Elm Creek Manor

Beautiful Joan! Do you sleep? KJ

I read the first three novels! They were wonderful, it was hard to decide, do I quilt or do I read. The book was in the sewing room. I told myself it was for inspiration! I haven't made any of the Elm Creek Quilts, but I like the patterns and the fabrics. I need 3 more days in the week and about 4 more hours everyday.

Next week end Curtis and I are moving my sewing room to the living room, it's much brighter and a whole lot bigger. With the long arm quilter in there already it just made sense to make the change. I can't wait, I know I'll be doing a lot more sewing in the evening.

Marie

I want to be your best friend for presents like that! It's gorgeous! No apologizing for that picture!

Dannielle

joan8904 >

I read the first three in about a week and a half! I was supposed to do other things, you know, homework, clean the house, feed my child...eh, what's the difference. The book was so much more interesting!

Dannielle

Marie Davis wrote:

So that's what you were referring to in the other thread! I thought it was potentially the same Sylvia, but I wasn't sure and I hadn't read that far into the books to figure it out! I'm just now reading about Sylvia's Bridal Sampler!

Dannielle

Maria > I started Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, but have only made three blocks so

Years ago Jean Ray Loury wrote a book about making space in your home for your quilting (or weaving or whatever is your creative outlet) The book is titled "The Creative Woman's Getting It All Together at Home". In there she explains that she made the living room into her studio. You are in good company.

Susan

Joan..... And just where does one sign up to be your best friend??? :-) What a stunning quilt....... I'm sure your friend was thrilled to receive it. Just beautiful......

Patti

I made the RUNAWAY QUILT as a gift for my best friend's birthday. Excuse the picture. I had more quilt that husband had arms. joan

That's gorgeous Joan. I love all those little triangles. My word, your quilts are so pretty. . In message , joan8904 in Bellevue Nebraska writes

Many thanx for the kind words. Yes, there were lots and lots of little triangles. It was a labor of love, as I'm not fond of doing the same thing, over and over again. Plus, those really aren't 'my' colors. And, yes, Maxine loved the new quilt.

I'm not getting much done at the present time since we are in the process of buying a new home and moving at the end of the month. I haven't tackled the job of packing up my sewing room and adjoining storage room. My husband suggests that I'm avoiding the chore. So in the mean time, I'm putting the finishing touches on several Xmas projects, hoping to get them in the mail this week. I've got a large greenwork and patchwork quilt to hand piece while this is all going on. I need something that can be just picked up and worked on and put back down.

My new sewing 'studio' will wait until next year, when we finish the basement. I've bought the book on designing a quilt studio. My son the architect will be doing the plans. I'M SO EXCITED! I'm only going to do this once and want to do it up right.

I'd love to hear about the pluses and m> That's gorgeous Joan. I love all those little triangles.

Not something I would specially *change* Joan; but something I would add: wide drop down/put up shelves which could act as tables/horizontal surfaces - for putting things on when needed. That would, I hope, prevent my floor becoming just a series of passages! . In message , joan8904 in Bellevue Nebraska writes

Solve the dilemma this way -- get them on CD and listen as you stitch..... I listened to the first several that I "read" until I was wanting them quicker than I could obtain them recorded and then finally started to truly read them -- I missed having them to listen to as I stitched though......

Jennifer's characters are so spell binding and they come alive even more when narrated (in my opinion). We sell her books at work (along with others of a "theme" so to speak, for the knitters we have the Debbie MacComber -- sp? -- books, etc.) and when anyone is looking them over, I'm sure to talk about how wonderful they are =)

Tricia

Pat --

My supplies and fabric (when not in immediate use) are usually stored in the guest room, which was supposed to also serve as my craft room but logistically hasn't yet. In the living room we have positioned the couch away from the walls so it "free floats" in the room (honestly the living room is too long in my opinion to see the TV comfortably if we insist on the couch on the opposite wall -- and the other direction glares on the TV).

I use an older "put it together yourself" computer desk as my sewing surface -- works great: The slide out part usually intended for the keyboard neatly holds my smaller cutting mat for doing quick trims (perfect since I PP a lot), the edge lets me bumper my ruler frequently to help discourage a sliding ruler (even with my pinky down to buffer it it slips on me, esp when I have to move my hand up). The top holds my machine at all times (if it will be awhile before I'll be back to it, I just place the portable case cover over it to keep the dust out) The hutch has been removed and now serves as our coffee table/plant holder in front of the couch (really great cause it has the slots that hold our various remotes, etc.)

One cubby/drawer holds my paints (my easel also lives in the living room because the light is better and the view out our picture window is very inspiring) and the pull out drawer is holding the keyboard, etc that was supposed to go to the computer that was supposed to go there but has temporarily had its monitor canniballized for a different machine (the machine that is now in the guestroom -- snicker!)

The desk has recently (at some point during the summer) been moved from where it was angled at one corner of the room to now rest against the wall under the side window. The otherwise unused rocker nearby holds the current round of fabrics for what's been being done lately (mostly Your Pick swap blocks, but also the fabrics for my mom's table runner I was planning to start today and can't). I use a typical desk in/out box to hold the incoming wedding wishes from my two cousins' weddings for their eventual gifts. It's placed up at the corner of the desk -- Another, currently in the rocker, holds the incoming block swap fabric.

The big cutting mat lives underneath the couch and comes out when needed (easily). When the big one is needed, I move my machine off the desk top and use that surface for the mat. I only have an over the door ironing board and the only door that it fits without being in the way is the front hall closet in the dining room/foyer area. I usually leave it down so we are so used to walking around it now we hardly even notice.

My foot pedal and power cords sneak around the back and come towards me under the opening for my legs/the chair. DH has it hooked to the UPS in case the power goes on me while I'm stitching it will be less likely to blow something in the wiring (our rental shows wiring faults frequently according to our power strips and other such devices and has little surges now and then, usually at night)

I can stitch while watching/listening to TV/books on CD (via the DVD player), talk to my husband while he is watching TV, etc. I nearly don't want to move the whole set up to the guest room and may decide not to until it gets to the point where DH is significantly bothered by the machine noise, etc.

I never would have intentionally planned to use my living room but it is great! I was using the kitchen table and that just wasn't working out because I couldn't leave something in progress out, etc. We haven't had much company to be sitting around socializing with so I don't know how it will impact those aspects.....

Hope you found something inspiring in this....

Tricia