Easter Dress and my first Japanese

I think this is going to be miss Miriam's Easter dress. The one pictured is the one I'm hoping to make. Its just so sweet! I also love the yellow one, its very Annie don't you think? Please God let it be warm on Easter or I'm going to have to scramble for a little jacket for her. 

I bought my first Japanese fabric the other day! Sorry superbuzzy.com I borrowed this picture, I was too lazy to take a pic of mine I'm watching the Oscars hoping to see Elsa in the background. I was in my local quilt store the other day and I heard one of the older ladies working in the store mentioning how they got 3 bolts of fabric from Japan awhile ago and they hadn't sold very well. I was starting to silently freak out! I ran over there and casually asked where they were and there it was! The cutest fabric! Hello! Why didn't I know about this!? I informed the sales lady that Japanese fabric was all the rage and I had NO idea why it wasn't selling!? I got 1/2 a yard in the light blue background. SO CUTE! 

THEN...I was at the Richmond Home Show yesterday where I met the local Bernina Shop lady. I didn't catch her name but she was really sweet. I walked up and said, "Sell me on a Bernina, please!" I could tell she wanted to be my friend! Yeah, my dream machine is like 3 grand. Dream on. Is the automatic thread cutter worth it?  Seams like it to me. Anyways, Bernina lady told me that there is shop in town called The Quilt Man and he is known for carrying Japanese fabric! Why did no one tell me this either!!?? Well, guess where I am going this week? The Bernina store and The Quilt Man! Sorry Joyce, if your reading this don't worry I still love Quilting Adventures more (I just want a Bernina and more Japanese fabric)! In fact Bernina lady said that there is no way she could compete with Quilting Adventures in fabric so she doesn't even try. 

well, it fits the dog?!

i recently made the elf hat from "Bend-the-Rules Sewing" and I thought that my 9 month olds head would be smaller than was called for the pattern and lets just say its apparently not! so it fits the dog. but i also found out that it fits newborns! so i gave it to my friend sher who is about to have her first baby girl any day now. 

thank you to everyone who visited my blog after craft magazine mentioned my suitcase dog bed!! i usually average about 10 visits to my blog each day but this weekend i had 500 in one day!! that's amazing! so thank you thank you for visiting!! 

a couple of you had some questions about the bed. the strap i installed to keep the lid from closing, while your sweet pet is sleeping soundly inside, is removable. i installed a snap to the top and the bottom of the suitcase and then made a canvas strap that attaches and is tight enough to keep the lid from closing. i really should take a picture, that would make it clearer. i'll get on that. promise! 

so, i am training for my very first 10K. now, i have never run any sort of race...ever! so this is getting really hard. i started exercising about 6 months ago and felt very encouraged by my friends and really felt i could do this. so i am working out monday, wednesday, and friday and then running tuesday, thursday, and saturday. which only leaves sunday for my much needed rest! i have never pushed my body this hard and everyone is telling me that its 70% mental. well, its definitely becoming a mental battle!! i have never been a physically tough person, its not that i give up i just don't like to do things that don't come somewhat easily. i never did any sports growing up, just wasn't my thing. makes me sound like a wimp! but, i've just never done something this physically taxing and mentally "pushing through" when my body wants to stop is something new to me.