Saturday, July 05, 2008

Weekend pasttime

Did everyone have a happy Fourth? I'd requested this long weekend off because DD was supposed to come for a visit. Next week is her 30th birthday, but she gets the Federal holidays off, and since we all 3 have summer birthdays, we usually celebrate them at the same time. However, she starts her new job in a new town in less than a month and still hasn't found a place for her and the pets to live, so she has been driving 8-hour round trips every weekend to see prospective abodes.

So I have taken this nice little stretch of off-days and am rearranging and organizing the sewing room. I bought a table with the drop-down panel for my "new" Bernina, which sits about 4 inches above the desktop surface I'd previously been using, and that was causing some muscle strain. I love my little desk, which was refinished by a 93-year-old man in Albuquerque, and sold at his yard sale. He sanded and polished it so, it feels smooth as silk when I run my hand over it.

Well, when it's not all cluttered up, that is.

I really love this carving on the front:


I still use the drawers for some sewing supplies and didn't want to move it out of the room, so after much thought, the set-up looks like this:

I can still see out my window while sewing, and if I want to, I can still put my Kenmore on the desk to sew. But the best part is when I have a large amount of fabric it can just drape back over to the desk.

I might have gotten it all done yesterday if I hadn't decided to cull through everything and try to reduce the clutter there. (Well, that, and the Twilight Zone marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel.) I have a stack of books to take to our area bee to give away, and have started a box of miscellaneous items to donate. There are also a few craft books I think are collectibles and just can't bear to donate so I am considering posting them on eBay. I've never sold anything on there, but have bought lots of stuff, and I think it won't be too hard once I figure out how much to charge for shipping.

One thing this rearranging has brought home to me is just how much fabric I have! And how much of it is fabric I pulled together for specific quilts, which either haven't been sandwiched (so that's a lot of yardage there), or are still in the planning stages. It would free up a significant amount of space to empty those bins.

And yet, I bought more fabric Thursday. This is for my 4 Seasons Quilt Swap:

The bubble fabric was already in my stash, but the rest is new. I bought extra, because I know I will not want to part with the little quilt once it's done, so I'm going to make one for me, too.

This is to back the comfort quilt I made my best friend:

That fabric just had her name on it. Besides, I want the back to look nice, because it does get seen, if only by the person snuggled under it.

Then, Susan, my friend from the Biltmore trip, brought this in to work for me:


It's from a dust ruffle her aunt got rid of. She just tore the bed part off, and asked Susan if she knew anyone who could use it. Susan, who is bugging me to make her some throw pillows for her porch, immediately thought of the apron I made and decided I needed it. It's a 70/30 poly/cotton mix, but so pretty I couldn't pass it up. I believe there might be a few more aprons in my future.

So now that the TZ marathon is over, I should be able to finish up in the room today. When it's all cleaned up and arranged, I'll post some photos.

Oh, and if you play Movie Trivia with me, scroll down for today's question!

5 comments:

Steph said...

I love the fabric you chose for the comfort quilt! And that table is gorgeous.

Man, after reading so much about yours and Pinky's sewing adventures, I'm thinking a sewing machine may be my request for this Christmas!

Mary Johnson said...

Yep, there's nothing like spending time in your sewing room straightening up to remind you just how much fabric you DO have.

Perry said...

Your sewing room is looking good. You will enjoy having your machine at a lower level. It really is hard on a person to sew on one that is high. It is pitiful the amount of fabric we manage to collect, isn't it? I guess it's cheaper than having a drinking or drug habit however, lol. Your comfort quilt should bring lots of comfort..the colors you are using are very soothing.

Dana said...

What a great table. I love the carving too.

MightyMom said...

I'm such a SUCKER for eyelet lace!! I'd have done the same thing. I see a skirt with a nice bottom ruffle!! :-)

your tales of too much fabric that was bought for specific projects is what started me on my finishing of unfinished projects oddesy this year.....sadly it shall take more than a year to complete...but I have gotten several things done :-)