Back to sewing again....finally.

 I am so happy to finally be sewing again.  It has been a long time coming with a lot of hard work that took me way too long due to still have a battle with my energy level since being sick in January.

Here it is, I have rearranged and some what organized my space to flow better.  I purchased a Koala sewing desk from my friend that is having to downsize. I still need to get the doors and casters from her, they are in a box in her storage some where, but she is moving in July and will find them then.

I am so very excited to have this, it is so substantial and a big work space. I am not having to hold up fabric of quilt tops, garments and is just right for my line of sight to stitch.  Placed in front of the large window - the view out this window is what sold me on this house, well one of the things, when I was trying to visualize my sewing area. A nice window to the side as well.  The only windows in the room.

Apparently, the new sewing cabinet appeals to my finicky fur friend as well. 

It seems to be a new favorite spot. Even when I am sewing, she thinks it is fun to sit on the fabric as I stitch.

I then took fabric left over from the top of my cutting table and stitched up some window toppers for a little color, matching machine covers, and then hung up some silk flowers.  I really wanted plants, flowering plants, but then thought about how watering over the sewing desk, then blooms and leaves dropping, I went with fake.  So glad I did, but will have to swap their positions, one hanger is longer than the other and it interferes a bit with the view of the TV screen from part of the room. Who would have though that two inches could make a huge difference? 

I decided the machine covers were a bit plain so I ironed on some embroidered appliques that I had in my stash.  I used my Easy Press, which has me hooked so I am hoping to start using it a bit more now.

As I said, I moved everything around to make room for the Koala desk. As you can tell from the name of this blog, I named my sewing room the "Sewcial Den" I may have posted before, my "Sewcial Den" originally was a mother-in-law suite. This room is actually what drew me to this house when we were house hunting.  We had a short list of 4.  After hubby and I talked it over, it went to a list of three.  We put in an offer on hubby's #1 choice.  It was a great house, rustic setting, huge fireplace. Small bedrooms, very strange layout of main bedroom and a huge entry room that I have no idea what it's purpose was, a very small galley style kitchen. We lost out to a cash offer, and with what we found out about the house later I truly feel it was a God thing that we didn't get it.  That brought us to Hubby's #2, which was my #1.  And...here we are.  I feel it was God thing as well.  The former owners are the greatest and actually belong to the same church we joined.  

Here are photos of my "Den"

I really love my room.  It is my happy place, my oasis, my hide away, and I love spending time down here.  Hubby wants to install a small pellet stove down here, I can't wait.  The little space heater doesn't exactly get the full job done this time of year.  We actually just had our second snow storm in two weeks time.  While I love the snow, love being snowed in and watching it, my toes get like ice cubes.

But, after living 20 years in the same house, in a town that never has a change of seasons, I love sitting in front of the window and watching the change of seasons, the trees and flowers changing, the weather changing, just love it.

As I said, years of looking out the window of my spare room sewing area and seeing a wooden fence.....I cannot get enough of my view now.

I have been sewing again now that I have every thing set up where I can find what I need...sort of.  You would think that with the hoarded stash of fabric I have I could make anything, but...it never fails that I need a fabric to compliment or coordinate with what ever project, be it quilt or garment...and am always just a shade off or 10 inches short.  Especially now that I have moved up to this community.  Love the area, hate the lack of craft/fabric stores.  I mean, I used to be literally 5 minutes from JoAnn's and Walmart and could go on a supply run as late as 9:00 pm.  Of course that was before covid craziness shorted supplies and before Walmart started barely offering fabric, most of which are precuts - cut crazy crooked - all became the normal.  There is a Walmart up here, and for the most part they have a decent offering, but honestly...they are not JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby which is now a bit over an hour drive one way.  I manage though, I will prevail.

Quilting - which is my passion - is always fun for me.  At least the quilt top.  I have a crazy expensive quilter...that I am scared to use apparently.  Seems the practice quilt I loaded on is a great cat bed.  I had to take a break...a few years long...after loosing my dad, my biggest supporter of what ever I would make - then my sweet mom.  I lost my momentum, and not sure how to be get it back completely.  I have spurts...a project then nothing for a long time but a ton of excuses why I don't start another one. Or worse, a ton of reasons to procrastinate. 

At any rate, on one of my Facebook quilt groups, there was a photo posted of a quilt that a member was asking for the name of the pattern.  I thought that maybe I could just figure it out, it looked simple enough. 

It is a lovely quilt, and even though those are exactly my colors, I really was fixated on it. So I put pencil to paper and drew up a version of it.  Used some colored egg fabric that was in my stash, found a nice deep purple to coordinate with it, white fabric for the sashing.  I planned on 9 blocks.  Each block had four - 5 inch squares.  I was short 2 - 5 inch squares to make the 9 blocks.  So, I made a center block using the purple. 

 Of course, it is a quilt top, to add to the many others I have stashed away. I thought about using a purple minky on the back, but have also found a purple flannel that I will be using instead. Then on to the quilter it will go.  I thankfully have just enough of the purple fabric to make the binding.

Then, instead of finishing this quilt, I made my youngest grand daughter, Miss A, a little knit outfit.  

Pulled McCall's #7677. I had this fabric in my stash from a couple of years ago. And, as I was saying, seems I just couldn't find any coordinating fabric to use with it, so I ended up making it all out of the same fabric. 

I was really worried that it was going to be too small or too long. Pattern companies for some reason want the person sewing the pattern up to increase the elastic size.  That does not work.  In the case of this outfit, the elastic guide was actually two inches bigger than the waist band.  So, I used the measurements I had taken and went from there.  The pants were perfect, slid over the diaper just right, the elastic was a bit big, but since she isn't crawling or walking it won't be a problem.  I don't think I will even adjust it on future outfits since it will give a bit of growing room.  The length of the pants needed to be shortened, and will do so in the future so they don't tangle up on her when she does start crawling and walking.  The top has a back snap enclosure, which took me two hours and four broken sets of snaps to figure out just how to apply one.  And, as I thought, the shirt was large enough in the neck that the snap wasn't even needed.  Next time I make it I will just cut the back on the fold and not even mess with the closure.

I did however, purchase a new snap setting tool.  Miss A is 7 months old and expecting a sibling in July.  One sonogram shows a girl, but my daughter - the mom, is still holding out for a stem and berries to grow. At any rate, since I have grand daughters that are 18 months old and 7 months, and a grand on the way, guess I better figure out the snaps.

Speaking of the 18 month old, she is my little red head with loads of personality.  She was hanging out in the Den with me and found a scrap of pale pink faux fur, have no idea where I got it from, but she was thrilled to find it.  It is so soft, I will give it that.  She would rub it against her cheek, her hand, finally laying it on the floor then laying on it.  I knew I wanted to make something for her, but given how difficult it is to work with, I knew I didn't want to make an outfit she would just out grow in a few months, so I thought I would put it in a little quilt for her. 

I added a border of white luxe, decided it needed to be larger, add pink minky, then more white.  The center faux fur is the stretchiest stuff I have ever worked with and sheds forever when cutting.  And, this one project is the reason I will not be ever working with that stuff again.  At least not the fur, but then I saw a pattern for a cute little coat, vintage style, with a fur collar...so I will be using faux fur again.  Maybe not a stretchy kind though.  But this has a backing, is all stitched up.  I did it like a pillow, no batting.  Stitched in the ditch, but ripped it out because the knits were just...slip sliding away.  Now that tune is stuck in my head. 

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read this. Come back to visit soon.