Feng Shui is a thing in a quilting studio!

 Well, I bit the bullet and re-arranged my quilting studio. What motivated me? First time in all the years we have been meeting that I show up at our Sew we Gather group without the project completed. After I got home I said "fudge it!" ... not really what I said LOL ... and got to work.

Would you believe ... I didn't have to take any computer equipment apart. I just pushed everything towards the center area and dragged the desk to its new place. I did have to vacuum and dust! lol

It really opens up the place ... making it less crowded when you first come it.

After the re-arranging, I actually sat down and quilted. It also occurred to me that when I was ironing my pieces, I was facing the work desk ...YUCK! Now I face my UFO Projects in waiting shelf!

Seriously, it makes all the difference in the world. Even on Monday, when I sat down at my work desk, I immediately noticed a difference.

Glad I bit the bullet and tackle that issue. It was so worth it!

Thanks for stopping by! Catch you all later! Cheers!

Feng Shui ... is it a thing in a quilting studio?

 I must admit, I have not been in the mood to quilt ... not one bit! Well, not since I started working from home. Not even a dead line; a project to complete for today's Sew we Gather group, got me into my creative space. First time in years that I will be showing up empty handed ... Sigh!

You see, I set up my office in my quilting studio ... I even converted one of my sewing desks into a working desk. Yes, poor Bernie 180 is sitting on the floor next to her desk.

The first thing I see when I walk into my sewing studio is my work desk and I'm wondering if that has an effect on the Feng Shui ... the creative energy of the room.

Keeping the work desk in mind, my creative area has become a dumping ground for computer/monitor boxes all lined up under Penelope. I mean, work energy is everywhere in that room. 

Some people have their working area in their bedroom, not me, I don't want to be reminded of work when I go to bed. As for another room in my home, not really an option. I don't want a working area in my living room. That is where I sit to knit! lol

I've been giving this some thought and thinking that perhaps re-arranging the room might be an option to get the creative energy flowing. Maybe if I put the work desk at the end of the room by the closet, where my UFOS projects in waiting are. This way, walking into my studio the first thing I'll see is the shelf and not my work desk.

Of course just the thought of moving all that computer equipment makes me want to sit on the couch and continue knitting. LOL

What's your thought on the situation? Are any of you facing this challenge?

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

I've been looking for my mojo ....

I had lost my quilting mojo .... Along with my blogging mojo! I just could not get into the mood. In other words, I was in a funk. There had been so many changes in my life; I was overwhelmed with it all.

Oh, don't get me wrong .... they were all necessary changes, but as you all know, just because it is a wanted change it does not always make it easier to deal with the new. Thankfully, I have some wonderful supportive friends. 

Penelope had been sitting in a box for the past seven (7) months .... un-assembled. As a matter of fact, her room had become one big dumping station. 

It was my friend Nancy who said "We need to put Penelope up." 

You see, given that everything in my life is pretty much "up in the air" for now, I didn't feel it was practical to assemble my longarm, only to dismantle it a bit later. What if I move again? Let's face it, I've moved twice already in the space of six (6) months.

But Nancy insisted, "Even if Penelope is up just for a month, she still needs to be set up. You need to have a playdate with her" ... and she was right.

So, I got busy cleaning out/organizing the dumping room.

Once done, Nancy and her DH came over to help me assemble Penelope. She was up in no time.

Although I had nothing to machine quilt, somehow my mojo was awaken and my creative juices started to flow. I had the desire to work on some quilting UFO.

Thank you Nancy ... you are right ... with Penelope up, it makes all the difference.

Stay tune as I channel my new found mojo!

Catch you all later! 

We're back to our regular schedule programming ...!

It's gorgeous out today!

A perfect day to get some quilting done. I have this quilt top that has been at the flimsy stage for quite some time. All it needs is for me to piece the backing and load it onto Penelope. The quilt pattern is called Snipped by Cotton Way.

But first, I need to clean up this mess!

Why does my cutting table and sewing desks become a dumping ground?! Sigh!

Catch you later! Cheers!

Weekend moment of sanity - part un!

I'm still on platet earth ... for now anyway!

Wow, almost a month since I've written a quilting post! So difficult to get good help around here! lol

I've been busy ... producing lots of quilt tops. I think I need to change my blog rule from only posting those projects that are completely finished, meaning quilted and bound, to posting flimsies! This may help me to post more often ... and not to forget to post projects I've completed!

Are you ready? I've been a piecing fool! Spent a whole weekend being focused ... in the zone baby!

I had these blocks and related fabrics sitting on my cutting table for a couple of weeks. All that was needed was to sew these into rows and my cutting table would be clean. So, I got down to business!

The pattern is called Snippet by Cotton Way. I used Bonnie & Camille's "Hello Darling" fabric line. I love that line! Voila!

And and the result ... feast your eyes on this!

Poof! It's gone! The cutting table is now a complete mess!

Catch you later! Cheers!

Virtue of a fabric stash...!

To stash or not to stash, that is the question?!

Being a quilt shop owner, you learn a lot about quilters. For instance, some have a stash and other's do not. For those that do not stash, I've come to learn that their left over fabrics are considered scraps.  Hum ... I wonder if it's not just a question of semantics! lol

And others, would you believe, do not keep any left over fabrics!! I have to admit, sometimes I fall into that category. If it's a novelty or the latest fabric trend, I also do away with it. I only tend to keep fabrics that are "timeless," you know those that can be used in another project without blatantly screaming "I don't belong with this group of fabrics!" I do keep a bag in my sewing studio for fabrics I discard. They are later donated to an organization that make quilts for the less privileged.

I stash anything that looks whole.  For me, a scrap is a piece of fabric that is cut into and is less than a 1/4 yard.

I'm a stasher. I like being able to look in my fabric cabinet and find the perfect colour I need for a quilt. For instance, I needed a binding for this quilt! The perfect green .... and a funky backing .... stash baby!

That green must be at least 15 years old! It's just what I needed! A stash keeps me productive by helping me get things done.

I also look at my stash as a tool for inspiration. Many of the fabrics speak to me, they wait patiently for the perfect project to come along! Sometimes, the perfect project comes along and I just don't want to cut into that fabric ... but that's another story! lol

I've come up with my own formula for stashing. The quantity I purchase is dependent on what I intend to do with it.

Borders - I'll get at least 1.5 to 2 yards (which will include binding also)

When I work with reproductions, the quilts tend to be scrappy, so I usually work with 1/3 of a yard. When I need a piece I cut parallel to the selvage and keep the width of the intact!

Blenders, depending on the colour, I'll usually get a yard. I'm not much of a blender gal, most of the blenders I have in my stash are bright and cheerful.

As for batiks, I always buy minimum 1/2 yard. Most batik quilts work with fat quarters. I can just cut the yardage in half!

Are you a stasher? What's your formula?

Thanks for stopping by! Catch you later! Cheers!

Is anybody out there .....??!

So how have you all been?  It's been a lazy week for me ....  I have the house to myself!

Both DD and DH are away for the week, coming back on Monday.  They are presently in Kentucky, working on the Appalachia Service Project.  It's their second summer volunteering for the organization.  To quote DD upon her return last summer:

"This past week has been the highlight of my summer, I met many amazing people and had the time of my life all while doing something I love; helping others."  Whitesburg, KY

She makes her mama proud! sniff, sniff ...

So, it's been a lazy week.  I thought I would get lots of things done.  But all I've been doing is sleeping ...  ok I did get Doppler to take a selfie!

By biggest challenge was to get her to press the camera button on the iPhone! :P

And, of course, a bit of stitching .....

I'm attempting to get a shoppe sample done for a new BOM Fibre will be offering in November.  It's called A Patchwork Year by Kathy Schmitz.  Three more blocks to stitch!

Yesterday, my good friend Gina stopped by Fibre and brought me a surprise gift .....

Ah .... I've been in sugar shock heaven since yesterday morning!  Thanks again Gina!

So, what are my plans for today?  I'm tackling this mess .....

and onward to some quilting fix!

Catch you later!

Messy, Messy, Messy ... !

It's quite difficult to get anything done when one's sewing space has been invaded with the overflow of everyone else's stuff brought on by renovations!

And of course the cutting table has been converted into a "dropping" station....

Notice one sewing machine is not longer there.... yea packed away ....  And if that wasn't enough ... we have this....

I mean ... really .... I kid you not, when the sewing studio/renovations are done, I'm issuing visitation passes.  You must apply 48 hours in advance.... ;o) lol

So what have I been doing?  Certainly not starting new projects! lol  I did get the binding on the General's Wives done.

I do like how that quilt turned out!  It's one of my favourites.

Well, thanks for stopping by and for allowing me to vent a little!  Cheers!

Spring is here ..... finally...!

What gorgeous weather we have been having.  It's addictive!

Things are hopping along at the Meier household.  For one thing, it's the year to renovate!  Yes, indeed, we are tackling another room in the house, the computer/music/Penelope room.  And guess what?  It will become my very own sewing studio!  

DH was kind enough to make a plan to scale, so that I can work on the layout. 

The only limiting factor is that there are two dormer walls (roof slant) approximately 5 feet tall - left and right of the diagram.  I can work around it! I am so excited to have my own room ......

The renovations are starting the first weekend in June, so Penelope is coming down soon.  :( 

On the penny rug front, I finished the May - Penny Rugs Thru the Year.  By the way, it's not too late for you to join in the fun.  

They are certainly a quick and fun project to work on!

Thanks for stopping by!  Cheers!

All gone ....!

Well, we did finally get some snow but alas it is gone. Today, I am enjoying a beautiful spring day! I love spring!

Recently, I've sat myself down and had a talk with my self. I said,

"self, you need to get organized. You seem overwhelmed, frozen on the spot, not knowing which pile you should tackle first. You're like a candle in the wind, blowing at which ever direction the wind sends you."

That, is so not me!

After my little talk, I decided that it was time I finish some way over due projects. You see, I bought myself some nifty little stackable bins. They even have a carry handle. The problem you might ask?

It wouldn't be so bad if this was the only stack of projects I've got going on.....

But I have two (2) more piles, and they don't all have just have one (1) projects inside!!!

It's almost gotten to the point of addiction. I mean, should I be starting out the post with, "hello, my name is Carole and I have an addiction to anything related to quilting......"

This is my most recent one! It's a huge bin, I rationalized purchasing it with the idea that I would keep my thread collection in it once emptied.

Have I mentioned another addiction of mine, thread, but I digress...

Anyway, the bin contains a new hand appliqué project, The Circuit Rider Quilt.

It's actually for a hand applique class I started to teach at the Shoppe last week!

I knew that buying more Art bins was not a viable solution, so I decided that I had to finish a project and empty a bin.

So, this is what I chose

The quilt pattern is Stars Aligned by Cozy Strip Club. It's a queen size quilt!

I've just recently finished hand sewing the binding. I used Matilda's own wool batting with silk. My friend Cheryl from Oz sent it to me. What a sweet batting it is.

I do love Matilda's own and, I have found a supplier for the Shoppe. Wool is so nice for those cold winter nights! According to my friend Cheryl, Aussie wool is the best! ;o) I have to say that so far, it's the one I like the most! At least, I haven't had any surprises like I did with Hobbs!

What a relief it was to have finally finished something from one of those bins. Of course, no sooner was the bin empty, it was refilled again with yet another project that "needs" to get done for someone! Sigh!

Note to self, "self, no longer accept commissions to make quilts!"

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day! Cheers!

Stephen in the spot light...!

Well, my life is certainly not exciting at all these days. As a matter of fact, I feels more like an anti-social bordering hermit personality type! lol It will end soon enough!

Since I don't have much to blog about that's related to my quilting adventures, I thought I would share with you the latest addition to my sewing room.

Tah dah....! Meet my new cutting table!

This is the front of the table or would that be the sides... hum?!?

As you can see, lots of drawers. However, these are special. They're called "pushmi-pullyu" drawers. I didn't know what they were until DH explained the concept to me!

Basically it's one big drawer that's accessible from either sides. The original idea come from Doctor Doolittle's antelope (a llama in the movie starring Eddie Murphy). Enough trivia! lol

The table is made out of Sugar Maple. It's sort of neat as Stephen artistically worked into the design the places where the tree had been tapped.

If you look closely, you'll see holes where they tapped the tree for maple sugar water.

The top of the table is wide enough to accommodate my 36 + inch cutting mat vertical or horizontal. That was one of my pre-requisites. It drove me nuts that my mat didn't fit vertically on my craft table. lol

I've already started to fill those drawers. I'm so glad to have a place for my Fat Quarters.

As you've all probably heard me say a thousand times, the down side to having a wood shop next to a sewing room is the dust. Yep, dust, dust and more dust. So now my FQ have a place where dust will be minimal.

So now I shall leave you to test out this new cutting table. I get to enjoy a bit of quilting before my nose is back in the books again.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Summer has finally arrived....!

I do hope you have all been enjoying the summer. Here, it's been a wet summer for us this year. Only since last week have we been having some sunny days. I did go sailing on Saturday. It was such a perfect windy day!

On the quilting front, I finished Pine Grove. It was quite the experience to complete this project on the longarm. I'm glad it's done!

At last, I have a quilt off that long UFO 2007 list. That's the list I had compiled for Stashbuster. Of course, I never reached my goal before the year was up, Queen I became! Oh well.... c'est la vie.

I'm still enjoying some play dates with Penelope! I've been working on some charity quilts that I obtained from the guild. I just finished one that had machine embroidered squares. Hum.... it's not as easy as I would have thought!

With the bedroom renovations mostly completed, Stephen managed to finish the sewing desk he designed for Bernina 180. I do like the way it turned out! It's sweet to have a nice sewing space! Hum.... more drawers to fill! ;o)

Thanks for stopping by! Keep well everyone!

I'm back.........

The insanity has ended, for a little while anyway! There was so much going on and to top it off, the renovations! You should see my home, it's a mess! But, no way am I cleaning that part of the house. Today is a reward day. For what you might ask? Well, for the past 5 (five) weeks I have had my nose in school books studying for one of my comprehensive exams. My time was spent at the library. Really, I should have moved my bed there! lol As of yesterday, after a stressful 4 (four) hours, the exam is behind me. Now it's time to work on my sanity!

Guess what was the first thing I did when I got home? I opened a bottle of wine, poured me a class and had some cheese and crackers. Then I headed off to my sewing room! lol

Yep, I got right down to cleaning. Unfortunately, we're not at the stage where I can do a total cleaning and reclaim my space. Stephen has some work to do around the door area of my sewing room.

That didn't stop my need to sit at my machine and quilt. I can manage. So once I finish with this entry, I'm heading right on over, take my machine out of hiding and sew, sew, sew and sew! All in the hopes that I'll have something to show you!

I want to thank everyone for your support and interest. It was such a pleasure to read your comments. It really kept me sane.

Have a great day everyone and thank you for your friendship!

Wish I could sew.....!

Isn't it always like that? When you cannot access your sewing room, that's when you want it! Sigh....

This is what my sewing room looks like this very minute! Sigh... a big mess!

I know it's temporary, so I can manage. Gosh, I have so many hand projects going, it's not like I don't have anything to work on! lol

But, it's always like that, when you can't access it, you want it!

This is the entrance I wrote about yesterday.

My sewing room is part of the addition so the door leads into our bedroom.

It will be nice when it's part of the hallway and not our room!

Once we are finished with the bedroom, we'll button up my sewing room. I do need a new floor. However, I don't know if I'll have the energy to deal with it this year. I do have another room to prepare for my new toy! We'll see!

The renovations are moving along nicely. The windows are up and the ceiling is starting to come together. Stephen is working hard to make it all happen.

Having the windows up makes me feel more secure. Not that I think anyone would climb up, it's the little critters that bother me! lol

Today I plan on doing some hand embroidery. I did clean yesterday and frankly, I'm tired of cleaning! Time for a bit of relaxation!

Have a great day everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

And the beat goes on........

Remember that song by Sonny & Cher? You might be wondering why I seem to have titles relating to songs lately. Well, Stephen is presently recording/converting some of our old 33 Lps into music files/cds. No, I do not own any Sonny and Cher, but really .... who hasn't heard of the duo? lol

For those of you much too young to remember this form of music recording, well there it is, a vinyl record - 33 Lps. For the curious ones, it's Iggy Pop - Blah, Blah, Blah. Gotta love the title of that album!

One thing I've become aware, as I get older I lose track of time. When asked when a particular song was recorded, I'm usually off by more then a decade! lol Iggy Pop - 1986! Has it really been that long? The Buzzcocks, 1979! I would have probably been able to date that one by less then a decade. Only because I can associate it with a time frame, my boyfriend at the time was Lyndon. I was a closet punk in my early twenties! lol I guess I still am! ;o)

It's neat to be listening to old vinyls! Some, I had forgotten what the "hit song" was. It certainly brings back old memories! Right now I'm listening to Kate Bush - The Kick Inside, circa 1977!

While we're on the subject of "olden days" allow me to show you my ironing board. Thanks Libby for organizing a challenge!

Meet my Old Friend! This ironing board must be old. Unfortunately, I have no clue as to the date it was produced. It's completely made of wood! Metal nuts and bolts hold the pieces together.

A friend of mine, Lori, gave it to me. She had bought a home in Baie D'Urfe in the mid 90's and found this in her basement. She had no use for it, so it went home with me. I love it!

I use layers of Warm & Natural and 2 yards of fabric for the cover. I've changed the cover a few times. All I do is look in my stash for suitable fabric and voila, a new cover!

Notice the floor, it's coming apart! It was suppose to be an industrial floor. So much for that! It's not like I do wild and crazy things in my sewing room! I mean, I just roll from one sewing machine to another and at times, to my lap top. Strangely, the traffic area is fine! We'll be renovating this summer! I cannot wait to plan the layout!

I have another ironing board given to me by my mother. It belonged to my Grandmother and was probably purchased in the early 1950's. It's a standard size and quite sturdy! I don't use it much as I like my Old Friend better!

Thank you for taking the time to visit with me! I hope you are all having a wonderful day! It's still snowing here and has been since yesterday morning. Strangely, very little accumulation, 4 inches so far!

It's a finish...... Woooo.... hooo.....!!!!!

At last I have finished the Winter Sentry!

Isn't she sweet! I just love her! She looks so pretty against my brick wall!

Today was the day I decided that it had to be done. So I sat myself down and begin machine quilting. For the hat, I decided to follow the design on the fabric, which gave a cross hatch effect.

The only issue I have with her is that she's not hanging straight. I think, I hope, it's because I was a tad sloppy with the sleeve! Perhaps she just needs to hang out for a while to straighten herself out! ;o)

The other news is that I have completed my last two papers for school! What a great feeling it is! Wooooo Hoooooo.... I've got my music blaring and I'm in a dancing mood! Darn that music sounds good! I will be taking a small break from school before I bury myself in books again!

The other thing I want to tell you about is that Stephen finally decided to tackle the inserts for the drawers of my embroidery cabinet.

If you recall, last year he made me a Thread Notion Cabinet to store all my machine embroidery goodies. It's great to have it all organized. I enjoy opening the drawers and seeing all those colours. I will say, it was quite tedious for him to glue 3 (three) drawers of pegs. Thank you sweetie!

Thank you for stopping by! I always enjoy reading your comments!

Lack of mojo!

Hello, remember me? I'm the one that's been neglecting my blog. I just cannot seem to get back in the groove of things. This morning, after I read an e-mail from Pam, it dawned on me what one of my problems might be.

She said "I have so many things I'd like to do but everything seems to be so disorganized right now that when I go into my sewing room I just look around in awe at what a hodge podge it is and then do nothing! Maybe I need to get that Mark Lipinski magazine and get myself sorted out - LOL!! " You and me both girlfriend!

So, after reading Pam's e-mail I walked into my sewing room and this is what greeted me!

What a disorganized mess!

Sadly, I cannot even blame it on being creative!

If that wasn't messy enough for you, to avoid any embarrassment, I took the picture after I folded the two (2) loads of laundry, one was on my cutting table (if you can believe it) and the other on the dryer (not pictured).

Here's another picture from the opposite corner of the room!

Messy, messy!

So guess what I'll be doing today? I'm on a mission of major cleaning and organizing! I've got to get my creative mojo up and running again! So many projects I want to finish!

I mean, the Winter Sentry is not even finished yet! I ran out of thread and could not find it at my LQS. Prior to making an order on-line, I always look at my supply to see what else needs re-stocking and guess what? Yes, another spool of yellow 961, the one I needed, was found in the disorganized thread box! Need I say more?

So I think I'll take Darlene's suggestion and buy my copy of Quilter's Home Magazine. It doesn't appear that my subscription will start in December!

Have a great day everyone!

Chaos with a method!

The week just flew by! I did manage to get some quilting done on my Halloween table topper and am almost finished with the machine quilting. It will be going to a special friend and I do want it to be as darn close to perfection as can be! lol Funny how I construct ideals for people and then place pressure on myself to master perfection. Gosh, that is so silly.

I have come to the conclusion that I need more Halloween fabric in my stash! I've been eyeing the Thimbleberrie's Mr. Halloween Party collection. I just love that moon fabric!

On a different note, I know that some of you like to work on various projects at the same time. Well, maybe not but I sure like too! Since Kim seems to think that Darlene is writing a book on quilting, I thought I'd also contribute a page to Darlene's book. What are friends for hey?!?.... I'm interested in how you keep you numerous projects organized.

This is one of the methods I use to keep a quilt project organized. In this case the blocks are done and what is left is to piece them together. Under the blocks are the border fabrics and backing.

By keeping everything together, I ensure that I wont take fabric designated for that quilt and use it on something else.

Now I don't have a basket, yet, for all my projects. I'll use a box and other times well, it's just scattered around my sewing room. Amazingly, I seem to find everything. lol

My hand applique projects are organized in 3 (three) plastic bins that you see on your right. Please, don't mind the mess!

Because of the numerous fabrics required for a hand applique project, this helps keep it all together and avoid wasting time searching for the project.

The top 2 (two) bins are designated for projects that are presently being worked on, in this case the Wildberry Vine quilt and the Baltimore Country Cousin. The third bin is for projects that are in progress but not being worked on. That's where my Winter Sentry came from! ;o) Oh, and to be honest, I have bags scattered around my stash closets with hand applique projects!

The large blue bin on the left is for abandoned UFO's and fabrics for future projects. Unfortunately, I have way more fabric purchased for a projects than the size of the bin. The excess is intertwined with the stash. So I rely a lot on my memory and so far so good! I think! lol

And, when my project is really small, like the stars on the Winter Sentry, I keep them organized in a small plastic bag.

After I finish machine quilting the table topper, I do plan on making the stars and hopefully having a flimsy on my hand to show you.

I'm curious, how you keep your projects organized?

I do hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thank you so much for stopping by!

I caught the cleaning bug!

Thanks to Connie, I caught the bug to clean my sewing area. It was no easy undertaking! Luckily, as dangerous of a task that it is, I didn't get injured! ;o) lol

Would you look at this?

Is this clean or what? You know, I dusted that book shelf and man was it dusty.

Would you look at that floor! It's clean enough to eat off! Not that I would but... You should have seen it before!

Anyway, I did get a chance to work on the Pine Grove quilt yesterday and managed to sew on three (3) rows. It was my plan to quilt today but, like I said, I caught the cleaning bug.

One thing that totally gets on my nerves is the fact that my DH's workshop is right next to my sewing room. If ever you have a partner that says to you"I'm going to build a woodworking shop right next to your sewing room dear!". You just tell them that it would be best if it wasn't connected to the house. Frankly, had I known what I know now, I would have said "add an addition to the garage". lol

Although the door connecting our shops stays closed and that he does have a heavy duty dust collecting system, needless to say the sawdust just creep through the walls. It drives me nuts! No more sawdust!

Would you look at this? That's Stephen's shop. And by the way, I would need a wide angle lens in order to capture it all. He even has a skylight!

I think his space is much nicer than mine. Imagine the quilts I could lay on that floor and not have to worry about walking over it. I could even have a sitting area for hand work!

I tried to get him to build the barn bigger so that he could move in, but he wouldnt' buy it! Says he's comfortable where he's at! If ever we move, no more woodshop connected to the house!

For those curious minds, the wooden constructions on his work bench is the cupola. He's been getting ready for the barn raising.

Aside from the cleaning, not much is going on! Monday DD will start a day camp with Girl Scout, which means I'll have the days to myself! Hurray! Hopefully I'll get the Pine Grove quilt finished.

Keep well and thanks for stopping by!