Some dog pictures...

David took some pictures of the dogs today.

Ginny, panting after her full sprint of the yard.

And then she was tired and had to lie down.

Winni...

...likes...

...chewing...

...sticks!

Y'all have a good day.

A baby quilt

So my boss commissioned a baby quilt for her niece-to-be. The shower was today, so I think it is safe to post pictures now.


The highlighted fabric is Ginger Blossom by Sandi Henderson. You really should follow that second link and check out her blog where you can see her new line, Farmer's Market.
The light pink background and backing and the green binding are fabrics I picked up at Hancock. The quilt is about 30" x 42" and I used flannel instead of batting in the middle so that it would be nice and portable. The binding is hand sewn to the back, as shown in the picture below.
This was really fun to make and I can't wait to do some more. I think I might make a new quilt for the living room next.

I hope that it was a hit at the shower.

Don't be jealous...

but my sweet husband bought me some prizes at the Thrift Store today.

Just watch out. I'm so glad that I am now the proud owner of a Wheel of Fortune fanny pack. David suggested that I give it to my grandmother who is a HUGE Wheel fan. IS HE CRAZY!!! How could I let such a piece of Americana go. Fanny packs, while convenient, are ridiculous, as shown in the picture above.

If you are still using one, STOP. There is no need. Just stop NOW! Girls, carry a purse. Kavu make a nice one that is easy to carry across your body. Boys, I shouldn't even have to tell you to stop. I don't care how handy it is, STOP with the fanny pack. I'd rather see a man with so many tools on his belt that he looks like a poor imitation of Batman than a man with a tragically un-hip fanny pack. STOP!!

The only exception to this rule occurs at Camp Winnataska. For some reason, they are fine there, but only for the Comanches. Camp had fanny packs made for the asthma camp a few years ago and the Comanches still carry them. They look cute, and are the only people on the planet who look normal wearing them.

PS-I went to Hancock yesterday and bought Simplicity 3790 and 2971. Everyone working at the store was nice. And some were helpful as well. Perhaps things are looking up.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow of the quilt I made for my boss's future niece. It turned out really well.

Birmingham News article about Hancock...

I saw this article today while looking at al.com. It is about the renovation of the Hancock store in Hoover. I hope that it helps. Seeing that it is one of few fabric stores where I can conveniently feed my fabric addiction AND touch the merchandise, it won't change things much. I'll still shop there, but it would be nice not to be disappointed.

The rest of the article goes on to mention that "the prototype is to help customers and free staff to help with sewing projects." Um... I shop there about once a week, and there is only one friendly AND helpful employee. Some are friendly and some are helpful, but only one is both. Some are downright rude, not to me (most of the time) but to other people.

So there will be renovations and reorganizations and remodeling and sections... that's great. I hope they hire some helpful employees. Cut the bottom twenty, as my old employer used to say. I'd like some more people working there who know about fabric. I'd also like someone who works there to know about ordering some nicer fabrics. Like this, or this, or this, just to mention the quilting ones. I asked once if they had any Amy Butler fabrics. The two women at the cutting table said "WHO!?!?!?!?!" They then proceeded to tell me how no one would buy it and what they had is great. Shocking. Really shocking. Every once in a while you can find Alexander Henry prints in there, but it is rare. And most of the fashion fabric is poly blends. There is some lovely wool suiting on sale at 60% off right now.

And one more thing... quilting cotton does not have to equal scratchy 120 thread count grossness. It could be nice. And just because it is a printed woven cotton fabric doesn't mean it is destined for a split rail quilt... you can make a cute skirt or a top or a dress out of it. It is only "quilting" cotton if you make a quilt. Otherwise, it is woven cotton fabric.

I shouldn't be too hard on them. I have found a few really cute not too juvenile or geriatric cotton prints there, but that is the exception. I have bought some decent knits there, but most are scratchy polyester or no Lycra cotton.

Perhaps they are trying to play it safe and stay middle-of-the-road. Too bad that's where you get run over.

Geez. I should get off the soapbox.

If I get any more riled up, I won't be able to go to Hancock this afternoon.

End of an era...

It's a sad day...

It had to happen sooner or later. Theses are my best bargain find ever. A $200 pair of Serengeti sunglasses that I bought for $18.

Man... I might need to go home and cry.

She's mighty, mighty...

Well we have a brick house, okay a partially brick house, but it is one more thing off of the list. It looks great. Here are some pictures of them working on it.

It took them about three days. There was a crew of four guys and they did a great job.

Another in progress shot.

Here are some finished shots.

We (David) had to put a tarp over the fireplace so it wouldn't rain into the bedroom. The original cap was made to fit the wood on the top. Now that we had them brick to the top of the chimney, we will have to have a new cap made.

Here's one more...

Just a tease for the next post... but we've breached the hull, cap'n.