A bit of handquilting...

I'm trying to finish up a little "doll" quilt/miniature in time for the quilt show.  I love hand-quilting but the large quilts (like my Charleston Baskets) is a multi-year project!

I do find it interesting that while quilting it always looks better on the back...where you don't see the blue marker!

When it gets a soaking it will all go away until then I admire the wrong side of the quilt!

I was so excited to find the book from the Red and White exhibit waiting for me when I got home from Boston last week.  I had forgotten I pre-ordered it months ago!  This is a big, heavy book...not one to  read late at night in bed!  If you fall asleep it could fall over and break something!

This is what is up on my design wall right now.  I've been known to make special snacks for political debate nights (a bit of a political policy wonk) but this is as far as I let politics get into my quilting "zone!"  Though my husband says it isn't really fair and balance since the donkey is larger than the elephant...really, no political comment intended.  It just takes more blocks to make a donkey!

And yes, my sewing space is still in upheaval...lots of piles and still not enough space!  Well, if I just wiggle things a bit there is space...and if I just finish a few more of these tops!

Another one bites the dust...

Finished two more quilt tops for the local VA...have two more almost finished but my sewing machine died!  Duh!

Blocks made by various guild members and assembled by me

Not to worry...I have multiple backups.  I just have to wait until my husband comes home to help with the lifting!

Orphan block with 6 inch blocks

This makes me wonder if I shouldn't find a corner of the room to keep an backup machine...or a machine that I just leave the walking foot on!  I hate putting those on and off the machine but they do make sewing on binding so much easier!  It's a thought!

Daylilly from the front Garden...

Watson has finally adjusted to the room.  We had been strict about his going in the room when the workmen where here.  Seems it made an impact and for the past week or so he just could not get comfortable...I tried everything.

the view from my sewing machine...

Gave him treats...set up a bed...at the end it just took time.

He has reason to be a bit anxious today...there are workmen in the yard trying to fix drainage in our back yard and putting down pine-straw...a bit late but we had to wait until the construction was finished.

The squirrels or the moving water rearranged some of my perennials...I never planted a yellow Asiatic lilly (but I have one now!) and this daylilly above was labeled blue...hummmm.  I hope to see a blue one somewhere in the garden this summer!

Design Wall

There are only two more "big" projects in my sewing room.

First the design wall and then the peg board.  We made a lot of progress on the design wall this week!

I perused lots of U-tube tutorials on constructing a design wall.  Got a lot of ideas.  Then came reality.

First, the insulation product used in the tutorial I wanted to use was not available in our area.  Went back and saw the tutorial was 4 years old.  OK, so I'll just use a large one.  Opps...we may be the only couple in Georgia without a pickup truck nor SUV...the board did not fit in a Mazda...not even close.

So the nice man at Lowes (a home improvement store) cut the board into three pieces for me...

But when I came home I couldn't quite decide how to put them on the wall...the leaned there for a day or so....then i decided to cut one of the pieces and two and the plan came together again!

I have been looking at coverings - flannel, batting, wool, or felt - for the past couple weeks.  The main selection requirement was color and cost.  I ended up using a wide felt the color of a supermarket paperbag.

So then it came time to put all this together.  I sort of followed the original tutorial...taped the boards together using duct tape (although the fancy tape...only because it was on sale!)

Then both taped and flat tacked the felt onto the board.

It works!

This star block stayed up on its own for 12 hours....though if need be I can pin to the insulation board...

Now if I can just find the Lowes bag with the Command Strips I will put this up on the wall and call it done!!!  The Cost?  The board was about $13...the felt was $12 (had a half off coupon!), the tape was $1.59 and the pins were on hand.  The command strips are another $10.  So for less than $40 I have a 64 by 72 sturdy design wall!

Still at work...

Well the move in to the new sewing space is taking more time and energy than I expected...needless to say it is still very much in progress.

I love the new shelves.  I am trying to be good about labeling everything as I put the box up.  Should make finding UFO's or "pre-cuts" (AKA the Bonnie Hunter system) much easier!

I'm going to sew up some curtains to go across the bottom three shelves.  I'm going to use the striped fabric and the Kaffe flowers.  The plaid will cover the extra chair.

I moved this beighe cabinet from the guest bedroom...

I decided to go bold!  Since there is only one painted piece of furniture in the room I pulled one of my favorite colors from a Kaffe fabric!

This cabinet makes me happy!  The top shelves will hold my favorite inspirations things like scottie figurines, Polish pottery, a few Dutch plates, and some pincushions.  The bottom cabinet will store my Westminister/Kaffe fabrics.

Watson and Dobby seem to like the space!

This inspirational phrase now hangs above the closet!

All this moving stuff around has worn poor Watson out!

I also need to be doing some work in my garden.  Trying to convince my DH that gardening isn't evil and getting a bit of dirt on your hands will not hurt you.  As luck would have it as I was pointing out where the plants needed to go the big black King snake that lives near our fence decided to visit...unlikely I will get DH to work in the garden anytime soon!

Almost ready to move-in

Just time for a quick post...

we are so close to moving into the new studio/sewing space!

The paint on the shelving still needs another 24 hours of drying time but I have been able to bring in the larger pieces like the sewing table, cutting table, and rolling cabinets.  Not sure if I like the arrangement yet.

Went back and reread the book that started all this so may move a few things tomorrow.

Am waiting until I like the layout before putting up the pegboard and the design wall...yes!  A real design wall...not the bed-in-the-spare-room-wall, nor the living-room-floor-in-front-of the TV-wall, nor a tablecloth-hung-in-the-kitchen-doorway-wall....I've only been quilting for what 25 years or so and only now get a design wall that will fit most of the quilts I make and will have a permanent place in the room so I'm not taking down and rearranging all the time!

(my new pencil sharpener for the studio!)

And yes, I know how lucky I am and I am thankful every day!

Progress...really!

The new studio is so close to being finished...but not yet!

Today they are putting shelves in along this wall...it will take a couple days.  Today measure, cut, install and prime.  Tomorrow paint.

I'm thinking Saturday will be the start of move-in!  This may involve cake...

Anyway, while this is going on I did get two quilts back from the longarmer...

First is this lapsize autumn leaves quilt.  I think the pattern was in McCall's.  It was a few years ago...

I like how it came out.  Judy, who did the quilting, used a pattern called forest floor.

Next is my pink spiderwebs.

Love how it came out.  Need to figure out what color fabric to bind it with!  This has been a challenging quilt for colors...

I used a very challenging but fun back!  Surfin' Kitties!

As I've been consolidating boxes I've found Watson toys everywhere...he likes to hide them under fabric!  He isn't real happy with my putting them all in one basket...

Not quilting but planning...

Things are slowly getting better...

but I still haven't felt up to sewing or (more dangerous) working at the cutting table.

So I've spent some more time trying to decide how to sort my fabric stash when I move back into the sewing room.  (my husband needed to get this bookcase out of his parking space so the move in has sort of started!)

repro blues in the dresser drawer...

I think I will continue to keep the reproduction fabrics in the spare bedroom.  Holiday and shirt fabrics will stay in their own boxes.  The Kaffe fabrics will be kept in the cabinet.  Wool will be in a separate cabinet along will the hand embroidery threads.

one of several medium boxes with blue fabrics...

Other fabrics will be sorted by color in large or medium containers.

I will have my own "pre-cuts" to include 6-1/2 inch, 3-1/2, 2-1/2  and 2 inch squares.  Strips will be in 3-1/2, 3, 2-1/2, 2, and 1-1/2 inch.  That is 7 medium size boxes.

This will reduce my storage space...or at least consolidate some of it.  The biggest challenge will continue to be the project boxes.

I've cut these in almost half during the last 12 months but there are still too many!  I don't want to put them too far away (like the to shelf of the closet) because of the old "out of sight out of mind" saying.

Worse are these baggies containing bits of fabric that I'm not even sure why I thought were important enough to bag up!  Most of these are getting reincorporated into the stash...

Then there are these project bags...such a mess!  I have one friend who hangs them neatly in a closet.  Doesn't work in my smaller closet so I'm going to move these into project boxes...

So much work to do still!  Need to go get a cup of tea and think about it...