Back in December 2007, I bought a new Brother SE-270D sewing/embroidery machine. My heart ached for this machine for at least 2 years prior to its purchase but life and all that goes with it takes priority over trivial wants. My patience paid off in the end. One evening I made a trip to the local Wal-Mart for yarn and found my heartthob on sale-50% off! There were two machines on the shelf, so with heart pounding I made a mad dash to the checkouts deep down thinking that the shelf label had to be a mistake. It wasn't!...and away I went home with my brand new toy, happier than a kid with a double decker ice cream.

It took me about a half hour to unearth this darling new toy from its wrappings, only to realize someone else had purchased the machine before me. Not only had they used it, but they cannabalized the accessory pouch before returning it to the store. :-( A quick call to Wal-Mart to ask (beg!) them to set the second machine aside until I could return and away I went back to the store broken-hearted. The exchange was a bit of a challenge in that the store manager actually accused me of stealing the missing accessories! Thankfully, we live in a small town, and although we are relatively new here, the lady who worked the fabric and crafts section of the store stood up for my honor. After 45 minutes of inspecting and comparing the contents of the two boxes, the store manager finally agreed to let me exchange the "damaged" package for the intact machine. A mad dash back home with not only my new machine but a mean stress headache to boot, I proudly placed my new Brother on the kitchen table and called it a night, hoping for a clear head and renewed sense of untarnished happiness for morning.

Having never quilted anything in my life, I rather skeptically began picking through my material stash for what would eventually be a stroller quilt for my new nephew, Caleb. Having spent many days and hours researching the how's and what's of quilting, I decided to start small and easy...a rag quilt. They are forgiving if a stitching mistake is made and I wanted something that would be soft and comfortable for a new baby. The resulting baby blanket surely did have a few mistakes, but in the end, it was worth the effort. It was completed on 5 January 2008, in plenty of time for Caleb's birth in April.

A few weeks later, my husband mentioned that one of his co-workers was going to be adding to his family, also. As I was in full-blown creativity mode and still super excited to have my new Brother, I went round 2 with rag quilting. This one came out a lot better and the family mentioned, although it's been a few years later, that the little boy it was made for still loves and uses his blankie. There is no greater thanks than to see someone use the little something you made special for them.

Being delighted with the outcome of the second rag quilt, it dawned on me that my three nieces in Texas would love personalized doll blankets. Stitch, stitch, stitch, snip, snip, snip. Three identical miniature doll blankies were created in pretty pastels, the first of which was completed by 30 April 2008. It was with the creation of these little cuties that I realized you could "nest" the seams as you are piecing the rows just by ironing the seams in opposite directions. What an epiphany that was! :-)