Random Thoughts

Good afternoon.  I am home sick for the second time in a row.  I am not sure what's wrong, I feel sort of in the middle of getting horribly sick and not being sick at all.  And, I have given whatever this is to my husband - great.  Anyway, lately I have been wrestling with where I fit as a quilter, sewer, hobbier, etc.  In the past I have gone through so many hobbies, picking up something, being all gung-ho about it then loosing interest in it quickly.  I'm not sure if it's a growing up and discovering yourself thing, lack of inspiration or that it's just the way I am.

Right now, I can count on two fingers the things I am interested in as hobbies.  One is baking.  The other is quilting.  For some reason or another, these two have stuck around to the point where I actually WANT a mixer for baking AND I have taken the time to put together a room for quilting.

Which brings me to my random thoughts.  (Bear with me, the threads that hold these thoughts together are thin and frayed!)  First, I am not attracted to traditional quilts like these - except maybe the double wedding ring, the compass star and the hexie flower.  Don't get me wrong, traditional quilts are beautiful and I always appreciated the work put into them!  Anyway, sewing together blocks that are all the same except for their colorways (btw, if you Google colorways and click images, you get shoes!) doesn't really inspire me.

Also, I can't seem to be able sew a straight line to save my freaking life!  I want that foot for my machine that guides your fabric and helps you sew a straight and even 1/4" seam - but they don't make one for my machine.

So, what does inspire me?  Well, I'm trying to figure that out.  As for quilts and fabrics, I love working with scraps, charms and small pieces.  I love the look of these scrap quilts.  I also love the look of the "wonky" quilts like this one from Blue Elephant Stitches and this one from r0ssie blog.  I came across my first string quilt when I came across a post from Wendy from Sewing in the Wendy City who was guest blogging over at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure.  Then I discovered the work of Crazy Mom Quilts who just makes EVERYTHING seem so simple to make.  Even her "simple" quilts always look so beautiful!

So...I seem to be attracted to quilts that don't NEED to be sewn with straight lines; ones that look scrappy, bright and like a jumble of ideas in fabric.  However, I think I'm stuck.  I feel that if I go in the scrappy, uneven direction then I won't be respecting the traditions of quilting.  Maybe I also feel that if I don't learn the basic, fundamental, traditional blocks of quilting then I won't be seen as a "quilter?" I mean, I can appreciate the beauty in traditional quilts, really I can!  But when I *TRY* the blocks, or look at quilts that are "traditional," my brain gets bored.

Then there is the fabric.  So many of the quilt blocks out there seem to showcase the fabric in beautiful ways.  Like the 9 patch.  9 squares of fabric sewn together that show off the good choices of fabric you made when you picked out fabric for this quilt beautifully!  How can I justify taking a chunk of fabric I payed $7.95 (OR MORE!) a yard for and cutting it up into scraps?!

I don't know.  I feel the inspiration just bubbling at the surface!  What is blocking me?  Am I over thinking here?  And by over thinking, could I be stifling my creativity?!

Sewing room!

Hi all!  I finally put my sewing room together and couldn't wait to post some pictures!  Check it out!  :)

My sewing station.  I got that table at a yard sale for like $2!  Like my red chair?  I got a pair of them for $40 at an antique store in Clovis.  They are sturdy, comfortable and the perfect shade of red.  The curtains were free and from my parents who didn't need them any more.  Also, I know it's night time, but the window really does bring in a lot of light during the day.  :)

My kitty helper, Anu.  :)  Take note of that bin she's sitting on - it's FULL of charm packs - I will write more on those later.

 My design wall - a flannel backed table cloth that I found at a thrift store for only $1!

  The ceilings in my room are slanted, but on this side they are SUPER tall!  My lantern is about 24 inches wide and fits nicely above my window so it doesn't block light coming in and it provides nice light for when I want to sew after the sun goes down.  I got the parasol at the Renaissance Festival in Mesa, AZ.

 My inspiration board and ironing station...and a step ladder that fits my computer perfectly so I can watch Netflix or listen to Pandora while I sew.  My sewing room is pretty much the ONLY room in the house not wired for cable.

 My cutting station and my small stash.  The fabric banner above my cutting table was made by my sister-in-law for my bridal shower.  I love it so much and couldn't WAIT to finally have a sewing room to hang it up!  Also, see that door?  It's only about three feet high and hides a closet behind it and is as long as the wall.  I can envision a nice stash growing in that closet...  :)

 This is a picture to show the slant of the ceiling..and the cute clock I bought to put over the door.  It's tiny but works!  :)

What do you think?!  Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you enjoyed the tour!  :)

Spring Break!

It's SPRING BREAK!  No work for a week!  Yippie!!

I will finally have time to put my sewing room together so check back for project updates soon.  :)

.....as soon as I find my camera that is....

So I haven't blogged in a while

It's been about a month or so since I have blogged.  I wanted to blog at least once a week, but life has gotten in the way.  Since my last post, I have moved to a different city, started a new job as a 6th grade teacher, made a couple of new friends, gone through a an infection of pink eye (P had the pink eye, but I went through it with him!) and so far have evaded whatever the sickness is that has been going around the school. *knock on wood!*  I haven't unpacked my sewing room yet so I haven't made anything lately, but I did buy a cute new lamp for above my cutting table so I can actually see what I'm making when I do get around to making something.  My mom (who now has her own blog!) sent me some adorable black and white fabrics she found while cleaning out her sewing room so I'm kind of inspired - but so tired!  I want to make a string quilt for our bed in black and white since both P and I decided we wanted to do the bedroom in black and white to kind of go with some black and white posters of the Eiffel Tower I have.  I have had these posters for a while and have always put one above the bed since it's one of my dreams to see the Eiffel Tower one day.  :)

Anyway, the reason I came here to blog is to let you know about a giveaway Linda over at Stray Stitches is having.  She is celebrating 400+ followers and is giving away some lovely fabrics.  Since I have little to no stash, I am kind of apprehensive about advertising this giveaway because she already has over 150 entries, but the prize is too pretty not to share.  So pop on over, say hi and enter her giveaway!  As for me, I am going to go cuddle on the couch with a kitty and watch some yummy cakes being made on TLC.  Mmm...cake!  Happy Saturday everyone!  :)

But Perchance to Dream...

I have been dreaming about a sewing room for some time now.  A place where I can fold up my fabric nicely on shelves so I can actually see what I have instead of having to rummage through a Rubbermaid container every time I want to find a certain fabric.  It would also be nice to have a space where I can leave a  project that is half done out, close the doors and know that nothing is going to happen to it until I come back.  A place where everyone is welcome, but where I can be alone if I wanted.  An inspiring place...something like these:

This room is just so bright and cute.  I think my favorite parts
of this room are the color on the walls and the red lanterns.

This one is just so simple, sophisticated and organized.  It
kind of reminds me of Joscelyn but not just because of the purple.

I think this one is my favorite.  I love the green sheers and the
simplicity of the entire room.  It's not too big, not too small and has
touches of bright colors here and there.  It also has a nice,
relaxed and inspiring feel to it.

If all I had was a closet, I would make something
like this.  I love the tree paper in the background and
all the shelf space.  I worry there isn't enough room
behind the sewing machine though to
actually sew something.