My Sewing Room

I have just read a few blog updates and learned that several craft bloggers are using today to post pics of their workspaces. The idea came from "The Brenda Blog," but I learned of it when reading "Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly." I look forward to getting a bit more time later today to look at the variety of spaces these creative women have made for themselves.

I devoted the summer of 2007 to making my own sewing space and took pictures to record the event. The room was my son's bedroom, but it was evident that he truly was grown and gone on his own and that saving his stuff was unnecessary. Also, we had begun that terrible habit of putting stuff we didn't exactly know what to do with in his room! To say that it had become a major junk room would be putting it very mildly!! So, with Kevin's much needed help, we cleared the room. He painted the walls and steam-vacced the carpet. I made some very pretty curtains and arranged a workspace that has served me quite well over the last year. See for yourself in these pictures I took when the room was spanking new and clean. (I hate to say that it's a bit cluttered at the moment!)





















A month or so after taking these pictures, I added a design wall, which is in use below. I bought 2 large pieces of wall insulation and used duct tape to hold them together. Then I took lengths of batting to cover it entirely, then covered the batting with white flannel. I used straight pins to secure the batting and flannel to the insulation, pulling them around behind to hide. Figuring out how to attach it to the wall was initially a challenge, but we (Kevin and I) eventually just pounded about 4 nails into the wall and pushed the insulation foam wall onto the nails. The nails were the kind with very little "head," so they pushed right through the insulation.. It's been up a year, and I've had no trouble with it. The picture of my glass-front cabinet is in the guest room, not my sewing room, but it shows where I have stored/displayed some of my creations.

Reflections on a Summer Winding Down

On Monday my summer ends and I head back to the classroom. My big dreams of getting gobs of quilting done this summer have fallen way too short, but I can't say that I am looking back on this summer as one that was disappointing or anything. We had a lot of good things happen, some very sad things, too, and mostly just your basic real-life stuff.

I have had this week to myself for the most part, as Kevin and Emma went back to school on Monday. This has sort of been my week to do stuff just for me, which basically turned into working on quilting projects that have simmered on the back burner all summer long.

My desire for several months - since January, at least - has been to make 'Broken Dishes' with Kaffe Fassett fabrics, featured in his book Kaleidoscope of Quilts. I have at last begun serious work on 'Broken Dishes.' I have admired this quilt since first seeing it featured in quilt magazines in an ad for thread. What a dream to gaze at! For many months now I have been acquiring KF fabrics, both from real stores and on-line stores. My collection has become quite the stash (a sub-stash of an overall major stash!). Besides making a trial block in June, I have done little more than study the quilt pictures in the book. This week, I have begun cutting and marking the squares for the small interior blocks. Here are a few pictures of my KF stash along with my current progress on 'Broken Dishes. Aren't his colors absolutely electrifying? The affect these fabrics have on me is incredible. For a gal who has preferred reproduction prints and traditional patterns, this sudden craze I have for Kaffe Fassett fabric is quite out of the ordinary!

Bringing It All Together

I have read over several interesting blogs in recent days, and am very pleased to learn that other women out there like to just fondle their fabrics. As my introductory blurb above suggests, I don't get a lot of my projects finished - or even started, for that matter - but I do spend tons of time sitting amongst my stash of gorgeous fabrics, touching, matching up various combinations, rediscovering purchases from weeks, months, and even years ago. These pictures represents such a minuscule percent of my stash. But I love every piece, and save every scrap.


















So, saying this, after reading those other blogs where quilters talk about their fabric stashes so lovingly, doesn't seem quite so "odd" any more. Sure, my daughters say this is dorky, but other stash owners know the feeling.

Over a year ago, I began blogging on another site, but was dissatisfied with all the ads, pop-ups, graphics, and miscellaneous garbage, so I copied off all the entries and saved them to a separate space. I really like going back to see what I was doing and thinking - and the English teacher in me won't let me trash any written work! Records! We must keep records! So to review my history, I am somehow going to connect those old blogs here. First, however, I must figure out how this is to be accomplished.

Catching Up

It has been ages since I've posted a blog, but that does not mean that I have been totally ignoring it. I have learned in the past several months that the world of blogs is absolutely immense, and there are blogs for any topic under the sun. So, I have been reading a few (which easily turns into reading a lot!), updating and adding features to my blog, educating myself on various aspects of the crafters/quilters blogging business.

My current interests seem to be focused on further collecting of Kaffe Fassett fabrics (a box of the gorgeous stuff actually came in in the mail today!), making drawstring back packs, finishing off the baby quilts for the twins (one is in the frame, finally - a quilt, not a twin!), and working on my doodling skills for the day down the road when I am working on a Rhapsody quilt. The art of doodling must be perfected, and the non-artist in me needs lots of practicing. Erin has given me lots of tips, and she even recommended an artist whose work is noted for his excessive embellishments. ( Of course, at present, I do not recall his name.)

The summer is winding down, and in just a week and a half I will find myself back in school. Kevin actually started today. Emma will go on Monday. There is a lot going on between now and my first day. Adam will be leaving for the Navy on the 18th, and we will have a send-off here on Saturday with a brunch. Big changes.

Pictures of the Curvy Blocks

In an earlier post, I described working outside my comfort zone and referenced a totally uncharacteristic quilt I'd been working on. It involved curves and bright, vibrant, vivid colors of batik fabrics.

These have not been anywhere near my signature looks for as long as I have been quilting. I am a confirmed traditionalist - old fashioned designs, orderly layouts, and reproduction looks.

To see the quilt blocks for this project, nobody would guess that they came from my hands!

Remembering a Fun Quilt Get-Away

Back in September 2007, just 2 weeks or so after school started, I took 2 days off along with Sharon, and we joined Kay and Sherrie for a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, to participate in a Ricky Tims Quilt Seminar. Featured along with Ricky was Alex Anderson and Libby Lehman. Oh, my gosh, what an absolutely wonderful time we had!

The type of quilting Ricky Tims is known for is so far removed from any type of quilt I would have ever - ever - made, so I was just a bit unsure of how much I would end up getting out of this seminar, but after all was said and done, I think I learned so much. I think I am more apt to give some of these techniques a try, and I am a lot more willing to risk outlandish colors than I ever used to be. Everyone of us seemed to gravitate to something different. I really liked the process of designing the components of rhapsody-type quilts. I have made several. Sharon has spoken repeatedly of her interest in Convergence Quilts. I fully expect her to attempt one at some point. Sherrie and Kay...well, I couldn't say for certain what they were particularly drawn to, but I know they had parts of the program that they really liked better than others. I will have to ask, and then update this blog with their thoughts.

Rewards of Hand Piecing

I love my sewing room - Adam's old bedroom. I've arranged it to suit me, and I have all my quilting stuff organized and easily accessible. I can only think of one drawback and that is that when I am working in the sewing room, the rest of the family is downstairs doing stuff that I want to be in on!

So after about a hundred episodes of NCIS which we dvr'd, I decided I had absolutely wasted too much time! I enjoy hand piecing and hand quilting, so why wasn't I working on something?

Then I remembered a UFO begun 2 or 3, maybe 4, years ago. It is a 2-color quilt of a very pretty deep red and an off-white. There are just 2 blocks--the star and the stepping stone. The reason I'd quit working on it was that I'd run out of one of the neutrals, and then when I found the neutral, I'd forgotten the measurements.

Well, I dove into the bin where it was stored, figured out the dimensions, cut what I needed and set off to my favorite easy chair to piece, watch NCIS with DH, thus enjoyng 2 of my favorite things - quilting and family.

Above is a picture of the blocks that are pieced. It is 7 blocks by 5 blocks at present. I am not using a particular pattern, so I am unsure just how many more I will make. This covers just the end of my queen size bed, so to have a complete top, I am just halfway there. I have considered, however, piecing these togehter to use in a medallion surrounded by borders of pretty quilting. I could add some applique too, perhaps. I will let it tell me what to do. (Quilts do speak, you know.)

Outside the Box

Breaking old habits is tough sometimes.

In the quilting world, I have been a long-time proponent of traditional quilts. I preferred the old-fashioned designs, and the reproduction fabrics, hand quilting, you get the picture. And, whenever I'd see anything remotely resembling "art" quilts, I was usually only interested insofar as I could like ithem, admire them, but definitely not attempt to make them! Not my cup of tea.

Well, some bug must have attacked me, for lately I have been all agog over Kaffe Fassett's fabrics and designs. Grandma thinks I've gone off the deep end. When I recently bought some of this fabric on an outing with her, she turned up her nose, and muttered "what's gotten into her?" Funny. I knew she would not understand, bless her heart. It is from her that I have learned to appreciate fine quilting and traditional designs.

Case in point:

Back in September, four of us went to Knoxville, TN, for a Ricky Tims seminar. His designs are quite artsy, but over the course of the 4-day event, I became a huge fan of several of his techniques and patterns. Of course, any time there are quilters coming together for anything, there will be vendors peddling their wares. This event was no exception. I did my best to buy fabrics that were traditional, patterns, supplies, books, etc. all that fit my "comfort zone." My friend Kay bought a pattern with bright batik colors and the pattern had curves! Circles! Gracious. I took one look at that and just dismissed it entirely. (Actually, I do not even remember looking at it, but surely I must have for we definitely would have checked out each others' stuff as we hauled it out of there.) Anyway, it was not my "thing," so I just did not think about it! There were so many things that did appeal to me that there was no time to consider the stuff that didn't!

Well, a week ago, when we all got together for a fun-filled day of quilting/sewing, Kay brought this pattern and a stack of Kaffe Fassett fabrics. She was going to work on making the squares for this quilt! I still was not impressed - I had my own work to do (borders on the twins' baby quilts!). Kay just zipped right along making these blocks - machine piecing curves! She was having a blast, and no puckering or undoing stitches! Once I had all my borders on, I thought I really ought to learn how to do those curves, for who knows? Might be a necessary skill someday! Well, to make an already long story short, I made a few and before I knew it, I had enought for a full-size quilt!

Totally out of my comfort zone - totally not in any colors that I generally lean to - totally uncharacteristic, yet totally fun and satisfying!

I highly recommend stepping outside the box.

Unplanned Fabric Shopping

What a wonderful opportunity! I took a negative and turned it into a positive yesterday after school. Because of the accident which totalled Erin's car, she was to get her new car from Smitty's this morning. This meant that she could turn in her loaner car to Enterprise after work yesterday, thus earning her extra $$ from the insurance company. This required, though, a willing parent to drive up to Columbus to get her. So the bad ( Erin's car being wrecked) resulted in a good! Because I just left from school at around 3pm, I would be getting to Columbus way earlier than I needed to, so I decided to drive out East Broad Street to Quilt Beginnings. I didn't even decide to do this until I was several miles up Route 104.

Totally spur of the moment!

I was excited to do this as I equate Quilt Beginnings as a shop that specializes in very bright fabrics as opposed to the darker reproduction fabrics that I normally buy. Since I have been in a Kaffe Fassett mood lately, I knew they would have some of his that I'd been unable to find on my other fabric outings.

And I was not disappointed! They had the loveliest array of larger prints - those bold flowery, viney and leafy prints in amazing colors. Scrumptious. Absolutely scrumptious! The cost was a bit on the high side, but I just pretended not to care. I bought 1/2 yards of about 10 or 12 different fabrics. What a delightful treat. I also bought a new cutting mat and an 18-6 (or thereabouts) cutting ruler. My grand total was not as high as I expected, so even though I really probably didn't need to shop for any of this stuff right now, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to shop to my heart's content. Very, very satisfying.

Curvy Blocks

On Monday, when I sewed with Sharon and Kay, Kay worked on a project that involved curves. The pattern is probably better known as Drunkard's Path. She had purchased a pattern and templates for the project and brought her Kaffe Fassett fabrics to cut into for it. Well, I finished the borders for the baby quilts that I was working on, and I thought it would be smart to learn how to sew curves, so I got my little stash of ultra-bright batiks and dedicated them to this project. The very first block I made was nearly perfect. It was so easy and it requires no pins! Since I had such good luck with my trial block, I plunged in and cut all the batiks. That was Monday.

By Thursday night, I had sewn them all together! I have them on my design wall and they look fabulous! Here is a picture when about half of the large blocks were finished and placed on the design wall.

I have considered what I will do with this quilt. I will make it into a quilt, by the way. But it is so not me! I am a traditionalist! I am neat and order (at least with the quilts I make), so this is way out of my comfort range.

I decided that I would make it and then donate it to the Tigerettes for a fund raiser. They could display it in their booth at Wheels of Progress Festival. There could be other places where it could be seen and sell chances on it as a raffle. I think it would bring in a good bit of money for the squad. If nothing else, it's motivation for working hard on it to finish. I would take it to Wilma to have it quilted.

I've taken a picture of the complete set of blocks laid out on my design wall. I need to get it into the computer, though. My next step is to "square up" all the blocks. There were 36 larger blocks and 18 smaller blocks. All need to be squared up. I still have a clean kitchen counter, so I will do it down here.

I am actually motivated!

Ta-da!

A blog about one of my favorite things. Quilting. Yesterday Erin showed me some things on the internet about blogging. It looked very interesting, and I can add links to those on this one, so I am going to see how I do with this. It ought to be fun. Since I teach English in my real life, I think I can find plenty to write about. I do a pretty fair amount of that at school every day!

So, recent news for me is my very growing interest in quilts and fabrics by Kaffe Fassett. It all began with an ad in the quilting magazines lately of a gorgeous quilt pictured in front of some landmark in Malta. I paid only marginal attention to it at first, but gradually I began to study it and grow more and more enamored by it. I actually woke one Saturday a month or so ago from dreaming about it!

No stores in my immediate area sell Kaffe Fassett's fabrics, so I did a bit of shopping online and bought about 18 or 20 fat quarters. They arrived very quickly and oh! my gosh! How gorgeous they are! At the same time, I bought 2 of his books - Victoria Museum Quilts and Kaleidescope of Quilts. They certainly are different from the kinds of quilts I am known for liking - traditional.

Then just yesterday I took a little field trip to Waynesville's Fabric Shack. I took Grandma, who likes that store a lot. After I helped her find the fabric she wanted, I made my way to the KF fabrics and bought 1/2 yard cuts of about 8. Then I zipped over to the bins where they keep their fat quarters and found about 6 or so that go with fabrics that I have been collecting.

Happy, happy times! Time with Grandma and time in a quilt shop add up to a really great day. A bonus was that Erin wanted to go along. I really had a great time with her. She's become such a wonderful person. I enjoyed her company.