Meanwhile back at the ranch

Nothing is getting done.

 I'm moving in and everything is on hold until I find that thing I need in a box somewhere...

the disorganization is making me itchy.

I got all the furniture in and adjusted 

to where I think it will fit my needs best.

Now it's just a matter of finding a home for all of it 

Then consolidating what had been in use and in storage.

Then I can start organizing by color/size/etc.

And THEN I can get back to making fun stuff.

 Though, between all this 

I am trying to figure out how to use Beastie,        the Innova long arm.

It's a learning curve, that's getting curvier.

As of today I have emptied 18 bankers boxes!

Woo!

Studio Update

 I just realized It's been a while since I updated about the studio! 

Goodness me

The last time I spoke the studio looked like                                                                                                     the construction disaster it was

We got all the windows in

But one of the pains broke so we had to wait a couple weeks for a replacement

Meanwhile The wiring for electricity and LIGHTS

went in, January Ahhhhhhh!

the drywall went up, February, yay!

we got the flooring delivered, Whoop!

And I got to play Muddy Mudskipper on the walls

Finally!

many buckets of mud and a few more trips to hodo

As you do

I got all the walls nice and sanded smooth 

then painted primer, 2 coats

Annnnd the color is,

 a nice soft mossy green

IKR? bad enough we have moss outside?

But see how nice it looks!

With a little bit of pink for accent on the doors

It will be lovely to work in

Now for the floors

I took 2 days to get this far

And my back hurts

These Are easy to install bUt

There is a bit of a learning curve 

and the first 2 or 3 rows are a pain in the ass to get started

This is after the 3rd day

of scooting around on my butt, hammering

not bad for an old lady ya?

Adam finished putting in all the outlets and covers

And once the electrician comes back to finish 

the floor outlets and wire in the outside light, 

heat pump And the exhaust fan

I will get working on all the quarter round to finish up the floors

But wait!

We still need to frame in the windows and fit up the windowsills, It's always something......

I just want to move in........now!

A Studio update

You might like to see how the studio is coming along

I am still packing and the garage is starting to run out of room to, put the boxes.                                                                                                                        I have decided to stop until the studio is done,        as there is nowhere to fit the furniture and still fit the car.

All the windows are in and we found basic shop lights at Costco for general lighting 

and a track lighting fixture for specific spots over the work areas                                                                                                                                          Those will be installed later after the drywall is up.                                                                                The closet has been framed out, and we are just waiting on the wiring and boxes for electricity.                                                                                       Just need our electrician to come back to run and hook up the wires for lights, switches and heat pump.

We are working on the insulation in the walls and ceiling now. 

once the drywall is up, we will install the flooring

                                                                                                                                                                     It's starting to look like an inviting place to go!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    I am awaiting, with baited breath, the day I can start painting and move in!

 I have visions of a small porch with an overhang and stairs!

Sewing room update

 Ever begin to feel like you have too many hobbies?

me neither.

I'm in the process of ripping apart my sewing space in preparation for

moving into my new Sewing room, soonsometimeinthenextmonth 

that should all be said together in a hummmmmmmm!

in which there is now a floor, 2 windows and a door!

 woo!

I'm trying to be methodical in my sorting and boxing

but my squirrel brain keeps running amok

She's finding all the buried nuts of old 1/2 finished projects, she was going to do. 

Sounds like my lost tribe no?   Princess allthehobbies of the Wasgonnado tribe

Anyhow a week of boxing up aaaand.

I've run out of boxes and all that's moved is fabric and books.

I've barely made a dent.

Awwwe..........

What I am getting for Yule Tide

Back of the garage

We are renovating the big space at the back of our garage for a dedicated studio for meeeee!

Needless to say I'm am a bit excited.

Right now the only way to get back there is through the garage it's self

So let's go on safari!

Passed the car 

and through the jungle of everything of mine that was formerly stored in that area!

Plus the thirty odd years of Adams satellite stuff

 and computer tinkerings

old Bicycles, etc.

and all the stuff in the garage part

At least it's all sorted now.

This is the corner where it flooded 

and the critters took advantage

there was also a leak in the ceiling here 

where the roof flashing was missing, when we had the roof redone 10 years ago.

And here is that corner now! Much better.

There will be a door to the left of that window

Which will be a bigger window eventually,

There will be lots more windows eventually!

So this is the north west corner that faces the house.

This is the south east corner that faces the driveway/Back neighbor's right of way 

and the yard behind the garage, yes there is more yard.

Since I will be able to see it now I should plan to do something with it, as well.

We are raising the floor so its even with the garage floor, 

which is 10" higher than this space 

it's a biig step down  

I want it level so it's easier to get things in and out of this room from the garage

This room, including the ceiling, was originally fully sheet rocked and very claustrophobic

We had our contractor take it all down and it opened up everything!

I no longer feel like I need to duck every time I walk in here

I'm thinking 3 rows of track lighting along the V points on the joists     

                                                                          which will be insulated and covered  

And more windows, OMG I need some light in here!

The contractor is taking the rest of the year off but this is where he has left it

2/3rds of a sub floor and the plans for where the door windows and all the outlets and light switches go

Lots more to do but it's a good start.

I can't wait! Happy Yule tide to mee, happy Yule tide to mee .....

Happy Holidays Everyone!

A shop-hop finish!

This year I had a goal to finish at least one           old shop-hop                                                                                                                                                   Here in Washington we have a yearly event called a Shop-Hop.                                                      

Where 20-30 stores, along the I5 corridor and west side of the sound, all participate in picking a theme.

Each store makes a pattern to that theme 

which draws in quilters for miles around, even internationally!

We have two weeks, 

to gather in groups of excited revelers, to visit all the shops we can get to, 

gather the patterns and any extra fabric we may "need" 

get lunch and eventually, put together a quilt.

Don't try this in one day!     

It's loads of fun and we gather together to take turns driving  the rout.

Sometimes we go for the day sometimes we do more, It's an arduous journey 

that takes you from Bremerton to Vancouver on the east side to Port Townsend    

Lots of beautiful scenery and lots of yummy, yummy fabric!   

This is my completed 2022 Shop-hop top

I didn't get to all the shops in this one so 

I made up some of the blocks myself      

                                                                                                          And here's my sewing space after a couple days of fooling around

It's bound to get worse I've two more sets of blocks to get to!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Gold work update and some sewing stuff

Here Mr. Snail has gotten his body                                   antennae to come

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      I'm working on the stems now.                                                                                                                                                                        It's very slow going mostly because working the stems is fiddly.                                                                                                               More fiddly than clumping them all together, as you can hide some mistakes in the mash potatoes.                                                                                                                                                                             You can't hide a single strand of Purl Purl when it's all alone.        It's lumpy af all by it's self.

And any mistakes are going to trumpet their ick everywhere                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Doesn't look so bad this way

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The bottom of the stem didn't look thick enough                                                                                                                                                             I added some more smooth Purl, cut small and threaded at an angle                                                                                                                                 Which gives the lower half more definition and makes the stem look more able to hold up the rest of the assembly.                                                                                                                                                                    I will all add gold sequin berries at intervals and I'm wondering               if I should add some smaller leaves or would that make it too busy?                                                                                                                                That's a ponder for later.

I have also been working on a bunch of old shop hops                                                                                                                                                       On tap right now is the 2022 featuring homestead type imagery                                                                                                                                       canning jars and labels, pick-nick baskets, pies etc.

                                                                                                                                                                        The blocks are mostly done,                                                                                                                       just the hand work to finish up on a few of them,                                                                                        I will give the blocks a lattice setting,                                                                                                     then use up as much of the rest of the fabric as I can in multiple borders                        

                                                                                     Gearing up for this years Rainbow scrap challenge                                                                                      sorting out the scrap bags, I need to make that yellow one bigger.                                                      I also need to make an orange and a teal bag, those two are way to small now                                                                                                                              And how is it I end up with all that blue?                 As a rule I don't use all that much in the way of blue, yet that bag is always over full to falling over.                                                                            I don't understand.                        

                                                                                    The state of my sewing space has become a bit on the Idea laden side                                                                                                                                          I keep wondering if I should clean or leave it                                                                                                The new studio is coming along and will probably be ready to move into after the first of the year.                                                                                        So clean or pack up? Leave it until I have to move it?                                                                                                                                                                As none of it is especially in the way,                   it's just cramped, 

                                                                                                                           or do I preemptively start moving to storage, I.E. the garage,                        the things I know I don't need now?                                                                                                                                                                                                  Do the lazy bit and leave it make some room                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I'm Feeling                                                                                                                         Meh right now, though I do see the efficacy of doing a bit of a tidy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Koala

Omg, omg, OMG!

I'm so excited!!!!

 

 

I got my new sewing table!

Look at it now before I have a chance to muck it up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at it! isn't it pretty!

It's a Kolala and it has more drawer space 

than my 60 year old singer sewing table

and it has an elevator so I can put my machine away 

 

and do other things on the table!

 

 

 

Wheeeeeeeeee!

 

 

 

 

Table goes up, Table goes down...........

zen and the atr of quilting

 I'm in my happy place again




the sun is shining through the prisms



sending little rainbows all over the sewingroom



 the window is open for now 'cause its warm in the sun








I've got something on the machine and something  in the longarm
(thank goodness for charity quilts and the quilt guilds who spawn them!)

 practicing my feathers when piecing gets boring or frustrating in a rippit sort of way

Giving myself plenty to do so I can ignore politics for another week or so


I've gotten a lot of practice this year!

Introducing Bernie

 Isn't she a beaut!

My DDH is the absolute best!

And I got her for a song! I'm so happy with this machine, you have no idea!

It's made me realize just how sad my poor 30 year old Viking Lily was getting.

This baby sews smooth like a babies bottom!

 I'm excited can you tell?

I finished quilting this almost queen sized scrapbasket quilt in 3 days!

Yes the stitching is a little wonky but I do need a little more practice, whee!

I really could not have done this on my old machine at all. Poor thing was refusing to do circles and absolutely balked at any kind of curve at all.

The last time I used it I whent through 4 needles for a single one of those "S" motifs, my DDH said that if I could find a reasonable price for the machine I wanted he would consider getting me a new one.

So when this sweetie came up for sale as a trade-in at one of my local shops that sells and repairs nothing but Berninas, I jumped right on it!

I'm in quilting heaven!

I did the yellow one as a test piece, the day I got Bernie home.
I did  my son's quilt on the long arm at quilting mayhem, over in Snohomish, so I could give it to him for his birthday last week. And I finished mom's lap quilt on the Lily before we left for  Chicago in april.
I now have 5 more tops to finish And I'm so excited now to get them done!