It's a new year, I've got a new toy (see photo in the sidebar!) and I'm in the mood to do something. After a long hiatus in which thyroid disorders zapped all my energy and motivation to do anything I loved, I am trying once again to get motivated to create.
This Christmas I finally took the plunge and bought a new sewing machine. One that I picked out for myself, one that has the features that I want and has all the buttons and gadgets I picked (instead of someone else). I finally decided on a Pfaff Expression 2.0 and so far, I love it. I haven't even begun to plunge into some of the neat things it can do, but I wanted something that could reasonably tackle both garment sewing and quilting with ease, and thought this was the one for me. And the electronic automatic buttonhole feature really sold me!
The saleslady was surprised when I told her I did mostly home dec and garment sewing, because, she said, most everyone does quilting these days. While I like to quilt occasionally, I usually do all my own curtains, an occasional slipcover (nightmare) and pillows. I also love to sew dresses for my five-year-old, but lately the fabrics at JoAnn's have been getting uglier and uglier, and she gets so many hand-me-downs that I find it hard to justify all those dresses.
It's been a while since I've quilted, though, and lately I'm in the mood. I have dribs and drabs of stuff left over that's waiting to see the light of day, so maybe I'll pull that out before I start buying any more. One is a vintage-inspired quilt top that I started about five years ago, that still needs a border and binding. Another is a boy-themed quilt for my new baby, who will be three in March. Uh huh.
In the meantime, I've been poring over websites for ideas and haven't come up short. Here are some that caught my attention:
A close-up of Rainbow Straight Furrows, (or Log Cabin) by a Flickr user who was generous enough to share her beautiful work with everyone!
And here's the full quilt. I am in love.... this would be a great children's quilt.
Love this one from Cherry House Quilts called "Candy Box." Apparently you can get the pattern from Hancock's Fabrics but really, it's just squares - so I almost don't think you'd need one. Although the top stitching pattern is another matter... (drool).
Now, if I can just get the kids to take a nap so I can work on all this stuff...
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