression at the loss of my beloved machine. I will still have one at home to keep me company! YEAH!!!

Sweet Serendipity

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

A few weeks back, my lovely son phoned from New York. He is 21 years old and he phoned to let me know that the flannel pillow case I made for him more than 6 years ago has finally passed away. It was literally threadbare the last time I saw it, and quite honestly, I can not believe it made it this long (makes me wonder how many times it actually was washed since last I saw it...). All that being said, he then asks me if I could please make it out of the very same flannel I used the last time? Now, keep in mind that I moved from New York to Florida, and six years have passed! So I explained to my son, as gently as I could, that there was absolutely no way I would ever find that "moose tracks" flannel again. No way.

Cut to this past Saturday morning. I head over to the "End of Month, End of Bolt" sale at my favorite quilt shop, Country Quilts and Bears (30% off if you buy the end of the bolt!). I head straight to the flannel (living in Florida, it wasn't real busy on the flannel side of the store) and I start looking for the bolt with the least amount of fabric on it. I don't care much what the flannel is, and I don't give a single thought to finding the flannel I bought for him all those years ago. It doesn't even enter my mind... until I see this rather thin bolt, and look closer at it because I just can not believe what I am seeing. The EXACT same fabric that I used to make the original pillowcase! I buy it all - without even thinking, and make him two (maybe that will promote more frequent washings).

Serendipity, if you ask me...

The Big Closing

Well, we did it! My husband and I are in the real estate business, and after four years of marketing a particular building in Key West, Florida, we have finalized a deal. It will close on July 25th, and I could not be more excited and pleased. I saw a ticker on another blog this morning, and said to myself, if ever there was a time for me to post a ticker, it is today.

I can assure you that on July 26th, I will be busy. There is a particular Janome that has been calling my name for years... Can't you hear it? "...Susan....Susan...time to upgrade your machine..." I must comply. It is the right thing to do.

Scrap Happy Quilt with Borders

As promised, here is a photo of the quilt with borders and pinned, ready for me to quilt myself. I intend to use a medium dark purple 30s fabric to bind it - that will frame it nicely, I believe. For those who asked, the flower blocks are 9.5 inches unfinished, 9 inches finished. The logs in the border are 2 inch by 4 inch, unfinished. The quilt top is a total of 54 inches square.

Have a great Father’s Day everyone! May all your cookouts be rain free, happy events!