Danish Scones

The quilt top is complete. The binding and backing have been chosen. All is in a separate package for the day when I get my quilting frame up.

This morning I had an epiphany on the way to work. My studio design was to include the quilting frame in the same room as the sewing machines. Now I am thinking that once I get everything out of the old sewing room and into the Studio I can set up the frame in the now empty sewing room and name it the quilting room. I can run a cable from the Dish transmitter in the Studio into the Quilting Room and set up a TV to watch my quilting and sewing programs. I will put the old DVD player in there and can watch all the movies that DH does not like.

What a mind bender!

Have a great day.

Firm Foundations with Jane Hall

I just had to sign up at Quilt University for this class. Unfortunately my usual procrastination means that lesson 4 is posted and I am just starting lesson 1. Last night I spend time on the first foundation in the class. I decided to make two identical ones at the same time. Twice I cut off the wrong piece of material and had to unsew and put fabric back on the seam.

Foundation Piecing is still a mystery to me but I find I am enjoying the learning experience. I am going to have to spend more time in my studio and less time in the living room.

Yes, my studio. It is no longer a family room. I have put up one of three book cases purchased just for the studio. I also have a desk to assemble that I will put my desktop computer on. I have a quilt designer table and a sewing machine table that has a drop area for my machine. I purchased a iron pad that is rectangular and have put it over my old sewing table. There is very little left in the family room that needs to be kept, filed, recycled or burned. I have so much shredded paper that I can start several fires in the fire place and keep warm.

My quilting frame will be going up shortly. I will be using one of my older machines for in place of a true short/mid/long arm machine. I need to start an escrow account for the mid arm machine of my dreams.

Have a great day.

FNSI

I failed miserably at the FNSI. I had a new book that I couldn't put down. I got no sewing done what so ever. I am totally ashamed.
My work on my studio makeover is getting closer to completion. I have one area in the long L of the family room to finish and then I can start moving things around. The area in the short L is still a work in progress. My that I mean I have made no progress in it at all.
I have signed up for the "A Mountain Quiltfest" in Pigeon Forge, TN. I will be taking 3 classes. Two of them are from Sally Collins. I expect that my quality of work will improve. The third class is the Ohio Star class. I am looking forward to that too.
I have offered to help with the International Quilt Festival 2011 in Cincinnati. I have chosen my volunteer dates and times. I left some time to just cruise the show as well. I will be taking 4 vacation days to enjoy the show.
Got to go.
Have a great day.

More progress on Studio Makeover

Wednesday is the night DH watches his "Ghost Hunters" programs. So...I went down to the family room to sew. Oops. I forgot that I had laid out four boxes to go through for the keep, recycle and shred process. I finished all four boxes. By then it was time to go to bed and I never got my sewing done. Drat!

Tonight I am going to go down to the working studio and cut fabric for the "Breakfast Club" Danish pattern. I need to get all the fabric cut and the half square triangles sewn. Then on Saturday I can start putting all the blocks together. How exciting!

Have a great day.

No Studio Makeover progress to provide

I have been in a reading mood all week long and have not worked in my Studio at all. Hopefully this weekend will give me the energy to continue on it.

Have a great day

Studio Makeover

Great progress was made on Sunday. All of my quilting magazines have been organized into individual magazine holders and placed in the largest of my bookcases in the new Studio. I labeled the front of each holder with the names of the magazines so I can go to exactly which publications I want to look at. Next will be putting them in chronological order and creating an Excel spreadsheet so I know what I have in my library of quilt magazines. I am so excited!

I also took out two boxes of recycled paper to the curb for pick up this morning. I have a third, but I ran out of energy. I will be the 1st box for next weeks recycling.

My LQS has a Weekly "Sew:cial every Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30. I think I will start going once a month to check it out and see if it is worth the $12.50 fee. Another LQS has a monthly sew-in on the 2nd Saturday of each month and it is only $5.00 plus you can purchase $5.00 or more in the store and get a credit of $5.00 off your purchase. Now that I call a friendly LQS benefit.

I still haven't pulled out my sewing machine to start working on my 1 at a time list. It will have to wait a little longer until I get more of the studio in order.

Have a great day.

Studio Makeover

Isn't it funny when you put something off for so long and then find it to be quite simple? Last evening I put in two hours on my studio makeover while watching a movie that DH didn't want to watch. What a lesson. Every time he puts something on that I don't want to watch I have an excuse to work on my studio. How enlightening!

Have a great day

Million Pillowcase Challenge

Yesterday after work I dropped off my six pillowcases. I am now entered into a drawing twice (once for each three pillowcases) for a prize. What is the prize? I don't know.

My LQS is having their 1st anniversary celebration this weekend starting with a grand opening today at noon. I am fortunate that I work less than 1/2 mile from them so I will be doing their celebration during my lunch hour. I cannot wait. Only one hour to go.

Last night I worked more on the Studio Makeover. There is so much stored paper that needs to be separated into recycle, keep or shred. I have all the documents from the five years my DH and I ran a trucking firm. We went out of business in 1999 so I figure that if the IRS or the NTB would want anything they would have contacted us by now. All of that will be shredded.

Then I will start a very big fire. I am burning all the shredded documents a little at a time. Sure hope we have a cool evening ahead for the great bon fire. DH is afraid I will start a chimney fire. He wants to clean the chimney first. DUH. I will take a mirror and look up the chimney first to make sure that there is no tar on the sides of it. If is clear I will fire up with no fears. I have lived with wood burning fireplaces since I was 5 and I will not admit how many years between then and now.

Have a great day.

Studio Makeover

Yesterday evening I spent about an hour working on the mess that is currently the family room and will be a Studio. I am in the process of recycling some things and shredding others. Tiresome, but it is progress.

Have a great day.

No progress on the Studio Makeover

I came home so tired and in such a low mood that all I did was eat supper and go to bed.

Today I am full of energy and ready to take the world on. I have a to do list for this evening and have prioritized it. I will follow it to the best of my ability.

Studio accomplishments

I have cleared the one bookcase and moved it and a display case back to back between the office area and the hallway from the studio to the sliding glass door. I have started putting quilting magazines into the bookcase. It looks so empty, but when I bring all the magazines from my upstairs office down it will start to take shape.

I move my quilt design table into the official studio area last night. Currently it is being used as a laundry folding table and a sorting table for magazines. I will also start to sew blocks from my BOM club as well as my Breakfast Club.

I still have quite a large area of the family room to turn into the studio. But with the warmer weather it will be easier to work down stairs. I hope to have it all completed and the quilting frame erected in the studio by Mother's Day. What a present for myself and my quilting.

When I get it all finished I will take some pictures and post them here. I am just getting used to posting pictures and cannot wait until everything is set and I can show it off.

Have a great day

I have a quilting frame in my house

Friday the Hinterberg Original Machine Quilting Frame arrived in two separate boxes. I opened the small one and it contained the aprons for attaching the quilt to the frame.

I am debating on whether to finish the wood parts of the frame. There are three possibilities: leave it unfinished, use polyurethane to seal it or paste wax to protect it. I cannot decide. I think I will google it and see what other quilters have done.

During the weekend one of the bookcases was almost emptied. As soon as it is ready to move I will put it out of the way in the downstairs bathroom (temporarily). The area behind this bookcase needs in depth cleaning as it hasn't been moved for almost three years. After this is completed I will empty the other bookcase and put it at the foot of the stairs. I am not sure what I will store in it. Currently it is a combination of quilting stuff and books by some of my favorite authors. The authors can go upstairs in the bookcase with my other favorites and then I can decide what to put in it. I purchased two Sauder bookcases and a desk along with lamps when I first decided to turn the family room into a studio. I wonder if now is the time to pull out the bookcases and start using them? I think I need more work done in the room before I add any more furniture...including the quilt frame.

Have a great day

Family room to a Studio

My husband even complemented me on the progress in changing the family room into a sewing room. I have one large box of things to go through and then I can start to use the TV again. I have a goal of switching out two bookcases and then moving the couch to the north side of the room facing the front windows of the room and facing the TV.

I think I have decided where to put my quilting frame. It will be located on the east side of the sewing room so that I can see the fireplace and TV and look out the sliding glass door on the north side of the house.

One step at a time. I still have to change the east side of the family room before I can put the quilting frame together. I had planned on ordering it Saturday, but with one thing and another I had to put it off. I moved the money I had saved for the frame to my VISA so I can purchase it at any time. I am really excited about getting it.

Yesterday DH and I were talking about the studio and I mentioned that the next thing I want to purchase is the Weekender Mid-arm from Hinterberg. When he found out it was $1,699.00 he hit the roof. I think I will have saved enough to pay cash for it by November or December. It will be my Christmas present to myself.

Have a nice day.

Working on changing the family room to a studio - update 1

This weekend I was really into working on the family room. I put together a table that I bought two years ago for the studio and started using it. (The table actually is meant for a patio, but it works very well as a place to sort things as I clean up the family room.)

I moved all the Christmas wrapping stuff into the storage area in the basement. I found an old vaporizer for cold vapor and took it upstairs (we are in a bi-level) to clean and set up as the static electricity is getting bad. I found a box of old papers and sorted it. I have about 1/2" of papers to file and the rest is going into the recycle bin for next week's garbage pick up. I put some gardening things together in one box instead of two. When the snow gets a little easier to walk through I will move the box to the shed. On second thought I think I will move all the gardening things into the garage. I think we will have to do some major remodeling of the shed this spring and I don't need to move things more than twice!

This may not sound like a lot, but my family room is 65F degrees and that is cold compared to the 69 to 71 upstairs. Once I get a space cleared out for the heater it will be better, but I want it in the open for safety. I also want to move the couch from where DH thought it was best (with the back to the fireplace) and start a fire. That will also help heat the family room.

There still isn't enough room for the quilting frame. I cannot make up my mind whether to set it up for a king size quilt or set it up for a queen size quilt. There is a difference in the length of the rails and ultimately the width of the frame. This is a decision I have to make before I order it and also it depends on where I set it up in the studio. Decisions!

Have a great day

Working on changing the family room to a studio

DH moved several things out of the family room and I organized things that were stashed on the love seat.

All of the Christmas Wrap has been organized and is ready to be placed in the closet for next year. My Design Sewing Center that I received as a Christmas present was excellent for wrapping gifts. I could sit down and wrap without hurting my back.

Last night was a knitting night and I didn't get much done in the family room. But I will keep working on it until it becomes a studio!

Quilter's Design Table

JoAnn's had a sewing table on sale and I showed it to DH. He said to go ahead and get it as my Christmas present. I spent all Saturday afternoon and evening putting it together. I got to bed at 2 A.M. The next morning DH helped me with a few things that I couldn't put together. All in all the dratted thing had 23 parts and too many screws, hinges, casters and wooden pins to count. I could not believe how stiff I was Sunday morning.

I am starting to set up the table to work on my Christmas presents. I have several mini quilts in mind to give to my daughter. I will post about them later.

See my new blog about knitting. I also have a blog called the bucket list. I hope you get a laugh from it.

Have a great day

Serger

I finally had enough money in my credit union savings account to purchase a serger. It is one of the least expensive of the Singer sergers on the market. I still have to read the directions and then find some fabric to practice on. I still have to make room for another machine.

Have a great day.

Organization Tips

Oh I wish I had some organization tips to give people who read my blog. There is only one thing that comes to mind right now.
1. A place for everything and everything in it's place.
2. Keep like things together in one place. (i.e.: All rotary cutters in a box, basket, or use a hanging shoe rack and keep them in a specific pocket.

I will try to come up with some more.

Anyone out there who has tips please share them with me and I will post them in a special side bar.

Sewing Studio update

I have started to make progress in my sewing studio. You no doubt remember my moaning about it in several past blogs. Well it is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Last weekend I started going through all the "trash" that has accumulated in the family room. I have only made a dent; but a good dent at that. The recycle bin will be full next Monday. I may even stack several boxes of paper on top of the bin.

Once I get all the paper out and move the garden pots that have accumulated (I think they multiply like rabbits) then I will start to see more possibilities.

Last year during the back to school sales I purchases two or three book cases. They are waiting patiently for me in the garage. I cannot wait to put them together and use them for the magazines and books about sewing and quilting that I have gathered together over the years. How exciting to be able to go to a book case and pull out the very pattern I want. As I put things into place I will also be creating a database of title, pattern and location for each. Then I can go to the computer and say "I want a pattern with the Ohio Star" and find all the various books and magazines that use it. How exciting!

The other thing that I am so looking forward to is my sewing machines. Yes. I have many. Three or four are in the garage also. Mostly Singer machines, but also a treadle machine. I am going to get that treadle machine in working order for the next time we have a power outage. I will not be deprived of my quilting where there is no electricity.

I leave for my October retreat early this year. They had to change the date to September 26, 27 and 28. I so look forward to the friends I have made over the last retreats. I will be looking specially for Maureen. I haven't seen her since last year and I miss her kindness and gentle spirit. Some of the others just make me want to burst out laughing. They are a great group of women and I love them all.

Enough for now. Talk to you later.

Studio Makeover

I keep procrastinating about my studio makeover. Tonight I will be taking all my quilting projects that are in the living room and moving them down to my original sewing room.

Maybe if I am in the lower area of the house I will be moved to work on the current family room to make it available for my studio.

All of the back issues of quilting magazines have finally arrived. My plan is to review one issue at lunch each day at work. Then I will take it home and enter it into my Quilt Magazine Database that evening. This will get the magazines put away as each one is entered.

I have gotten out the portable quilt frame and my Great Grandmother's quilt. They will be set up in the original sewing room and I will be working on the quilt until my guild meeting on June 1. That will give me 15 days to get it ready for viewing even if the hand quilting is not complete. I expect that Monday, May 25 (which is when the U.S. celebrates Memorial Day this year) will be a day of great progress. I intend to hide in my sewing room the entire day.

Have a great day.