Off to Houston!

The house is clean, the boys are organized, my bags are packed.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to the International Quilt Festival in Houston for the rest of the week. I'm taking quite a few classes and can't wait to see all the quilt inspiration.

Because I need to take supplies to each class and may want to stroll through the exhibits and stalls in between, I needed something that would work as both a purse and a supply tote.

I bought this cute bag. Everything fits in there except the 12"x18" cutting mat.

I'm not about to carry the mat loose, and I want my hands free to touch and feel goodies, so I came up with this solution.

It just ties onto the purse handle with ribbons and can be easily removed. I can still sling the bag over my shoulder very comfortably.
I'll let you know how it works out.

Have a great week everyone!

Sad

I wasn't going to post today but then I saw this on the local news. Read it quickly because it'll probably not be there for much longer.

May we never get to this point.

(Edited to add: I'm aware that blogging and/or knitting were not responsible for the abuse this girl suffered and that the mother is very likely seriously mentally ill, but I still think it should give us pause for thought about:
1. Our integrity in the blog world.
2. Being aware of the level of importance we attach to our hobbies and whether this affects the quality of care we provide to our children.)

It's Socktober!

Remember Socksgiving?
Thanks to Jennifer's wonderful coaching I managed to knit a lovely pair of socks back then and then another pair.
And nothing since then.

Now I'm tackling socks again.

As you can see I haven't reached my nemesis (the turning of the heel) yet.
Jennifer, can I have you on speed dial?
(These are the "Embossed Leaves Socks" from this book.)

Who's going to Houston?

Wouldn't it be great to meet some fellow bloggers?

Runner (and pillow) time!

I warned you!
I'm trying to come up with a name for this one but I'm stumped. Any ideas?



And a matching pillow cover.

Why?

The quilt top is made...

The binding is ready...

...but I don't have ANYTHING to use as backing.

You'd think I'd have learned by now.

Thanks everyone!

Wow! The response to my rotary cutter question was AMAZING! Thank you so much! Hopefully all the wonderful responses helped other people with their decisions too.
I think I'll be going with the Olfa Ergonomic cutter since that one got the most votes, but it wasn't an easy decision.
I'm left-handed so having the option of switching the blade to the other side was really important to me.

Here's a glimpse of a little something I'm working on.

Rotary Cutters

After 10 years of constant use, I think my rotary cutter needs to retire.

So...I was hoping you could help me (and probably a few other people) with my decision in deciding on a new one.

What rotary cutter do you use?
What do you like/dislike about it?

Thank you, lovely blogfriends!