April is not going to be my most productive month.

Broken sewing machine / broken computer.  What's next . . . oh don't even want to have that thought!
Sewing machine update:   sadly more than TLC is needed - it's terminal. So began the on-line search for a replacement until the desk top started acting up . . . some times it works and some times it doesn't.  aaaarrrrrgh!
 
When I shared the sad news about my machine with my hubby, he said  "Well get whatever you want."  Did I hear correctly?  And Joanne's was having a sale on sewing machines.  That was all the encouragement I needed.  After 'sleeping-on-it' for a couple of days, I decided to go a little crazy . . . well a little crazy for me. 

Here is my new Viking Tribute 140

We're still getting acquainted but I am sooo happy with this machine.

Oh and the computer:  needs a new hard drive.  New one on the way and until it arrives, using a very slooooow computer we bought for our son when he was still in high school.

Good bye to March



My Sailors:  Sean, Dan, John & Ethan
This picture was a request from a very proud Dad.
The little sailor - wearing his Grandpa Ted's boyhood outfit.

I'm told that the older you get the faster time passes.  I must be getting older because the month of March flew by and April is half gone.

We started the month of March with the 'sort of ' suprise visit from our son . . . the tall sailor in the middle.  Following in his older brother and dad's footsteps, he enlisted in the Navy last May.  He is serving as a Cermonial Guardsman stationed in Washington, DC.  This was his first visit home since enlisting.

. . . And the 'sort of ' surprise, it's a game my boys play called "Can we pull one over on Mom?" For the record, they rarely succeed!  They don't believe that not much slips by me or that  in a previous life I was either a spy or trained with the FBI <wink>

I 'just wuv' this picture- it brings on a smile every time I see it.

March's Schnibbles Project

March's project was from Miss Rosie's Bibelot pattern.  This pattern reminds me of Hawaiian shirts.  So I chose a tropical theme most likely influenced by my March trip to southern California  where I enjoyed some warmer weather and a backyard barbeque at my brother's home. I chose some Batik fabric and decided on using the pattern to make some placemats.  I made sure I bought enough material to make some matching napkins.

I set up two stations in my sewing room;  a cutting station and a pressing station.  I lowered my ironing board to a height just a little lower than my sewing table & positioned it just to the left of my sewing table.  I found that a little starch, my Omnigrid Foldaway Portable Cutting & Pressing station, and my Omnigrid ruler made for quick and accurate assembly of these blocks. 

Sadly my sewing machine is in need of some TLC.  I'm not sure what is wrong with it but the light is pulsating.  Sewing at night to a strobe light is hard on the eyes.

 

If you are interested in seeing what others have done with this pattern, check out the parade of quilts on A Quilting Life and Pink Pincushion