Moose, please….I just want to sew

Since Moose has come into our lives last summer, I really haven’t done a lot of sewing.  I’ve been reno/working on the sewing room.  Now that it’s done, is it proper to call it a Studio now?  I’ve heard other quilters call their areas “Studios” and often wondered…. “what’s the difference?”  Per Webster’s Dictionary – not much.  Studio sounds a bit hipster whereas Sewing Room sounds very traditional.  I suppose it doesn’t make a difference as long as my son and his cat keep all their “stuff” out of my area. 

 

Which leads me to the topic of the day.  Moose. This big ol’ monster is part Maine Coon and is about as needy as an adult male with a cold!  Not generalizing, just comparing to the men in my life.  If I’m parked on the couch watching TV, I can’t beg this feline to lay next to me. I mean who doesn’t want to stick their feet under a huge warm fur ball.  But let me pick up my English paper piecing and he’s right across my lap, kneading his paws into the cellulite for ultimate comfort.  And, as you can see in the pic, I can forget laying blocks out on the floor.  I’m trying to pick a sashing fabric, but after trying a couple of fabrics I gave up.  I try to be stern, but he looks at me with those big doe eyes, turns the motor on and I give in.  I’m such a sucker!

 

The blocks I’m trying to sash is our Quilt Guilds 2016 block of the month, Ladies in the White House – each block signifies one of the previous First Ladies for 9 months. The original pattern is a 12” block, but I wanted a table topper, so I reduced to 8” blocks.

The big guy on his favorite Christmas gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spiffed up and ready to sew!

I’ve hammered my last nail, I’ve put the Dewalt back on the charger and I’m returning the borrowed chop-saw.  This DIY’er is done with home renovations for a while.  My cheapo fabric storage units have a new face and are ready for my stash. 

I’m still debating what kind of finished top I want to put on the 3-drawer dresser unit/book shelves – but I can jam those cabinets full of stuff in the meantime.  Not sure if I want to have an ironing type surface, cutting surface or a decorative surface.  I would love to put a variety of old yards across the top, but I’ll never find enough of those.

 

 

So until some grand idea comes to me, I’ll leave as is.  Whatever I decide, it’s a great space to hold up the weight of whatever I’m sewing on my machine. 

 

 

Quilt Books on these 2 shelves

 

 

Open area for extra cutting mats and large rulers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Stitchworms!

I am a card carrying member of The Stitchworms!

I’m so fortunate to be acquainted with several very clever Quilty women.  Within the Quilt Guild I belong to, we have several “small groups”.  These are guild members who also meet once a month on a set evening different from the guild meeting.  Each small group specializes in something different.  Like a Round Robin group, Hand stitching group, Embroidery group, etc.  I belong to the English Paper Piecing group.   Our group is about 10 ladies strong, so for sewing room and lighting – we chose to meet at the library (conference room) each month (so nice….no one has to run home from work and pick up their house for company!).  After the first couple of meetings, we decided we needed a group name….something original.  No Nightime Needler’s, no Stitch-n-bitch…..something new and catchy!  By the very next meeting Susan (not to be confused with Boutique Sue) came up with The Stitchworms.  It makes total sense!  Get it?  Like Bookworm? Since meet in the Library?  Ok, we’re geeks too, but what a spiffy name! 

 

 

Now we needed a logo…..notice we’re spending a lot of time thinking about and doing things other than sewing…..  but we needed a platform, right?  So, I start digging for clipart.  Since I work up the newsletter articles for the Boutique, I went back to clipart I’d saved.  Now why I saved a worm in an apple, I’ll never know.  But he fit perfectly in a button/needle clipart I’d been wanting to use.  Great balls of fire, we have us a cutesy logo!

 

Hold on to your hats….my Boutique buddy Sue (not Susan) took it one step further and made ALL the ladies in the group a pin cushion (with said logo) for Christmas.  Scrappy pin-cushions no less, with coloring and embroidery. This woman never ceases to amaze me.  I absolutely love them!

Whoop-whoop, these things are so dang cute!  

      

 

 

To goal, or not to goal?

Today’s million dollar question…..   Seems like every mid-December people start talking about their “new year’s resolution” or what their “goals” are for the upcoming year.  But how many are attainable?  I try, I really do, but each year I struggle to hit the target.  Maybe I set my goals to high?  Maybe other projects get in the way?  Whatever it is, most years I’m just happy to have completed something on the list!

I suppose something is better than nothing, so I’m working on my 2017 list.  There’s one thing I know for sure….Learning how to say “no” will be top dog on the list!  Its existence is barely represented in my vocabulary – that has to change!  Once I throw a few of those “no’s” around, I think I should have more time to work on my projects.

Speaking of projects, I’m trying to complete the sewing room reno.  I’ve hauled up the rest of the cheap-o cubbies/book cases and the baby set of drawers from the basement.  Now that they’re in the same room as the snazzy double stack cubbie cabinet, it was clear more updates needed to be done.  Make It Stop!  I just couldn’t help myself, over my holiday break from work, I started cutting more bead board (wainscoting) for the smaller cabinets.  Instead of having all 4 cabinets lining the walls, I decided to extend my sewing area out behind my machine with dresser and book shelf.  Fingers crossed it doesn’t look tacky! 

 

These are the cabinets I’m working with…..after this project – I AM DONE! I’m tossing the chop saw for needle and thread.  Sven (my Husqvarna Viking) and I are going to get reacquainted.

 

 

Cheers to a New Year and a new beginning to completing projects!