Design Wall Done!

The design wall is done. Finally.

I had forgotten the new wall is wider than the old one, and I got it 3/4 stapled to the wall before I realized it. I decided not to take it down and sew an extra piece down one side.  To do that I'd have to not only take it all down, but find a big (clean) flat spot on the floor to lay it all out and cut and trim, etc., etc.

I decided I could live with it, especially as the seam didn't run smack dab down the middle. I also had an electrical outlet to work around.

It's done, and it's fine. It's also slightly more complicated than it looks.

Underneath it all, stapled to the wall is a 1/2" of homosote. It's pressed cardboard, and works as a bulletin board, so this design wall has the advantage of having push pins stuck into it too. This is great when you want to get something big to stay up.

On top of that is that plastic tablecloth material that has flannel on the back. (Some years ago I bought a 25 yard roll of the stuff. I can't quite remember why.) Anyway, that's stapled up there on top of the homosote. The nice thing about it is that it is white, and you can't see through it.  On top of that I stapled the white flannel of the design wall. Because two flannel surfaces are touching, they stick to each other, making my design wall very smooth and flat. And because I've got that extra layer of white back there, you can't see through the thin flannel.

Boy, am I glad THAT's done!

Studio and Sewing Update!

On Sunday my dad and I hung the homosote pieces to the walls in my studio. This is where my design wall will be, and what's really nice about it is that no only will it be a flannel design wall, but I'll be able to attach things to it with push pins as well. You all know how sometimes it can be tricky to get large pieces to stay up on a design wall by themselves.

It was a messy day, bringing the pieces outside to be cut to size, then carrying them back inside and attaching them to the walls. It was messy because I had to move everything around, and then move it back in place.  More on that later, but look, I sewed the binding on two sides of the Life is 'Tweet quilt!  Woo hoo!  I did that while sitting on the couch "watching" tv with Millie purring beside me. Life doesn't get much better than that.


* update: Pat, the design wall is 64" wide by about 84" tall.

The Studio Takes Shape!

I moved the worktables around in my new sewing studio and it works much better.

I bought a rug mat from the big box office supply store, and it works perfectly.

 Here's a view of the work area.

From the sewing machine, I can look over to the ironing table.

Turning to the left, I can see the tv and my stash.

Still moving to the left, you can see where the design wall will go, and in the foreground you can see my small worktable.

 Looking up from the small worktable, I can see Millie on her kitty condo, and the landscape behind the house.

 My sister has been storing this wing chair I bought from a used furniture store this summer. She and my nephew brought it by yesterday. It is placed so I can have a nice comfy place to sit to study the design wall, read a book, think or watch TV.  It will also be a good place for a guest to sit while visiting.

I had to do some sewing, and made this block.

Whee!!

Getting There

Pat wanted to know if I had any plans for the big shelf along one wall of the studio.

I sure did!  Along the left side are all my son's children's books he received as gifts growing up.  The rest of it is taken up with bins of fabric I don't use much (solids!) and projects in various stages of abandonment (not really). And don't worry - see that "empty" wall to the right of the windows - I have plans for that too.

The design wall isn't up yet either, but I really want to work on "Life is 'Tweet" so I put it up where I could see it and it would make me think.

As for the questions asked over the last few days....

Wanda, Millie is adapting very well. She opens cabinets and sniffs what's inside. I come home and find cabinet doors ajar and drawers partially opened all over the house. She's climbed every place she can climb. She sleeps next to me at night, and when she decides she's had enough of that, she naps in the kitty condo in the studio, where she can survey the whole house.

Megan, Susan, Terri, and others, the movers will come collect all the empty boxes AND the giant pile of paper. They'll recycle everything. (It's one of the many reasons I chose them.)

Mary K, I don't know how much mojo I can lend you. My get-up-and-go has pretty much got-up-and-gone.  Fortunately Millie knows how to get me to relax. She comes over to me and MEOWS until I sit down and put my feet up. Then she sits beside me and demands to be petted. It's good for both of us.

Almost!!!

This was the new sewing studio about 9:30 yesterday morning. I had to do something in the sewing studio, so I started putting my fabric in the bookcase. Then the ISP guy came to connect my TVs and internet. The modem is going in the studio, so I moved into the bedroom and put away all my clothes while he worked.

After he left, I continued working on the studio and tonight it looks like this.

The big pieces are in place, but I still have to work on a lot of the details. And I can't really sew until I get a big plastic mat for under my chair. The carpet is so soft and plush I can't roll the chair around. But that's a task for later.

The move went exceptionally well. I was literally all packed. It took the movers less than 90 minutes to load all my belongings into their truck, fifteen minutes to drive to the new place, and two hours to unload everything and place all the furniture.  To say I was pleased is an understatement. I was positively overjoyed.

I still have my kitchen, dining room and bathroom to unpack and organize. I did hang one quilt,

which visitors see when they enter. (this photo was taken from the bedroom.)

Here are another couple of views of the studio space. It's quite lovely in that I have room to move around.

 The design wall will be to the left of my stash. It will be about 64" wide. I also haven't hung up any of my tools and rulers yet.

It's hard to see in this photo, but my small cutting table is opposite my sewing machine, and the small ironing table makes the bottom of a U-shaped workspace.

When everything is in place, there should also be enough floor space in case I need to lay anything out, and a comfy chair for either sitting and reading, or contemplating.  As you can see there's a nice big TV so I can watch the tennis. I bought a second kitty condo for Millie so she can be with me when I am working. She can watch the bird, squirrel, chipmunk and wild turkeys that cavort in the woods behind the house.  I have a folding screen to block any direct sunlight onto my stash or to block the glare, if needed, as the room faces south. The light, even at night, is much better than in my previous studio, and I know I will enjoy working in this room.

It's almost perfect, but not quite!