I'm baaaack

June ran away and before I know it, it's almost July.  I'm still trying to get the apartment cleaned up and organized and have made some more progress on it.  I will have to change how it is set up but that's ok.  I went to Goodwill and picked up a winged back chair for only $4 which was good and then also added, at the last minute, a computer table.  Well the table won't work as a computer table but it is looking pretty good in the sewing area.  :)  I also got rid of my regular ironing board and picked up a small portable. That works better in my limited space. 

I did manage to finish my tote bag.  Had an awful time with the handles.  The thread kept breaking until I slowed down my stitches to almost one stitch at a time.  It's not elegant, it's functional.  I put stuff in it today and took it with me when I went shopping and it held together so it's ok.

Like I said.  It's plain and simple but at least I have a new bag.  This weekend I should also finish mom's latest wall hanging.  I have to redo all my Baltimore Album BOM blocks so she gets the centerpiece of the old block.  I'll post up the picture when I get it done.  I don't like my needleturn on it but she won't care.  :)

Flowers

I didn't get much work done today (shhh, don't tell bossman) but I worked more on getting the office situated.  I was pleasantly surprised and delighted when flowers were delivered.  A friend sent me congrats flowers after I had texted a picture of the blank table.  Wonder if I text another pictures showing dead flowers I'd get fresh ones again?  Might be worth a try.  LOL.

I also have figured out that I need to do a wall hanging and posted a picture of what I plan to do above the flowers.  That way it stares at me until I get it done.  It's the Kumbayah Wall quilt from the August 2009 issue of Quilter's World..  I might modify it somewhat though.  There is a nine patch friendship star in the middle and I'm thinking instead of sewing on the triangles to the corners of the quilt to just applique the nine patch onto a solid piece of fabric.  Less seams on the back ground to sew thru when appliqueing the shapes onto it.

Plenty of time to figure out what to do on it., but here's a picture of my flowers and then I'm out of the office.  It's 6 p.m. and time for me to leave since I've been here since 7 a.m.

PS:  The table cloth is some fabric that Lyndon (Bossman) brought back for me from Africa.  :)

Sewing Room and New Office

Whew!  Vacation time went fast.  It ended with my niece in law Jessica coming over and we spent 6 hours going through the sewing room.  It's not totally done yet but at least I can find the sewing machines as well as the floor.  Progress!

The yellow bars are the Flynn Quilting System

The crates are full of fabric and that's only one part of the room

I also managed to make it to a free motion quilting class (3 hours for one Saturday) which was interesting.  The day before I went I had problems with my sewing machine so I bought a new one.  I can only afford to pay $200 for it so i found a brother for that price.  So here I was going to class with a sewing machine still with all it's advertising stickers on it.  Good thing i had the manual with me!

The class wasn't too bad.  I need lots of practice but did learn a couple of things and the machine does quite a few stitches and a block alphabet.

The white square with all the squiggles was my practice piece from class.  It's hard to see.

White squiggles on white board is hard to see but was my free motion practice piece

Then yesterday I was told I could get the office space across the hall from my current location.  That gave me an office that's about 2 times as large as the one I had been in for over 10 years.  Here is what it looks like...sort of.  Still working on it but I thought I'd better take a picture before it gets cluttered again.  You can't see the boxes that still need to be unpacked because I hid them under the desks.  :)  Oh...did I mention that I swapped out the desk chair for another one that we already have?  Now my chair has the massage feature so after moving in all day I sat in it and turned it on.  A gal might come to work with that waiting for her.  :)

I decided that the space by my diploma needed something so am making this little mini.  The fabric came from a basket of scraps that my friend Harmony gave me when I went down to see her on vacation.

Here is Harmony in her quilting space in her new home.

And then we are in June.  June means I can finally show you one of the test blocks I did.  This is for Wenche's Christmas Baltimore BOM.

Well that is it for now.  I'll write more later and/or post some more pictures.  Have a great weekend!