Recent project

On our trip west last fall, we stayed in Santa Fe, NM in a hotel downtown. It was quaint and had nice southwestern architecture and decor. I really liked the spread on the beds and thought that I might be able to make something similar. The cover was fairly light weight with a minimal amount of “quilting”. It probably helped that it was stripes and earth tones (both favorites of mine). An idea was born.

There is a fabric outlet store in PA where we bought fabric for the curtain valances in our home. So, on our trip north last fall, we went in and bought fabric for a spread for our bed. I actually really like having the spread on our bed because I can curl up in my own side of the blanket without stealing from John, but the spread that I had in my mind did not quite turn out the way I had hoped :) John still thinks my fabric choices are a bit quirky, but I actually like them. Call me crazy!

I had never worked on a project of this size, and I am not sure I would tackle something like this again. We have a king-size bed and I machine quilted approx. every six inches. This means that there was a lot of fabric and batting rolled up in order to sew towards the middle of the spread. I made it reversible, as well, and it was a lot easier to sew lines down the stripe section. That meant that I had to do half of it in the other direction, in order to avoid having most of the spread rolled up when sewing the one edge. Hopefully, that makes sense. Anyway, it was hard to keep things lined up, sewn straight and looking nice, but it is at least finished.

 

I made slip covers for some old pillows for some added decoration.

Where have you been?

Yes, I mean you! Where have you been? Well, I guess I have to admit that I haven’t been here in a while, either. How are you?

My Dad strongly hinted that I might get off facebook a little and quit neglecting my blog. So, here you go, Dad!

A few weeks back, the kids and I took a safari-like tour of an animal habitat. You know – the one that sounds like a really great idea at the time? Drive through a group of exotic animals and get up close to them and take pictures! Sounds exciting, right? Well, it is pretty cool. The pictures, however, leave a little to the imagination. We are instructed to leave the window only open a crack – you can see why. The animals know the routine quite well. Car comes in. Car has food. We get to eat the food. What do you mean you have ran out of food?

The little young ones have not fully learned the routine. They actually still appear to be wild animals and dart away from the cars.

This one obviously knows the routine quite well. Isn’t that a great shot?!

Back off a little, buddy. I really would like to take your picture (or, as they say here in the south “make your picture”).

Thank you. You’re very handsome, dude.

After a tour through the safari, the car was … um, gross. Window way UP! Don’t want that slimy nose on me!

Here’s a long horn up close and personal. He seemed like a nice fella.

We got to feed the tortoises lettuce – finally a picture where you can see the animals. It was a fun tour and we enjoyed spending time with other home school families. The weather was beautiful that day, so we picnicked at a park before heading home.

More to come … :)