A New Kind of Sewing ...

So ... I got stitches yesterday. 9 of them. yep. I would have posted pictures of them, except I think that would be a little crazy ... and gross.

I've decided that I don't enjoy getting stitches. This is only the second time I've ever had to have them ... the first being about 15 years ago, and even then I think I only had like 4. I don't know how I've made it through 32 years without having more experience in the matter ... my brother Scottie has had all sorts of stitches. There was that pogo-stick incident when we lived in WV that required stitches in his bottom lip, and then there was the time he put a glass tube through his hand in chemistry class, and the time he had to have his appendix taken out, and the time he majorly cut his thumb while trying to fix a sprinkler head, and on and on ... it must be a guy thing.

Since I'm really afraid of any and all medical procedures, my sweet sister in law came with me for moral support. She even offered to hold my hand during the process, but I figured that if I took her up on it, it would make me a full-fledged baby. So instead I just cringed and whimpered through the entire thing ... not sure how that makes me less of a baby, but whatever. Oh ... and just so you know ... Suzanne watched the doctor stitch me up and thought it was cool! Amazing.

So, today I have 9 stitches ... 4 in my arm and 5 in my back ... and I'm missing two moles that I've had all my life. I know it's silly, but I kind of miss them! But, the doctor said they had to go, and I listened. Let's just hope the only sewing fun I have from now on is in my studio, and not in a doctor's office.

Calvin's Quilt

As promised, here are some pictures of the quilt I just finished for my friend Amy's new baby boy. I made completely out of flannel, since they live in Rhode Island. I figured they could get more use out of a warm blanket than just a thin cotton one that I would typically make for friends who live in the Lowcountry.


One side is patchwork, with just simple straight-line quilting about a quarter of an inch from the seams.


The other side is just simple blue flannel, with Calvin's name appliqued on. I am really big on personalized gifts ... can you tell? Some of my favorite gifts growing up were the ones that had my name on them.

I made a similar blanket for Todd & Lisa's new baby, Matthew, but instead of flannels, I used lightweight cotton. I think this could be a good gift for any new parent!

The Sewing Addict's Version of a Hurricane Party

I meant to post this last week, but never got around to it.

And, before I go any further, let me just say that my thoughts and prayers are with all of those people affected by tropical storms & hurricanes this year ... particularly those people in the Houston area (including my grandfather & uncle) who were recently hit by Ike.


Last weekend, we were facing a hit by Tropical Storm Hanna. Even though it wasn't a very strong storm, we still had to be cautious since we're right on the coast. On Friday, it looked like it was turning toward us, so we left work early and headed home. My dad called me to see if I wanted to "ride out the storm" at his house, citing these arguments :

1. Even though his house is significantly closer to the coast and sits directly on a lake, it is still MUCH sturdier and more well-built than my house which sits farther inland.

2. He reminded me that the whole rest of the family would be there ... Suzanne & mama & the kiddos were going over there since Scottie was in Mississippi. And, from experience, it is much more bearable to be with other people at a "hurricane party," if you will, than to be stuck at home by yourself ... probably without electricity.

3. There was room in a neighbor's garage for my car, so that I didn't have to worry about it being hit by falling debris from all the live oak trees around his house.

All of these arguments were great, and very convincing, but the thing that really made the decision was dad's insistence that I bring my sewing machine with me, and his promise to start up the generator if the power went out, so that all the girls could continue to sew during the storm. What more could I ask for?


Of course, in the end, we got a lot of rain and hardly any wind at all. Pretty uneventful hurricane party. But, it was a good time of sewing nonetheless.

You know you need to eat healthier when ...

... you find this birthday gift on your desk after lunch.

It's a bad sign when people think of me when they see a pile of Doritoes. Hysterical.

My Day Has Been Made.

So ... it's my birthday today. Which, honestly, isn't a blog-worthy event in my life. After 32 birthdays, they seem to be more and more "just another day." I mean ... don't get me wrong. I love birthdays, and I enjoy celebrating life with friends, and who doesn't want an excuse to drink a frappucino and eat a slice of cheesecake ... but it just isn't as exciting as it used to be. Maybe it's "old age" setting in. ;o)

But, something happened this birthday morning that is definitely blog-worthy. My dad's wife, Julie, brought my oldest niece by my office to sing Happy Birthday to me and give me a fun gift to start the day off (a set of glass mixing bowls, which I had actually been wanting some, so that's pretty cool!) I thought that the visit was so thoughtful, and I definitely felt loved.

I just adore my niece, so it was good to see her and talk with her for a while. It's fun to see her and interact with her away from her two siblings. I need to do more one-on-one time with each of them. She was excited to spend time with her Mimi playing with her dolls and putting new dresses and crowns on them ... yes, that's right. She said crowns. I love that. A total girly-girl.


Here we are ... me and Anneliese in the doorway of my office. Isn't she just adorable?


And, just for fun ... I took a picture of her barbie bag. It cracks me up that the barbies all have their own pockets on the outside. All their accessories and things are on the inside of the bag. Classic. Anneliese is holding the birthday card she drew for me. That one is going straight up on the fridge when I get home tonight.

Thanks, Julie & Anneliese, for making my day!

Wine Label Coasters

I made these fun wine label coasters for Ani's husband Raymond for his birthday. I had some leftover wine label transfers from my mom that I did not use when I assembled dad's wine label quilt, and since Raymond is a total wine connoisseur, I figured he would appreciate them.

I wonder what else I could transfer to make some fun stuff?

My brush with fame

Yesterday, I was meeting with my mentor, Sue, at our local Schlotzsky's deli (which - by the way - is so yummy. Why don't I remember to go there more often??) ... Sue and I are going through the book War of Words by Paul David Tripp. Great book. Highly recommend it. Seriously. Go to your nearest Barnes & Noble and buy it. It will change your life. Another book that will change your life is Forgiveness by John Arnott.

Anyway... before this post becomes one long list of books to add to your reading list ... let me continue ... so, as I'm eating my smoked turkey sandwich on sourdough with a side of salt & vinegar chips, I see him. I had to do a double-take, because, as we all know, people rarely look the same in person as they do on TV. In fact, he looked thinner in real life, and taller than I had imagined, and younger, too. In general, he looked even better than he does on TV, which I happen to think is darn near impossible, since he is so handsome already.

Before you get to assuming who this man is, let me just curb your expectations a little ... it wasn't Michael Vartan or Keith Urban or even Michael Phelps. Although, I can see where you might have thought I was talking about any one of these men, since they would definitely fit the description I gave above. And, certainly if I ran into them in my local Schlotzsky's, it would definitely be a blog-worthy event.

No, I'm talking about a local celebrity. More of a small-town guy. You know, more down-to-earth, right? Yeah, he was meeting some friends for lunch. I literally froze in place as he walked toward us, and sat at the table right next to us. I couldn't concentrate. I had to apologize to Sue a number of times, and then finally went ahead and confessed my long-time crush to her (which, for some reason, made her practically spit out her drink in amusement). I wanted to say hi to him, but could I seriously expect my mouth to form coherent words in this condition?? So, sadly, I just sat there minding my own business while I ate my lunch, and he ate his just 2 feet away, and then he got up and left. I wish I had a better ending to the story ... really, I do.

Well, have you guessed who it is yet? I'll give you a hint ... I watch him on the news every morning as I am working out. I mean, I feel like we are practically best friends with the amount of time we spend "together." That's right, folks ... I'm talking about cutie Brad Franko.

I might be in love.

(Yes, I know I'm a dork.)

We'll Always Have Paris!

I absolutely LOVE this Michael Miller fabric. I mean ... how can you not love pink fabric with eiffel towers on it?? It might even be cuter than the pink toile flannel I found at the store recently. I know it's been out for a while now, and let's just be honest ... I've been stalking it since the first time I saw it. But, this is the first time that I'll be actually MAKING something with it! My friend Ann has asked me to make her a laptop bag with it and the super-fun coordinating polka dot fabric.

This will be my first time making a laptop bag, and I'm not sure I really know what I'm doing, but I'll figure it out ... eventually! ha!