My Future Sewing Space

With the coming addition to my family my current sewing room is going to be turned into the baby’s room. So that means I have the huge task of rearranging all my stuff and creating 2 new rooms. My sewing room currently looks like this…

It looks a little “stuffed” in there probably because I have way too much stuff for the space. This room will be turned into the baby’s room. I’ve bought the fabric I’m going to use in a non-gender jungle theme. It’s so cute and I’m excited to get started. Anyways, I will talk more about the baby’s room later. Now I want to talk about my sewing room. My future sewing room will be moved into a corner in my basement. Well actually I should say I will have 1/4th of the basement to transform into whatever I wish. Currently it looks like this…

Nothing exciting to look at! I have tons of cleaning to do before I can even get started on decorating. My DH is helping me as he can and once I’m home again full time I’ll be able to focus strictly on this area. We’ve already moved our additional pantry/food storage shelves to the other side of the stair case. I’ve also got tons of books boxed up for donation. I inherited many boxes full of paperback books from my grandmother when she passed away. I’ve finally decided that there is no way I’ll ever read them all so it’s time to let them go. The next goal is to pick an area in the mess and de-clutter it as best as possible. I’ve decided the best thing to do is donate as much as I can. I don’t want to deal with a garage sale or attempt to sell thing online like I’ve done in the past. I want this done quickly with as little effort as possible.

The area is about 20’X30’, a big step up from the current 13’X13’ room! We’ll need to put up some better lighting (hopefully). I don’t know if a ceiling will be put it. Maybe it will look good or good-enough if it gets painted. The walls are concrete, which have been painted with a sealant. I’ve asked (read: begged) my husband to have drywall but he still hasn’t given in. The walls may get painted to a more decent color without drywall. If I want to hang pictures or anything I will have to hang them by a cord from the ceiling. I think I might be able to deal with that. The floors… I’d love to get those carpet tiles to put down. My parents have them in their basement and they are wonderful. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle bare feet on the cold concrete floor. Then once all that stuff is done I’ll be able to move my sewing room furniture down there and I will probably decorate as I go. I have no theme picked out. I’d just like functional and comfortable. This will probably be the beginning of finishing our basement. My husband has been talking about doing it forever and, well, the time has come. I am excited to get started and I will keep you up to date as time and progress goes on!

Talk to you soon!

~Heather

Garden Bouquet Quilt- Month 5: Wild Rose

Wild Rose

As the members of the Nancy Page Quilt Club came to attention for this, the eight meeting of the club they heard the strains of MacDowell’s ‘To a Wild Rose.’ One quick-witted member exclaimed, “I know what flower we are making today. It’s the wild rose.” And sure enough it was. Nancy had made hers of a fast colored sprigged print with a white ground and pale pink flowers. But she might just as well have chosen pale pink in a solid color. In either case the center is made of large French knots done in fast colored embroidery cotton.

The leaves are done in green and the stem is either cut from a piece of the same green material or is made from bias tape. Nancy advises the use of bias tape, for then the stem is always even in width.

Of course the whole flower may be done in outline stitch. Or the colors may be put on by using crayons in the correct colors. To do this the design is faintly traced onto the white triangle and then the outlines are filled in with crayon. Next the material is pressed with a hot iron. This melts and sets the color from the crayon.

The flower may be appliqués in either one of two ways.

If the pieces are cut the exact size given they may be placed on the cloth according to the small inset pattern and then fastened with fine butthole stitch done in fast color embroidery cotton, the color of the material.

Or they may be cut one quarter inch larger all around than the pattern. Then the raw edges are turned under, basted ad pressed. After laying in place on the white triangle the pieces are fastened by using a slanting, fine or invisible hemming stitch.

When the members came to the club they has already pieced the urn which makes the lower half of the diamond block, seamed on to its upper edge the triangle of white, the piece 12 ½ by 12 ½ by 17 ½ inches.

The birds may or may not have been appliquéd before the flower is put on. The patterns for the birds and for the pieces of the urn have already been given in this series. A wise quilt maker has stored them away for future use in her Nancy Page quilt scrap book.

By tracing the outline faintly on the white, one has a pattern to go by. Then by tracing the pattern onto a piece of light weight cardboard one has a pattern which may be cut and used as a guide. And this still allows one to keep the original with its attached directions in the scrap book.

Here is the pattern for the Lily of the Valley. You can copy and save it to your computer. When you print out your pattern make sure the 1 inch square is the correct size.

Here is my completed Wild Rose block!

Do you have any Garden Bouquet Quilt blocks to show off? Leave a link to your blog post about it in the comment section or email me a photo so I can share with everyone!

I hope you are enjoying this series! I'm sorry this is 2 weeks late! I've had a lot on my plate lately! I hope to update my blog soon. :)

~Heather

Quick Links to:

Month 1: Beginning Instructions, Urn, and Basket Instructions

Month 2, Part 1: The Tulip

Month 2, Part 2: The Saucy Bird

Month 2, Part 3: The Meek Bird

Month 3: The Cactus

Month 4: Lily of the Valley

Hand Appliqué

Machine Appliqué

Alternate Method of Appliqué Tutorial

Biased Binding Tutorial