Tuesday To Do #10: Studio Prep & Lucey Arrival Part 1

"Oooh Lucey, you're hoooome!" 

Lucey is finally here.

And I've been doing so much to make the perfect studio

for spending all of our time together that I chose to skip

last week's to-do.  But hopefully that's enough of that

behavior and from here on out, I'll be back to being a

dedicated, regular participator on Texas Quilt Gal's

Tuesday To-Do starting with today's Link Up!

With so much activity, it's hard to squeeze all of this

into one post so even though I can't wait to show you

my amazing new space, I'm doing this in two parts.

I guess I should start with some To-Do's since that's

what we're all here for today.  How about:

1) Buy a long arm--Done.

2) Build a studio--Done.

What a list, right?  And did I think I'd end up

with my dream studio?  Not at all.

I never got passed:  "Will it all fit okay?" but things just

kind of kept falling into place--with a lot of work!

Let's go back to the beginning.  If you recall, I needed

to move the cadet's things over into his brother's room.

(Other son is in the process of buying a home.)

Both rooms are upstairs, each off to opposite sides of

our open stairway so fortunately, this wasn't as difficult

as it could have been.  Now, you wanna something cool?
This room was actually mine when we built this home

back when I was in high school. Who'd have thought,

back in that day, that I'd be right back in it turning it

into a quilting studio!

Getting ready to paint, incl mudding holes in wall, etc.

So next was to paint.  It doesn't quite show in the above

pic, but that really was the prettiest blue.  But I'm sure you

can see how it had to go.  I needed neutral and bright.

Due to my own mistake, I ended up painting three times.

First, a wrong color, and then two more of the prettiest paint

a quilter could ever have.  I have always loved to paint but

I do believe this girl's painting days are done.  Sheesh.

It can be pretty darned rough on an older body!

Tint of Honey, btw.

Oh the brightness! I do wish you could see it in person.

Just gorgeous.  If my painting days are over, I'm

happy to be going out on this color!

Both upstairs rooms are large, each with a dormer,

two walk-in closets and their own vanity cabinet (with sink)

 off to the side with a bathroom shared between.  

The vanities in both rooms are pretty dated so we're

working on that but first things first, okay?

I had hubs help me draw up a layout of the room so

you could understand a little better here.   

My sketching isn't perfectly to scale but hopefully you

get the idea.  And yes, I am fully aware I have the worst

handwriting in existence.  I have finally come to terms

with this--and no longer care.  (How freeing!)

 So now you see I have a T-shape to try to figure out

where Lucey will fit best so what did I do?

I grabbed up an old roll of butcher paper and made out

the exact footprint of Lucey to move around the room

until I found the best place for her.

And done.  It took longer to make the footprint than it

did to get it all figured out!  A good thing because the next

day, I was set to be down at Red Barn Quilting at 9 am

so Brenda could show me how to take care of my new LA.

Road trip!

And I just realized that if you zoom, you might make out how

 fast I was driving.  Since I seem to be fessing up to things today,

you might as well know that I'm a little speedy on the highways.

 (Learning all about me today, aren't we?)

Random house being built up the road from Red Barn Quilts.

I just think it's pretty so I'm sharing.

The shop is to the far right here on their ranch.

After learning the low-down on everything, including

maintenance and plenty of other tidbits that I never knew

(like how humidity can affect your tension), I headed over

to meet hubs who had ridden down with his parents and

we spent the night at their little lake house. 

(Grateful for the time and gas this saved!)

The next day we set about loading her up.  Hubs is 

pretty savvy and in taking this thing down with Brenda's

help, he pretty much had it memorized for setting it back

up but we did take some pictures for help.

APQS makes some amazingly solid machines, and they

don't break down into shorter pieces like my old one.

On this cold and rainy day, we needed at least 12' of

covered space (cold & rainy!) to get her home.
So, a U-haul to the rescue.

I put complete trust in hubs and my FIL when it came

to loading her up.  They have skillz, and also understood

how just sensitive everything is.  (I did get the deluxe table

with that Bliss Track system and it has to be handled

with the utmost care!)   Again, grateful!

Lucey herself, of course, rode up with hubs and I.

Several hours later we were finally home and unpacked.

I was in no hurry; we were tired and had a weekend

 ahead of us still so after some initial set-up, we decided

to finish the next day.  

I was moving things up from my sewing room and it was

 taking an insane amount of thought and planning.

How did this happen?!?

I'd insisted on keeping my sewing room downstairs!

I didn't want to be tucked upstairs away from the activity.

Wait....what activity?

I guess sometimes I forget I'm an empty-nester!  Ha!

The great lighting, the open space and the idea of having

it all together was starting to sound very attractive.
Plus, the great hubs who helped make all this happen

really wanted my old room for his office.

The trick was how to organize it all.  After trying a couple

layouts I slept on it...and then tried more the next day. 

I have to sew in front of a window but this just

didn't feel right.  I felt like I was kind of down a tunnel.

And where did that leave space for my cutting table?

 Then it occurred to me to put my desk at the front of the

dormer.  From that angle, I could still see out of the arched

window.  This would also be great later when I get my

computer program so I can keep an eye on Lucey doing

 her thing while I sew away.   Hubs was also talking about

getting me a tv to mount on the wall that I could watch

from there.  Not a big tv-watcher but I do love tutorials

so I was definitely in on this plan.

I tried the cutting table several ways and ended up with this.

 It didn't look great at first but it felt good so I was willing

to give it a trial run.  You'll have to trust me on this one.

It starts coming together...

 Meanwhile, in the closet...

A daughter has her things in one closet but each are

plenty spacious.  In the above pic, all of my quilt tops

are piled on the floor but they'll soon be hanging and

the floor free.  Well, even better, they'll soon be quilted!!

While Chloe was rapidly making herself at home in the

new studio, I was rapidly seeing that I wanted a hutch

that coordinated with my fabric cabinet.  This one would

 be for books, precuts, and misc.

So, another road trip--this time to IKEA in Kansas City.

I spent two solid hours walking the show floor, looking

for ideas and thinking through my organizing needs

(and wants).  And if that wasn't enough fun, I stopped

by a quilt shop on the way home.
With that, this is "To be Continued...!"

Next week I'll share the purchases and do a little

tour of the entire studio.

Next week's to-do's

1) Give a tour of new studio

2) Keep practicing on Lucey

3) Make some blocks for the monthly challenge

Happy quilting!

2022 Tuesday To-do #9: Top #9 Finish, Lucey Prep Winding Down

Happy Tuesday To-Do!

Texas Quilt Gal invites all to-do'ers to link up

and show what our accomplishments have been

for the past week and hopefully inspire each other

to get all the things done in the week to come.

From last week:

1) Finish Pines

Done.

#9 Pine Tree Lane

74x86

2) Visit LQS "B"

Done.  Actually "B" and "C".

I still didn't find my neutral but it's okay.  I'm patient

there, especially with other things on my plate. 

We (a friend and I) still both found some goodies

and a little road trip is always good for the soul.

The lighting is a bit off above but these are all going

to my blue collection.  I got 3 yds of the stripe thinking

it would make nice binding for 3? of Edyta's quilts.

The collection isn't big enough yet but I'm having fun

taking my time.  Someday soon it will be a real treat

to finally get started working through that book.

(A Season In Blue by Edyta Sitar)

3) Continue preparing for Lucey

Oh goodness, have I been preparing!

Everything was moved out and the room now has two

coats of paint.  I ran out of time to get it in this post

so I'm hoping to cover it in a separate one, or at least

all next week.

I made no moves toward starting quilt #10 but I did get 

two backings pieced so now 8 of the 9 tops have backs.

I've also been thinking thinking about getting labels

and bindings made up for all of them but hey,

let's not be an overachiever, right?

Both of my ironing boards received new covers.

Last fall when my iron appeared to be unusually hot,

I barely tapped it to the board and it instantly scorched

that ugly brown iron mark that makes you look forgetful.

 (Soooo glad I didn't put it on something important!)

(And yes, I tossed that iron!)

  It only took me about 6 months to get it switched out.

   Because I like them to match, I did my smaller one too.

Next week's To-Do's:

Looking ahead, well gracious!  It's a big week!

I have a class on the ins and outs of Lucey on Thursday

and then Friday is the big day!  I pray she travels well;

I see snow and rain in the forecast.

1)  Finish painting studio

I will check today, once the sun comes up, to see if a

little more trim work (esp along ceiling) is required.

2) Long arm class in OK

3) Back to OK to get Lucey & set her up

4) Pics and post on the process

I'll see you all back here next Tuesday

 with pics of the big day!

Happy quilting!

A #9 Finish

 They say you should change things up every

now and then; don't be so predictable.

Today I thought I'd really put myself out there

and actually post on a different day of the week!

I know.  Shocking.

All kidding aside, maybe what's really shocking is

that I have completed my 9th quilt top of 2022!

And maybe a little more, this is my 700th post!

How did that happen?

But first let's link up over where my friend Wendy of

Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life is hosting

TGIFF--Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday!

The pattern is Peppermint Pines from Erica Arndt

of Erica Made Designs and finishes up at 74X86.

(I hope a finished top qualifies as a finish because

I'm currently between long-arms.  The new one arrives

in a week so then the real finishes can begin!)

A close-up reveals the sparkly silvery snow in the

background which I think makes it a little more

festive and fun for the holidays, though I think

this one could hang out all winter.

This is my second go at Peppermint Pines.

My first one, made a year ago, sits on our sofa

through the winter months.  Which means it's 

almost time to put it away...but definitely not yet.

We woke up to a bit of a winter wonderland.

Not yet spring.  Not yet.

Sigh.

Happy quilting!

2022 TTD #8: Still Pining for a #9 Finish

Hello and welcome to Tuesday To-Do once again.

Time to link up to Texas Quilt Gal and see what's

been going on with me and the other quilters

over the past week.

From last week's list:

1)  Visit LQS "A"

Done.

I didn't find what I was after but you know?

 In the interest of making sure the trip wasn't a total bust,

I thought it was a good idea to get something for my

efforts.  I mean, driving all that way and all...

 I picked up just a bit of Edyta's fabrics and a clearance

goodie that just might fit in.  Pretty minimal amounts

but it's nice to have a start on the blues.  I felt I should

be more creative than just choosing the same fabrics

as in the book but I think it must be that once you see

her quilts made up in her fabrics, nothing else competes?

2)  Visit LQS "B"

No, but scheduled this week.

3) Continue on Pines

Done.

This one has been slow-going compared to

the way things have been around here lately.

All I can say is: lots of interruptions!

But, the center is together and the first border

put on.  Two more to go--likely today--and then

#9 will be done.  I'm not sure my shoulder can take

one more but 10 is my goal before Lucey arrives

in less than two weeks.  We'll see...  

(Ran out of time but next week I'll share more pics, 

especially of the sparkly gray snow background.)

4) Garden Time!

I did some early gardening, getting in all 4 kinds of

onions (red, yellow, white & scallions).  I decided to

put just a small amount of lettuce, spinach, beets

and radishes (white, red) in as well because the 

ground was prepped and rain on the way.

It's pretty cold still but they'll likely survive.

5) Prepare for Lucey

A little done.

(I'm not sure it'll ever all get done!)

Looking ahead...

Next week:

1) Finish Pines

2) Visit LQS "B"

3) Continue preparing for Lucey

Happy quilting!

2022 TTD#8: A Tale of Two Squirrels

Welcome to another episode of Tuesday To Do,

a link-up hosted by Texas Quilt Gal.

And happy Mardi Gras!

Looking at last week's list:

1) Start on quilt #9

I hit a wall. 

I was all excited with my new book...

...but then discovered that I didn't have any workable

background fabrics.  I decided that as special as the

quilts are in this book, I want to be pretty selective

with my fabrics.  And that will take patience and time. 

Meanwhile, I still needed a #9.

I did have great plans to choose another quilt but on that

 snowy morning, as I reached to turn my music on, I saw

the little kit that had been getting the shuffle all around

the room since last year when I found it on clearance. 

[See, if I put it away, I'll forget about it and that can't happen!]

 At a mere $10, I thought it would be a nice little selection of

fabrics even if I never got around to making it--but the

sample hanging in the quilt shop told me I'd be making it.

With the snow coming down the entire day, it was an

excellent day for squirreling.  And there was so much

 fabric included that, well, voila:  I made two squirrels!

Unless I get impatient--and I might--they'll be

some of my first practice projects on Lucey.

So, back to Quilt #9...

(Below is NOT it!)

"Peppermint Pines" by Erica Arndt

I made the above quilt two years ago and enjoy

seeing it on our sofa throughout the winter.

(Most especially the quilted snowflakes!)

I was hanging out next to it last week, surfing away for

the still-unknown #9 when suddenly I found myself

in the sewing room starting another pine quilt.

And for this one?  Stick to the stash.

I was a little hesitant about the silvery snow background

but I had almost 8 yards of it--that made it hard to resist.

Thankfully I listened to The Stash and I'm now loving it.

Above is just my teaser pic of my new one but I'm pretty

close to another finished top.

( If it weren't for those squirrels...!)

Since we're into March, I need to do some tracking.

First of all, after I lost some of my info, I had to

go back over my quilt worksheets and I still have no

idea what happened but apparently I mis-added my

block count for January.  (I have sent my correction to

Prairie Moon Quilts for the 350 Blocks Project.)

I also couldn't quite account for all the fabric used

so I had to lower that number by a few yards.  To keep

it as legit as I can, I gave up and just made the changes.

Fabric Tracking

2022 Purchased:  72.50 yds

2022 Used:  92.9 yds

2022 Net: -18.83 yds

350 Blocks Challenge

January Blocks: 237

February Blocks: 163

Total for 2022 So Far:  400

But back to the Edyta quilts...

I'm going to check out a couple LQS's

(not so local--1 hr drives to ea)

to see what I can come up with.  If that doesn't do it,

I might run up/over to MSQS, which of course, is an

all-day thing.

So that will kick off next week's to-do's:

1)  Visit LQS "A"

2)  Visit LQS "B"

3) Continue on Pines

4) Garden Time!

Later this week it's supposed to be unseasonably

warm so that means I'll likely be putting onions in the

garden and seeing what other outdoor clean up I can

knock off the list.  An early start means a nice, easy

pace and that's what I'm about.

5) Prepare for Lucey

This one won't be a nice, easily-paced project

because I've been putting it off.   Our boys still

have the upstairs bedrooms, though neither boy

really resides with us.  The oldest has graduated

and is working and house-hunting in Omaha

so he'll be taking his things soon--just not yet.

And the Cadet won't be home to visit till late-May.

The timing is all off so this will be tricky but my

mission is to play musical rooms, so to speak.

The Cadet's room is slightly bigger and has much

better lighting so his room will be my studio.

Omaha Son's room will now be the Cadet's room.

My studio will then need prepped and painted,

all before Lucey arrives.

You see why I put this off?  If it were just painting,

(fun!) I'd have done it already but this...Oy.

And now I need to hurry.

Happy quilting!

Also, a good and holy Lent to all who observe!

You got this!

...Or maybe I should say:  He's got ya!

Or whatever.  You know what I mean!