This is the mess I created yesterday. Who would think that 9 little 6 inch paper pieced pinwheels could create such a mess. This was made in the process of getting Jenna's quilt top finished last night, so now I just need to pin it out and start on the machine quilting.
I need to have this finished by the end of the month so I can get it in the post to reach her in time for her birthday on the 13th. I never thought she'd be a pink girl....
I managed to get a few pieces of fabric over the weekend, hopefully some of them will go into the 4 season's swap quilt and also this terrific little book of quilt labels. They are iron on transfers, but as I'm not too fond of iron on's I think I'll copy them to the pc and just print them out as I need them. They lend themselves very well for embroidery, so hopefully I'll have time to use one of these for Jenna's quilt. I didn't find foundation paper for the paper piecing, well actually I saw one package of 10 wash away sheets for $9.00 and decided that I would rather spend that $9.00 on fabrics. If you have suggestions on foundation paper, I'd appreciate it, I may have to order it online.Happy Stitching, and thanks for popping by and giving me your ideas.
10 comments:
I really dislike paper piecing so I am impressed with your mess! I love your fabric selections. Fun day of fabric shopping...I would have passed on the $9 foundation paper too! No ideas for the sewing table other than the ones you mentioned...I do think it is important to "get up" and move around and think if your pressing/cutting area is away from your table, you will do that more often. I can see you sitting in that one spot for so many hours and not being able to get up from stiffness!!!
Why not go to the Horn website and check the sewing stations out. I'd be happy with just about any one of them.
The pink quilt for Jenna is going to be gorgeous. I can't do PP so no help with the paper from me other than to say I agree that $9 is better spent on fabric.
Well, let's make this 3 in a row. Belvie and paper piecing is like oil and water!! We don't mix. But you sure must have been good at it because you have a lot of trimmings there!
I will think about features for a sewing table and if I can come up with any..I'll e-mail them to you.
Lucky you having hubby build you a table! A couple years ago, my hubby modified my ancient sewing desk, adding extra width between the 2 drawer pedestals so he could cut a hole to recess my machine. It is wonderful! A couple of things come to mind as suggestions: 1. Remember to allow space for and/or an opening for the cords and the plugs that connect to the machine (red faces: we forgot that part); 2. I find that I am always pulling out the left top drawer to add more support for a large piece of fabric as I'm sewing. I think a slide out extension there (similar to a slide out chopping board in the kitchen) would be most helpful; 3. My sewing desk is only 18" deep--not nearly enough work space for large items such as quiltwork. I shimmed up 2 one-shelf bookcases along the backside of the desk to add another 11" to the depth for a total of 29" deep now, minimal, really. My desk sits away from the wall, so I could do that (and also gain some extra storage.)All this to say that "deep and wide" is a really good thing for a sewing table.
Enjoy!
This is a little PS to my other comment....Bren mentioned how important, physically, it is to "get up" and move around. I do so agree with that. I have a tiny pressing station with a travel iron beside my desk, but I walk to the opposite end of the house and out into the garage to iron anything more than a few inches square. Very important to prevent aches and stiffness, etc. Need I add ...quilter's pounds? lol
How lucky you are to have such a clever and obliging dh.
Your purchases look great. Lovely fabrics.
Linda, I had my sewing area custom made to fit me. I'm only five feet tall so I wanted the height to feel comfortable for sewing, so the height is too low for standing to cut. I didn't even think about having a cut-out to lower the machine into, but since I do my machine quilting on the longarm that's a non-issue for me. I keep a small cutting mat to the left of the machine for trimming, and on the left "L" of the desk I can use either a portable ironing board (got it at KMart or WalMart) or sometimes I use my folding one that has a cutting mat on the left and a pressing mat on the right. The work top is just laminate kitchen counter stuff that I had made to fit; on one end the support is a cabinet base with one drawer and a door; the other end is a cabinet with 3 drawers. (We have two sturdy metal braces on the wall fastened under the top to support the center.) I found that this works well for storage of all sizes of things. My cutting table (currently) is an old drop-leaf table but I'm going to replace it when I decide what I want. When I do my big cutting jobs I stand at the table, and the only cutting I do at the sewing desk is trimming when I am piecing. When I need to press large pieced things, I go to the regular ironing board. Getting up & down is good for my muscles anyway, relieving that strain from sitting too long at the machine. Ideally, a deeper counter top surface from me to the wall would have been nice but I didn't have that much space to work with.
This may be way more information than you want or need, sorry it's so long.
Linda,
I will do a post about this tomorrow. Check my blog to here my thoughts.
Jenny
What do you have for a light table? Since you do so much embroidery and tracing of pattern, could you not incorporate a pull-out for that purpose. I use my computer desk and have a fluorescent light on the bottom pull-out and use a simple frame with a glass that I just plop on top and trace away.
Glad to hear your DH is feeling better!
For foundation paper, I just use printer paper and it's work fine for me.
How wonderful that your hubby will build you a table! Since you're having it custom built, why not make sure it's just the perfect height for you to be able to stitch comfortably? I'm glad I have a chair that I can move up or down as the need arises, but I would certainly love a table the right heighth for me! I think the other girls have touched on just about everything else.
Your paper piecing "mess" is very impressive! It's a lot of fun to do, I think!
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