Organizing

After a long break from blogging & sewing, I decided to organize my studio. Small changes inspire me. I think more clearly and feel more calm when things around me are neat and tidy.

The first thing I did was move my desk back against the wall to open up the space. I usually rotate it to face the window when I'm quilting a larger project. I also thought it was time to put some new stickers on my magic machine!

These thick paper stickers were from different scrapbook kits possibly by Simple Stories or Carta Bella. I love these stickers and now my machine is so pretty! It's calling to me from my computer... SEW! SEW! SEW!

As you enter the studio, there's a nook to left that houses my computer station, couch/guest bed, & IKEA Alex drawer unit that I've been patiently waiting for over two years and finally found on Craigslist last week for half price!

It is the new home to all my work in progress (W.I.P.). I liked the look of the chalkboard labels in a photo of it that I saw. However, there are too many things in each drawer so on the labels I wrote:

W.I.P.
Things
I
need
to
finish.

I'm a daydreamer at heart and get sidetracked easily. I have lists and labels all over the place. It helps me remember where I put things and keeps me focused. I'm doing pretty good so far ;o)

I removed the doors to this closet when we moved here six years ago. It's where I store most of my craft supplies, books, small pieces of batting & large pieces of fabric. At the opposite end of the closet, I recently added a shelving unit and a shelf above to hold my finished project bins. Last week, they were stacked on top of each other and jammed in the corner which made them very difficult to access.

It also houses large binders for my Ideas, Patterns & Stickers. The 'Ideas' binder is full of designs that I need to make into pattern booklets! I re-use empty tissue boxes by folding down the sides and using them as small baskets to hide clutter.

I keep all of my ribbons on the back of my door. I have tried many ways of storing ribbon and this is definitely the best. I found myself with overflowing tangled drawers of ribbons because I would dig through and unravel lengths to see how they would look on my project. Now I tie similar coloured ribbons to hinged metal book rings and hang them on wire door hooks. I attach wider ribbon & short pieces using binder clips before attaching them to the rings. Besides being eye candy, it's just so easy to just grab a few to audition for my teacup pouches!

I cut my fabric on the floor which is the permanent home of a 33 x 56" thick translucent cutting mat (Studio Collection by H.A. KIDD). I cut a hole right through my large Olfa mat! Thankfully I'm still able to work on my knees and I usually work on small projects so the mat is used mostly for squaring up & cutting binding. I do have smaller cutting mats that I use on my sewing table.

I re-organized my fat quarter shelves. I finally took my fabric out of bags after our moth problem a year ago. I had collected three extra bins and several piles of new fabric that I hoped would fit. Sadly these short IKEA Benno DVD shelves are discontinued. They are perfect craft shelves at only 6" deep. The finished fabric shelving unit is 42" tall x 7' wide. I used white wood trim to cover the gaps between the shelves, covered the top with 8" white shelving, and attached a cute scalloped edge cut from white cardstock. I may use wider shelving on the top and attach a rod behind the scallops for hanging a curtain to protect my fabric from fading in the sun.

I did manage to squeeze it all in except for my solids! I made room in two of the bench baskets and built lift-out cardboard inserts for easy access to both layers. The other baskets hold scraps & Christmas fabric.

I took a new self-portrait and I really like how it turned out. My space looks amazing and I'm surrounded by things I've made. What you can't see is that I'm surrounded by what looks like the aftermath of a hurricane caused by throwing all the messes out of the camera frame including a large fan lying on its side!

Of course my studio isn't neat all the time. Whose craftroom is?! When I really become involved in a project, fabric starts flying! (And my family starves.)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Little Bunny

As promised, I would like you to meet the little bunny who is now named Flopsy. Flopsy has spent most of his life as a pile of folded fabric, and a Velveteen Rabbit-loving 4-year old's first doll pattern.

Unfortunately, he was forgotten for the last four years at the bottom of the basket. The velveteen chenille type fabric was a horror to sew. It massively shifted & unravelled even after heavy pinning and using the walking foot.

The huge smile on my daughter's face as I started sewing her long lost friend kept me from giving up. My Janome 7700 decidedly did not like trying to sew through many layers of thick fabric so I switched to my Elna 6005. It sewed through the layers like butter and layers shifted less even without the walking foot.

After many reinforcing stitches, Flopsy still had time to spend the day with me at the studio. He helped me out with some pattern booklet layout but quickly became bored.

I based his shape loosely on these bears I used to make from a Japanese quilting magazine. I enlarged the pattern and changed the shapes of the parts but put him together using the same method. I added quilting fabric because my daughter loves bright colours and patterns. She was thrilled to receive this little bunny on Valentine's Day!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Rainbows

There is nothing like a rainbow on a dark & dreary day...

This lovely quilt is a collaborative effort to which I added some different prairie points and pieced rainbow binding. I wanted the points to echo the points on the wonky stars and I think it turned out nicely! The fabulous quilting was done by Janet!

Here is the full front and back of the Rainbow Wonky Stars quilt. I also pieced the aqua block on the front :o)

And here it is all washed and folded... super yummy!

Some more rainbow wonky stars appeared in my craftroom. The pieced rainbow stripes were the backing for my wonky star quilt but looked amazing as borders along the top & bottom of the quilt. A herd of cranes were slowly spreading across the floor...

And now for some random cute fluffy Percy cat-ness...

And some more rainbows in Claire's hand! I hope you see rainbows today too!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Craftroom Corners

I would like to show you a few of my favourite spots in my craftroom. I love little groupings of my favourite things. They help give me inspiration :o)

Here are some of the things around my large sunny window. I have birds from three of my favourite internet crafty friends. The floral birdie was made by Sonia of Cozy Memories in France, and the little pink one was made by Kajsa of Syko Designs in Finland. I have a lot of their handmade goodness around my craftroom. The beautiful felted wool bird sitting in my basket of twine (and the leaf too) was made by Lisa of Lil Fish Studios in the United States. These wonderful women are all a big inspiration to me both on and off-line :o)

In front of me while I sew I have little design sketches, favourite stamps, a most amazing tea bookmark which never gets used for that purpose made by Sonia, a sweet little needlebook made by Anne Marie of Life in Yonder in Norway. My little house tape measure is cute and useful, and even my button magnets inspire me! Little drawings by my 6 year old daughter Claire also decorate my magnet boards... little did she know that stitch 87 just happens to be a flower!

Above my fabric on the left side of the shelf, I have a collection of the books that my patterns have been published in as well as hardcopy print-outs of my PDF patterns. The house was made by Kajsa, the pear by Lisa & the linen strawberries by Sonia! A card by Kajsa decorates the right side of the shelf, as well as other random goodness. A sunny teapot and some touches of springtime ready me for the drab winter :o)

Here is the place where I sit and sketch cozied up with Kajsa's teacup pillow! On the wall between the closet door openings hangs my acorn collection. And on the shelf above my computer, a little tag from a pattern that my favourite Australian designer Lynette Anderson sent to me as a gift! The tag sits beside Sonia's moleskine that I love too much to use... I promise I will use it one day ;o)

"Things to do after I have Tea"? Hmm... I suppose I will never get anything done because I never finish drinking tea!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)