Sunday Stash - City Square Quilts and The Longarm Network

Note: this was supposed to be last week's Sunday Stash, but I didn't get it done before The Pit Boss and I left on our 25th anniversary trip. This is the first of two parts.

I took Wednesday off to run some errands, and quickly sent my stash numbers deep into the red. Since I had to go get my passport, and since the post offices near me are booked for the foreseeable future, I made an appointment in Winder, Georgia. Of course I did a quick search to find a nearby quilt shop, and luckily found City Square Quilts just about fifteen minutes away in Hoschton. 

This is a nice little shop in a small historic main street area. There's a pizza parlor called Sliced on one side and a yarn store called Yarn Junkees on the other. Unfortunately both were closed while I was there.

It was a beautiful morning and the door was open to let the fresh air and quilters inside. The woman working that day showed me a new ruler and mat collection from Alex Anderson called Quilters Select. I didn't get a good photo, but the rulers have a great nonskid back. The mat is reversible and is a lighter color on one side to make it easier to see when you're cutting dark fabrics. Let me know what you think if you've tried these.

City Square Quilts has some great collections, including the beginning of a gorgeous shelf of batiks. They will get ten new prints every week (month? I can't remember!) until the collection is filled out. I just had to buy that green and purple one! 

After my passport appointment, I headed up the road to Greenville, South Carolina so I could finally swap out the saddle I bought at QuiltCon. I don't if I ever mentioned that, once I got it home, it was too tall for my table. I mean, just barely too tall, but enough that I was not going to be comfortable. I didn't even realize my table was so low.

Luckily, when I called the shop, they told me they would happily swap it out. We promised to keep in touch, and if they were in Atlanta for a show they would call me. I could have shipped it back and paid for shipping the new one, but that seemed like a giant waste since Greenville is just a few hours away. This was my chance!

The Longarm Network was easy to find and not far off I-85. They have a great selection of supplies and classes. I'm thinking of making a day trip up there to take a class. I was so excited to pick this gorgeous blue for my new saddle. 

Even if you don't have a longarm, this is worth a stop. They have the best selection of extra wide backs I think I've ever seen. I love the selection and that they aren't all off white, babyish or too feminine. 

The selection of threads made me laugh thinking of Angela Walters's frequent refrain, "Quilting is my therapy and threads are my meds!" 

I loved seeing some great quilting designs on the wall. I couldn't wait to come home and try some of these!

I made it out of The Longarm Network with just my saddle, but at City Square Quilts I bought 1 1/2 yards of this Choice Fabrics Supreme Solids lavender and a yard of Bella Solids baby yellow for my Strippers Knot quilt, a couple of pretty fat quarters, and the batik just because it really wanted to come home with me. Sadly no fabric used last week, so I'm deep in the red again!

• Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
• Fabric Used year to Date: 21.5 yards
• Fabric Added this Week: 4 yards
• Fabric Added Year to Date: 27.5 yards
• Net Fabric for 2017: -6 yards used
• Used for Charity Year to Date: 2.5 yards
• Percentage Used for Charity: 12%

I'm linking up with QuiltPaintCreate to track my Sunday Stash Reports. Visit the blog and link up so we can keep the link party going!

Design Wall

I've started moving things into my new studio and planning out the space. One thing I knew I wanted was a large design wall. I'm a very visual person, and seeing my work in front of me helps me figure out what the next step should be, which fabric or border is right, and saves me a lot of seam ripping. One other awesome thing about a design wall: when my projects are in plain sight instead of folded away in a drawer, they are less likely to become UFOs. Not that I have a problem with that. But I've heard about it. From friends. 

I searched for ways to add a design wall and found a few interesting looking tutorials. I've been saving these to my "Studio Dreams" Pinterest board for years. Eventually I settled on a combination of a few methods. Luckily The Pit Boss was in the mood for a project, so off we went to Home Depot.

My wall space is about ten feet long with eight foot ceilings. A lot of the soundproofing or other insulation comes in eight foot lengths, which sounds perfect until you remember things like molding and outlets and such. Also, as TPB pointed out, I can't reach eight feet high, so there would be a lot of wasted space at the top if I went all the way to the ceiling.








I ended up buying two packages of this Insulfoam, which includes six sheets that are eight feet by just under fourteen inches and about 3/4" thick. It's meant to go between studs.














We bought packages totaling 72 Command Strips (medium) for picture hanging - this was the most expensive component of the project!










I also bought a plain roll of duct tape.

Last, we went to JoAnn's and bought five yards of half price batting while it was on sale. 

I cut the batting into three sections lengthwise and then in quarters widthwise, which left me with twelve pieces that were a few inches bigger all the way around than the insulation. I wrapped each piece of foam with the batting and secured all of the loose edges with duct tape. This took awhile, so thankfully Frances, Pam, Tanesha, and Daisy kept me company.

I placed six Command Strips on each piece of covered foam; one at each corner and two in the middle.

Then I carefully stuck them to the wall horizontally, five high and two wide, starting just above the outlets. I placed one and a partial one vertically on the end. I also have a leftover piece, which I covered as well, for transporting pieces or laying out a complicated block on my sewing table.

Tada! I'm very happy with the finished product, even if the pictures are not so fabulous. The lighting is one part of the project I am still working on.

I ended up spending right around $100 for a design space that is over nine feet long by about six feet high, and which could be moved without destroying the wall. If you could find the Command Strips for less (or if you didn't mind just nailing the pieces to the wall) it would be even less.

I've already put a project on it! I did have to pin these since they still have the paper on the back, but the pieces without paper stayed nicely even with the ceiling fan on. I'm so excited to have this awesome feature in my studio!




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Blank Slate

We have been on a home improvement kick the last few months, so not much going on in my sewing room, but that is about to change! Now that both boys are off to college, Gracie convinced us to play musical bedrooms. She moved into Deuce's room - which has been largely undisturbed in over two years as he prefers the queen sized bed in the guest room when he does come home - and took over the much larger Jack and Jill bathroom that the boys used to share. My Middle Child (MMC) will move to Gracie's old room so the two of them aren't sharing a bathroom when he is home this summer, and his old room will become...wait for it...my new sewing studio!!

We have painted and changed out the twenty year old tub hardware and light fixtures and builder's grade ceiling fans. We have cleaned carpets and given away childhood furniture and emptied closets. The people at Lowe's know us by name.

Finally I have an empty room and, of course, I'm frozen; unsure of where to start. One decision I'm putting off  need to make is what I'd like to use for a sewing table. My current space and money saving setup is okay, but not ideal. Unfortunately there aren't any big shows coming up close to me soon where I might get to see some in person (or take advantage of show discounts).

If you have any thoughts, I would love to hear them. I hope to share pictures along the way and start sewing soon in my new dream space!




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WiP Wednesday -In Practice

I'm linking up with WiP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.  Today I started cutting my fabric for the quilt for Greer's new baby sister that you all helped me design.  I love having all my fabric cut and ready to sit down and sew when I have a few free minutes. 

If you read my blog with any regularity you know that, in theory, I'm a big proponent of the Bonnie Hunter scrap users system of organizing my stash.  You also know that I talk big but don't always follow through.  As evidenced by this:

So you'll be proud to know that, after fussy cutting the little girls out of the focus fabric, I spent some time cutting up the crazy leftovers.  It didn't actually take all that long, and I ended up with all of these useful pieces to add to my drawers...instead of the usual wad of irregular bits and pieces.

What are you working on today?



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The State of My Stash

As expected, Bonnie's visit to our guild last week got me all inspired to cut up my scraps and put them away neatly instead of piling them in baskets.

I have the whole system in place - drawers for the various size strips and bricks and squares, "cheat sheet" on my cutting table, a basket for strings and a basket for those little bits best saved for paper piecing. (I should just dump that whole basket into a dog bed because I HATE paper piecing and I HATE using itty bitty irregular pieces for it even more.)

I have a drawer for orphan blocks and a million ideas for leader-ender quilts.

But I don't do it.  I'm lazy.  When I finally get done with a quilt, the last thing I want to do is tidy up the scraps.  Once I've skipped it thirty-four three or four times, the pile is so overwhelming that I can't imagine it ever being neat.

Then Bonnie came and re-inspired me.  Also, this whole 5th blogoversary/5 giveaways thing.  So I spent a good part of this weekend cutting and stacking and counting.  I've got a fat quarter bundle, a stack of charm squares and a whole bunch of flannel and denim.  I have strings and selvages and embellishments, and I'm trying to figure out which ones would make a good prize. 

Best of all, I've found a certain serenity in the pressing and cutting while I listen to a podcast or watch a West Wing on Amazon Prime.  Though there doesn't appear to be an end in sight, I know that every 15 minute chunk of time brings me closer to my dream sewing space - the one that is organized and clean and ready for me to make my next quilt.



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Happy New Year! The Year of Sharing

If any of you are listeners/readers of Sandy's podcast/blog, Quilting for the Rest of Us, you're familiar with her Quilty New Year's Resolution Challenge.  If not, go read the post.  We'll wait.

Sandy asks some thought provoking questions.  What do you want to experience this year?  Have you ever really thought of it that way?  I haven't. 

To that question I answered:

I want to experience a balance between the long dry spells of not sewing at all and the frantic deadline sewing to the exclusion of all else.  Maybe this just means I need to join the Slow Quilt Movement!

The question that really got me thinking, though, was "My guiding word for my quilting life in 2013 is..."

That's tough.  Do I want it to be "Finish!" or "Organize!" or simply "NOW!" 

No.

Do I choose some touchy-feely concept that will be lost by next Monday?  Maybe "Unity" or "Serenity." 

Nope.

I finally figured it out.  I want this to be the year of sharing.  That covers so many of my goals for my quilting life and beyond.  What exactly does that mean? 

• I want to share my love of quilting.  I want to teach at least one person at least one new thing about quilting this year.  But I hope it's a lot more than one.
• I want to share my quilts.  Every January I admire the people who make a charity quilt per month for a whole year.  I'm not sure I can keep that pace, but I do want to use some of this enormous stash to help others.  I have some fantastic children's novelty prints that my kids have outgrown, but which would be perfect for ConKerr Cancer or CASA. 
• I want to share my ideas.  I love the story about the person who has two pencils.  He shares, and now he and one other person each have a pencil.  But when a person with an idea shares with another person who has an idea, now they both have two ideas!  What could that lead to?  Brainstorming and sharing ideas with others is how I've always worked best, and I want to do more of that this year.
• I want to share responsibility.  Sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves is to say no, and to share an opportunity to serve with others who might not get a chance because I keep raising my hand.  When a volunteer opportunity arises, I want to remember to wait at least one moment to give that person a chance to help.  To this end, I bought all of my children laundry baskets for Christmas, and have taught them to do their own wash.  Worst present ever!

What are your thoughts about this new year, this clean slate?  What challenges and goals have you accepted? 

Happy 2013, everyone!  Here's hoping it's a good one!



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In the Groove

I cannot believe it is already the last day of 2012!

It seems like not that long ago I was making resolutions and plans for this year...and listing UFOs and WIPs...not one of which were actually accomplished.  And that Studi-O-rganization Challenge?  Ha! (Although I'm sharing the blame with Allison on that one.)

I have been in a bit of a fog, having to think hard about once mindless tasks and sleeping a lot.  I'm not sure if it's the weather or if I'm having some sort of age-related issue, but I just feel blah.  Not sick.  Just foggy.

In trying to get my groove back, I started work on a paper piecing project.  I got the two halves done, only to figure out that one half was upside down and backwards.

I decided to move onto something a little easier - this adorable Disappearing Nine Patch I saw on Pinterest.  Christina from A Few Scraps showed me how simple it would be.  And it was.

That's not to say that I had no trouble in my foggy state.  I managed to wind an entire bobbin without realizing that the thread was lined up wrong.

This is what my brain feels like.  And the result.

I also did some bad math and screwed up the very first cut when dividing the first set of nine patch blocks.  Luckily I had extra of that particular fabric and realized it before messing them all up.

But I powered through and have finished the top.  I'll be bringing it to Mom today so she can start hand quilting it.  None too soon, either, since the baby's due date has gotten bumped from early February to a firm January 15. 

We are all excited to meet this precious little boy who my cousin and his wife are expecting.  We are extra excited because the baby is the first - and maybe only - boy to carry on my maternal grandparents' name. 

I pieced a back too.  It took every single one of my brain cells!

I found this fabric for his quilt way back in April on our Spring Break trip to Tennessee - which I am just now realizing I never blogged about.  Sigh.  It is just perfect since both my uncle (the grandpa) and my cousin (the daddy) are science teachers.  Isn't it gorgeous? 

So here's to getting my groove back, one stitch at a time.  I wish you all a happy and safe New Year's Eve, and hope to see you sewing tomorrow for the 1st Annual Quilts of Valor New Year's Day Sit and Sew, or whatever you choose to work on.



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On My Design Wall - Guild Challenge Blocks

Considering that our guild challenge is due in August this year instead of November (so they can be hung in the show) I thought I might want to get my act together.  I had been working on the blocks randomly over the last several months, but they got put aside along with everything else in my sewing room during the remo.

Over the last several days I've been alternating between working on the WannaBees challenge and this one, depending on my energy level and creative juices.  These blocks are perfect for listening to podcasts or stitching a few seams while dinner is in the oven; the bedroom block needs my full attention.

You'd think my 1 1/2" strip drawer would look emptier by now, but it's still pretty full.  The bins of fabric still in my basement are scary.  I could make scrap quilts until the cows come home and I'd have fabric left over.

I really do love these blocks, though, and think they do the story justice.  Here's a quick snap of the quilt in the book, Under the Quilt of Night :

Here's my blocks:

Sunshine and Shadows

Fields and Furrows

Straight Setting

Okay, in trying to decide which setting I like, I'm only just realizing while the photos are loading that I tried all but the one actually in the book.  Time to go lay them out again. 

Here we go:

Barn Raising

I'm not sure I like this one, just because I don't have enough blocks to get the whole picture.  Which one do you like best?  Do you think I need to stick to the book?

P.S.  Thanks to Quilter's Diary for the log cabin layouts. 

 

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Up for Air

It's been a long crazy Spring with absolutely no quilting going on and not much else. What have we been up to while I've been not blogging?

Can't believe it will be my kid next May!

• Volunteering - way back in August I smiled and raised my hand when they asked for someone to head up the graduation night lock in that the Junior parents put on for the new grads.  Most of the time it was no trouble because we had some awesome committee chairs, but in May it was May-hem!  It went off without a hitch and the kids had a great time, but I'm relieved it's behind me.  

"Not up to code."  YIKES!

• Remodeling - it started with the leak in the basement, grew a little with a leak in the shower, and ended up being a giant remodeling job that included moving all three kids and both dogs into my parents' house for 8 days.  I'm so happy with the finished work, but was NOT happy on the day they told me my "tile repair" in the master shower was really turning into gutting the bathroom.  All because of some lazy, corner-cutting builder from 17 years ago.   

 

• Nursing - Gracie was sick almost the whole last week of school with a lingering cold, and Georgie managed to crack one of his toenails up the length of it.  I'm not proud that, when he met me bleeding at the door, my first thought was for my new floors.

Poor George!

No, he's not going to Yale, but who could resist taking the picture?

• Marking milestones - Gracie celebrated her (and our) last day of elementary school, The Bear is working on his behind-the-wheel time in anticipation of getting his driver's license in October, and Deuce is now officially a senior in high school working on his college applications.  The Pit Boss and I will have been married for twenty years next week and my in-laws will be celebrating FIFTY years in August!  It's all good!

So.  I know Heather got married and Jodi has moved into her beautiful new sewing room house; Ben has also been remodeling and Quilt Dad has been involved in some gang activity.  But what are you up to?



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