WEEK-END FINDINGS

Well here it is Monday morning again, and another week-end has rushed by.  We had a pretty productive one in some ways, but kind of frustrating in others.  But before I tell you about that, I have to tell you about my latest rag quilt dilemma.  (remember I don't have mom for some of these stories anymore, so bear with me, lol)  Soo, I FINALLY cut out the rag quilt.  I bought the fabric for it months ago, BEFORE I had done either one of the quilts, and bottom line?  To ME it was just blah...the colors were blah, the layout was blah, the whole feel was blah.  HOWEVER, I have already bought fabric to make sheets, bumper pads, bed skirt AND the rag quilt to match, so W A Y too much to just toss aside and begin again.  (though it is really what I wanted to do).  But after a couple hours of arranging and rearranging and hashing and rehashing with Diane, I decided to go back to the fabric store and see if I couldn't find SOMETHING that would add color and personality to the quilt WITHOUT adding a lot of expense and the need to start over.  Soo LATE Friday afternoon I headed out to Hobby Lobby as I am really just kind of tired of JoAnne's.  Well, I found what I considered to be the perfect solution.  The fabric I found not only had the exact colors I was looking for, it is going to just be the "perfect" feel as well.  So let me show you now....

THIS PIC WAS ONE OF THE MANY TAKEN ON MY PHONE BACK AND FORTH TO DIANE FOR ASSESSMENTS OF THE QUILT BEFORE I BOUGHT WHAT I DID...HAHA  THE BLUES LOOK LIKE THEY DON'T MATCH THAT WELL, BUT TRUST ME THEY DO.  JUST KIND OF PLAIN IN MY OPINION...SOMEWHAT GENERIC.  

HERE IS THE ONE I AM GOING WITH.  AND THE ADDED COST?  4 DOLLARS!  NOT BAD HUH?

IF YOU LOOK CLOSE AT THE DOG IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THE BACKGROUND BEHIND HIM SEEMS TO MATCH EXACTLY WITH THE OTHER FABRIC.  KIND OF LIKE THEY WERE DESIGNED THAT WAY, BUT THEY WEREN'T.  I THINK THIS IS ADORABLE.  (THIS WAS TAKEN ON MY GOOD CAMERA BTW)

Saturday morning we decided to get busy right away as we had many little things (that would make into A LOT together) to get done.  We started with a stop at the place where I got my i-phone for mother's day.  Yes, it already has a problem...sigh.  I am really NOT much of a cell phone user (or I haven't been anyway) but I have been snapping quick pics and sending them off pretty frequently.  It is just such a fast and easy way to show my sisters and my daughter what I am working on etc.  Well, suddenly (and I do mean one picture was fine, the next wasn't) the pictures were blurry pretty much no matter what I did.  I was sure my inexperience meant I was pushing a button somewhere or had done something wrong, resulting in the blurriness, but as it turned out, NO is IS a problem occasionally with these phones, so they are sending me out a new one today.  Hubby will transfer all my stored things on the phone when it arrives, and I will be good to go again.  Then, we headed out to see an old friend who has a jewelry store out by our old house to have him clean and access the jewelry I got from my mom and see if some of it had any real monetary value or not.  Already knew of course that there was plenty of sentimental value attached to it.  Well, as it turned out there was only 1 piece that did!  It was the ring that I chose on my first "pick" and the one with the most sentiment for me attached to it.  Mom must have worn it all the time because it was real, but he cleaned and polished it for me and checked the prongs etc., so that was good.  After that we stopped and had lunch and then headed over to the Bernina shop.  Here is where the frustration comes in.  First the good news...my machine CAN be fixed, and so they are in the process of cleaning, oiling, servicing, and repairing my machine and all for a mere hundred dollars!  Seemed REALLY good to me.  It should be like new.  I am downright excited to get my decorative stitches back.  I intend to go back and add a few to my nightshirts and blankets.  I also found out (which Janette already alerted me too...thanks Janette!) that Bernina's have outstanding re-sell value and while I can't get exactly what I paid for it, I am pretty sure I can get almost a thousand dollars for it.  Seems incredible to me.  If you only knew HOW much the thing has been used.  But it does show that they are indeed GOOD machines.  Anyway, back to the story.  The woman had a definite agenda which was to sell me the 780 model which embroiders and sews.  It is the one I "thought" I might like, but I wish she had just stuck to what I wanted her to do which was to compare the models and DEMONSTRATE how they work, especially in relation to the one I already have.  Instead, she kept showing me embroidery options etc., and talked non-stop about why she loved hers etc.  Now don't get me wrong, it WAS really neat, and MIGHT be something that I would use to death.  But what if I didn't?  It was a lot of money to spend and it all was just not sitting right.  I left the store kind of confused (after leaving a deposit which she assured me she'd give back if I changed my mind!) and after MUCH deliberation I have decided I am going to another Bernina shop (there are not many!) and see if someone else might do what I really want them to do.  I am thinking that either the 380 or the 530 are the ones I am interested in.  And with the selling of mine, MUCH more in line with what I am comfortable spending.  Sooo guess we will see.  Meanwhile, I get mine back tomorrow and I might just be stopping right there.  : )  After we finished there we went over to my oldest son's studio where they were cleaning etc., and spent a good hour visiting with them.  I had not seen the little boys in several weeks, and how I had missed them!  It was good to catch up.  Sunday found us at church, lunch, grocery shopping, and relaxing. And so here I am.  I am going to catch up a few more chores this morning and then run over to the other Bernina shop.  Hope I have better luck.  Meanwhile I can't wait to get my machine back tomorrow as I am itching now to put the rag quilt together.  Hope you all have a good week! Blessings to you all....Debbie