Birthday gifts

You are looking at the gift I decided that I must have for my birthday, a walking foot for my almost 30 year old Bernina sewing machine. Believe it or not, it cost me 1/6 the original price of my sewing machine!

This model 830 has served me well over the years. I put it on layaway when I was pregnant with Janae. I managed to pay it off in time to sew a blessing dress and pink knit nightgowns with lace before she was born. This was long before ultrasounds and Glen worried for my sanity. I explained, "I have three boys with lots of hand me downs. I'm hoping for a girl and with three little boys AND a new baby, there will be no time to sew such things after this baby is born!"

I gifted myself for my birthday so that I could easily finish my gift for my grandson, Toby.

On a trip to Seattle with my husband in 2004, I came across this 200 year anniversary fabric in a quilting store near the famous fish market. I bought a yard, partly to use as a display about Lewis and Clark in the library of the elementary school where I was librarian. That same year, my Toby made his way to earth in a too early fashion just two days after my birthday. I decided that the Lewis and Clark fabric should be a part of a baby quilt for Toby.

As a full-time librarian, extra time was hard to find and the fabric found its way to a shelf in my sewing room. This year I was determined to make the fabric into a larger quilt for a very special soon to be six-year-old. That walking foot made the machine quilting of this quilt an easy task!

Last night, Toby and I celebrated together. We baked homemade pizzas on the grill and enjoyed gathering as a family in our outdoor dining space. I even got my name added to the Wall-ee cake.

Toby blew our candles out.

But then had to rely on the help of siblings and cousins. Trick candles!!

We took turns opening our gifts. When I unrolled the quilt for Toby, I explained about his birth year, the spectacular journey of over 200 years ago, and how Lewis and Clark had explored the Columbia River which flows by Grandma and Grandpa Kennedy's house in Washington state. "Toby, Lewis and Clark might have even hunted for animals to eat in Grandpa Kennedy's yard!"

His mother piped up, "And we are related to Clark on my mother's (Grandma Kennedy's) side of the family!"

Toby, not so impressed having just opened new Legos and other cool gifts, moved on. That is why I also gave him a copy of this book.

It was one of the favorites of students in the library. I told him his mother would read it to him so that he would better understand the significance of his quilt.

I have been slowly making my way through this book this Fall.


This morning I read the section where they made their way past the Kennedy's house heading back East. I am sure that my reading of this book helped prompt my resolve to finally make Toby the quilt this year for his birthday.

Thanks to everyone for making my birthday a fun and special one!