Who rules the sewing room...the CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (oh and a dog pops in from time to time)!

Like most quilters...I too share my quilting space with two cats.  On occasion the dog makes an appearance when the cats are not around or on the other side of the room.

So this is "Mama"....she is the "queen mum" of the animals and is obsessed with being in boxes, laying on top of brand new fabric, and sunning behind my Singer sewing machine!  Anytime I get a box delivered and leave it laying around and opened, she will jump herself right in it!

Then there's Mama's daughter..."Baby"...however don't let that name fool you...she's no baby and she's no angel either.  She's very mean and will scratch you in a minute. EVERYTHING (and I mean everything) is on her terms!

Then there's my scaredy cat dog...."Diamond".   She's terrified of both of the cats, even though she is bigger than them!  Even though I captured this photo of her on the doggie bed I made her...she doesn't use it very often...so of course the cats will when she is not around!

The Charlemagne Quilt

I'm working on a new quilt which I have already titled, "The Charlemagne Quilt".  I choose this name because Charlemagne (also known as Charles the Great) had an admiration for learning.  This quilt will be my platform for learning and using some new techniques!  I'm wanting to incorporate beading and take another stab at free motion quilting with this project.  Right now I'm piecing the top together....of course creating as I go.  Here is what I have so far...

Charlemagne quilt small block

Charlemagne large quilt block

Charlemagne center

...more to come

The Quilt Room (Loft)

Okay so after a couple of months after my move...I think the sewing room (loft) has settled into a functional creative hurricane!  Keep in mind I'm only posting pictures of my main sewing area...the loft.  I also keep a small sewing area in my bedroom and I'll post those pictures at a later time. 

 

Good news is that I welcomed a new machine into the family this weeek...the Brother PQ1500!  I got a great deal on ebay and after playing with it for a bit...it inspired me to get back into learning free motion quilting!  Anyways.....since it's such a workhorse of a machine and very high powered...this will be the "male" machine of the lot and he will be called "Big Bro"!  Well enough of the chitter chatter...on to the pictures.

This is my attempt to organize my patterns and fat quarters. I'm actually thinking of eliminating the patterns as they don't seem to want to really work with me! After sewing for the past year and a half I realize that me and patterns don't mix. I do better free cutting my own clothing pieces from closthes out of my closet. By eliminating the pattern column, then I would have more room to add to my fabric quarter stash and provide room for a small work table for Big Bro. Unsigthly though it is, the fabric that I have in use and recent purchases are strewn across the top. From time to time I tighten it up and put fabric in my clear storage containers but I've been so entranced in making an embroidery quilt that it's gotten away from me! After looking at these pictures I definately will need to reorganize that area.

Moving towards the left you see my tv; mini me manequin with unfinished clothes draped on it; and the doggie bed on the floor....yup that is more fabric and some batting I just purchased on the floor. Lucky for me my dog doesn't disturb it at all (so it might be there awhile!).
 

Here is where a majority of the sewing takes place. To the far right is my computer....this is my command central--it is the brains behind my Futura. I have a singer futura XL-400 for embroidery with a Brother 10 spool stand behind it and my Juki Exceed F-400 for my quilting.  In the far left corner is my serger (still havent' put any miles on it yet) and a Brother PE-400D that I will be unfortunately returning to the seller as the machine did not work at allZ!  So just as quick as we welcomed "Poo Bear" is just as quick she will leave my machine family.  I also have a bright pink computer chair without arms.

 

 

Here is my cutting and pressing table. My husband coverted an old dinning room table we no longer used, added wheels and an organizer on the bottom. I use one side for cutting and one side for pressing. You can see I have two irons...however me and the Shark have been buddies so that is the one that I used a majority of the time.

 

 

Here is "Big Bro" (Brother PQ-1500) having a temporary spot on my folding card table. I have it set up so I can just swivel my chair between the Juki and the Brother while I am working and watching tv. I also use the folding table as a planning station while I am working on a project. You can see some of my preliminary blocks for a suprise embroidery quilt for one of my friends.

 

 

"BIG BRO"

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Look at those shiny silver bottoms....yup I already filled them with my favorite bobbin thread....Bottom Line by Supeiror.

 

 

 

Going around the corner and I have over run the storage ment for my linens and a desk study area for my fabric and batting.  The top cabinets hold the fabric that I have on bolts and cotton T shirts in various sizes for embroidery.  The vacuum hides out over in this area also.

 

 

 

 

Here is the finished quilt top that I created after I was inspired by color wheels.  It's waiting for me to quilt it but I have decided on a final backing for this one.

 

 

 

Here is my storage under my sewing table. I keep my threads, quilt store fat quarters, panels, and fabric markers/pens here.

 

 

 

Here is a closeup of my scrab basket, bobbins, pin cushions, needles, and pressure feet that I keep within an arms distance by my machine. The Juki is nestled in front of the organizer my husband made.

 

 

I even make use of the railings and banisters!

 

 

"Family" Quilt

Okay...so I've been dibbling and dabbling in quilting and now one of my co-workers asked me to make a quilt that she could give to her sister.  In my head I'm like...for real....I don't even think I'm that good yet!  So we take a trip to the local Hancock Fabrics Store and I tell her to pick a fabric she likes and I will create something using that.  So she picks this batik type fabric and my brain says..."what the..."!  Not knowing what to do with the fabric as I have not really even worked with batiks before...I decided to take a simplistic approach and go modern with it.  So after putting it off and putting it off...I spent about 2 weekends putting this quilt together.  Here are some of the specs:

Machine(s) used:  Juki Exceed F-400 for pieceing & Singer Quantum 9960 for quilting
Thread(s) used:  Superior Bottomline Silver in the bobbin and Superior Masterpiece White for top thread for and quilting.
Fabrics:  print-batik from Hancocks; white-quilter's showcase from Joanns; navy blue-broadcloth from Joann's.
Quilting method: using decorative stitch #71 in continuous line across quilt (except where panel is) with the walking foot on the Singer Quantum 9960.

 

I cut out irregular tumble sized shapes from the batik and fused them onto the white print fabric.

 

I framed the panel with the batick fabric.

Then I worked around the panel to add the sides, top, and bottom.

 

Here it is all pieced together.

 

HERE IS THE REVEAL...

AS YOU CAN SEE MY CO-WORKER AND HER HUSBAND LOVED IT!

 

 

 

Finishing Great Granny Along Blocks...to become my first Great Granny Quilt!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diego Rivera Gallery Quilt Blocks

Thanks to Mary Jo Pereti from my Cindy Neeham class, she offered me an opportunity to create and display quilt blocks at the Diega Rivera Gallery http://diegoriveragallery.com/visitor-information in San Francisco back in September 2012.  Being the fearless novice that I am I decided to give fusible applique a try for this assignment.    Here is the "back story" of how this all got started from Mary Jo's perspective...

My son Evan Moring is a student there. AS an art project for a class he
designed a wiki (like wikipedia) about a fictitious country; the Principality
of Darren. He coerced the whole family into adding pages to the wiki (I'm
getting graded tomorrow, please add more pages tonight mom!):) Well I wrote
about a fictitious machine quilting workshop done every year to commemorate the
victims of the (fictitious) Alice Disaster. I had a dinner conversation with
Marianna at the workshop and I wove her and Wendy's story into the wiki. Take a
look at the Wiki http://nuclearfamily.wikia.com/wiki/Nuclear_Family_Wiki
especially the following pages: Alice Disaster Quilting society
Pastor Wilhemena Baxter
The wiki was selected to be displayed in the Diega Rivera gallery in September.
Evan also has a lot of wall space and asked us each to contribute. I would
like to put together quilt squares from my 'real' friends from the quilting
workshop and then it will be displayed. This will represent the quilt
commemorating the 'Alice Disaster' victims. I'm looking for about 8 people to
put together a 12"x12" completed block (including machine quilting). I will
then sew them together and they will go on display. Don't start this yet, as
I'll need to give you more specific instructions.

So the following photos include my process and outcomes...I sent two quilt art blocks.  I used fat quarter and scrap pieces.  She loved them.  Unfortunately I could not get my camera to do them justice..it's time for a new camera that will capture the detail and beauty of my quilts...(any suggestions?).

Mary Jo then took my blocks and added to another she received...