Great week . . .

Here it is - Friday evening - we have been enjoying the little guys on Fridays and doing nothing else. I just took Weston home as he wanted to stay for supper. This is a long blog as I have posted lots of pics below of my effort this week to get my studio cleaned up for my coming sewing "retreat" with my good friend from Denver starting tomorrow. My good friend is a naturally tidy, organized person so I didn't want her to have a heart attack when she saw my studio.

This first picture is of the "before'. I was going to take more so you could see how badly I needed to get things in order, but I was too shocked by my own mess once I saw this one picture. But, believe me, it was mostly all this bad. I am not a tidy person. I am not the kind of person who starts on one project and then finishes that, straightens everything and then starts the next project. I always have several projects going at one time. One is always just "mindless pieceing" - something that doesn't require a lot of thinking. One is always an art type quilt that is free and continuously changing. One is always functional for someone - a baby quilt, lap quilt, whatever and then on the other end of the long studio room is where I quilt for others with my longarm.

This next photo is of the same part of the room "after", but from further away. I will set up my little Janome on the table across from my sewing machine for Gail to use while she is here. She has one just like it so it is an easy transition and since she is flying, she can't bring many things. That sewing table is a glass top from another old table held up by 4 filing cabinets - it is a perfect height - shorter than normal table height and I can easily place a lamp under the glass area for a light table.

Here is another picture of the same end of the studio area, but more on the other side of the room. That table here is an old dining table that got replaced - long story - so I use it in my studio as a work table. It used to sit in the outer room area and I moved it into the studio so I can use it for stamping and beading - like I have time for that, but I do have the desire. As you can easily see, my studio is furnished with "early life specials" - furniture gathered along the journey. Sometimes I think I would like to just pitch it all out and have nice custom cupboards and counter tops with perfect builtins like I see in so many magazines. But then what would I do with these very charming pieces that have my memories embedded? So, I will just keep them until they no longer have any service left.

If you turn 180 degrees, this is the longarm end of the studio area. My studio is a longer than wide room - about 16 by 30 I think. Hoke, my IQ, is resting so he is not on the machine. I love my A1. As you know, her name is Miss Daisy so of cousre I had to name the IQ Hoke as he often drives Miss Daisy. I have had my A1 for 5 years and have never once had an ounce of trouble - it runs all kinds of thread and makes beautiful stitches in every direction. I can quilt easily with one hand as it is so smooth. And it is so quiet that I can listen to music or the TV without earphones or anything higher than normal volume. I can't imagine anyone who would not love such a machine, but I know it is each to his own and everyone probably feels that way about whatever machine they have.

Here is my cozy chair where I can rip out mistakes, hand stitch bindings, or just be mesmerized by a great TV show. The front of this little chair comes up and forms a foot rest so it is very comfy. The whole room is more comfy this year as we added radiant heat in the floor when we changed out the boiler system in the whole house last summer.

This area is in the little outer room where you enter the studio. I moved a cabinet out here that used to be in the studio and placed a larger counter top on it that we have had for years. This used to be an island in our kitchen before we remodeled several years ago. It is a perfect height for a cutting table and I have new lighting in this area so it is perfect. The little old sewing machine cabinet holds an old White machine that I used for sewing on my felted wool wearable items. That cabinet was one Mom bought 60 years ago when she bought a new Singer. The White that is in it now fits and it is 35 years old - works perfectly.

The basket on the cabinet was a first anniversary gift to Mom from Dad in 1942. Mom always loved to sew but always garment sewing, fine tailoring of her own clothes. She was - and still is (at 89) - an excellent seamstress. So, she gave me this sewing basket - it is priceless to me.

Across from the cutting counter, are these two chairs and an Apple poster of Einstein from years back. The two chairs were from the Apple Sales office in Denver where I worked for many years in marketing and sales person as a corporate rep to schools in Colorado and Wyoming. A few years ago, they moved that office to another city and when they did the furniture was sold. I just happened to be in Denver at the time visiting and one of the folks asked me if I would like a couple of these chairs. I always loved them and they really mean a lot to me now as a remembrance of a great time in my life.

And last night I finally got to do some piecing. I have Breakfast Club tomorrow and I am way behind with my project. So, I got it out and worked on it a bit last night. The blocks are fun and quick, but I was so tired I didn't get much done. I had hoped to do some tonight, but I am heading to bed once this blog is written. A 9 month old and a 4 year old have worn this old Grandma out today. I will just have to go without my assignment done. But, I am going to love sewing in this newly cleaned and organized sewing area.

A month ago, I finished my 2 week "vacation" here at "the lodge". Tomorrow, I start a quilting retreat in the "studio at the lodge" - which is really just the upstairs over the garage, but it will be a wonderful week of sewing. I will try to post our progress periodically throughout the week.