I won!

Katie, from Katie’s Quilting Corner, celebrated her 50th podcast with a giveaway…and I won!  Check out her website and podcast, she’s a busy gal with lots going on, and willing to share her ideas.

My copy of Quilt Design Wizard arrived in the mail yesterday, and I was able to install it this morning.

I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet, though, as I’m off to finish the border on my customer’s hexagon quilt (this is just a sneak preview), then run a quick errand before the home opener for Boise State football…Go Broncos!! 

After that, I need to move my exercise machine into my office, as my stepdaughter is coming for a week long visit and I’m just beginning to get into a routine again.

What a day that’s planned, huh!?!  And that only covers half the list!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend too.

R.I.P Rosie: October 1998–September 2012

My beloved Rosie passed away this week.  She would have been 14 years old in October.

We took a trip to Montana for my 30th high school reunion in August and took the dogs with us.  Rosie didn’t react well while traveling, so we took her to the vet in Helena, where she was diagnosed with stage 5 lymphoma.  We decided to put her on prednisone to try to make her more comfortable in the time she had left.

Rosie liked to come up to the quilting room and lie at the top of the stairs, making sure that all who entered there had to pass inspection.

She was quite the character.  She knew how to get something she wanted by using her “I’m a cute puppy” look.

She could also look at my husband with one adoring eye, and give me the stink eye out of the other…all at the same time!  It was quite comical!

Rosie didn’t mind bath time, but she’d just as soon it didn’t drag out, either.

Rosie always kept us company no matter where we were in the house,  and she is greatly missed.

Labor Day Weekend – Decisions, Decisions!

After all of the fabric cutting I’ve been doing lately, I think I’ve been able to justify getting the Accuquilt Studio.  Or have I?  The two main issues are price and space.  Oh, is that all??

So, I’ve been shopping the Accuquilt.com site, balking at the price of getting started on the Studio, but remembering my sore back and how tired my hands have been lately, but not quite ready to commit.  Then I received their email newsletter late last week advertising their Labor Day sale.  The Studio is down to $399, just $50 more than the Accuquilt Go!…and I’m so there!…of course, I want the big one!  Still pricey, but I’ve never seen it lower, so this is the time to buy, right?

And then I saw the JoAnn Fabrics email.  What??  They have an Accuquilt Go! on sale for $199?!?  How can that be??  So, I started re-analyzing the systems again, and the short version is, I went to the store on Monday to get the Accuquilt Go!.  If I had more room, I’d get the Studio, but I just don’t have the dedicated space.  Besides, I can always upgrade later, and with the adapter I can still use dies I purchase now.

I can see that buying dies could get to be very expensive, so I’m going to start with the strip dies for the most versatility, since I do a lot of strip piecing and I can cross cut them into squares.  I’m also going to get a 6 1/2” strip die for borders, since I like to cut them with the grain and it’s a pain to handle the fabric that way.  At least it should help me get some quilting done faster!

If you have a Go! I’d like to hear which are your favorite dies.