Who is Bobbidink?

Maybe now is a good time to explain the whole "Bobbidink" thing? My paternal grandmother was born Barbara Dinkel Wiley. She shared her first name with her aunt so they called her by a nick name "Bobbi-dink". 

The funny part is she hated her middle name and so when she graduated from college she told them her middle name was McMillan (another family name) knowing they would announce her full name at the ceremony.  Her father was very surprised and unhappy having heard his daughters "new" name only as they announced it at her commencement ceremony. She said she could feel his eyes staring at her all the way across the stage, knowing what she had done. 

When I was a teenager my grandfather, her husband of over 40 years at that point discovered this name change over dinner one summer evening with the whole family present. He was simply shocked and affectionately called her Dinky for the rest of the meal.

Why I chose Bobbidink: My grandmother was a lifelong learner, always active, curious and positive all qualities I strive for in my own life. She was always encouraging us in anything that interested us. She loved to dabble in art in all forms, writing, painting, quilting, dance and her own personal favorite -pottery. 

These are some pieces she made with her own hands that I am lucky enough to have. 

 She passed away a couple of years ago. I have her buttons and I keep them in the boxes she gave them in and I try not to open them very often because they still smell like her house and I know one day they won't.

So that is where the name Bobbidink came from!

My little company Bobbidink Designs can officially begin now... because a key piece of equipment (my longarm) has arrived!

Hubby and son unstrapping it from the trailer. 

More pictures to follow! When I get her up and running! 

Quilted Bracelets

I whipped out a few quilted bracelets last night from the pattern in Sew Darn Cute! by Jenny Ryan

Quilted Braceletts

I whipped out a few quilted braceletts last night from the pattern in Sew Darn Cute! by Jenny Ryan

They are quick and easy and using the snaps she reccommended was easy too. There is a little tool you must purchase specific to one size snap which I will admit I was at first irritated by but it wasn't overly pricey and worked every time so it sort of won me over to be honest! 

I have never had much luck with snaps so when every single one came out perfect I was surprised and pleased with my little tool!

 I quilted hearts on this one which has Michael Miller's love birds on it. (above)

My shamrock bracelett which I will be wearing to many of my Irish dancing daughter's performances over the next few weeks! (below)

 I am teaching a class with my daughter in June at the shop called "Big & Little", a class where adults and children sew together. We'll be making these and two other items from Jenny Ryan's book, I haven't decided absolutely on which other two.  Maybe, the headbands and the embellished Tank top?  We'll see how my experiments come out....so far everything I have made from this book has been cute and easy.

I will post my other experiments as they are completed!

When I get an A or two.

So I got the flu from my children. I am sure this is no surprise but I was so MAD because I just got over a cold and I am sick so seldom that I was just well.... dispointed in my immune system I guess.
I expected better darn it!
So. done. being. sick. UGH.
Anyway, I am through the worst of it fairly quickly thanks to Oscillococcinum the homeopathic flu remedy by Boiron.

We had stocked up on this stuff last year because of all the H1N1 stuff so I figured I would give it a try.  I think it helped (who knows?), but it tasted good and I could still take regular meds to make me feel better in the meantime.
My advice to everyone- WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY! Apparently there has been an explosion of cases of Influenza A in our area in the last couple of weeks. I have to agree I kind of felt like I was part of an explosion a few times over the last few days....
Now on to the positives.....
The really great thing is that I got a phone call from a customer whom I had quilted a baby quilt for a few weeks ago. She had not picked it up herself so I hadn't gotten to see her reaction.
When she did see it, she loved it so much she took the time to call me and tell me what a lovely job I had done.
Isn't that so sweet! That made me feel so great, even with the flu.  
It made my day! 

Celebrating a clean sewing room!

I treated myself to a little purse sewing to reward myself for cleaning my sewing room. I know I am a party animal...
I made two Kwik Little Klutches from the pattern by Two Kwik Quilters. 

Left purse made out of Northcott's Flirtation fabric from Quilters Crossing

The directions were challenging, I was lucky to have quite a bit of purse making experience or I might have given up.  They sort of lacked some of the basics- like telling you what your seam allowance for the project would be etc... I guessed since it was put out by quilters it would be a quarter inch and was right.
It might have helped if they had shown more pictures of a completed one from different angles too so I could see where they were going with some of the oddly worded directions. 

The good news is it is made from only 2 fat quarters, heavy weight interfacing ( not stablizer), a 12 inch zipper and a magnetic purse closure (+ basic sewing supplies). I embellished mine with a yo-yo, buttons and some bedazzles which my 14 year old daughter insisted that one of them needed.

made from Carnival Fabric from Quilters Crossing

These little klutches have 4 small pockets plus the purse body (one with a zipper!)  The zipper was very easy to put in which was a nice surprise- sometimes I am zipper challenged.  They are also completely finished inside and, if you do it right (like I did the second time!) you don't even have to hand stitch it closed when you turn it right side out- you can use your machine to close the opening.

I will see if there is interest at the shop for this being a class. I may also make another one but do some patchwork on the flap and see how it comes out, now that I know how the pattern works I think I can play with it more easily.

It is Clean!!!

After the cleaning!! See I really did it and it only took a week!

I weeded out a large box of stuff to donate to the Tri-county Quilt Guild's Emporium at the 2012 show. 

It gave me more space-- not enough but it helped!

 I rearranged a little too.

 On my design wall are the pieces for a One Fabric Quilt which uses a border print cut on the repeat into squares then put together to form a kind of kaleidescope looking quilt top. Unfortunately I haven't finished it and it is so easy to get the pieces mixed up I sort of have to leave them up there until I sew them together....

 Still too much fabric and too few shelves...I know they look crowded but they are neatly folded and organized.

My Siamese cat Tonks is nearly ever-present in my sewing room if I am in there. I try to get her to sit on a little cushion which is in sight of my work station but she is sort of needy and has to get up frequently for attention, you can see her there on the chair.

When my children get straight A's!

My children both got A's -- Influenza A.
It has been a long week. Fortunately it is one of those viruses that seems to make them tired so they are doing a lot of sleeping which I hope will enable them get well sooner.  My daughter is staying true to form and has a pretty mild case- she has a really kick-butt immune system.  My son was lucky because when I took him to the doctor it was early enough for him to use the new virus meds (Tami-flu) which aren't a cure but, help you to get through it more quickly.

There is a lot of hand washing being done by the rest of us!
Hoping for some sewing time this weekend!
Stay healthy everyone!