Making Friends and Having Fun

 Friends and Fun are not all there is to life....but I'm enjoying both right now!

In March I mentioned a pincushion swap (HERE) hosted by The Sewing Loft.  The swap has happened and not only did
I receive some fun surprises in the mail, but I made two new friends....they do live in other states....but, no matter.

From Gina - Springfield, IL

Gina sent me an email and told me she was recently on a road trip and passed right through Paducah...of course, stopping at Hancocks of Paducah.  (She spent three hours there!)  It wasn't until she mailed my box that she realized I lived in Paducah
(2 miles from Hancocks.)  Darn....

From Sandy - Liberty, IA

LOOK at that bucket of clips!  Wowy, Zowy!

 

What I sent to them.

The pincushion was made from a dessert glass.  I weighted it with pennies in the bottom.

The bird is iron and surprisingly heavy for such a little thing. (Hobby Lobby $2.50)  I thought it would be good on the ironing board to keep fabric from slipping off the board.  

And, who doesn't LOVE a needle book!  I love making needle books.  They're fast and I always feel good when they are completed.

I mail my boxes tomorrow. I hope they enjoy their gifts.  Receiving their gifts sure put a smile on my face!

And, now a long, holiday weekend is upon us. I hope to spend a fair amount of time in the studio as the outside temps are expected to be in the upper 90's.  That means gardening in the cooler mornings and sewing in the afternoons and perhaps an adult beverage and ukulele in the evenings.

Sounds like a perfect weekend to me.

What A Difference A Day Makes

 ...24 Little Hours (Nice Ukulele rendition HERE)

BEFORE

AFTER

I took my own advice and moved furniture around...swapping the east and the south walls. 
The sewing station is now on the south wall.

 

 

Last night I made myself sit down and sew for a while....
finishing up the Quilting Auntie's memorial wall-quilt top.

 

 

It's better.

My back is no longer to the door (now, no one can sneak up on me) and I took the opportunity to clean and move supplies around. (And, believe it or not...even though it has only been six months in this new house...some things were purged.) I thought back to how things were arranged in the Needlers studio in CA. 

The lighting still needs attention.  But, I just may have broken through the log jam.

The moral of the story, never underestimate the value of working with what you have
and a good cleaning.

Is the Converse Always True?

If A Stitch In Time Saves Nine....

Then, if you don't stitch in time....what happens?

What if you're not stitching, at all!?....I just can't make myself!
I'm finally asking myself  "why?"  

Because the room setup just does not work....It's not inviting for starters. 
The logistics are not set up so things are in a logical place.  Have you ever walked into a store and the whole atmosphere is just uncomfortable? 
That's how this room feels.

The lighting isn't right:  There isn't enough of it, regardless of how many lamps are added.

The furniture isn't right:  I hate the table setup.  But, I feel like I'm stuck with it because I spent good money to buy that thing that was called a sewing table,
(but really isn't.)

The ironing station isn't right: I left my original ironing station in California (it was not expensive and I figured it would cost a lot to move, plus the Needlers left behind needed it.)
Now it is back to a regular ironing board....it's just too small.

 The electric outlets are in all the wrong places.

It's time to bite the bullet and create a sewing space that works for me.

After consulting with my man....handyman Keith, we're starting with the lighting.
 

Two of these types of track lights should improve the environment seven fold!

They swivel and move around so it should banish all the shadows, don't ya think? 
While he is adding these lights, he'll add a few electrical outlets.  

Even as I write this, I think the next step is to empty the room and re-place the furniture. 
See how fung shui improves.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears.

Happy Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to my two favorite DADs...

National Sewing Machine Day 2022

 

Apparently there is a day for everything.  Today we sing the praises of our beloved sewing machines.

There is also a National Sewing Month.  HERE

And don't forget the National Quilting Day:  HERE

PLUS World-Wide Quilting Day.

From My House to Yours..... Have a Blessed National Sewing Machine Day.

Attitude Adjustment

 Hard to believe 2022 is half over - IT'S JUNE ALREADY!  (and I have been in KY 5 months!)

So, is the year "half over" or "we still have 6 months to go!"  Do we need an attitude adjustment?

I'm going with "we still have 6 months in 2022"....think of the possibilities!

Look, my sewing studio is a mess!  Isn't that beautiful? 
My Studio is still not set up the way I want.  None of the furniture really "works."

The Quilting Auntie's Memorial Wall Quilt "On The Road Again" under way.

I'm working on the bottom piece now....Can you believe it?!  I advertised on Next Door for a person in the area who might do machine embroidery....not even a nibble!  For being "Quilt City USA" other than the Quilt shows, not much quilting happening here that I have found.

 

On my design wall...which is in a narrow hall and hard to get a good picture.

I'm thinking the panel needs something.  Big open white space is screaming for something.....pondering what that might be....

Add the bottom edge, one more border and she's ready for quilting...which I guess I'll have to do myself.

The other side of the narrow hallway, my gallery.