Dedicated Sewing Space

 Do you have a dedicated sewing space, where you can leave your machine set up all the time?

I have been fortunate in the last 45 years to have either a basement or bedroom as my designated space.  One bedroom was tight, though, so I purchased a Koala sewing cabinet.  I could push the machine down inside and close all the doors when not in use which was helpful in keeping little hands from exploring around sharp objects!

The cabinet was originally in the basement in our current abode, but when my legs started getting weaker, making navigating the stairs difficult, Alex moved it up to the "sitting" area of our bedroom.  Then, when the hospital bed took that space, the cabinet went to a spare bedroom.  This is now my dedicated sewing space.

Formerly a catchall room, it was a chaotic mess!  UFOs littering the bed, fabric crunched into cubbies.  There was no sturdy surface for cutting.  The most disappointing thing, though, was the fact my Babylock machine had a foot pedal and knee lift which are useless when your feet and legs don't work! Thankfully my Janome 760 travel machine has a start/stop button.  All-in-all, though, not a lot to encourage me to get back to quilting.

Can't wait to show you my solution!

Apologies for no photos; my phone is being cantankerous.

DUH!

Have you ever had that moment?  When something is so evident you slap yourself upside your head and say "Duh!"

Someone in a recent blog post mentioned Mary's Triangles (if it sounds like you, speak up).  It rang a bell with me for some reason but I couldn't remember why (I've slept since then).  And I had no idea what a block would look like.  So I "Googgled" Mary's Triangles.  And guess what?  It showed me a picture of my own quilt in progress and a blog post dated June 11, 2014!

DUH!

In that post I included a tutorial on how to make the blocks two-at-a-time without cutting any triangles.  I thought I learned that in a workshop; but I give credit in my own tutorial to Sally Schneider, author of Scrap Mania, as my source.

Anyway, remembering all this got me inspired to start a new quilt!  As if I need a new quilt!  Actually, now that I've spent a few days making 4-inch blocks, I'm thinking about offering a class at a local shop.  I just need to pick a project that incorporates the block.  I came upon several options in "101 Fabulous Rotary-Cut Quilts.  Stay tuned.....