My latest obsession

I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself lately, mostly because I hate working and I don't want to do it anymore. I think that's why I've had this urge to do something domestic. My friend Betsy gave me some beautiful flannel blankets and burp cloths that she had made with crochet edges around them. I absolutely fell in love with them to the point that I became obsessed with learning how to make them. You just can't find good swaddling blankets like them in the stores, so they are really invaluable. Thank goodness Carrie decided to have a baby because it gave me the perfect guinea pig to try my hand at the art of crochet. I've never really done it before. Denise showed me how to do it a couple of years ago and let me finish a project she had started, but I have never taken on a project like this from start to finish and actually been pretty impressed with my handy work. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to punch the holes in the fabric. Most of the websites I've been to use antique hemstitching machines so you get this really pretty hemstitch around the edges, but because I didn't have access to one of those, I used a wing needle in my Brother machine and a zig zag stitch. It worked pretty well.

Then, I remembered that my grandmother's sewing machine sometimes surprises me with the cool things it can do. I got this sewing machine when my grandmother died about 7 years ago. Even though I never really felt close to her, I love her machine. It is probably my most prized possession (other than my family of course). I'm not a great seamstress by any means, but I do like to get creative from time to time. This machine was built in the 1950's, I believe, and it still works great. I just think it's so cool that my grandmother sewed on it, my mom learned how to sew on it and now I'm able to use it as well. I actually used it to make Matthew's baby quilt. Hopefully, it will stay in the family for a long time to come and Emily will learn to sew on it too. Anyway, I went onto ebay and actually found an attachment for my machine that makes a hemstitch and I can't tell you how excited I was. I tried it for the first time last night and I think it's going to work out great. Now, my blankets will look just as pretty as the pro's. I just have to work on sewing in a straight line. So, here are pictures of my first attempt and of my grandmother's sewing machine. And if you read all of that, then you must really be bored, unless you are Denise or my mother-in-law.

I would also like to say something about President Hinckley. He died on Sunday at the age of 97. I just want to echo the sentiments that a lot of my friends have expressed. He truly was a prophet of God. No one who knew him or ever heard him speak could think otherwise. He was my prophet because he was the prophet when I gained my testimony. He did so much for the church and almost tripled the number of temples in operation today. He dedicated the Baton Rouge temple, which was such a special thing for me to be a part of. He actually made General Conference fun. His talks were always ones that you knew you didn't want to miss because not only were they profound, but they were usually entertaining as well. I just love that man and while I'm going to miss hearing and seeing him at General Conference, I'm so happy that he finally gets to be with his sweet wife again and hopefully get a little rest before he's put back to work.