The 3 F's of Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!  My maiden name is Valentine so like it or not, this holiday is a *BIG* deal in my house!  My husband (who knows me SOOO very well --- I guess that's what happens when you've been together 17+ years!) got me the greatest gifts ever --- flowers, fuzzy sweat pants, new running clothes and a very nice gift card to Joann Fabrics.  Woo Hoo!  My girls made my morning by not fighting over the TV, eating their breakfast and getting dressed on time, without me have to ask more than once.  Love them!  

This year, I've got 3 F's for Valentine's Day ---- a Fire, a Finish, and some Fun!

First, the Fire.... Any mom can tell you that a call from an unknown phone number which turns out to be your 9-year-old saying, "Don't worry, Mom, we're OK, but...." is never a good thing.  Long story short, there was an engine malfunction on their school bus on the way home.  Jessica (my 6 year old) was in the back of the bus (near the engine) and it took a little while for her to make it out.  Rachel (the 9 year old) was near the front but refused to get off the bus until Jessica reached her.  By the time I reached them (they were only 1 mile away, in a parking lot with several police offices, firemen and school officials), my heart was beating out of my chest and it was all I could do not to break down when I saw my little one in tears.  We are all OK now, but I'll need a bottle of hair color to take care of all the gray hair that just showed up.

Next, the Finish.... Elephant Parade is complete!  It's a dreary day outside today so these (incredibly shadowy, poorly lit) photos are from inside.  Blogger also insists that two of them be upside down and I'm just not in the mood to argue today.  (This post talks about where those elephant pieces came from.)

This quilt is for my sister's BFF, who had her 3rd baby (5 weeks early, but healthy!) last month.

I quilted each section with matching thread.  I didn't quilt inside the ears.

(I know I posted this same photo yesterday, but it shows the colors a little better.)

In case you don't feel like standing on your head to read this, it says "Jacob."

I quilted densely around the letters and numbers but not inside them, so they "pop" a little bit.

And now, at long last, the moment we all (OK, maybe just me) have been waiting for.... the FUN!!  After finishing up the binding on Elephant Parade last night, I opened up my new Brother PE770 embroidery machine, which has been taunting me patiently waiting for me in the box since it arrived on Monday night.  I was too impatient to assemble stabilizer and fabric, so I used the first piece of pre-quilted stuff I could find.  Here's what I made, in honor of Valentine's Day.  (It's also a pretty good description of how I feel about my new toy!)

This will probably end up as a little zippered pouch.  It's not centered perfectly on the quilting lines (I really wasn't trying, so I guess it's not too far off for not paying attention to that), but I still love it.  I have many, many big plans for this machine!  :-)

As always.... 

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs (and hopefully also chocolate!) ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~