Post #2

  Before I really start on major quilting projects I have begun to reorganize my sewing "room".  Please keep in mind this space is in a dark corner of our unfinished basement; concrete walls and no windows.  The work areas I have been trying to create are for fabric cutting, storage, sewing, ironing, and project layout.  In the past month I have been sewing a small enough amount to learn what is missing or simply out of place.

 

  Putting together a short list of To-Do's has been easy considering how big my dreams are for the final space.  The difficult part is keeping it a short list because of how big my dreams are.  Being someone to set expectations low is a habit I have been trying to learn, but to help myself stand back and celebrate progress I will take quick photos along the way. 

 

 

 

Ideas:

1. Move fabric and supplies into drawers or clear bins to take advantage of space under my workbench.

2. Move a table in and place on “stilts” to be my cutting table.

3. Create a design mat to hang on the wall, and a few smaller to bring quilt pieces to the machine.

4. MUST RECOVER IRONING BOARD.  It has been filthy for so long it needs to be cleaned up.

5. Bring a small ironing board next to me when at my machine so it is a quick turn to the left to press open seams.

 

 

 

  Have it light and bright, ready for a photographer to take pictures making others jealous, and covered in projects of all sizes. Is that too much?  Selfish thoughts are full of a giant fabric collection displayed for all to see.  Haaa…  It is beautiful.

 

Is designer Anna Maria Horner’s sewing room an unreasonable goal?

 

Post #1

  After too many years away I am back in the world of quilting and it feels so good.
 
  A friend from long ago needs the credit for sparking my return.  She emailed asking me to take a quilting class and on a whim I signed up.  At boot camp we learned everything from how to cut the fabric to machine binding in only three days.  A finished quilt and return of an old friend, can’t ask for much more.  Now we are signed up for another class and enjoyed an afternoon having lunch and shopping for fabric. 
 
  During the class I learned a bit about my quilting self.  It ends up I can follow a pattern and complete a quilt but it did not mean I have any idea how to quilt.  This first started to surface by the instructor pointing out when cutting strips of fabric to cut towards the salvage, making it so the center of the strip is not bowed at the fold.  Then when sewing pieces together do not start at one side a go straight to the other, put together pairs and then sew the pairs together.  The best one of all was once squares are pieced together clean them up and cut to the appropriate size.  Technique, technique, technique; I need more.