Truckers who knit and quilt

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Burrow Bed

While browsing Target.com looking for things I might potentially want, but don't necessarily need I came across the Burrow Bed.



I made Ida a bed when we first got her. She sleeps in it but much prefers the bed or couch mostly because she LOVES being under blankets. Unfortunately the bed only comes in a small size, but fortunately for me it would probably be much cheaper for me to make it myself. So that's what I will do!

Finished!

Yesterday I finished quilting and binding my second quilt. I got the pattern from Oh, Fransson!'s blog. It was my first attempt at free motion quilting. It went alright, I definitely got better at it the more practice I got. I'm sure most people wouldn't notice the flaws (the skipped stitches, the overlapping stitches, or the varying lengths of stitches) like I do. I think it's just something I need a lot of practice at first before I master it.



The next quilt I really want to make is Denyse Schmidt's Single Girl. I bought the pattern a couple weeks ago, but I haven't had the money to build up my fat quarter stash. It takes about 30 different fat quarters and I've been very particular about which ones I want to use. Right around my birthday I ordered about 8 quarter yard pieces from Sew, Mama, Sew! and waited and waited to get them in the mail. They never came and when I contacted the company they told me that the tracking number showed that they had been delivered and that I had to contact my post office. I tried calling them and after waiting on hold for 30 minutes they weren't able to tell me anything. So I decided to go into the post office a couple days later. After waiting for a supervisor for about 30 minutes I was told that they would talk to the carrier but since there was no insurance on the package I wouldn't be able to claim anything. So I've now accepted the fact that I'm just out the $25 since the company seems to be ignoring my emails. Too bad, so sad.

What I've been doing

Wong-O-Wong, has it really been a month? I really don't know why it's been so long since I've made a post. I've been doing stuff, just haven't been in the mood to blog about it.

The following is some photographic evidence of said stuff:

My quilt finally finished!


Backside of the quilt


Ida B. and me getting some use out of the quilt


Sewing machine cover


Kitchen curtains


My kitchen herb garden


Bunting for Ida B


My new quilt I'm working on (still need to quilt the second half and bind it)

Oven Mitt

Last night I tested out the walking foot on my new sewing machine and made this oven mitt with Skip To My Lou's tutorial. It was so easy with the walking foot that now I'm really anxious to start quilting. Now I'm off to the laundromat to wash my backing fabric (and a mountain of dirty clothes).

Welcome Back

I'm taking a break from cleaning an apartment that has been neglected for the past couple weeks. Yesterday I sent off a Thank You care package to Peter and Jodie for giving us an awesome time in New Orleans. I included the card above that I made from these tutorials for the card and envelope.



New Orleans was great! This time I actually got to see New Orleans and not just the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. We got to see lots of parades, which is apparently real Mardi Gras. There are multiple parades every day in different neighborhoods. The streets are packed with families and ladders where their children are propped on top. I was amazed by all the different ladder contraptions that everyone had, most with wheels attached so they could be easily carried to and from the parades. I have some pictures on my flickr but I still need to scan the 35mm roll I took as well.

My birthday is a week away, I'll be 27. I know this is not old, but I'm starting to feel old-er for many reasons:

-I am now obsessed with quilting. I haven't finished my quilt yet but I already have other projects in mind. The next of which must include these fabrics.

-I have a new love for Snail mail and want to get back into actually sending regular mail and packages. If you would like to be included in this you might want to send me your mailing address because I only know a few.

-I will be able to upgrade my phone next month and I'm really, really excited about getting a phone that has NO internet capabilities. I'm trying to get Adam to join my plan so it will be cheaper for the both of us but he keeps threatening to get a land line. I guess he's more old man than I am old woman.

Alright, back to cleaning!

I love corn

I have a tattoo of an ear of corn on my arm. I get asked all the time "why?". The response I always give is "I like corn". People don't seem to like that explanation. But why would I tattoo something I don't like on me? Growing up in the Midwest I have fond memories of corn, which maybe is hard for people to understand. I have fond memories of going corn picking with my brothers and Grandpa when I was little. I have one distinct memory of going to pick corn and then our Grandpa taking us to Dairy Queen for a treat. This was when there was a Dairy Queen on North Prospect just past the railroad tracks. As we got close to the Dairy Queen, I remember our Grandpa asking us "Railroad crossing, watch out for cars. Can you spell that without any R's?"

The older I get the more I am amazed at how easily entertained children are. Picking corn was so much fun. Also lots of fun? Throwing around packages of toilet paper. I learned this after watching an old home video of me any my brother playing at our old house on Locust. We didn't need fancy toys all we needed was a 4 pack of toilet paper to throw around. I can't believe how much fun we were having.

Anyway, this post is not supposed to be about my childhood. It's about corn. And how I love it. And ultimately it's about how today I made myself some corn chowder soup (courtesy of my Betty Crocker recipe book).