Block Head

Lookit!!! My first 'quilting block'!

I pieced a wonky block (yes, that's intentional!) and used it to decorate a simple tote bag.

I used a combination of four prints and a light blue for the border. I love the soft yet rustic muslin I used for the body and the handles. At the last minute, I decided to jazz up the handles with a couple of "patches" from scraps.

And the best part: it's 100% cotton AND completely machine washable! I love how it turned out!











(I am TOTALLY tooting my own horn on this one, because I love it!!!)

But alas, I didn't make it for me. It's a for a friend's Open House tonight to celebrate her new digs! I hope she likes it as much as I do!

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To ...

This is going to be a disjointed blog post.

But what the title refers to is magazines.
They DON'T make 'em like they used to ...

Recently, a popular DIY magazine folded. I had been a subscriber since year one and was currently renewed through 2012 sometime. And was unsure if I was going to renew.

There. I said it.

I had been a subscriber for, what? 10+ years or so. But I was ready to bail. Why? They sold out. I'm sorry, but it's true. (And I'm probably pissing off other loyal subscribers right now which is why I am sooo not mentioning names here.) I understand that they probably needed a larger publishing house and "their" advertisers to survive and expand.

BUT they lost everything I loved about the magazine:
It's quirkiness ... It's rough edges ... The ACTUAL DIY tutorials.

It became a "Ooo...look what STUFF I own in my home [very little of it DIY BTW] Aren't I cool?" kinda thing. Gone were the "hey we're so excited about how cool this project is and we wanted to share it with YOU!" attitude. Everything became "glossy" and more blandly stylized. I LIKED it when things weren't perfect ... because let's face it - none of our homes are. None of our projects are perfect. Isn't that what it's all about? I liked their projects. They made me think "I like that, but let me change this ... and tweak that." They would inspire me to take it a bit further.

But they're gone now.


Oh. And so are two magazines on my coffee table that got drenched in milk by the cats. One was an interiors magazine (oddly enough, the replacement one the above-mentioned folk are continuing my still-paid subscription with) and an unread Bon Appetit. Well, I had read it, but Chris didn't even have a chance to open it yet.

THESE are the little fuc...fellons in question:





Cute, aren't they?
Not last night when they knocked over a full glass of milk while both trying to shove their heads in it.

All. Over. The. Table.
And said magazines.
Since they're now made from "post consumer products" -- which I'm all for BTW -- they decompose as soon as a drop of water hits them.
Dammit.

See?? They DON'T make 'em like they used to ...



Oh. We lost a book, too.
One of those paperbacks with newsprint pages.
My Culpepper's Herbal survived as it's NOT "post-consumer" anything...
Whew!

Getting to Know You ...

... getting to know all about you.

My new little Janome. I know we're going to be good friends.



BTW ... Is it wrong that I giggled when I heard the all the sales people calling it "juh-no-mee"?? I'm sure it's the correct way to say it, but it still makes me giggle.

And the Sewist 500 was purchased out of need.
No, I swear!
My mom's 30+ year old machine finally stopped cooperating.
Good price. Good machine. I even researched and everything ...

Can't wait to show you what I'm making.
There may even be a tutorial in it for you ...
Yeah, that's right. I'm such a tease!

In the mean time, you have to deal with my crappy camera phone picture of some tea towels I finally made for our kitchen. Oh and the wicked tasty cherries I was eating ...

See? I'm a total tease.