Life is interesting isn't it?

Just when you think, ok, I can take a breath and sit back just a little -WHAM - life just smacks you upside the head.  We had pretty much gotten in a kind of routine with the shop, Sara back to work and us having Nathan three days a week - who by the way is still THE cutest office assistant in the world, even with his frequent sleeping on the job, one on one mentoring requirements, bottle breaks and wardrobe malfunctions - and all the other requirements of life, when the call from FL came, you have to come get Mom. 

I woke up Sat morning and had all these plans of things to get done in the shop, breakfast with the middle son & his Stephanie, maybe a quick trip to PA to see the oldest son & his Stefanie - was that God laughing I heard?  Probably because the day found me scrambling to find a flight and then watching the sunset somewhere over northern FL. 

I've found out just how many changes of clothing you can get into a bag that will fit under the seat and still get the laptop in - that number would be three with the knowledge that you are going to a house with a washing machine!  To be totally on a different subject - really SpiritAir?  $25 per carryon?  $15 per bag checked?  I only paid $135 for the flight!  Obviously, this is not as cheap as it used to be, Continental isn't much more and my bag is free . . .  but Atlantic City was closer so I booked on Spirit. 

So Mom is coming home with me tomorrow.  I'm moving classes and clubs around as much as possible for the next two weeks.  This is why the calendar is ALWAYS done in pencil.  Who knows what life is going to serve up at any given moment?

And in the end, I thank the heavens above I have a career/job/lifestyle whatever you want to call it, that allows me to drop just about everything at a moments notice and go. 

Baby Lock Tech 2010

Baby Lock Tech - the dealer's convention - is held in St Louis (closest big city to the home of Tacony, owners of Baby Lock) every August.  It used to be held in Union Station in St Louis, but outgrew that hotel space two years ago and moved across the street from the arch.  This picture was taken out the window of one of the classrooms.  You can't see it but the Missouri River flows just past the arch.  Jim and I actually rode in tiny little cars up to the top of the arch a few years ago.  The view was gorgeous but it's one of those things if you don't like heights - Jim - or are slightly claustrophobic - me - done it once, probably not going to do it again!  The car that takes you up holds 5 people with no personal space.  Interesting, glad I did it, but the other four people were sucking all my oxygen!

Play music really loud, get people clapping and pass out the balloons!  It's opening session!

We get a peek at what's coming. . . . . 

Updates us on what the spokeswomen are doing . . . 

El showed us what her sewing studio REALLY looks like and had us roaring as she shared the start of her sewing room makeover.  Look for the final pictures in Koala ads coming soon.  She promised me a copy of the video so I could share with you.

Nancy shared a new program that QP will participate in.  Look for details coming soon!  It's going to be exciting!  Did you know Nancy can crack a blonde joke at the drop of a hat?  

And opening session also entertains us so we laugh till we cry.  That's my rep Tano on the drums, the president of Baby Lock on the left and the VP of Sales on the right.  Tano told us three years ago there was no way he was getting up on stage - HA! How they get Ray Queen to do half the stuff he does is beyond me, Steve Jeffrey has a really good voice!  


And that's just opening night!


I'll share more photos next time.

Hello from St. Louis!

Jim and I are at the base of the arch, literally across the street, for Baby Lock Tech, the dealer's convention.  We're taking classes to learn new products and new techniques, seeing old friends and making some new ones. 

Going to a convention is not all fun, days are long - classes from 8:30 to 5:30 - and they're trying to jam quite a bit of information into your head in a short amount of time.  What I enjoy most is networking with other dealers - finding out how they do something, or getting an idea for a new twist on something you're already doing.  Sometimes you think they're crazy, and sometimes they probably think I am!

I've found ideas for new classes, a good idea for a new event, set up a two tentative dates for a national teacher & magazine editor to come, and had a host of ideas that I hope I remember by the time I get home!

I'd post pictures but the camera and the computer are not currently speaking to each other (computers were supposed to simplify our lives????- so the pictures will have to wait till Thursday.  I'm on Nathan duty and for all that I have planned while he naps - he's going to be sleeping all day!

I'll post pictures Thurs or Friday.

Till next time.

Machine Update Update

Ahhh, a new Elna is coming and it has every one of my 11 points of desire!!!!  Extended bed, built in walking foot, low bobbin indicator, good stitch selection, built in cutter, knee lever and everything else I want and desire! I'm just going to have to get me one!

It's not due until October - sigh.  Can I wait that long????

Emergency!

A couple of weeks ago we were heading home from the middle son's new house in PA.  I made sure Jim was heading east and then I promptly fell asleep - we've taken some interesting detours when I fall asleep too soon!  Sara and Nathan were sleeping in the backseat.

I woke up about the time we hit the exit for Rt 1 that heads towards Philly.   It was about 8:30 and dark.  Jim and I were remarking on how gorgeous the full moon was as we tooled along the PA Turnpike heading for the bridge to take us back into NJ.   We passed a trailer truck and I thought the noise we were hearing was him using his engine brakes for some reason but after we'd passed him and the noise got louder, we decided we needed to pull over.

Of course we'd passed into the middle of nowhere and are now trying to see the tires in the pitch black.  Sure enough, we discovered pretty quickly that the rear driver's side tire had blown out and we were dang lucky it wasn't a front tire that had done it.

I made Jim move the car up about 50 yards "I don't care if we ruin the rim, I don't want you changing the tire this close to the highway!

Sara timed it, 18 minutes to get all the junk out of the trunk to get to the spare, discover that yes, the emergency kit was not in the trunk, get the tire changed and back on the road.  18 minutes of Jim changing, Sara holding the big flashlight so he could see, me standing 20 yards up the highway swinging a smaller flashlight like a train signalman and Nathan sleeping through the whole thing.

In my very unscientific 18 minute survey, truckers are the most courteous drivers on the road.  If they could move over they did, if they couldn't, they at least slowed down some.  Cars whizzed by us in the passenger lane even though the passing lane was empty - how inconsiderate can you be????  MOVE OVER!

18 VERY LONG minutes later, we were back in the car with the doughnut tire on.  Yes, all three of us have Triple A but Jim was right, he could change it before they could get to us.  If it had been just Sara and I, Triple A would have been the way to go and I'd have stressed that we had an infant in the car when I called.

Halfway home from there, we pulled into a WAWA and discovered the doughnut spare was almost flat . . . .

Moral of this story?  PUT AN EMERGENCY KIT IN YOUR TRUNK AND LEAVE IT THERE!  And look at your spare tire every once in awhile.  We've decided we never looked at ours in the 10 years we've had the car and we we're dang lucky it hadn't dry rotted.

For Christmas all my kids are getting the orange glow in the dark triangles and they'd better keep them in their trunks, right next to their emergency kits.

Till next time.

Dog Days of Summer Are Here EARLY!

It's hot here at the Jersey Shore!  I haven't been to the beach yet but I would imagine it's hot there too.  What's a girl/guy to do?  Stay inside and SEW!  It's just too danged hot to do anything else.

I've been working on my Nine Patches.  How many do you have done?  Ok, ok, I'm behind again but for one brief, shining moment - I actually had more done than I was supposed to have.  Let's see, I've done 42 and it's July 26, so we're all supposed to have 56 done as of today.  So I'm not that far behind.  I can still catch up!

I've also been sewing some things for Nathan - sheets mostly.  Have you seen how expensive sheets for Port A Plays and cribs are????  That's crazy!  A rectangle of fabric, some elastic and about 20 minutes and you have a designer sheet.  Simple.  We're going to be producing our own baby patterns and one of them is going to be for sheets.

I've also been sewing for Halloween. Such is the life of a shop owner, we're always thinking a season ahead!  This is a simple table runner made from a striped fabric.  You can find a kit on our website.

And speaking of being a season ahead, it's so danged hot, I'm sewing snowflakes!  This is still on my design wall.  I had a border on it and then decided it was too big and didn't add anything, so it went in a pile to be used for binding.  It's from some GORGEOUS batiks by Laundry Basket.  I'm hoping that sewing a winter project will cool me off.  It's a mental thing . . .

Hey, those are nine patches!  Wait!  I now have 50 done!!!  :0)








We're still pulling wallpaper off at the house Jeremy, the middle child, bought.  Jim's graduated from wallpaper pulling to wiring for internet and cable & electrical problems.  I've graduated from being ballast for the ladder on the stairs to running the steamer.  Today we're going out there for, hopefully, the last day of wallpaper duty.  Sara goes back to work next Monday, Jeremy's vacation is over and Grammy and Grampy start babysitting two days a week.  Wallpaper duty will be over so hopefully we'll get it all done today.

The reward for all this work is supper with all the family.  Worth pulling wallpaper for any day!

I hope this finds you quilting in a COOL place!

Till next time!

Machine Update

My trusty machine came home from the QP Spa purring like a kitten.  The foot pedal works, the beeping has stopped and the machine goes the speed it's supposed to.  No comment from the tech except he said "I cleaned it"  The look that came with that statement however spoke volumes . . . .

So my machine decision is put off again.  Off to Bernina University and Baby Lock Tech, the dealer conventions, this summer - we'll see what they have coming!

Debbie