Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Refreshed Space....

 

Hi, all!

Friday has rolled around once again, and we all know what that means - it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!!  Let's go!

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For the past few weeks, I've been working on adjusting my main sewing area so that it's more functional.   After a bit over a year in the space, I have a better idea of what works and what doesn't, so I decided to make some changes.

I started by moving my old sewing table back against the sloped wall...

...with the shorter kids' crafting table next to it.  This gives me seating for 2-4 people (depending on how friendly they are), or I can continue to use the taller table as my cutting table.  Those kitchen base cabinets that hold it up make it the perfect height for me!  The shorter table sits on a pair of IKEA Kallax shelving units.  Each of the tables has another Kallax unit underneath it for additional storage of things I don't use frequently.

And this is my new sewing table!  It's an adjustable-height table, which is really nice, and right now I have it facing out the window. That may change, but for now I like being able to look out when I sew.  When I'm piecing, I can set my ironing board up right next to the machine so I don't have to get up to press as I go.

Here's the quilt frame, which sits next to the wall opposite the two long tables.  I didn't do much here, but Lilli did clean up the scrap tubs underneath - hooray!  I really like the curtain rods on the wall behind the frame - they are a great place to hang up quilt tops that are ready to be quilted.

And this is the newest addition - a nice big TV that is a lot easier to see from across the room!  (It used to be downstairs in our den until my husband convinced me he needed a bigger TV there.) I lost the bookcases that were in this corner (moved into one of the bedrooms, along with most of what was on them) but I did find these old IKEA shelves that used to hang in my old studio.  My husband installed them after hanging the TV and they are a convenient place to put a few things.

And just to keep it real, this is the messy corner that I still haven't had time to clean up yet.  I'm not sure I've ever had a completely finished, completely neat studio all at one time, and since I'm not sure that's attainable, I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  Just remember when you see pictures of beautiful studios, what's behind the camera is probably a higgledy-piggledy mess!

I still need to move my mini-quilts and art pieces so they are more visible, but at least the furniture is functional now!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - It's Beginning to Look....

 

Hi, all!

I almost forgot it was Monday!  Long holiday weekends always mess up my internal calendar, how about you? But the fact remains, it is Monday and that means it's time to look back and look ahead.  So let's see how last week's list went...

1.  Finish shifting things around in the studio, with Lilli's help.

Done!  Or at least well in progress.  Lilli's a great helper, and then my husband chipped in this weekend and did this...

We got a new TV for our den (Amazon Prime Days are dangerous!) so my husband moved this one upstairs for my studio.  It's so nice to be able to see the guide from across the room now!  The shelves are some old IKEA shelves I had in my studio at the other house and they work perfectly in this spot for a little added storage.

I'll share more pictures of the studio later this week!

2.  Test a pattern for a friend.

Done!  Preeti of Sew Preeti Quilts designed this beautiful wall hanging and I got to test the pattern!  It's called Novella.  If you like this and want to make one of your own, she's offering a 25% discount on the pattern until July 15th. Click here to go to the pattern in her shop!

3.  Cut out the prototype for the 12 Days of Christmas in July quilt-along.

Done!  All cut out, and I've started construction on the blocks, too.

4.  Quilt at least one ministry quilt.

This was stymied a bit because of the disarray in my studio - it was hard to get to the quilting machine until the tv and shelves were mounted on the wall.  But I did bind this pretty quilt for a special person - it will be gifted later this week and I can share more afterwards.

It was also an interesting week on the cooking front!  We've had wood-fired pizza several times in the past few weeks, and I wondered out loud if we could make a pizza oven of some sort to get the same kind of texture and flavor at home.  My husband said we should be able to do it in his Kamado Joe smoker, so on Friday we decided to give it a try!  He fired up the smoker with a pizza stone in it, and I made a pizza (with home-made crust, I have to say!)....

And look!  It isn't pretty (I need to work on getting the crust dry enough on the bottom so it can slide on and off the pizza peel easier) but it sure did taste good.  Making it in the smoker gives it a totally different flavor and really takes it up a notch!

So that's what last week looked like.  Lots got done, even if it doesn't look like it.  And here's what I need to get to this week...

1.  Finalize the plans for this year's 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop.

2.  Finish the prototype quilt for the quilt-along.

3.  Quilt at least one ministry quilt.

4.  Have a baking day with Lilli.

5.  Finish up the last little bits in the studio and take some pics!

Plenty to keep me busy and more!  So now there's only one more question - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

PS I could still use a few more bloggers for the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop if you're interested - but speak up quick!!! Email me at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com if you're willing.

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Starting a New Project...

 

Hi, all!

Here it is, Friday again, and we all know what that means!  It's time for us to get our whoop whoop on - are you ready?  I know I am!  So let's get started...

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You may recall that I've been working on re-arranging my studio layout a bit, trying to make it more functional now that I've had a chance to see what works and what doesn't.  Lilli came over and helped me the other day, and actually ASKED to sort through the (s)crap(s) under my long arm machine!  She's a great helper and hard worker, can take a project and run with it, which is great!  It freed me up to finish some pattern testing while she did that.  That's definitely whoop-worthy!  

And getting my studio cleaned up meant that I could get a good start on making the prototype for this year's 12 Days of Christmas in July quilt-along quilt!   I spent Wednesday making test blocks and writing down all the assembly instructions.  That went well, so on Thursday I cut all the pieces out, writing down the cutting instructions as I went. That's always a nerve-wracking experience, as I'm double- and triple-checking my measurements and piece counts constantly as I go!  But with luck, everything is right - we'll find out as I assemble the blocks. 

That process also started on Thursday!  I am reminded that chain piecing is my friend.  I'm hopeful of getting this quilt done by the end of the weekend (maybe?) or at least a really good start on it.

And speaking of the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop, I'm still looking for bloggers who want to be a stop on the hop!  Have a great recipe, simple craft, fabulous gift item or home decor item you want to share?  This is the place!  It's a good time to start thinking about Christmas, and we need to share some good ideas!  So drop me a line at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com, or leave a comment with your email address I can get back to you and I'll add you to the list.

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share! We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah