Girlfriends

 It has been an October like no other. You all know how difficult this time of year can be for us, especially Charlotte. Well, praise God, it has been a wonderful month! School is going well for her. She LOVES it....and great news...Zach begins on Monday and will go Monday thru Wednesday and I will homeschool Thursday and Friday. The school uses the same curriculum we do. Isn't God AWESOME!? Sassy and I think so!

I have been working on a little quilt for a baby boy. I love the colors and the pattern is a favorite! I am almost finished! 

I taught hand quilting a couple of weeks ago. I love teaching that class. It is so fun to see the ladies get the technique and then begin to really enjoy the process. I met 3 ladies at my We!ght Watchers meeting last year, and every Tuesday, my mom and I go to lunch with them. Can you believe ALL 3 of them are quilters????

Is that amazing? Well they are all pretty much machine quilters, but all 3 wanted to take my class, so they did!! Melody, on the far right, actually has done some hand quilting on her own before, but now I think she will feel better about it. She is in the process of English Paper Piecing and I know she will want to hand quilt that one! Ronda, standing next to Melody, has a table runner all ready to hand quilt on, and Carol, on the far left, finished her class project that same night of the class!! She is now piecing hand embroidered blocks her mother made into a large (King Sized) quilt and will hand quilt it!! I love it!!! They come most Monday's and we walk 4-5 miles. Such a nice group of ladies!!! They all came to my Mom's surprise party and brought their husbands!

We have all either hit the 50 pound mark, or are very close. They all inspire me to do better!!!!

 On that note, I will close, and be back when the baby quilt is done and there is something different in the hoop!

Almost 3 Months???

I can't believe I have let over 2 months go by since I last blogged! I had to remind myself that this is a record for my generations! Lots to catch up on! Don't you love the view outside my studio window! It is beautiful! Sassafras loves it too!!

This is her "spot" in the sewing room. She loves it there. Cammy has a favorite spot too.

Under the table. She curls up and sleeps the entire time I am sewing, whether it is for 30 minutes, or all day long! She turned 1 on September 25th! I can't imagine our home without her!

Another birthday took place! Emerson turned 4 on September 16th! 

Such a big girl!! She loved her Princess cake!

Her brother lost a tooth. Just in time for the season...I wonder if he will be a Jack-O-Lantern? He would make a good one!!

My Mom also had a birthday. She turned 70 and we had a wonderful surprise party for her. I want to do a full post sharing pictures so that her grandkids and great grandkids can see them in later years. For now, here is a picture of my Mom, my sister, my aunt, and me (I am the tall one :p).

Let's see.....Zach has started 6th grade. We are still homeschooling . He just finished up his garden. It was not a great success this summer with the hot weather and no rain, but he got some carrots to juice and the tomatoes did fair.

Charlotte began her first high school year attending public school. She lasted 3 weeks, and it was an utter failure. Way too much stress, so we pulled her out and she is attending a private Christian school. 

God made a way, where there seemed to be no way! She is doing AWESOME!!! She is helping to lead Praise and Worship in the mornings, and I see only wonderful things ahead for her. Our October is going so well, I almost forgot it was October!

Kyle is staying healthy and he and Zach are spending some great time together. I am hoping to get Kyle in at a nursing home to volunteer with the activity department very soon.

We spent several different weekends at our local State Park over the last couple of months. It was a wonderful time of relaxing, hiking, and fishing. I LOVE this picture of my husband and oldest son. No words are needed.

On the quilting front, I have finally gotten my mojo back!! In the hoop, I have been working on a table runner, and, of course, Emerson's quilt, but in the sewing room I have 2 different projects going. 

 First, this Sawtooth Star quilt, which will be a cover up for my family room....

I think I need 28 blocks and will use the background fabric as an alternating block.

The newest project is a baby quilt that needs to be done by mid November. I made real headway today after church, when I came home, threw on these....

...and got to work! 

I should have the top together tomorrow, but I won't baste it until the runner is finished. 

I think that is enough for now. I will try to get back here at least weekly. Now that my quilting mojo is back, I should have lots to show and tell!!!

The Perfect Sewing Room

It's finally here....The Perfect Sewing room post! I know you all have been waiting with baited breath! (what does that even mean?) I will keep you in suspense no longer! First though, I must show you the 2 photos I have of the perfect sewing room taken 12 years ago. It will give you an idea of what I was going for. You will be amazed at how simple it all really is....very uncluttered and just "nice" and "clean" feeling. This is the view when you are walking in the door.

 And this is the view from the windows. It doesn't show, but the sewing machine is in the center of the table.

I was able to accomplish much the same feel, however, I do believe, with the fresh paint, and new carpet, it is much improved! Here is the current view as you come in the door.

Are you swooning?? I am!!! Can it BE any prettier??? Yes it can!! Let's move on. A view from the closet wall.

 And a view from the window wall.

Remember how I told you this room has 5 walls? Well, I guess that was an exaggeration...it has 4 walls, and this semi wall where you will find the door. It gives it the 5 wall feel when the door is closed. (Notice the switch plate cover....it is a quilt design and was in this room 12 years ago. It's those little things that make the difference!)

A piece of furniture new to the room, is this cupboard my mom gave me. I keep larger pieces of fabrics here.

 Here is a view of the only other corner I haven't shown you.

Some of my favorite parts of this room include.....

This AWESOME macrame plant hanger, given to me by my Weight Watcher girlfriend, Melody. She made it herself! This little plant was starving for an environment just like this one. I could almost hear it sigh with pleasure as I hung it near the window! I want to hang another one in here too....with a Spider plant.

My curtains!! I made these valances when I got this room 12 years ago. They are darling, and since they were only used 3 months, they are like brand new...they incorporate my favorite things....quilting and Bible verses!

This little basket of quilts, with the handmade sign, Sweetheart made me more than 15 years ago.

I have lots of empty wall space, so some of these will get hung eventually. I am enjoying the clutter-free feeling for now. 

I love how this new piece of furniture fit right in....and it hides my television (which I didn't have back then).

 Let's not forget the closet....it is a sewing room's best friend! I was able to hang my stencils, and rulers and keep it semi- organized looking. My design wall is just propped up against the back wall so it can become portable if need be.

 And my favorite wall in the room. This is pretty close to looking like it did all those years ago. Added, are pictures of grandchildren that were not here back then. My grandmother's sewing basket sits under the old cabinet machine, reminding me of how someday, Emerson may have a sewing room of her own, with some of her Grandmother's treasures scattered around.

So there it is. My idea of The Perfect Sewing Room. I can not tell you how thankful I am for an amazing husband, who, when he sees my desire, does whatever he can to make it happen! Thank you Sweetheart!! I love you!!!

 

Not The Perfect Sewing Room

 Anyone who has read my blog for more than a couple of months, knows my battle of the sewing room. I started out in this house with "The Perfect Sewing Room"....I choose not to dwell on that, because I only had it for 3 months. Mind you, I felt more than blessed to give the room up....it made "The Perfect Sewing Room", but it was also the perfect "little girl's room", and so it was. From that day on, I searched and searched for a space in this house that "fit". From "The Perfect Sewing Room", I went to the "spare bedroom"....sure I shared the space with a double bed, and dresser, but it was functional. Then we were blessed with a baby boy! He took over our hearts, AND the spare bedroom/sewing room. I was totally out of rooms! I think I set up in a corner of my own bedroom from there. Of course, that was a disaster, so I was moved to the unfinished basement. Cement floors, and walls, no ceiling, only wooden rafters and SPIDERS....lots of spiders. I spent almost no time there, instead, I would drag my machine upstairs and sew at the kitchen table. (As you can tell by the pic of Sassy, I have done this many times over the years)

One day, Kyle decided he wanted his own "apartment", so we finished a room in the basement for him. This freed up a huge room...not "The Perfect Sewing Room", but it had a window, and finished walls! To make it more functional, I had to share it....with the family computer.

At one point in time, this was also the school room. It was a beautiful room, and I never complained....though it wasn't "The Perfect Sewing Room". I moved all over this room, trying to make it "fit", and many quilts were created in the few years I actually stayed put.

While in this room, Sweetheart finished another large room in the basement. Real walls, and a ceiling, and carpet. It was to be the "Man Room" where he could go play his guitar and make his music, and just get away. It wasn't long before we decided to move Kyle back to his room, as he was spending too much time in his "apartment" which isolated him from the family. It was a GOOD move. So Sweetheart said, let's just put your sewing room in an area of the Man Room....I was NOT thrilled, but it was a beautiful space.....Still, NO lighting, nor a window in sight.

But, it was a space, and the spiders seemed to not like it as much as they did in the past. Again, I spent only what time I had to here. It was "The Man Room", and always would be. I even set up a little card table in a hidden corner of the formal living room when I needed to really sew.

The lighting was always such a huge obstacle down there. I did not want to seem ungrateful, as Sweetheart was sharing his space with me. He noticed, though, and one day said, "Just take the formal living room for your sewing room." Really? How would that look? We gave it a try.

I HATED IT! It looked awful, and only lasted 2 days. Sweetheart came up with the idea to put the dining room in the living room and give me the dining room. 

It was better, but still wasn't ideal....I missed my pretty dining room and felt guilty taking over a major room belonging to the family. It lasted less than 6 months. Where could I go??? The Man Room seemed the only logical place. 

I decided I would make the best of it and thanked God for such an awesome space to create! 

Then, 12 years later, it happened. Could it really be true????? Charlotte wanted to move downstairs. It all came out of nowhere. She wanted a room where the morning light did not stream in at 5 am. A place where she could dance and sing into a flashlight, and no one would tell her to keep it down. A place where she would not have to worry about brothers bugging her while she was in the middle of a good book. THE MAN ROOM! And so, she moved. "The Perfect Sewing Room" could be again! Sure, it would take paint, and wood scratch cover....LOTS of wood scratch cover....and new carpet, but the curtains I made for the room are still packed away in the hope chest, and the switch plate cover bought for "The Perfect Sewing Room", is still in the drawer downstairs. I dug out the pictures of that room as it was over 12 years ago. I could do it! I could recreate that room!!!! And so I did. 

Next time, I'll show you "The Perfect Sewing Room"!