I'm toying with the idea of restarting my blog.  It has been dormant for several years however, I am newly retired and it might be a way to document this new phase.  I closed my shop and my longarm business earlier this month (February 2022) and I will head over to the studio later today to turn in my keys.  That makes it really official doesn't it.  I have spent the past three weeks moving everything from the studio back into our home.  The basement is/has been my space for many years so I set it up pretty much the way it was before.  Hubby set the table/longarm up for me the other day! He's a keeper! (No, he isn't for hire. 🤣)

 

To start this new phase off right I took inventory of some works-in-progress and projects-in-waiting and have an initial list of 69 projects worthy of inclusion 😉 at this time.  

I finished the first project on the list last week!  I had to make sure the machine made the move and was set up properly so I popped this cute quilt on it to test things out.  I made a backing up quickly from Tula Pink's Daydreamer line.  It's her Sundaze print in Guava by Free Spirit Fabrics.  The quilt pattern is Cascade by Villa Rosa Designs made with a charm pack from Moda ( I don't have the name of it).  The sunny yellow background fabric is Jot Dot in color 44 by Blank Quilting Co.  The quilting design is Frisky Feathers sized at 6" and stitched out on my Handiquilter Fusion with Pro-Stitcher.  I think it's really cute and will make a nice donation quilt with a finished size of 40 x 54". 

I often get queries about how the machine does all the work and how I must be able to walk away and do whatever I want while it's stitching.  Not true!  I always stay in the same room.  If you want to understand the process more I highly recommend taking a class to rent time on a machine.  Many shops offer this service and it will give you insight on the skill required to be a longarmer.  You might even find out you enjoy it too and want to finish your own quilts!  

One of things I'm working on while the machine hums along is sorting and pressing my scraps.  They take up way too much space the way I currently store them which is in these rolling carts with drawers.  I think they will take up much less space and will be easier to use if I press them and store them flat.  I had been contemplating throwing all of them out but instead I'll try this first.  Step One:  Sort and press them flat.  Step Two:  Cut them into strips and basic sizes with my Accuquilt cutter.  (It's one of the reasons I bought it!).  I have thrown out a pile of the smallest pieces- anything less than 1.5" is going in the trash.  Also, I've given myself permission to throw out small pieces I never want to use in my quilts or don't like.  The first drawer went from full to less than a quarter full.  On to the next one...I need to use a timer for this task, 30 mins at a time (or a row or two of watching the longarm) is enough.  

The second quilt came off of the longarm today and I'll post a picture of it next time.  So that's one last week and one this week.  I'm thinking, maybe, could I get one project off the list each week??? At that rate I have 68 weeks to go to get them all done.  Would that be possible??? I can't imagine having them all done in just 15 months.  All I know now is that I'm two for two.  

The sun is shining and it's time to go for a walk.  Until next time, 

Happy Sewing,

Stephanie

Design Wall Monday

Today I will get a few more rows sewn together.  I am working from opposing corners in towards the middle sewing diagonal rows.  I started with 3 charm packs of Moda Glace I wanted to use.  The red is from a new Moda line called Collections 1852.   The pattern is similar to many of the Granny Square quilts being shown however I did not want to piece individual blocks so, I arranged the squares on my design wall instead.

March Report

I went over budget this month and didn't use up enough fabric to compensate for bringing more in.  As a matter of fact, aside from buying more, I did very little sewing this month.  I hit a wall, in fact, got stopped in my tracks, figuratively, not literally!  Aside from going on retreat at the beginning of March I basically unpacked and didn't sew the rest of the month.  More on that later.  So, what did I get this month?  Well, I went to the Fat Tuesday sale at Threads of Time in Danville and bought a handful of FQ's there.  I bought a beautiful stack of 1yd cuts from the sale room at Glorious Color for 2 Kaffe quilts I'm collecting for, and I went to Always in Stitches in Noblesville and picked up a several 1yd cuts there when I was having my machine serviced.  That did it! Over budget, but very happy with my purchases.  I resisted, so far, getting a FQ roll of Plum Sweet, and another of Cotton and Cologne, both beautiful lines.  So, I did have a wee bit of restraint.  Next time, I hope to show progress on the Ice Cream Quilt as I have all the fabric collected for that and it's ready for cutting.

I knit 3 more dishcloths in March and I finished the binding on this BOM that I started here a couple of years ago.  I am pleased with how it turned out even if it did take longer than it should have to get it put together.  The pink and brown blocks were made from scrap fabrics not layer cake (10") squares.   I also re-knit the fingerless glove that I took apart a couple of weeks ago.  And, I quilted a few quilts on my longarm.

Our household project these days is the task of clearing out and cleaning out so that we can eventually down-size.  A little at a time....