My good friend and coworker Rachel Powers from Seasons Embroidery & Gifts mentioned an applique conference was in the works and wanted to know if I would be interested in going with her. Well Yeah! It was a no brainer for me. Not only did I want to go I needed to go to learn more about the whole applique process using an embroidery machine. Rachel is an experienced pro when it comes to applique. She creates amazing products and works full time at Ken’s Sewing Center.

I have to tell you that the Everything Applique Conference was a huge success. It was yesterday in Birmingham, AL at the BJCC. What an outstanding experience. 750 people registered for the conference. The digitizers were very informative and great about sharing their knowledge. The Everything Applique Conference is the brain child of Kathy Garrett from Applique Corner. With the help from her husband Jefferey, the digitizers, and a lot of volunteers they pulled off an amazing event in just four months. FOUR months! There were a few hiccups but they were handled with grace and the conference went pretty smoothly.

This a picture of the ladies who made this conference happen. Karen Norman of Applique Market, Rosemary Gulledge of Applique Cafe, Emily Horn of Applique Alley, Rachel Pryor of Embroidery Boutique, Kathy Garrett of Applique Corner, Brandy Rolison of Applique Momma, Cristy Hageman of The Itch 2 Stitch, and Holly Clay of Applique Junkie.

Rachel and I sat with a fabulously talented group of ladies from all over the south. We were the table of gigglers and wise cracks. We had so much fun.

I am the third from the left in the first row and Rachel is the second from the left in the back row.

This is a picture of the conference room during the morning registration. Not quite everyone was in the room yet and there were a lot of people behind me. The break out seasons were great. There were four sessions on various topics. A ton of great questions were asked by the attendies. The vendors had great products for sale and for demonstration. Over all it was was a huge success. I can’t wait for next year.

This post is for all you moms out there on a budget with boys who like to play make believe. Happy cutting.

She has instructions for a loaf pan carrier and for a rectangular dish too.

Here is the link to her post on how to make these cool casserole carriers.

This picture was with the flash on. I quilted it with a simple loop pattern all over.

I also finished making a Kindle cover today for a friend at church. I asked her what color she said it didn’t matter as ling as it was girly. The inside is a pale pink with white polka dots.

I also sewed a tutu on to this size 3T tshirt.

I sewed a tutu on a onesie but I think I sewed it too high up. A girl from church is gonna try it on her toddler to see how far I need to come down with it.

This is a hair bow I made that is for sale on Etsy.

Joshua turned 9 on January 2nd.

Timmy turned 17 on January 4th.

Tim turned 38 on the 29th.

This tutu shirt I am going to list in My Etsy Shop once I finish it. I have a few more things I want to add to it and make a hair bow to go with it. That means going shopping.

This is what our house looked like for the Christmas holiday. The boys helped Tim and were very instrumental in the Cross and Tree designs. They are so smart.