Thursday, March 25, 2010

I Have Begun To Paint!

Sew what you may ask?  To me it is a big deal.  I have not sewn in months.  I have only done what I had to do and that was to sew borders on round robins and make blocks for a DJ for a fellow Janiac.  That’s all the sewing I have done in the last eighteen months.  And only because  I had too.  Last year I had some health problem like frozen shoulder and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome that led me into depression where I felt like doing absolutely nothing.  Now I am starting to feel like doing something again and I feel like  if I totally redo my sewing room it might kick start me.  You would not believe me if I told you it was piled so high I could not use the cutting table, literally. I guess I will have to post a couple pictures to prove it to you.

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My room is about 19’ x 11’.  This is the east half where I cut and sew.  You can see the cutting table is piled high and my sewing machine is still covered where I set it from retreat 2 weeks earlier.  Tipper, the cat is  on the table there on the right, bedding up on my Nearly Insane fabrics.  One of his two bedding places.

 

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This picture is the other end.  The design wall has fallen, and is being used as a bulletin board.  These shelves are full of fabric and more is piled in front, more is in the closet.  To the left is my quilt frame, (I am a hand quilter), empty and also piled up.  My computer and book shelves are to the right in this picture.  My whole south wall is a long wall is full of windows.  I have windows or doors on every wall in this room so it’s hard to arrange things.  It took me 3 weeks to get everything out but I did it.  (You ought to see the garage!)  I am not getting any new furniture, just painting and new flooring.  In fact I got rid of the desk I sew on.  When I asked my husband about doing this he said what am I going to have to do?  I said just help me move the furniture out when it comes time.  I told him he should just be glad that I feel like doing this.  It is a ginormous undertaking. 

Now I am to the point of painting.  I am painting paneling.  I have painted the ceiling.  Next is a coat of primer and hopefully I can get by with one topcoat.  I hope after rearranging and getting most everything back in it’s place and probably culling more things I will get back to sewing.  If not, it needed it anyway.  I know I have never made good use of my time, my health the last year has just emphasized it that much more.

Tomorrow though I will take a break and go to my guild’s (Quilter’s Guild of East Texas) quilt show in Tyler, TX.  I don’t have anything entered, but I did quilt one that is entered.  I hope it wins a ribbon for the owner.  It will be good therapy and inspiration to see friends and quilts.  I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday unless it’s at a retreat.

Until next time,

Sarah

Monday, March 22, 2010

Will This Last?

Well, I finally took the plunge and have a blog. But...will it last? My name is Sarah and I live in northeast Texas, right in that big curve in I-30 northeast of Dallas where it turns and goes east. I can always find our area on the radar when it's raining. That town is known as Greenville. We live in a rural area outside of Greenville. I am 52 years young, have a husband that just retired at the age of 50 (boy, how I wish he would go back to work-anywhere!) and I have an elderly cat named Tipper and 2 canines. Moose is a Bassett, Beagle, Lab mix that looks like a miniature black lab and is one nervous pooch. Zeke, on the other hand, is a foundling Bassett hound who followed me home one day from walking Moose. He is the most laid back dog we have ever had and is stubborn, independent and he loves to ride and climb as high as he can. They are about the same age.

My main hobby is quilting, especially reproduction quilts. I hope one day to start a pattern company. I have purged 98% of my other fabric from my stash and have only kept my repros, including 30's. I purged alot of fabric, and still need to do something with it. I have made several reproduction quilts, one Baby Jane, you know that great sampler made during the Civil War from Brenda Papadakis' book Dear Jane
http://www.dearjane.com/ This is what got me onto reproductions quilts. I will tell you more about my DJ quilt in another post. It will take a post in itself; it's a journey you know.

My other hobbies are birding, walking and enjoying the outdoors. I also enjoy being on the computer, or at least I did until several months ago. But that too, is another story I will save for later.

My hope is to show you the view from my quilt room, in any shape or form at various times. I hope you will come back and see what I am all about from my view.


Sarah