Sew I See!

I don't think I included this exact view of the room in my recent "room rearrangement" post.  I love that I can see out the window from behind the sewing machine.  (That particular part of the garden could use some work, though.  Maybe I'll plant some colorful annuals out there next year so there's more to see.) The natural light helps, but it's rarely enough on its own.  Any time I'm going to sew, I also switch on the ceiling light and a nearby lamp.  This happens to be a sunlight (full spectrum) lamp, which is great for showing colors accurately.  It's actually probably overkill for "just" lighting up my sewing station, but I have it and might as well use it-- and it is  very bright. - - - - - - - I'm still working on the current quilting project-- new, seasonal window dressings for the kitchen.  There are a lot of pieces, so it's taking a while. Here are all the remaining "block kits" waiting to be pair...

This weekend, I gave the new layout a spin. I'm sewing components for my latest quilting project-- components that are string-pieced on a paper foundation. It's going well-- I'm having fun-- and I unequivocally love  having the iron right by my sewing station for quick pressing.  It makes the whole process so much faster and easier!  No more repeatedly getting up and down for no good reason!  I can't imagine going back to the old way after this.  Nope; I'm determined to have an iron within reaching distance of my sewing machine, from now on.   Here's a peek at some of the string-pieced components, along with a handful of the strings.  Those papers under the magnetic pin-"cushion"/dish are my foundation papers, cut from an old phone book. I'm still new to paper foundations, but I think they're working pretty well. Here's another view of the sewing corner.  There's the iron, within easy reach.  I also had my tablet ...

I recently decided to do some rearranging in my craft room.  I'm fortunate to have ample space for crafting/storing supplies, but over time, the focus of my interests has changed, and the layout of my room didn't reflect those changes. For instance, one large table went almost unused, because it was still a dedicated "clay table" (for using polymer clay).  For the time being, I'm no longer "claying" often enough to merit a whole large table that is only  for clay.  Instead, I've sometimes found myself wishing for more room when cutting fabric and sewing.  Why not combine the two large tables into one (almost) continuous surface? As for the rest... Well, why don't I just show you in a series of very repetitive photos ? (Quick, take a good swig of your favorite form of caffeine;  I'm setting up a room .) Here's the room from the doorway.  My favorite thing about this space is the large bank of windows, which give it a bright, airy ...

I've woven in the last loose end of the Stardust Melodies CAL afghan, but I've yet to wash and photograph it.  I may wait until the weather cools down a bit (maybe a few weeks?) to try to get photos. The latest project off the hook is bits and bobs of crochet lace I made to embellish a small magnetic chalkboard that hangs in my craft room. The thread is leftovers of size 10 crochet cotton.  (I think it's probably America's Best Country Cotton, which was discontinued years ago.) The pattern for the strip of lace is in Kristin Omdahl's book The Finer Edge: Crocheted Trims, Motifs & Borders .  The loose motifs are from The Harmony Guides: Crochet Stitch Motifs .  (One of them is just the first two rounds, I think, of a larger motif.) I soaked them in a light starch solution (which is how I like to finish most thread crochet projects I make), blocked them loosely, and attached them to the board (only the bottom of which is magnetic chalkboard, by t...

As the title suggests, most of the projects covered in this blog post are thread crochet, but I do have one non-thread WIP to share.  I decided not to put off joining and edging the Stardust Melodies afghan, so here's a little sneak-peek at my progress so far: I like the bobbles, but the bobble rounds do take a while to crochet!  I'm thinking I might do just three bobble rounds, but it depends on how that looks, how much yarn I have left, and how tired I am of "bordering", at that point.  ;o)  I'm not sure why, but borders usually take me a while and seem more tiring than "regular" crocheting.  I guess part of it is the repetitious nature of borders.  The object being edged is often a little unwieldy, too. That's it for the non-thread projects, this week.  On to the thread! The first thread project is one I started nearly a year ago, then set aside because I ran out of thread.  Fortunately, I was able to find another brand of thread in...

Here they are-- the final six blocks (two each of the last three patterns)! "Summertime" : I loved crocheting this one! The center is a little different from the average crochet block, but the video is helpful for seeing exactly where the stitches go.  The dc5tog isn't as difficult as it might look, either. Very nice layered textures! Is it just me, or does this one have an art deco vibe? "Dream a Little Dream of Me" : I tried the hdc method for the stars, but mine were coming out looking messy, so I went back and switched to the dc method.  The dc stars don't stand out quite so strikingly as the hdc would have, but they're still a nice texture. Like all the "solid" blocks, this would be easy to expand to whatever size you need. Simple, but pretty. "One for My Baby" : The raised texture on this block reminds me strongly of peacock feathers.  See them? ...