Sewing room update

While fixing some missing photos in old posts (how does that happen?), I noticed it has been quite a while since I posted an update on my sewing room.  So here's the latest.

Last summer we replaced the carpeting on that side of the house, which required disassembling my long arm and moving everything out of the room.  Including a very heavy, very large fold out sofa.  We had to put it up on end, balanced on the curved arm, and slide it out on a piece of cardboard, twisting as it was pushed through.  It barely fit through the door and it wasn't easy.  Once we got it out, everyone agreed it would stay out.  Since we had first put it in the sewing room to use as a guest room, both our kids have gone to college and moved out.  So we now have two other spare rooms for guests and really don't need to use my sewing room.  Yippee, more room!  Sofa has been sold and two trundle beds are in the kids old rooms.

I decided I really wanted my long arm to be against the opposite wall, with a small walk space between the table & the wall.  We ordered wheels for the table thinking it would be easier to move.  But they are very difficult to adjust the height, so I've not ended up moving it much at all.  There is a small space where I can walk around the back, but I only do so to plug in the machine.

Moving the table opened up the center of the room and makes it more inviting.  I also had room to add a small reclining chair to watch TV.  The cat isn't particularly pleased as he can't sit next to me any more on the sofa.  But he does like sleeping in the chair, mostly because I keep a folded quilt there and everyone knows the best cat trap is a folded quilt.  

I am able to have two machines out for sewing, though I keep one of them lowered in the cabinet and use it as a work surface.  If I am hosting other sewers, I can also open up the back on cabinet and sit someone there, though the rocker has to be moved first (tetris).

I really love being able to walk around my cutting table now.  It lessens the times I'm doing contortions to cut something.

Here is my nice big design wall, hung from a curtain rod using binder clips.  Hey, it works and it's easy to move if I decide to rearrange (again).

One downside to moving the long arm table is the surface is not as convenient to use as a pressing area.  Walking around to the back of the table is very narrow and just too difficult and leaning over from the front hurt my back. I ended up putting my pressing table in the bathroom on the counter.  It isn't in the way if someone does need to use the bathroom and it is nice to have it out of the way - and on a different electrical circuit.  I'm a little nervous about dropping the iron on the tile floor but I found some foam cushioning that I put there to also help with foot fatigue.  I raised the surface above the counter using some 4 x 4 blocks previously used to raise my cutting table (before I got the adjustable one).

I love having the walk-in closet but it would be nice to move the Christmas decorations out - another project. 

I made this applique sign for my door.  The knocker underneath was my mother's who was a pianist & singer.  Welcome to my happy place! 

Novelties in 2023

 And one more post for 2023!  I did actually make some novelty quilts in 2023, in between the donation quilts and other projects.  This first one is from Kim Bracket's Scrap Basket Sensations book, one of my favorite books.  This inspired me to suggest it for the guild's raffle quilt.  The next thing I knew I was coordinating the raffle - never ask a question or make a suggestion in a guild or it will be considered volunteering!

This starburst pattern was one I had seen at a quilt show.  It was made using matched half square triangles.  The layout was a little tricky.  Fortunately I have a good design wall and my little numbered felt flags saved me from having to rip much.

This was another pattern from a Kim Bracket book.  I used 2.5 x 4.5 precuts, arranged in color families.  It was so busy the only border that worked was my "go to", piano keys.

This diagonal colors was a fun one to put together.  It was from 4.5 precuts with a small triangle in one corner.

It has been many years since I've done this heart block.  The guild president's challenge this year was hearts, so I knew what I needed to use.  This quilt was auctioned at the QGPC fall auction.

I wanted to use up scraps from a couple of wide backings.  This pattern looks very difficult but it is not since it uses folded triangle corners instead of Y-seams.  I haven't made it in several years and wanted to try it again.  I think the mitered border was a nice touch, adding to the optical illusion of depth.

This was a fun pattern for a sew day.  I could sew and talk at the same time without having to think too much.  It is made using 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles in rounds alternating white & colored.  I cut my novelty scraps in 2.5" x 4.5" & 2.5 x 2/5" sizes so I just went thru my scraps.  I tried to limit the repeats but didn't worry too much if a few occurred twice.

This pattern is by an internet friend of mine from Australia.  She once sent me authentic Kangaroo novelty fabric from Australia.  Her pattern is called Emeralds and is available from her Etsy shop.  The pattern was very well written.  I modified it some to use multiple colors and I offset each column to make the secondary pattern.  I enjoyed making it, but pressing the seams was a challenge as many of them need to be pressed open to avoid excessive bulk at the points.

This pattern is Watercolors by Ledine Watson at Sugar Stitches Quilt Co.  Normally I would have used a bright white background but I thought I'd try gray.  Not completely happy with it, I keep wishing I had chosen a lighter gray to give more value contrast.  The pattern was fun to do - but LOTS of flying geese.

I found this free pattern on Jordanfabrics.com, called Log Jam.  It designed by Robert Kaufman fabrics to showcase batik jelly rolls. I think it worked great for novelties and it went together quickly.  The strips are 2.5" x 6.5", with folded corners on oppose sides of the block.  When to put together, they make a great zigzag effect.

Using up scraps - I've seen this called Jewel Box.  Each block is made from 2 half square triangles and two 4 patches.  The arrangement of the 4 patches gives it the Irish chain look.  I may add a border at some point if I decide I want it larger.

This pattern is called Tangled by Alyson Harris.  The original pattern uses one fabric in each block for the "strings".  This creates interwoven squares made up of 4 colors.  Watching a lady work on it at retreat, I thought it might be fun to make the large squares out of a single color.  Planning this out and organizing it was a real challenge.  I had to have a chart, a graph, and label each fabric as I cut it.  It turned out pretty nice.  But if I make it again, I will make it like the pattern calls with one color in each both. I also think it needs a border but right now I'm a little tired thinking on this one.  It needs to "age" a while.

At first I thought I had donated this last quilt before I took a picture.  But then I looked through the quilts finished but not yet donated and there it was.  Phew, that was close.  I've made this pattern before but it has been a long time.  The name is Ladders designed by Lumberyard quilts.  Nice and easy, it is a great pattern to use up some scraps.  And I got to use some of those white novelties that are so hard to use.

 And there are my 50 projects/quilts for 2023.  Not sure how I was able to get so many done.  I guess I just don't work on much else and we didn't travel because we have a new puppy.  So I sewed.  I also have quilted and bound approximately two dozen charity tops that were pieced by others.  At one point I decided there were too many tops hanging in my closet.  I quilted and bound 15 quilts all in a row.  I actually had only 2 unquilted tops left after that quilting binge.  But that was a few months ago and the number is growing.  Of course.  I do love this hobby!

Some additional non-novelty projects in 2023

 These projects don't have anything in common, other than I was trying some different patterns out this year, some new and some traditional.  Some were trying new methods and I learned something on almost all of them.

The first quilt was commissioned by my sister for her grandson.  She purchased the precuts & panel from the Fat Quarter shop and enticed me to put them into a quilt.  I learned a lot about precuts (they shrink differently cross grain than lengthwise when you starch don't don't count on the full size of the precut.  And quilting a panel is NOT the same as quilting pieced blocks - start in the center to avoid tucks on the back.  And how to use every single bit of fabric available to make a full quilt.  It was a fun challenge, though frustrating at times.  I know Beckett loves his quilt though.

This quilt was commissioned by my son.  He wanted me to make a quilt for a coworker going through cancer.  He took the album squares to work for signatures before I pieced them into the quilt.  Another coworker quilted & bound it, then it was presented and displayed at work.

This pattern was by J. Michelle Watts, a door prize from her workshop at QGPC in 2022.  I had originally made a table topper for my round table using reverse applique, hand quilting & detailed binding.  However that quilt was "lost" during the Christmas holidays in 2022.  So to ease my despair, I made another topper for the round table.  I used some batiks that had been in my stash for years.  I was pleased with the way it came out and it looks well with the gray/blue sofa.  The contrast isn't as much as I had thought it would be once it was done but still a fun pattern.  But I was ecstatic when my other quilt was found when I pulled out the Christmas decorations in December 2023.   This one will make an occasional appearance but for now I'm enjoying having the applique one back.

This project is "in the works".  I had volunteered to coordinate the raffle quilt for the QGPC show in September 2024.  The fabrics are batik strips donated by guild members and we had two sew days to put them together.  I then stitched them together at the guild retreat in November.  The picture below is the blocks on my design wall before stitching into the top.  It will be a very dramatic quilt and hopefully generate a lot of raffle sales.  The pattern is Flower Blossoms by Kim Brackett from her Scrap Basket Sensations book. 

Under the heading of finishing other people's projects, these fabric strips were rescued from the donation table.  I decided to make another Jagged X pattern by Donna Jordan.  I learned the importance of an accurate 1/4" seam on that diagonal, especially when working with strips that weren't all cut accurately.  I love how it turned out though when sewing it was a little frustrating.

This pattern called Rolling Waves was a free pattern from McCallsQuilting.com, designed by Jane Koelker.  It was very easy to make, using strip piecing.  I didn't want to purchase fabrics to try this, so I just used left over backing fabrics.  When done it needed something to brighten it up so I added the rust border.

I decided I wanted to make a bag to carry my featherweight to sew days.  I purchase this pattern from Quiltessa on Etsy.  The ideas in the bag were great, but the instructions were not.  Still I got it finished.  It is nice to carry and the zipper corners are cool but the pocket in front isn't particularly usable. I quilted the fabric for the outside.

After using the bag above for a while I decided I needed a freestanding tool bag.  I found this pattern by Bodobo bags called Stitcher's Dream bag.  The instructions and illustrations were very clear and it was fun to make.  I still had fabric left from the FW bag, so I made this one to match.  The top folds down to make it easy to reach the tools inside.

And one more "finishing someone else's project.  These black and white triangles were all cut and many of the assembled.  But the person who donated them got frustrated and put them on the give away table.  Again I really came to appreciate the importance of an accurate 1/4", a good learning opportuniaty (lol).  I didn't care for the pattern that was with the fabric so I came up with my own layout.  Not sure but I think it needs a border of some kind but I don't have any more of the fabrics.  This one will age for a bit in the closet before it's quilted.

For the QGPC auction in September, we had a country store.  I agreed to make some wall clocks for the store.  They were very popular and sold quickly to guild members.   The photos below are before the clock hands were added.

Some Community Outreach

Where has the year gone!  Again it's been twelve months since my last post.  So to catch up.  It was a VERY productive quilting year.  Since I started keeping track, 2023 was my personal record - 50 quilts!  And approximately half of those were donation quilt, made primarily with donated fabric.  I definitely need to break up the year into multiple posts.  So this one is all about non-novelty, donated quilts.

One of the guilds I belong to makes small quilts for a local hospital NICU.  They are a great size to practice quilting.  And they go together so fast.  Early in the year we had a work day where a group of us went through boxes of donated fabric and put together bundles of coordinating fabric.  I grabbed several that I liked.  In order to help give people ideas, I also put together a collection of quick patterns in EQ.  And of course I had to test them out. Not technically I spy quilts, but they are fun and bright. I enjoyed the challenge of using up donated fabric, only adding a few bits from my stash (typically something that had been there a while).  There were a dozen of these made early in the year, many of them at the VOS quilt retreat.  I had made several kits before hand so they went together fast.

One of the speakers at TVQG was Ledine Watson with Sugar Stitches Quilt Co.  I made these two using her pattern Cinnamon Spice.  I learned a lot about accuracy in making flying geese.  They are more "modern" in feel than my usual and it was fun to try something new.

Later in the year a friend gave me a series of embroidered squares and fabrics the maker had intended to make into a quilt.  There wasn't enough fabric for a full quilt, so I added some contrasting fabric to finish them off as kid sized.  The embroidery was wonderfully done by my friend's sister, how has since died. Both these quilts were auctioned at the guild fall fund raiser, purchased by people who seemed to appreciate the old fashioned embroidery.  

During the year, the community outreach coordinator in Parker County mentioned they needed some "big boy" quilts.  She also was giving away a large amount of fabric that had been donated.  I took several multi-yard cuts of boy themed novelty fabric (mostly airplanes).  Here is what is what I did with this donated fabric (again supplementing with some scraps from my stash plus other donations).  This first one I was trying to do some interesting sashing.  Unfortunately I didn't step back to look at my fabric choices for the sashing. The result is that the green stars are completely invisible unless you get very close.  Oh well, lesson learned.

These two used patterns I had previously done and a good ay to use large prints.

This next pattern uses a "faux log cabin block" that I constructed using strip sets, alternated with large solid blocks.  It was a very fun and easy pattern, but looks difficult.  Definitely want to do this one again someday. It turned out so well, I decided to donate it to the guild auction fund raiser.  The lady who won the bidding told me her husband was a retired pilot and she was so excited.  I did save a bit of the airplane fabric, it is very cool, with pictures of national monuments in the background (the Alamo, Mount Rushmore, Golden Gate Bridge, St. Louis Arch, etc).

I wanted to try a pattern a friend had shown me.  This was also made using strip sets to make the framed 9 patch block alternating with snowball blocks.  I put the triangles in the border, using up the waste triangles from the snowballs.  Another fun pattern that I want to try again.  This also was auctioned at the guild fund raiser.

These next several were made using the pattern Entwined by Fabric Cafe.  I enjoyed making it so much, I made three, all donated to the local children's advocacy group. The fabrics were either donated, or pulled from my stash (fabrics that had been there a LONG time).  The last one on the right finally used the last of the airplane fabric.

Some Roll Call quilts - a local veteran's program similar to Quilts of Valor.  The first two shown were made using the pattern Mirror Mirror by Donna Jordan.  Constructed using strip sets, it made so many blocks  I did two quilts.  These used either donated or "old" fabrics and turned out Very dramatic.

This one was a free pattern from McCalls called Homeland, though I don't believe it is available any longer.  Again, very easy but very dramatic, made using all half square triangles.

Later in the year I joined a charity quilting group through Christ Chapel Bible Church.  The quilts are donated to a local crisis pregnancy center. I have given some of my I Spy quilts, but the two pictured below included fabrics donated to the church.  It was fun figuring out how to use the fabrics and pulling old fabrics from my stash to coordinate.  I joked that I was enjoying finishing other peoples' projects.

Phew.  Lots of donations this year!  I really enjoyed figuring out how to utilize donated fabric in different ways, a personal challenge.  And lots and lots of practice quilting.