grad present!

Today I finally got my grad present for getting my Masters!

My parents wanted to get me something that would be around for a long time as a gift, and had been thinking of a piece of furniture. That didn't really work out, for so many reasons! We didn't know where we were going to be living, and then we knew we'd be living 5000 km away from where we used to live. Then we had to decide where to live in Halifax, and we're still not in our permanent home... So the stars haven't really aligned for the furniture idea. But I think that's okay, because around Christmas I came up with another idea: a sewing machine. Mom liked that idea, because she was the one who taught me (and Devon) to sew, and we all still do it. Plus, like a piece of furniture, a sewing machine will be around for a very long time! This will probably be the only one I'll ever get (judging by family history!).

Steve was on call today, and I was in the mood to check out machines, so off I went to Upper Tantallon to check out the Purkle Frog, a sewing shop that deals in Husqvarna Viking machines. Needless to say, after about 30 seconds of sitting at a brand new machine, I was totally sold - so quiet, so smooth! (As an aside, there aren't really a lot of places to buy a sewing machine these days! It was either a Husqvarna or a Singer, which doesn't have such a great reputation for their new machines, or else drive an hour to the Annapolis Valley...)

For those who don't yet know everything about me, the sewing machines I've previously used are my mom's White, which is over 25 years old, and my great-grandma's Singer, which was from the 60s or 70s. They both work great, but are really heavy, and need regular servicing to keep running smoothly.

Anyways, I tested a couple of models, one that was in the price range that Wilma approved, and one that was a couple hundred dollars more (which would come out of my pocket).... After a quick phone conference, we decided to go with the more expensive one - it's made in Sweden, it has a 20 year warranty, and it's just more solid and of a higher quality than the cheaper one. Plus, like my dad said, this is sort of like a power tool, and with tools, sometimes it's better to buy the more expensive version once, rather than buying the cheaper version two or three times. So this machine better last me til I have grandkids! I'm so excited to have it, and am thinking of so many projects. First on the list should probably be Steve's scrub caps that I started about a year ago.... Below are some of the decorative stitches it does, which are all done using the wrong presser foot, but I still think they look good!