Tuesday To-Do #10: Studio Prep Part Two--The Tour

Welcome to another edition of Tuesday To-Do, and

to Part Deux of how the dream studio is coming along.

You might want to grab a large  coffee for this one!

Let's link up with Texas Quilt Gal and hop to it!

First checking in with last week's to-do's:

1) Give a tour of new studio--Done.  See below.

2) Keep practicing on Lucey--Done, but progress feels slow.

I did not expect it to be so different but it is.

The laser is on the left--my old one was on the right.

I'm on carpet now--I was used to sliding on a wood floor.

And obviously the machine itself feels different.  Eventually,

this will be great but right now, I'm trying not to get frustrated.

The good news is, I'm trying to get used to a smoother and

very consistent feel.  My old one changed

as the quilt rolled up.

The curves are giving me some real angst but leaves have

always come easy to me.  The one on the right is a panto

I've never done before so that threw in another factor.

Well, I'll get there.  I have a practice quilt on the way.

More on that next week.

3) Make some blocks for the monthly challenge--Tiny bit done.

I'm excited to announce I finally started one of Edyta's designs!

As you know, I've been focusing on building a good stash for

working my way through Edyta's A Season In Blue book.

 I'm still trying to find 8+ yds of neutral before I dive in to

the snowflake quilt so for now, I thought with all the LA

practicing going on, how about something with little

thought?  A billion HST's ought to fit that bill, right?

Cue that quilt to the far left on the book cover.

 (That's my teaser).

I came up with the above pull from that Blue Stash,

as I'll be referring to it, but I felt I needed a little more.

And I definitely needed more neutrals.

I was just up the street from Wichita's lone quilt shop

(just pathetic--we used to have so many more!)

so I decided to pop in and see if I couldn't make some

additions.  Above, a few FQ's and 1/4-yds--hopefully

that will do the trick.

I'll be following the directions for using some small scrap

pieces but for most of this, I'm going off-road and

employing the 4-at-a-time HST method because--eesh!

Why not!?

I generally start out a quilt by cutting a random

amount of pieces and then making a trial block or two.

Somehow it helps me with cutting the entire thing out

to know where I'm going with each piece, and to

see how the fabrics play together.   It makes for a

very slow start to every quilt but if it might save time

and frustration later, I'm willing to invest initially.

And this is where I'm at now:  a whopping two blocks

in March toward the 350 Blocks challenge.  Oh well.  

I rather killed it in Jan and Feb (400 total) so I'm fine.

I was a little busy.

Okay, time for the room tour....

If you missed Part 1, you can get caught up here.

Nothing to see here, just a lovely open highway

on a rainy KS morning!  No truck traffic--yay!

When I left off of part 1, I was heading to IKEA.  Oh,

the freedom to make spur-of-the-moment road trips!

After two hours of roaming their showroom floor,

I scored some great goodies for the studio.

These will show up later.

Heading out of the KC area, I finally got to stop by

Quilter's Haven, a shop that has evaded me for years.

(Time constraint and/or other passengers with me.)

Located just a hop off the main highway, I found

it to be worth the stop, especially if looking for

something specific.  

As noted earlier, I'm working on building the Blue

Stash so I picked up 1/2-yds of these three.

Back home, I wasn't even finished unloading when

Chloe discovered her surprise: a scratching mat.

Honestly, you'd think the thing had catnip on it

the way she rolled all over it.  Well, it's good to

have a happy recipient for one's gifts, right?

As for my other finds, I'll point them out as

we tour my studio.  

So, now, without further ado, how about you all

come check out my new creative space!?

This is the view as you enter.

Aside from the obvious, Lucey, the first thing you are

likely to see--and recognize from my old room--is

my fabric hutch (from IKEA about 6? years ago).

Fabric is a major source of motivation for me so it

has always been important to me that this cabinet

is the first thing I see when walking into my studio.

(Currently looking for the perfect clock to go on the 

blank wall space to the right of the hutch.)

When this space is completely packed with fabric

(ahem)

that is my sign that I need to stop buying!

(It's about as packed as it has ever been!)

The top drawer holds bindings, various scrap

pieces and a few panels; the second drawer

holds fat quarters and orphan layer cakes; the

last holds what's left of my older, cheaper fabric

(back when I shopped Joann's and Walmart)

that I use for practice or any other random

and unimportant uses (not quilting).

On the top is the majority of my knitting supplies.

I look at these longingly from time to time.

To the side is a barstool that holds a couple of my

new IKEA purchases.  I've always had a thing for

pitchers and thought this was too cute.  Besides,

I needed him to water my new plants

from IKEA (incl the one above).

I think by now you've all met Lucey.  

I've finally started practicing on her--thus the

ugly brown fabric you see loaded up.  

I really wish I had something prettier staged

for these pics but I'm just not there yet.

I picked up a runner to catch oil spills, etc.

Behind her in the back corner by the window is

another IKEA purchase.  I always wanted one for

longarm supplies so, finally, I have one.

Let's move into the dormer where I do my actual sewing.

As I set up the entire dormer area, I thought for sure

everything would feel too confined but so far, aside

from the cutting table (which has always been

too small for my tastes), it all just feels snug and

convenient!   I know it may not look that way but

you'll have to trust me on this one.

Perhaps it's because I'm used to my small studio?

And there is much to be said for having everything

within arm's reach.

You may recognize this from my old sewing room.

I just couldn't live without it.  On top is another

new plant and most of my rulers--for now.

I have two of these ruler racks so I've been thinking

about setting them on brackets and mounting one

on each side of the window.  I've been worried about

getting too much clutter on the wall but this would

be very handy.  I continually tell myself that it's not

so much a living space as it is a studio and while

aesthetics are great, it's also about function.

Under the table is the scrap fabric and batting bins.

Until now I always referred to the latter as "Mount Batting"

but with all of my practicing on Lucey, it's almost all gone!

Note Chloe's scratching pad on the left table leg.

(It comes with straps for this.)

In the corner is one of two basket carts.  In this one 

are my WIPs and cutting trays.  There are also a

few rulers and to-make-soon-patterns on top.

Most of the time you'll also find Chloe up there.

Perhaps temporarily, I have a second basket cart

(houses my yarn collection that, sadly, never gets used!)

at the entry to the "sewing space".  I needed an

extra surface for technology--not the cutting table

or sewing desk.  This works...for now.

I tried to avoid putting it there because it makes

for a tight entry into the sewing area but,

believe it or not, thus far it has been a non-issue.

Remember that I picked this up the day I bought

Lucey?  You'll see it on that little cart as well, holding

the markers for my IKEA chalkboard (above cart)

that I use daily.

In the only space I could fit it you'll see the design wall.

A view from the back of the dormer.

While sitting at my sewing machine, I'll be able to keep

an eye on Lucey when she becomes more independent

 (aka, digital).   You'll also note the tv hubs bought

for me.  I'm not a tv-watcher while I sew but boy

do I love tutorials and such.  It's in a perfect spot,

especially for watching long-arm tutorials!

On the desk you'll see one of my new IKEA trays in use.

These deep ones are for larger amounts; I love that

the lids can keep pieces from blowing around

when the windows are open....

 

...and then double as more shallow trays.

Oh how I have needed these!

Now, moving back toward the door, is the main

reason I ran up to IKEA.

I wanted a space to store my precuts away from

lint and dust.  For someone who says they don't

really like precuts, perhaps it's a bit crazy to take

such measures but...I like it and it stores cute stuff.

It also stores most of my quilt books.

There is an optional base that would raise it

another 5-ish inches but IKEA is completely out

everywhere.  I'm waiting for now but I may just

give up.  It would be nice to not have to reach

quite so far down but, really, how often would

I really need to do that anyway?

This past weekend, I got lights mounted inside,

just like in my fabric hutch. They're white LEDs,

 not yellow like they look in the pics.

The colander on the top shelf that holds some

jelly rolls is another new IKEA purchase...

as is this little plate rack that is now a charm

pack holder (3rd shelf on layer cakes).

There is a reason I'm trying to make use of

kitchen gadgets for organization but I'll get

to that in the months to come.

Above it is the painting hubs got for me;

on the hutch top, another new IKEA plant....

and a fun message from my morning coffee!

And lastly, the outdated vanity.  I'm still looking for

a new mirror but for now, a new light and towel

ring are up.  Eventually we'll get new countertops

in both rooms but I'm not in a huge hurry.
(Maybe next fall when the outdoor work dwindles.)

I have craft items stored in the drawers:

paper cutter, paper, packaging supplies, glue gun, etc.

Yet another IKEA find, I thought this would be great

to fill with ice, water and fruit and/or mint for a long

day of sewing.  I think I'll eventually add a Keurig, too,

For perspective, this is the view from the vanity.

(And off to the very near left is the bathroom.)

It was taken a little earlier in the set up but you

get the idea.

It's a little crazy how this just all fell into place,

and is still falling into place, but I'm really happy

with how it all turned out and to be able to

share it all with you today!  

My to-do's for next week?

1) Load a quilt and get going

2) Finish cutting out Blues #1

3) Figure out window treatments

I love them wide open but the heat from the

afternoon/evening sun will be a real issue!

Happy quilting!