Oops.

She was huge.  And drank gas like no other (well, ok, there are worse).  We never used all the things that are supposedly good about a minivan because she was so expensive to drive … so we just never drove her.

So I started out yesterday with the mission of make the Odyssey go bye-bye.  And today she did.

She’s a 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid.  (Sean and I have made an agreement to stop all the really bad Insight jokes that have been going around the house over the past couple days.)

It’s so tiny!  Only the Raleigh-area folks will understand this, but can you imagine how much easier it will be to drive down Falls of Neuse/Wake Forest and Six Forks in this?  Aaaahhhhh…. I’ll be able to breathe now.

So pretty.  And gets amazing mileage.  Yay!  I can get to the beach for less than $7 right now.  I want to just lay on the beach and take a nap. <3

I took a couple more pictures of it but they all showed our very messy garage so I won’t be sharing those.

(This also leaves me a day and a half behind schedule for the new patterns…. whoops!)

The contest is simple, name the pattern and win the pattern (once I finish up the edits and have it printed – mid-April-ish).

Rules…

1. No names having to do with the fabrics used.
2. No proper names (The Anna Quilt).
3. Silly names are ok.
4. Subtitles are ok (Off Your Rocker/Wacky Log Cabin Quilt).
5. If I like two and combine them into a title/subtitle both submitters will get a pattern.
6. It has to fit on one line on the pattern cover.

Contest will close towards the end of the week (Friday-ish).

Ok, so the picture isn’t the most telling.  You have to use your imagination (or so says Figment!).

Liam is dying to type something.  Take it away Liam!

mbgbgvyerrtui7fvccede5r67uiujhgbb                            ………………kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk,mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmpo

mmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I wanted to do a pattern in the next set that was whimsical, had flowers, made with bright spring-y colors and the main image I had in my head was the little swirly thing up there by my name.  I did dozens of sketches.  Each one slightly different than the one before.  And then last week I finally had my lightbulb moment!  Off I went and this is what came out.  Nothing like the original idea.  Maeve is quite thrilled that Jumpy Squirrel (of Curious George fame) is in there.

Other humorous inspirations:

001 – Designed while on lots and lots and lots pain medication a couple hours after a very painful dental surgery.

002 – Mondrian.  I <3 him.

003 – What happens if you do this to that?

009 – I like mission style.  I need a mission-style-ish quilt.

010 – The original layout idea for 003.

012 – I should do a charm pattern.

So many of my patterns are started with, “I wonder  what happens if you take ________ and then do this to it _______ and then this?”

Ah, yes, this are done very scientifically here at Carolina Patchworks.  Snort!  Ha!

I’ve had a busy week working on tons of stuff including a new set of patterns.  They should be available mid-ish-April.  I’m wondering if I should continue the naming contests.  Since there is a gap between finishing and being up for sale since they are being printed elsewhere… it just seems weird. But the names I’ve come up with so far are really bad.  Decision, decisions.

Why is my space bar not working? Argh.

Liam and I were out running errands this morning and came across these at Old Navy.  They were a must for obvious reasons.  There was another pair too but some genius had put size 3-6 month PJs in 5T packaging (Liam doesn’t wear a 5T but I figure he will eventually!).  They were the only ones on the shelf so I can’t just go back and get the right size.  Sniff.

<pout> But Mommy,Idon’t want my picture taken! </pout>

And yes, I made her outfit too.  It’s Moda/3 Sisters “Faded Memories.”  Are you thinking to yourself, “How the heck does she remember fabric from  three years ago?”  Simple.  I have a huge stack of it in the fabric collection and made a quilt with it a couple days ago.  Perhaps her outift will help with that last little bit of inspiration I needed for a quilt pattern in-the-works because it looks like she’s wearing a quilt, not a toddler’s outfit.