I'm Going To Need A Vacation...

... to recover from this weekend, as might be evidenced by the fact that I'm typing this blog post on my iPhone while lying on the couch trying to work up the energy to go upstairs to bed.

Spent the day at the annual Mid Appalachian Quilters Seminar where I took a paper piecing class with Merry May. Mariner's Compass ... 32 point no less. (Photo tomorrow).

Saturday morning we're heading out at 7:30 am (groan) to Charles Town, West Virginia to a flea market. And I need to squeeze in a stop at the nursery and a visit to the Hallmark Ornament Premier.

Then it's back to MAQ Sunday for an all-day class on using Electric Quilt.

I hope to manage a bit of sewing tomorrow night. There's a new Aiming For Accuracy block posted that I need to jump on.

If you've got any extra time or energy to spare, and could channel it my way, it would be greatly appreciated!

And because we can't have a blog post without a photo, here's what I found in my mailbox when I got home this evening:

I've Been Working on the Workroom

Someone call TLC, because I am sure there is a TV show in this room somewhere.

 

Enter at your own risk.

 

 

Before I became a quilter I was a serious crafter of all trades. This is where it all happened. The smallest bedroom in the house, I tore out the carpeting and laid a vinyl tile floor (the better to paint, and airbrush, and clay and pound on). I painted the walls and ceiling soft shades of gray before gray was cool, because I wanted this neutral environment to create in.

 

I built that official wooden Home Depot workbench, in the room, back when we first moved into the house ('86--I was much younger then, with boundless energy and a 2-year old), with about a million nails, and enough 2x4's that it took me 2 days to cart them all up the steps from the garage (that would be 3 levels, if you're counting).  Of course the table is wider than the doorway, and the window, so it either conveys with the house when we sell, or someone is going to have to take a chainsaw to it to get it out of there.

 

That workbench has been witness to so much creativity, it's sad that today it stands as nothing more than a place to dump things that need to be put away properly.

 

Let's get to work, shall we?

 

Six or so hours later...

 

The first thing I did was wire for cable (the hubs bought me that little flat screen TV quite a few years back)...that's probably why it took me 6 hours to finish. :)

 

A place for everything, and everything in it's place.

 

 

And a cleared off work surface to do a little crafting. There's a bunch of Ziploc bags in a basket under the bench that are projects ready to go.

 

Now, I'm not saying I'm throwing the quilting to the wind in favor of the crafting...it's just a good feeling that now I can walk into my workroom and create something, should the crafting bug bite.

 

In the meantime, I've been sewing something every day. Be it a few stitches on the Jingle applique block, or this 'Quilt In a Mousepad' that has been sitting around since 2009...the hubs bought this for me the first Christmas I started to quilt. It only took me 3 and a half years to get around to making it. Actually...I lacked motivation up until now....I'm taking an Electric Quilt class on Sunday, so I figured it would be much more fun to have a quilted mousepad to use in class instead of one advertising file management software. Those are some of the fabrics I'm using in the Mariner's Compass class this week--these are my favorite fabrics at the moment--from the Hoffman Bird of Paradise line. So pretty.

 

 

It's Wednesday....quilt something pretty, or do something creative. The weekend will be here soon enough, so it's always good to have a head start.

 

 

Sunday -- A Bit More Productive

I managed to finish cutting the background fabric for class Friday, and I also packed up my machine and supplies. If I feel the need to use a machine between now and then I can always call in the reserves....

 

I so need to paint that cabinet if I'm going to keep it (and replace the hardware too!). It's one of those things I'd like to get out of the studio, but then the minute I get rid of it I'll probably regret it. It pulls out and folds out to a sewing surface--the machine is on a hydraulic lift, and it would just be perfect for my little beach house where I don't have a dedicated studio (ha ha dream on!). Whatever. I'm sure it'll continue to sit here for another 5 years before I get around to doing something with it.   But here's a thought...my neighbor has finally finished refinishing a bunch of furniture for her daughter....once she's back from vacation she'll probably be suffering woodstain withdrawal and I might have just the thing to take care of her jonesing to sand something,,,

 

The studio orchids are super glad they don't live outside

 

 

The top one was a birthday gift from my daughter. I have not owned such a prolific bloomer as this one. Hoping it always blooms this way.

 

 

 

The cyclamen aren't doing as well as in the past. The ones from 2 Christmas' ago that bloomed every day are down to only having one or two leaves, though they still manage a bloom now and again, and this years just aren't thriving. I'm not sure they're supposed to bloom year long, so maybe they're tired.

 

There is something about the light here...the magnolia tree outside the studio window is on it's 3rd bloom since Spring, and I expect we'll see more after this. (The magnolia in the backyard blooms once each year)

The tomato plants on the porch, weeny as they are, have already had juicy red tomatoes plucked from them (yum!), and we don't normally see tomatoes until August.

The Studio Sweep was successful, though it took 2 days...

 

 

There's nothing better than a lovely, clean, fresh room to retreat to while the rest of the house is in shambles. I need a cleaning lady...oh wait, I have one....it's supposed to be me :(

 

Well, inspired by all this beauty, I think I'm going to tackle cleaning my workroom now. It's a certified disaster area...if I had yellow tape, I'd criss cross it across the doorway. Right now I only go in there to pick up paper from the printer and to iron, and then, only when I don't have room on my cutting table to set up my little ironing board. (It's that bad)  I'd like to do a little Christmas in July crafting, so I should prepare my workspace to facilitate that. Check back tomorrow for the Before and After of the Big Workroom Sweep.