what a difference a year makes

Last Valentine's day I wrote a pretty snarky post in regards to love. I was single with no prospects and perhaps a wee bit bitter! I'd just about gotten used to the idea of being that old spinster who dies alone and gets eaten by her cats, ya know? A month later, I found Jon. In a bar. Rosy cheeked and utterly captivating!

Due to scheduling conflicts and my general inability to check voice-mail, it took us a few weeks to go on our first date. I'm glad he was persistent! Our first kiss wasn't until mid April, but three weeks after that we were engaged. Wedding in T minus three months!

fabric, flowers, chocolate and wine <3

In that post mentioned above, I listed a few requirements for my future mate. Wanna see how Jon measures up? Of course you do...

- Must be able to fix a sewing machine.  
No such luck, but he's interested in learning! A rather mechanically inclined guy, he's already replaced doors and torn off a deck and installed a garage door opener and new electrical for better lighting in my sewing room. I'll take it!
 
- Must enjoy tolerate holding bolts of fabric so my hands are free to look for more bolts of fabric. 
Check! I've even got him trained to watch for quilt shops during our travels, muahahaha. He sees quilts in everyday images and helps me make decisions when I'm stuck during a project. Score!

- Must be tall enough to hold up a queen size quilt for photographing without it touching the ground (preferably his footwear would be visible, but let's not get too specific!)  
Ooph, not so much! He's actually an inch shorter than I am. It makes me feel powerful (ha). I figure he can build something for me to hang quilts from for photographing. That way you don't have to look at his gnarly feet.
 
- Must have a mother who owns a long arm and would let me use it anytime I want (bonus points if she has a giant stash for me to pilfer).
Negative, ghost rider. Totally not into quilting! But there's still time to turn her, right? I'll work on it.
 
- Must know to gift me a bundle of fat quarters on Valentine's day (and any other holiday) rather than flowers or chocolate or diamonds. Ok maybe I'd take diamonds, but you get the idea. 
Considering the amount of fabric I've purchased in the last two months (example below arrived today!) I knew I wasn't getting any from Jon. He did know to go with a potted plant over cut flowers, though. This way I can plant them in the ground this spring! It's something my dad's always done for my mother and Jon picked up on it immediately :D
 

sweetwater reunion home dec and heather ross FFA 3 from bloomerie

- Must make the mad cash so I can quit my job and be a SAHQ (stay at home quilter) for the rest of my life.
Probably not gonna happen anytime soon, but one can dream, right? I might have to crank out a couple kids first, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice!  

Speaking of kids, my niece Addie turned three today. There she is holding the doll quilt I sent her in the mail. My favorite part of this photo is the look on her little sister's face in the background. Priceless. 

 

don't worry, little Becca got one too!

I made two Valentine's Day doll quilts the other night. Just some simple strip piecing chopped and rearranged, one zig zags and the other pinwheels. In my mad dash to send them out in the mail the next day, I totally spaced on photographing them finished! Oops. But here's a shot of their backsides.

get your mind out of the gutter!

I skipped the batting and binding in order to make them flimsy enough for a doll to be swaddled in. I simply sewed the fronts to the backs with right sides facing, then turned right side out through a 3-4 inch hole. A little top-stitching to hold the layers together and presto, two doll quilts for two special little girls.

Back to Jon. What'd he score, a 1 out of 6? Yikes. He's lucky I'm flexible! :P

A bit random, so I'm linking up with Cindy's Really Random Thursday!
Also almost forgot to submit this post, but I still have ten minutes before Valentine's Day is over, so I'm considering it a win!
 xoxo