Progress on the new quilting studio

Here are a couple of photos I snapped today from my phone.  It's exciting to see the windows in place.  Also, our roof was finished yesterday before the storms and sirens blazed last night.  It's very comforting to see the entire house with a roof intact.

Sunroom windows are installed.  The door will be next.

Interior view from the sunroom.

House with new roof and new siding.  All windows will be replaced eventually.

Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

My Temporary Quilting Space with a Spectacular View

Here's our rental home's lower great room.  The view is spectacular.  Before I can use the Tin Lizzie, I need to find a longer power cord and I need to find my patriotic quilt top.

I haven't unpacked much, but there are some threads on the shelves if needed.

Here's the view!

 

Another backyard view with better lighting & taken from outside.  Maybe a slightly different angle, but it's all beautiful.

Here's the view from the front window in the upper great room.  Yes, we have to mow all of that lawn.

 My youngest graduated today from middle school.  There was a lovely ceremony, followed up with a pool party.  It's officially summertime for her.  However, our high school teen has 4 more finals and 2 more days of school before her freedom begins.

Now, we'll spend a little time straightening up.  Those little messes show up everywhere .... even when we haven't unpacked much.  Then I may dash off in search of a longer power cord.
Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars

Reframing the Quilt Studio

I promise I didn't pay them extra!  The contractors decided to tackle this end of the house first.  I'll have 3 large windows on this wall.  The other outer wall will have 4 slightly smaller (width) windows, plus a glass door.  I may call it the Sunroom, even though it will be my quilting studio.  The other 2 walls are brick, just like the exterior of the house.

Fabric storage and lots of family storage will happen in the adjacent large laundry room.

I had some help setting up the longarm frame downstairs in the rental house.  My primary motive was to mop the floors and it was much easier to do with the pieces of frame assembled instead of sprawled everywhere.  I'd love to quilt a patriotic top for Memorial Day.  So maybe I can get back to quilting again soon.

Enjoy your day!
- Seeing Stars

Oh the possibilities! ... my new quilt studio

Isn't is wonderful?  That feeling of purchasing new fabric and imagining all the possibilities.  You get to design and redesign quilts in your mind before committing to a new project.  Then you feel the excitement of seeing it to completion over the coming days/weeks/months.

I feel the same way about my new quilt studio.  Oh the possibilities!  Yes, I'll have to be patient, but I'll enjoy a cheerful space with a terrific view.  Yes, the sun may try to fade my fabric stash, but I'll consider that a design challenge and come up with storage to prevent fading by sunlight.
We'll add glass windows instead of screens.  Where will the sewing machine and design wall go?  Not sure yet!  But when I decide, I'll let you know.

Here's the exterior of the porch/studio after the trees were removed and before the tarps were added.


And here are a few views of the rest of the house and yard.

 Here's the tree guy getting to the roof peak.  The large trees on the house were removed by crane.

Backyard playground

Backyard looking toward house

Side yard - 2 a/c units are under those trees.  power meter is destroyed.

Side yard (left from front of house) 2 trees hit the roof here.

Attic where back center of house was hit by trees.

Below center attic in the great room

Below center attic in bedroom (sorry it's so dark)

Dream about the possibilities of things you will create as you enjoy your day.
- SeeingStars

The rainbow following the storm

No photos or quilts here for the past week.  Our family is safe.  The house was hit twice by the storms which raged through the South last week.  We're gypsies for a few months until everything is repaired.  And the rainbow, which always shines is our amazing friends and all the blessings we are discovering through this recovery.  We're been housed and fed abundantly.  Had more offers for shelter and help than we could accept, but still had over a dozen clear access to the house with chainsaws and dragging limbs to the curb.  And today, over a dozen help us drag items to charity before our big move to a rental.

Maybe when things calm down, I can post a photo of our backyard sans a few standing trees and one of my soon to be new quilt studio.  It will be exciting to set up a new space and sew in a larger area.


The power is back on in most of the town and everyone is a little happier to enjoy the electrical comforts that we expect.  Washing machines and dryers have moved up a notch on my thankfulness list.  There's just not a good way to hand wash jeans and have them dry without a sour smell.

Enjoy the blessings in this day!  Mine are friends who show up in a moment's notice to work hard and share hugs.  A beautiful blue sky.  The songs of birds and the playful dance of the squirrels on fallen trees.  My children's laughter.  My husband's reassuring arm around my shoulder and the knowledge that we'll get through this even stronger than we imagined.  Strength and joy and faith for today that comes from the Lord - each unexpected in such magnitude.
- SeeingStars

Foxgloves, Squirrels, T-shirts and Roses

First of all, I just have to share my excitement about springtime!  Yesterday was finally the day to plant the garden and a few flowers.  The veggie garden isn't photo worthy ... yet.  But one of my rosebuds opened over night.

These little flowers would make a great inspiration for a quilt.  I love the purply-pinks and bluey-greens together.  The darker circles containing lighter parts of the bloom really add interest.  I'm thinking paper-pieced stars would be terrific with these colors.

This is one I made for a swap a few years ago.  Not quite the same colors, but you can get the idea.

Here's one of 2 containers that were planted yesterday.  The dark purple salvia are shy in this photo.  I wondered last night if the squirrels would undo all my hard work.  Thankfully, they still look like this. Last year, they yanked out my new plants and tossed them off the porch so they could play in the dirt.  Bless their sweet hearts.

Publish Post

Old school shirts were split and arranged, then rearranged a few dozen times.  I think this is how my teen plans to have them line up.  We'll frame each with a design to emphasize the diagonals.  Since there was a duplicate t-shirt, we're using it as a test case to make sure we can sew through the stabilizer.  We looking forward to doing this project with a friend.  I think it will be fun to work together as we sew.

Lessons Learned is Finished!

A challenge to quilt such busy strips intermixed with solids!

 Part of the challenge of donating my quilting time is to start with a top and backing that are a different style than I would normally choose.  I think it stretches my skills and creativity.

Well this one is ready to be bound and sent to Japan as one of over 100 quilts sent from our Project Linus area.  Woohoo!  I like the variation in thread color because it is invisible in the busy fabrics and adds interest to the solids. 

I also like the madras plaid backing, although I don't think I'd choose it since it is thin and the imperfections in the weaving process will allow it to wear quicker than a good quality quilting fabric. 

Pretty madras plaid backing.

I learned a few more lessons about pantographs on this quilt.  Some are really obvious after the fact, i.e. If the design is mostly flowers, a little swirly ribbon will really stand out when it is quilted each row at the same spot.  I guess it would be hard to have wavy rows and offset them left to right.

Swirly Ribbons are in obvious alignment in the solid areas

The other lesson learned is about posture and having a good workspace.  My machine manual suggests using a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply).  The machine's cord is just barely long enough to span most of the 10 foot frame if the UPS sits on the floor right where I need to stand for quilting pantographs.  To compensate, I tried to stand further away from the frame and lean into it a bit.  Then, the floor vent also got in the way, so I'd spread my feet apart and shift weight side to side as I tried to avoid standing on the UPS and vent.  This resulted in sore muscles.

Strange Top Down View of my frame (flannel tied where the cord tries to get tangled), UPS, vent and my omni-present socks - Don't try this at home!

Since I don't have these pattern and posture challenges with free motion, I'll stick with quilting from the front of my machine for awhile.  I  prefer this method anyway. : )


So, the computer was repaired.  Yippee!  The water damage project is drying out with 2 dehydrator before we can make drywall repairs and put the sewing/laundry room back together.  Until then, there are a few stray items in the dining/quilting room.  One day, I hope to post about a new quilting studio after we convert the screened in porch into a sunroom/quilt studio.  I enjoy imagining the possibilities - design wall, afternoon sun blockers, additional lighting ... and getting to dine in the dining room again. 


Enjoy your day!
- SeeingStars