Five Shadows

Today is the final stop on Vicki Welsh’s Real Studio Tour. We are to share photos of our spaces where we work/play/create!

My sewing set up is now in a room that my girls out grew. It is a good sized room of about 14 feet by 24 feet. It is what we call the bunk bed room because of the two sets of built in bunk beds. Fifteen years ago, while hunting for a larger house for our growing family – we have five children – a friend recommended this house to us. When we toured it, the girls named it the bunk bed house. The girls, then 3, 6, and 9 all shared the bunk bed room. Their older brothers each got their own room. I set up my sewing area in the fifth unclaimed bed room. Then the brothers grew up and went off to college and the girls decided they would like to have their own rooms. So everything got switched around and I ended up setting up shop in the bunk bed room! I like it for the space, but I really don’t care much for the bunk beds as there is just so little wall space in this room. But there are also 2 built-in desks, one built-in dresser, a walk-in closet, and two side-by-side closets. So lots of space and storage to utilize.

Here are photos of it all clean and organized when I took over the space three years ago.

Above picture is what you see when you walk in and look to the right. The kids use the bottom bunk as a day bed and watch movies on the computer.

Above, is the room to the left as you walk in the door. I’m using the bunk beds as storage at this point and hang up the most recently made quilt to cover up the messy storage.

Oh look at that clean floor! I’ll be showing you ‘real life’ in just a bit. The book shelf on the right are mostly my husbands books. In the units are the left, I organized my fabric by color. So pretty to look at!

Here you see my cutting station on top of a Lowe’s cabinet with lots of storage. The built in dresser is full of UFOs. Eeck! Too many of those! The book shelves are full of thread,  quilting books and supplies.

And what does this space look like today?

(Taken with a wide angle lens). See the blue fabric in the front right? Which is in front of the book shelves, it is covering up storage boxes, serger, UFOs, bits and pieces.  How many of my Protect-n-Store boxes do you count!? I have personal WIP in some of the boxes, and demo boxes for Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop where I work  play.

Oh, I made new curtains for this room, which I like. And I have even done some cleaning out. Over Christmas break I hope to finish up a Block-of-the-Month for the quilt shop and also a clothing quilt for a customer. Then I hope to organize some for the start of the New Year.

For those of you who guessed at the number of Protect-n-Store boxes in my possession, the current number is 22. ☺

Hop on over to Vicki’s blog to see how other quilters have their studios set up and to also add yours to the link!

Vicki’s week #2 for  The Real Studio Tour, Storage Solutions is up. Check out the links to see how fellow quilters are solving their storage issues! And link up yourself.

I learned about these Protect-n-Store boxes several years ago and asked my local quilt shop, Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop in Roanoke, IN, if they would carry them. And they now do! $6.99 a piece. They are a good size at 12 1/2″ square and 3″ deep. I use them for projects-in-progress.

I’m NOT going to tell you how many of these great boxes I have in use! Want to guess?! ☺

Vicki is hosting a Studio Tour for bloggers to link up answering three questions over the course of three weeks – using pictures from our own studios! The first week, we are to show a non-traditional tool we use in our studio.

I use a hemostat for turning applique pieces and tubes right side out. They also are handy in place of a pair of twisters. For example – dislodging thread stuck in the bobbin case. And they are good for pushing out the corners of projects like pillow cases. I keep a pair handy right next to my sewing machine. This curved tipped hemostat in the picture is actually my ‘stand in’ pair, as I have misplaced my favorite straight tipped hemostat in the current clutter of my studio. (Yes, I’ll reveal that creative mess to you December 20th!)

To join in the fun, visit Vicki’s blog post: The REAL Studio Tour!

I’ve been seeing posts on Pinterest lately about a binding method gals are calling a Faux Flange Binding. Some of the first links I followed didn’t give instructions. Playing around with dimensions, I came up with a size I like for a finished binding and flange. I’m calling this technique an “All-In-One Flange Binding” because it is not a faux flange – it really is a flange! And the technique combines the flange and binding together.

Here’s how I made the All-In-One Flange Binding -

Materials Needed

Two fabrics to coordinate with your finished quilted quilt top.

One fabric is for the binding, strips cut at  1  1/2” wide.

Coordinating fabric for the flange, strips cut at 2” wide.

(Instructions do not include yardage needed for binding. Consult your favorite binding chart or app for yardage needed.)

Sew together all binding strips end-to-end using a mitered seam for one long continuous strip. Do the same with the flange strips. Trim and press seams. (Flange strips shown in photo.)

 

Sew together the binding strip and the flange strip, side-by-side using a 1/4” seam allowance to make one long continuous strip. Press seam allowance towards darker fabric.

Press wrong sides together matching raw edges together. The flange fabric will be folded over onto the binding side of the strip with about 1/4” showing.

 

On the back of your prepared quilt, (quilted and squared up) sew binding side down using a generous 1/4” seam allowance. Leave about an 8” flap at the start and finish so you can miter finish your binding with your favorite method. A Walking Foot is helpful for this step.

 

Press binding over off the back of the quilt.

On the front of the quilt, press binding towards front of quilt, covering seam allowance. There will be about 1/2″ of binding fabric showing on the front with a 1/4″ flange.

Press a miter at each corner. Pin if necessary to hold binding in place.

Stitch in-the-ditch between the binding fabric and the flange fabric with thread coordinating with the flange fabric. (I used a rust for the top thread to match the flange, and a cream in the bobbin to match the quilt back.)

You will have about a 1/2” of binding fabric and a 1/4” flange showing on the front of your quilt.

Your quilt is complete with a flange to add a nice pop to your quilt! And it was all machine sewn! Quick and easy!

Autumn Breeze Table Runner, an original design. 4 – 12 inch off-set leaf blocks, Fairy Frost fabrics, fusible applique for the stems, free motion quilted with variegated thread, inside corner binding.

The Stitcher’s Garden Classes are well under way at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop in Roanoke, IN. We have a once a month Thursday class with beginners. They are a joy to teach! It is so much fun to see them learn new-to-them techniques. The once a month Monday class has one beginner who is learning the techniques and always experimenting to tweak each lesson making them her own. The other 3 gals in the class are really there just for the fun of it and time to visit and sew in a group. We bounce ideas off of each other and discuss ways to change the quilt block using favorite techniques. We are using Batiks for all the blocks. Here are the blocks so far:

Block 2 – turned edge applique circles, fusible applique

Block 3 – circle attachment, also ‘poor man’s circles’ which means using an index card and thumb tack if you don’t own a circle attachment for your machine. Fusible applique.

Block 4a – couching, fusible applique

Block 4b – couching. I used DMC floss for the couching. Students used yarn and ribbons. Fusible applique.

Block 1 – previously shown in an earlier post. Snowball blocks and fusible applique.

This quilt was made of Half Square Triangles (HST), Quarter Square Triangles (QST), and border prints. The fabric line is Trails End by Moda. I used 8″ squares to make 4 large 24″ blocks for a simple throw quilt. Easy for beginners. I demoed the HST and QST at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop, Roanoke, IN.

The border print was cut at 5″ wide and the QST are 5″ unfinished in the corners.

Sorry the picture is not that great. Hoping to take a better one once it is quilted and bound.

Eeck! What a month. So many lovely plans and so little done. What I did the most was sleep. I was hit with the vertigo virus that is going around and spent 5 days straight in bed. Bad headache and soooo dizzy. Once I was able to move with out severe vertigo & nauseousness, it was another 11 days before I felt safe to use a rotary cutter or drive a car! It was another 5-7 days at least before I was no longer hit with a moment of ‘wobble’. Strangest illness I have ever experienced. And I wish it on NO ONE! Not a fun time. 5 days straight – too dizzy to read or look at a computer screen. I did try sitting at the sewing machine around day 6 or 7 and realized I was putting myself and the QUILT in danger! It was a very good thing that all my body wanted to do was SLEEP! Otherwise it would have been a very boring illness. God is Good! I have not had any ‘wobble’ moments this past week. Many who have told me they also have had the vertigo virus have said that the ‘wobble’ never goes away. So I’m pleased to say I can again stand on one foot to put my pants on and not fall over!

Here is a look back on September’s List:

My list for September is:

1. Baby quilt for niece. Top is done, needs quilting & binding. (Not touched)

2. Baby quilt for nephew. Finish top. (Not touched)

3. Work on wedding quilt for my son and DIL. Fabrics & pattern selected, make some headway on piecing. (I looked for a new pattern as the one I have is not working.)

4. Finish 6 charity quilts. Tops done, need to pillow-turn & top stitch them.(Not touched)

In the work world of quilting I have the following to complete for Fabrics & Friends Quilt Shop:

1. Ripple Effect pattern by Cut Loose Press (two rows done)

2. Halloween strip quilt. (Done!)

3. Thangles demo for quarter-square-triangles.

4. Blocks for Quick Curve Ruler demo. (Done! and demoed twice!)

New list for October:

1. Baby quilt for niece. Top is done, needs quilting & binding.

2. Baby quilt for nephew. Finish top.

3. Setting aside my son and DIL’s quilt for now.

4. Trying to be realistic about this list! Will I really get to those charity quilts this month? I have finished 8 during the summer, have 6 more to go, but will not beat myself up if I don’t get to them.

List for Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shop:

1. Ripple Effect pattern by Cut Loose Press – finish top

2. Thangles demo for quarter-square-triangles.

3. Sunkist Quilt Top with Ruffled Circles IF the Ruffler Presser Foot arrives in time!

4. Block 4 of Stitcher’s Garden BOM

Here is the only picture I have for last month. And I didn’t even have it on the list! Silly me!

14″ Log Cabin Blocks with Borders using Quick Cabin Ruler for 1 1/2″ strips, by June Tailor

Linked with Judy at Patchworks Times Get It Done Challenge.

In the personal quilting world, I’ve totally fallen behind in “Getting it Done” a challenge of sorts run by Judy Laquidara of Patchwork Times. The idea is to list at the beginning of each month what you plan on getting done quilt-wise for the month, and then at the end of the month post how well you did with your list.

My list for September is:

1. Baby quilt for niece. Top is done, needs quilting & binding.

2. Baby quilt for nephew. Finish top.

3. Work on wedding quilt for my son and DIL. Fabrics & pattern selected, make some headway on piecing.

4. Finish 6 charity quilts. Tops done, need to pillow-turn & top stitch them.

In the work world of quilting I have the following to complete for Fabrics & Friends Quilt Shop:

1. Ripple Effect pattern by Cut Loose Press

2. Halloween strip quilt.

3. Thangles demo for quarter-square-triangles.

4. Blocks for Quick Curve Ruler demo.

Looks like a pretty good list!

Here is what I demoed today at the quilt shop:

Diamonds Are Forever Table Runner.

[Edited Friday, August 23, 2013 - this demo is being postponed until sometime in September. Sorry!]

Saturday Demo, August 24, 2013 at Fabrics and Friends Quilt Shoppe, Roanoke, IN. 10 – 3. This is a fun little table runner, easy to put together and quick piecing!