Life in Color Photo – Page 268 – Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.

Life in Color mixed-media collage banner with vibrant patterned stripes and stitched edges, abstract art design.

Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.

The machine

July 13, 2009

I got my new machine at the beginning of the week, but have been trying hard to finish the mountains of other things I have to work on before playing with it. Well I didn't finish everything I wanted to do, but made a sizable dent so I let myself play with my new Babylock Decorator's Choice (BLDC2) machine a little this weekend.

First off, let me just state that I'm sure this is not going to turn me into an overnight sewing superstar. Just like the study I put into photography makes me have some skill and not my wonderful camera, I know I'll have to practice, practice, practice to get this machine to work for me. That said, oh my god it rocks. For lots of reasons, but one of my favorite fun things is this little button:

The one that looks like scissors? Well it cuts the thread for you, and I'm pretty sure this is the best add on feature to a sewing machine besides the actual sewing. I love it! It was one of the things I really wanted on a machine, but when I went into the shop I quickly realized those kinds of machines might be a bit out of my league price wise. Now this machine was not cheap by any means, but at a fraction of the cost of some of the fancier Pfaffs and Berninas (which are fantastic) it has everything I wanted in a machine. Oh and I was going to keep my old Janome, as I thought it would have pretty much no trade in value, but I ending up swapping it for the extension table, which is so handy (and it snaps to the side of the hard case, these people thought of everything!).

I pieced a really simple back out of stash fabric (Ceara that purple was going to be pajama pants for you about six years ago – sorry never got to it!) for a picnic blanket thing I dreamed up. The piecing went so well. Let's just say I'm pretty sure whatever kind of seam allowance I was doing before, it was not 1/4 inch. At least not all the way down a row of stitches, and not all the time. This is the most even I've been, and I love it! The Babylock has a nice little feature that lets you regulate stitch speed, so that you don't do stupid things like try to sew faster than you can think. Of course I had to pair the easiest thing with the hardest thing, and decided to quilt the pieces together with circles.

Now this is just going to be a tester picnic blanket so I don't feel bad about totally screwing it up. The larger circle was me using a walking foot for the first time (not so pretty), the smaller one is hand stitched.

Then I tried free motion. It's been a while since I done this kind of quilting, but I think with practice it will be the method of choice for this kind of project (and it helps to have those gloves they grip the fabric).

It was super fun to play with, and while I might not get as much sewing time in as I like, I'm so glad to have a great tool now to use and experiment with. I've pressed a bunch of my fabric and folded it all neat for inspiration:

Now doesn't that look yummy? I also got the updated Kona Cotton color card, because I am really liking solids in quilts:

Isn't that fantastic? Speaking of color I finally framed up some old pages from teach yourself color theory books. Will share soon. Off to dream of sewing!

p.s. okay so this finished just barely too late to be counted for a post on the 12th, but I'll make up for it!

5 comments on The machine
Six Months

July 11, 2009

My lovely little Tutu yesterday, on your six month, 1/2 birthday, your papa and I ditched you. That’s right, you’re a half year old and we decide to go to the Coldplay concert. See the thing is I never thought six months would come this fast, it was so like, in the future. I think you were only about a month old when we got the tickets. I said to your papa, “do you think we’ll be able to leave her by July 10th.” Oh certainly he thought. But last night was that time and it was not so easy to leave you, even though your favorite auntie Sciarrino was watching you and I knew you girls would have fun. I thought about you the whole concert. Though I have to admit, when our view of Chris Martin went from this:

to this:

you may have slipped out of my mind for a moment.

You did survive with out us though, only taking one bottle in 9 hours (way to go on a huger strike Sparkly Pants), and making Sciarrino carry you all night in the Baby Hawk. I am so lucky and grateful that I rarely do leave your side and that I get to nurse you so often (as often as you like).

You are so curious. I do not get bored being with you all day, quite the opposite, you wear me out little one! I am constantly telling you what this is, or how that works. You look at me and I feel like you just want to know things, so I tell you.

You are quite a petite little wonder, people comment on it all the time. You can twist and move your little body all sorts of ways now. I get the feeling you might never crawl, you love to stand and try walking when we hold your hands, and I’m afraid you might skip right to that step.

Your little feet are still so small though, that I’ve never even put shoes on you. But your papa does have me try your baby Uggs on you every week, just to check. Speaking of trying things on you, I love dressing you up. If you spit up, I never mind, I have a back up outfit ready to go.

I’ve started signing to you. Not baby sign language, I don’t know that, but actual American Sign Language, the kind I learned when I was in grade school. I’m surprised how much comes back to me and I just use it while I talk to you if I’m not holding you. You love watching me do it, and when I sign that you are mama’s beautiful little girl you always smile. I am always caught between wanting to give you every opportunity to learn something and taking a little time for myself to do a crafty project (or ten). You are always with me, and feed on demand, so that doesn’t give mama a whole lot of time. Sometimes this does frustrate me, but you never do. I think the days of me having to constantly entertain you are over. You are always reaching for some toy or checking out your hands and feet. More often it looks like you are having so much fun I just have to stop what I am doing and come hang out with you.

We’re going to figure out the sleep/work/eat/play thing soon, I know. Already the first few months seem like a distant memory. Sorry I’m your personal paparazzi, but I have to get every little bit of you down so I can remember you this way forever.

I love you, and if you tried to guess how much you probably wouldn’t even come close to what I feel for you, it’s that big of a love.

4 comments on Six Months
Feeling the love

July 8, 2009

Today was a busy day. Tuesday and I got up early (but luckily not as early as yesterday!). We decided to head downtown with my mom to hit up the street fair and get some yummy food. Then we went on a super awesome mission to get my new machine (that's right – Tutu came through for me, but more on that later). While I was playing around on the demo machine my mom walked Tuesday next door, and wouldn't you know she talked grandma into getting her a little plasticky toy.

Don't worry mom I didn't take it away from her instantly, she wouldn't let me anyway:

I guess this is just the start of grandparents spoiling little Tuesday. And grandma isn't the only one, nana made her an awesome little sun hat.

Only it turns out it wasn't so little (compared to Miss Tiny Head). And most of my shots are like this.

Heheh, I really do think she likes it though. I mean anytime she tried to put something in her mouth that usually means it's top notch 🙂

Later Tuesday and I went to our first softball game. I'm not such a huge fan of these types of things (especially when I forget cash and can't by a super red rope), but Sciarrino plays and I figure I shouldn't automatically pass on my fear of sports with balls to Tutu, so we went.

It was extra fun because our other friend also plays (hi Kathy!), and Sciarrino's mom and brother were in town briefly (that is THREE Sciarrinos!)

This happens all the time with Tutu, people look at her and not the camera.

Right after this Tuesday decided that Joby's beard was one of the best things ever, it was pretty funny to watch her sit there and pet it.

All of that activity made us tired. Tutu is already in bed, and I'm to follow now. No time to look at the machine today, so hopefully I'll have a time to play around with it a bit tomorrow and give you an update. Or a more concrete one than "fifty million things just got added to my I want to sew list."

6 comments on Feeling the love

recent posts

archives