Back from Bernina University

Hey All,

WHEW! I am back from BU, and finally getting settled back into my "regular" routine. That being said, I was home for a day and my hubby took off to hang out with his college roommates for a few days, so, he gets home on Tuesday, and Yes, I've been counting down the days! :P

I always leave Bernina University inspired! Not just to spend more time with Gertrude and her siblings, but with new project ideas, new class ideas and a crazy desire to sell off my children and buy more sewing machines!

This year, however, with the newest Bernina baby being released, the Q24 Longarm machine, I have been seriously considering finding a way to convince my hubby to convert the garage to a quilting studio! And with the new wonderful toys they just released to go with the Q24, I'm in deep...deep, deep deep! The last time I was this head over heels, I ended up married with three children! :P

Ok, in all seriousness though, we saw so many wonderful new things and got SO many new ideas from the vendors and other dealers at BU this year! PLUS, had lots of fun!

I got pics for you guys!

I think some of you might remember this gal?! :P Sara started a New Bernina dealership in the town she moved to in Oregon!

Okay, it wasn't all work, we did do some relaxing! (Don't tell my hubby!)

And now.. for the wonders of Bernina!

This is a wall made of Isacord thread spools!

NEW Bernina 530 Special Edition - look like it's been quilted!

The newest Bernina 350 "Best Friend" Special Edition, has a great cause behind it. Bernina has teamed up with the Petfinder Foundation to bring us this ADORABLE machine, that those of us pet lovers can really get on board with! 

Okay, you guys know me.. whenever I can get my hands on a good FMQ book, I DO! I got this gem for FREE at her book signing (plus it's signed)... and then I got to do a SUPER fun class with her! Her being Amanda Murphy, who is an awesome quilter and a very nice, wonderful person!

Cody (our friend from LA), Sara, Ang & me!

You guys, I did not want to leave this class.. the Q24 needed me.. she wanted to come home with me.. alas there was not enough room in my suitcase! 

Closing ceremony, the very last day! Always fun and kind of bittersweet! Some of our friends we only see once a year at this event, so it is hard to leave! 

I am hoping that as long as life doesn't get too crazy (Ha, who am I kidding.. I have three kids!) I'll be able to bond with Big Bertha (the shop Q24) some more in the coming months! Here's hoping!

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude)

Gertrude is Home!!

Guess who is finally back home?!

I am SO excited to have Gertrude back! She has been working like a mad-woman since arriving back home! :)

I think she has been home for a week, and we've made TWO Noodle-head Gingham totes and a wallet! (For some reason, I didn't take a picture of the wallet?!)

She is so happy to be back in her spot!

Ascher, my little pants-less bag model! 

Ahhh.. loving these Gingham Totes! One for me, one for sis! 

My sister and I are heading off to Scottsdale, AZ for Bernina University on Wednesday and are looking forward to all the NEW goodies from Bernina! We called the hotel this morning and they said it was 99 degrees!! AHHHH.. We are going to melt!

Hopefully, we can survive in the hotel with air conditioning, and not get too sunburned.

I am signed up for quite a few classes on the NEW Bernina Q24, and get to preview the NEW automation for the frame! As a Free Motion Quilting Addict, I cannot wait to get there and get some dedicated time to play with the Q-Series machines! 

(Q20 sneak peaks will be posted on Facebook this week too - ours should be in the shop by August!)

Hope you are all enjoying your summer, and getting some sewing in during the few rainy days last week! 

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude) 

It's been a busy Summer!

 Hey Everyone,

WOW it has been such a crazy summer already!! I miss blogging so much, but I miss getting sewing time even more! :P

How have you all been? Have you been sewing at all? Tell me what you've been up to!

I have done a little bit of sewing, during those few days where we had rain and I could justify staying inside to sew!

Wallet from the NEW Noodlehead book "Handmade Style"

Inside said wallet!

Making myself a NEW Supertote!

We took the family back to Homer for a long weekend.. let me tell you it was SO MUCH better than our last Homer trip.. if you remember my post on that experience!

We rented one of the condos at Lands End for 4 days, and it was the BEST way to spend a long weekend! I highly recommend them if you are looking for a place right on the beach! They have 3 bedrooms, three bathrooms, a full kitchen and are BEACH FRONT! My girls haven't stopped talking about the "beach house"! 

I was lucky enough to get to go to Halibut Cove, AK to be a grunt for baggage from the retreat! No complaints here though, I got to see a beautiful part of Alaska! The retreat is at the Stillpoint Lodge, and it is a beautiful little spot on Halibut Cove!

      

Our group headed back to the mainland of Homer after getting all the bags loaded! 

Sis and I got to stay at the "Lighthouse" just a short boat ride away from the Retreat center! It was a little bit of a hike.. next time we'll pack lighter! :P 

This place was so cute.. and just not the other side of the house is a cliff straight down to the water! 

AND the evening I got back to Anchorage I got a wonderful little creature that I've been waiting, wishing and hoping for for the last .. ummm... probably 15 years! NO JOKE! When I was 14 I got a job at The Dog Wash Resort, which was a self-service dog wash and this woman came in with a Red Female Bull Terrier puppy and I was instantly IN LOVE! 

SO, here is my sweet little guy, Loki! He is just now 9 weeks old and a crazy, busy little guy who has taken to terrorizing our 8 year old Bully Ares! :P 

ACK - love this little guy!

She just wanted to carry him around Petco!

Getting along for the moment.. taking up my lap on the couch!

So.. yah, he was asleep like this! Apparently this is how he wants to travel! Could be a problem when he is bigger! 

OK, WHEW! See how crazy my summer has been already! I hope you all are having a great summer and I'm looking forward to seeing what you are all working on (or Not!), so leave me a message and let me know! Maybe I'll need to start a new project! :P 

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude - who should be home soon!)

Sew or Sunbathe?!

Hey All,

I have missed being here SO SO much!! Life has been hectic lately (and that is an understatement), BUT here I am.. and I have finally been able to work on a few things to share with you all!

Though, I must say with the weather being so nice, it has been a bit hard to "want" to stay inside and sew! Alas, sacrifices must be made!

I've been in the middle of teaching a Free Motion Quilting Series at the shop, which is a BLAST! I love teaching this class, I love FMQ so it is a win win, and I love how excited my students always get when they figure out a design!

I have been lusting over the new Bernina Q24 Long Arm, but have yet to convince my hubby to convert the garage so I can get one.. I'm still working on him! (I'll keep you posted!)

OK, on to what I have actually been working on...

I have finally made progress on the March Strip Club quilt, "Olympia", which I made from Carolyn Friedlanders "Doe" line.. and I am not kidding, I love it even more now that it is coming together!

Ok, it is a bit hard to see with my sashing strip laying on top, but the colors came together beautifully! It is actually a pretty masculine quilt! :P

 A project that I want to do... when I find a spare second! The Twins' room was Girafee and Elephant, which I will probably change soon, but I thought these would be cute to make for them.. maybe I'll make them into some kind of pillow or bag for each of them!

These cute kits are from "Penguin & Fish", she has amazing stuff!

OHHHH - My Jacobs Ladder quilt is coming along! I took this class with my sister at the shop! I used Cotton & Steel basics for the four patches, and then the metallic gold and white (also C&S basics) for the half square triangles! I am LOVING it so far, can't wait to get the blocks laid out!

So close.. and yet.. seems so far.. I just need like one more hour to get these together! 

SO, yah.. this is my next bag project.. because I really NEED another bag.. but here I am! So, these fabrics are some Cotton & Steel and some Tula Pink. I am making the Super Tote from Noodlehead! I adore this bag. It is such a versatile bag, there are 4 elastic pockets inside and one large pocket on the outside. You can really cram a lot of stuff into it.. which I always do! :P

Loving those cute little Lions!

So, as you can see, there is never a lack of projects around my house! I always have more projects than time, and I'm not seeing that changing anytime soon! I am trying my best to finish up a few things before I start more.. but..I think you all know how well that works for me! :p

I hope you're all enjoying the Summer sunshine we've been having, and hope you get a few moments to sew this summer! 

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude) 

P.S: Gertrude is finally coming home, though she is currently sitting at SLH waiting for her Spa Day/Check up!

Blogging Withdrawls

You guys!! I miss you! I miss blogging.. I didn't realize how many of you actually read this little 'ol blog! :P

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement! I am hoping to get back at this blogging thing.. and the really cool thing is this..

My sweet 5 year old came up to me after dinner the other night and said, "Mommy, can you teach me to sew?" I said, "Heck yes I can!" Do you know what that means?

It means that I can sew AND spend time with my girl! (The twins are a bit young still.. and a bit too interested in poking each other with pins to participate!) And if I get to sew, I actually have something to blog about!

So, in an attempt to catch you all up on what's been happening over here..

First, it is true that Gertrude is spending some time at Grammy's house! She was having some withdrawals not getting much sewing time and Grammy needed her embroidery capabilities!

Second, I spent three days in Chicago at the Bernina Creative Center the second week of April getting to play on the NEW Bernina Q24 Longarm! IT WAS AMAZING!

Most wonderful room in the Creative Center! Five frames with 10 Q24s!

Main "stitch" menu

"Bobbin detection" - let's you know when you're close to running out! 

It's true.. I do love quilting!

Adjusting SPI (Stitches Per Inch)

So much Bernina LOVE! 

And Last, but SO cool, my sweet Alia and I made her first sewing project (of which she did almost all the sewing), a pillow case with some pink Frozen flannel!

She was SO proud!

I hope this new development with my oldest daughter will allow many hours of sewing fun with her and I , as well as more opportunity to blog about the adventures that we embark upon. And one of these days, I will have to break the news to Grammy that Gertrude will have to return home!

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and in spirit Gertrude!)

When Life Happens

Hey All,

It seems that each week for the last month when I sit down to write these blog posts, I find myself thinking.. where did my life go? When I started this blog (with Gertrude) the intent was to blog about sewing. Projects that Gertrude and I were doing, the many things I wanted to do (Thank you Pinterest!) and all of the other many sewing related things going on in my life!

Well, the truth is that as of late.. not much sewing has been going on in my life. Occasionally I get an hour or two to sit down and work on something, though it is rare that much of that time is spent with Gertrude. It seems that my life has happened.. and at the moment that means very little sewing is happening.

I guess in a way I am apologizing for not getting much up here that is sewing related! On the flip side, I'm not really apologizing because I've been blessed with three wonderful daughters and a great husband with whom I have been spending most of my time lately. Not to mention that this last month has introduced a Niece and a Nephew into my life (still have some sewing to finish for them)!

So, what I'm really trying to say is that Gertrude and I will be off line for a little while. I'm not totally sure how long that means.. maybe a month.. maybe a year? Alia starts school in August, so maybe we'll be back with more time then? The twins will probably go to preschool sometime between 3 and 4, so maybe that will allow more sewing time again?

It really makes me a little sad actually writing this decision out because that means I've accepted that I just don't have time right now to be in my sewing room for hours at a time..some times in the morning I just go in there to brush my teeth.. just to look at all the projects calling me to come back!

(Sigh)  - do I sound pathetic yet?!

Okay, enough with the pity party. I hope you will all understand that this season of my life (apparently) revolves around my children, and I must make them a priority. I look very forward to the day that I can spend hours with Gertrude, creating again, but in the mean time.. I must go play Doc McStuffins Dominos with Ms. Alia before bed!

Thanks for the love and understanding! And thank you for those who faithfully read our blog!

Enjoli (and Gertrude)

it's Potty Training Week

Well, Gertrude got a nice quiet week off.. though I'm pretty sure she is anxious for a bit more quality sewing time (as am I)!

Soon I keep telling myself..soon! They all have to go to school eventually right?!

Alas, this week I decided to Potty Train the Twins! (insert scared faces here) Alia was on Spring Break this week, so we didn't have to leave the house at all.. AND WE DIDN'T!

(I am in need of some serious Adult Human contact!)

I will spare you all of the gross details that only a Mother would get excited over! And let me tell you, we had some exciting moments BUT the girls did really well! We had LOTS of success, and a few accidents.. I have never said pee pee, poopy or potty so many times in my life! And calling it Poopy does NOT make it cuter!

The calm before the storm - the night before the big day!

Happy little potty girls! 

The girls are very proud of themselves when their little potty sings.. they even announce for each other, "Ascher pee pee, Atti pee pee" (They both call Avalyn, Atti?! I have no idea?!)

As you can see, the peak excitement of my week was getting excited over bowel movements being made in the correct places! :P

Anyone grossed out yet?! Okay, enough talk about pee-pee!

The ONE thing I managed to work on this week was a baby quilt project for a friend (third person in my life having a baby this month!) made with teal, gray and a little pink!

So, I wasn't super sure about the pink while I was putting it up on the design wall last week, but what do you guys think?! I kinda of like it now.. I have two other teal fabrics picked out for the more solid looking pink.. I may have to reconsider though.. 

Leave me a comment with your vote.. like the pink or add another teal?! 

I am hoping to get back to it this week, as I am pretty sure she will be having the baby any day now and I have to finish it and mail it! :P 

Also, if you LOVE how cute this pattern is.. you can find it here: 

http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.com/2014/06/oh-sew-baby-strip-tango-baby-quilt.html

I hope you all had a less "poopy" week than Gertrude and I! Hopefully next week will allow a little more sewing time! 

Happy Sewing, 

Enjoli (and Gertrude) 

Can Tuesday be Friday?!

By Tuesday last week, I was ready for the weekend. It seems that when things go wrong, multiple things must go wrong at the same time. 

So, here is what went wrong at the Strait household last Tuesday:

1. Avalyn (the "younger" twin) threw up 3 times, once on the way to the doctor to figure out what was wrong. She has reflux, and is now on an 8 week medication that she hates to take, and knows when we spike her food with it!

2. Ascher (the other twin) decided that while I was on the phone with the pediatrician (about her sister) was the appropriate time to throw her cup at our TV, which is now broken!

3. Our water heater went out..

4. Alia, our oldest decides to capitalize on the chaos, forget how to use the bathroom and have "accidents" and attitude all day!

WHEW! By Tuesday night I wanted to run away from home! :P Lucky for me (and my kids) my parents are incredible. My dad picked up Ms. Alia from school and watched her and Ascher, while I took Avalyn to the Doc. My dad got Avalyn to sleep when we came home and both Mom and Dad were pretty much around for moral and hands on support all afternoon! 

You can imagine that I was looking forward to the weekend A LOT at the end of that day. My weekend proved much more pleasant with quite a bit of progress on a few different projects!

Friday was my Moda Modern Building Blocks Class:

My students finished up Block 3 and I was able to cut and sew up Blocks 4 & 5 to give them a preview of what is to come! From here on out, we should make great strides on our progress since the blocks are about half the size of the first few!

The same day, I stayed to work on my Feathered Star block, which was a class my sister was teaching! AND I finished my block! YAY! I LOVE how it turned out. I love it so much that I plan to make a few more out of my other fabrics from the line. It is the "Doe" line from Carolyn Friedlander (we have the FQ packs at the shop) and gives more than enough choices for color variation!

So, all in all, my week turned around..

We got a FREE TV from my parents, who just upgraded theirs, we got a good deal on a new water heater and our kids remembered that they like living in a warm house and turned back into nice little people! 

That being said.. This week is the beginning of potty training the twins.. I will be at home with naked people all week, most likely cleaning up lots of messes and doing lots of laundry.. 

Feel free to send good vibes my way this week.. maybe they'll pick it up quickly...

Or maybe I WILL be crazy by the end of the week! 

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude)

Busy week.. very little sewing!

It has been a busy week around the Strait household. We had activities every evening this past week, and our weekend was booked solid. Sadly, that left very little time for me to get any sewing done. 

Things I did accomplish this week ... 

1. Taught the last session of my Free Motion Quilting Class (sad, miss you ladies already!)

2. Toured a potential school for Ms. Alia - Kindergarten in the Fall! (yikes, how time flies)

3. Worked at the shop (aka: played in the fabric with my sister!) on Wednesday night!

4. Taught Modern Building Block class at the shop.. AND finished Block 3 (which I forgot to take a picture of!) 

Hubby was gone all weekend at a Retreat so it was a GIRLS weekend at the house! I have wonderful in-laws that watched the girls so I could teach on Saturday. 

The sewing related item of the weekend though, was I got to finally cut out my "Olympia" quilt, which is the pattern from the February "Strip Club" at the shop! I bought the beautiful roll up of Carolyn Friedlanders "Doe" line and have been searching for the right project!

Remember these beauties?!

Late night cutting! (it's water, I promise!) 

First Block "Test" layout!

Remember how I said I wasn't going to start any "New" projects, well just to keep the record straight, this isn't "New", it's just been "in waiting" mode! :) I can't wait to start sewing it, but before I get to excited, I MUST finish a few baby related items because ...

I BECAME AN AUNTIE TODAY!!! YAY! My brother-in-law and his wife had their little girl today, and I AM SO EXCITED!! And my sisters little boy is due any day now! Officially on the 18th, but some of us just can't hardly wait to meet him, so we'll see, maybe he'll grace us with his presence sooner!

I hope you all had a relaxing and sewing filled weekend! Post some photos of what you're working on in the comments.. I'd love to see what you're working on! I "promise" it won't make me want to start anything new! :P 

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude) 

More Bags & Scarves

Remember how last week I was talking about finishing up all my UFO's?! 

Well, I discovered the reason why I cannot seem to get any of them done.... I start new projects! :) Why do I do this? 

There is always a good reason.. new fabric.. new pattern..because I MUST! I get so excited about new things so I just jump right in with both feet! I really need to learn to control myself! ;P 

Last week I discovered that Noodle-head had a new pattern: The Caravan Tote (I LOVE her patterns, she has great instructions and photos). AND we got the new Cotton & Steel line in at the shop, "Mochi" (in canvas, cotton and double gauze) SO I had to buy some of it! 

The tote was definitely justification for buying the fabric! 

How cute is that Tote? I recently discovered a local shop called "Black Elk Leather" where I found the leather for the handles! (I've been sending people there for years, hearing that its a fun place, but finally went in myself.. eeek, almost as bad as our shop!) 

I snagged some of that green arrow fabric and some "mochi' fabrics (the lining) on Wednesday and started cutting.. it is a fairly straight forward bag to put together, even the leather handles weren't as labor intensive as I thought they'd be! 

Now I have a cute, and functional tote for those quick trips around town (without the kids)!

And because I couldn't help myself I also bought some of the Cotton & Steel Double Gauze.. 

OH MY MY MY!

Guess what I made...?! 

I know you're ALL shocked that I made scarves! The weight of the fabric is SO perfect for our early spring! Plus, I used a FREE Pinterest tutorial to whip these up in 10 minutes! YES 10 minutes you guys! (Ok 20 minutes for both.. but still!)

Now the hard part will be choosing which one to wear! 

Come by the shop and see all of the beautiful NEW fabric, get some of the gauze and make some scarves because SERIOUSLY.. it does not get any easier than this!

(FREE Scarf Tutorial)

Happy Sewing,

Enjoli (and Gertrude)