"Nice Knits"!

Back-tack 3: A Softie for Me

My Back-tack softie is here! (click images)

My softie came all the way from London from Mary of The Wool Palace. Not only did I get a cute little kitty softie, but also a skein of sock yarn (dyed by Mary) and two blocks of Green and Black's Organic Chocolate. One of them was bittersweet with ginger...my favorite. Thanks, Mary!

Putting together my Back-tack softie made me want to get back into sewing again. I used to sew quite a bit years ago, but my machine I have had for the past 20 years is not the best. I really wanted to start sewing for the Bean (little kid clothes are so quick to put together), so I decided to get a new machine. In about two weeks time, a new Bernina Activa 220 will be here in my hot little hands. A shop near my house had them for 25% off, so I figured "why not." I was pretty disappointed when I found out they had none in stock and had to order it. Oh well, I guess two weeks isn't that long to wait considering I have been contemplating this purchase for months now. Is there anyone out there who has this machine? Do you like it? It is a pretty big step-up for me as I have never had a computerized sewing machine. Just enough bells and whistles without being too complicated to operate. You should see the projects already lined up!

Back-tack 3: Fini

I just got an e-mail from Ari, and the package just arrived! You can see the unveiling on her blog. What a relief that it finally got there!

Here are some final photos of the softie. I used the Wee Bunny pattern from Wee Wonderfuls, and chose bright green as my alternative color. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out.

I added some felt paws so he could hold the flowers, and the scarf was done in a rib pattern. My Bean really liked him (I am calling it a "him"), so I guess I will be making another one here sometime soon. But she already informed me that she wants hers to be pink. Go figure. I have a feeling the softie coming to me will get "claimed" real quick.

A few more photos with the second one showing Ari's initial.

Back-tack 3 was a lot of fun. I hadn't used my sewing machine in years, and working on the bunny got me excited again about sewing. Thanks to Alison and Nicole for organizing the exchange!

Tears for a Softie

To say I feel sick is an understatement. I feel sick, mad, and most of all sad.

It appears that my Back-tack softie has fallen into the abyss called "The U.S. Postal Service." When I went to mail it last Saturday, I told the man at the counter that I wanted to send my box "express". He asked why and I told him that I wanted the box to get to its destination quickly. He then told me "no,just send it priority...it will get there in three days...tops." Oh, I should have know better and gone with my gut, but no I went ahead and took his advice and mailed the package "priority." I even got the confirmation service to make sure I could tell when it reached Ari.

And now it is missing.

And the worst thing is when I went to the post office today,they wouldn't even help me track it. Now you would think with it having a confirmation number they would be able to tell me if it even got to California or not. The postman handed me a form and told me to send it in to file a complaint.  Yeah, I bet I would get an answer...it three days...tops.

I practically had tears in my eyes as I put the Bean back in the car. When she asked me what was wrong, I told her that the bunny had not yet reached its new home and it might be lost. She said "don't worry Mommy, we'll go back to the fabric store and you can just make another one!"

She always makes things sound so simple. In a world where everything can become just so complicated, sometimes it is nice to hear a little, tiny voice of reason.

Back-tack: Step 3 - Ship

He is now on his way to my Back-tack partner..Ari. I'll post more photos after I know she received the package. No surprise spoilage going on here!

Back-tack: Step 2 - Stitch

Back-tack: Step 1 - Gather

Back-tack Begins

I am now officially taking part in Back-tack 3. I enjoyed seeing all of the great projects that came out of Back-tack 2, and I was secretly hoping they would have another so I could give it a go. I received the info about my swap partner and my patterns last night. (I will reveal later who my partner is after I have had a chance to contact her.) The theme this time is "softies", and there is a strict list of rules to follow in order to play along. I like having the design restrictions...probably because at work I am always trying to come up with design ideas that have to fall within somewhat strict parameters. Stay tuned for updates as the project progresses!

Oh, I will most likely be making one of these. I can almost see him (or her) already....