Studio Progress

Ahhhhhh, it's so nice to be making process. After eight months, I'm still moving in our new home.

In my last home, I had a 10'x10' sewing studio. Our two+ car garage was converted into my dye studio with heat, cooling, washer/dryer, sink and counter. I have so much supplies and equipment that I couldn't set up fully in the two spaces. My new studio space has had to be totally redesigned as I've never had 1,000 sq feet, let alone both studio combined. Now my office, dyeing, weaving, designing, thermofax, sewing, beading and knitting space is on one floor, all mine. Woo hooo.

My husband has been assembling my first quilting frame (Hinterberg). I didn't even know what one was until I saw it last April at Chicago's Quilt Festival. Soon as I saw how it works and that I could use my second Bernina on it, I knew this was the first step to quilting art quilts larger than 18" x 18". This pic has the sewing machine backward, grin.

Boxes with my quilting frame were the first mail I received at our new home. And yes, it took 8 months to get hubby to set it up. I already have a twin size quilt sandwich I constructed last year that I tried to quilt on my regular sewing machine. That experience lead me to quickly fold it up and wait for a quilting machine. Five months or more later, I discovered the frame. Doubtful, but maybe Imri will get that quilt that matches her Asian flavored living room for Christmas.

With the assembly of the frame, I found the inspiration to find homes for some of the fringe 'stuff'. Being an obsessive organizer, I want everything to have a logical place. Though it takes a while for arranging a studio, I find that there is always homeless papers and a few odd-and-ends boxes that sit there to haunt me. I've even moved a box or two from house to house without emptying them. Tisk.

I've been productive more lately than I have in a long time. Nevertheless, I have a ways to go to dedicate myself to producing a fresh body of work. I really need to replenish my business account as our personal account has greatly been affected by the current economy. Vic is a mortgage broker and half owner in a home building company. That says it all in that sentence.

As you can see from these pictures, the clutter has been catagorizied and filed. My design table by my desk is clean. So is my desk. Feels great. Caution: flat surfaces collect clutter. Paper is my enemy.
I went through the slots in my thermofax station. I discovered things I forgot I had. More projects I want to do. Luckily these should be easy, fast, and quick sellers: greeting cards.

When I clean out and organize, things are messier than before I began. But now the thermofax station is fully opertional again, clean as a whistle.

I can breath and work.

Oh yes, while working on this area, I've been machine felting the five bags of wool clothing I found at Goodwill. I bought tons of books that has given inspiration. Now I have projects and ways to use my Embellisher machine.

God Bless and happy creating.