A Cabinet, Stitching and Fun Stuff

I've had a sad plastic cabinet in my sewing room, under my ironing board for several years now.  It was leaning so bad that I couldn't even get in the drawers without lots of trouble.

sad plastic cabinet unloaded

Several months ago, I found some brand new mesh baskets at Salvation Army.  It was only the baskets, no shelving unit to put the baskets in.  I looked online, and the company is no longer in business.  Well, hubby said he'd make me a cabinet to hold the baskets.  Here is the cabinet he made for me.

The cabinet fits well under my ironing board, and it's on wheels, so that I can pull it out, if I need to.  Sew much nicer than that sad plastic cabinet.  I've filled up all but one of the baskets so far.  Now hubby is working on shelves for my sewing room closet.

I have been sewing, but I don't have photos of all the things I've been sewing on (mostly hand work).  I'll be at the Missouri TOGA the end of June, come home for 3 days then head to Texas to help my mother when she has her knee replaced.  I'll probably be gone most of July.  That leaves me 10 days to get everything ready for the TOGA and for Texas (poor hubby & son have to stay in Illinois with the puppies).  I'm rushing around like crazy trying to get everything ready.  I'm doing 3 different demo's at the TOGA, and 2 of them are ready, but I need to get a bit more done on the 3rd demo.  I'm also working on my 'House' block for next year's raffle quilt, which is due at the end of the TOGA.  Of course I chose a block that is almost all hand stitching, so it's taking me a long time.  I'm supposed to make a 'Tree' block too, but I haven't even started on that yet.  

I've been preparing more hand work for when I'm in Texas (waiting during my mother's rehab sessions, etc.).  So far I've got the background blocks finished for the Angels Among Us Calendar quilt.  I got the pattern off of the freebie table at guild last month.

Calendar quilt

January thru April

May thru August

September thru December

 

I've spent the past 2 days tracing all the applique pieces onto fusible, and pulling fabrics for the applique.  So far, I have 4 blocks fused onto the background.  

Remember the portable design walls I made? Well, I also got bags made to hold each of them.  I used some of my sewing themed fabrics that I have lots of.  They will be going with me to the TOGA and to Texas.  I'll have a sewing space set up in my mother's dining room. Westley decided that he needed to be in the photo, too.  He's gotten so big!  He's 7 months old now, and hopefully he is about full size.

portable design walls in carry bags

Last weekend we were invited to a themed graduation party for 2 siblings who both just graduated college.  It was a pirate theme, and everyone was asked to dress like pirates.  Here we are dressed up.

the Parker Pirates

I'm behind again on blog reading, sorry.  I've been so busy in the sewing room that I haven't had time to read blogs, and my computer has been running super slowly for some reason, so it's been hard at times to get things to come up quickly.  I was going to write this up a few days ago, but the computer hasn't been cooperating.  

Sewing and a New Design Wall

I was asked to make some placemats for a friend.  She wanted something that looked like Spring/Flowers.  I'd seen something online years ago (can't remember where), and decided to do something similar.

I made 4 different blocks, using fabrics from the Pioneer Woman collection.

Then I cut each block into quarters, and stitched a quarter of each block into a center square block.

I then used some of the extra strips I'd cut to make side pieces.

placemats

I finished 8 of these placemat tops.  I have the center squares stitched to make another set of 8 placemats and a set of 6 placemats.  I need to cut more strips for the 2nd & 3rd sets.  Meanwhile, I spray basted the first set just before supper.  Hopefully I'll get them quilted in the next few days.  

At my little quilt guild's sew-in last Thursday, Sharon showed us a portable design wall that she had made.  She'd gotten the idea online.  Well, I copied her idea, and made me 2 of the portable design walls.

To make the portable design walls, you need one of the folding cardboard sewing mats, 2 curtain rods (48"-84" adjustable) and 10 large binder clips.  You also need some batting and some packing tape.

I already had several different folding cardboard sewing mats that I've picked up at thrift stores and garage sales over the years (they are great for protecting my dining room table when I spray baste small quilts).  These come in two different sizes.  I pulled out two of the larger sizes (72" long instead of 60" long).

2 sizes of folding cardboard sewing mats

I cut batting to cover these, and folded the extra batting around the back and taped it.

batting taped to the back of the folding cardboard mat

Next, you take your adjustable curtain rod and lay it along the edge of the mat, on the back, and attach it with the binder clips.

front of portable design wall

back, showing the curtain rods

I made two of these.

2nd wall is folded

Now I need to make some bags to store these in.  These will be great to take to sew-ins, etc.

Another lady at my sew-in, had a different portable design wall.  She'd bought a folding display board, then covered the front of it with batting, and taped the batting to it.  Her portable design board sits on her table by her sewing machine.  Both are great ideas for portable design walls.