I am probably the only quilter who needs to use silencing ear muffs while working in the sewing room. It's not because my sewing machine is noisy. It's not. But on weekends when Hubby is cutting lumber on the other side of a wall consisting of a single thin sheet of foam board, it can get pretty loud. And as you will see in the picture below, my sewing room, aka the attic, is unfinished. Ah, the things we quilters put up with for our hobby.
Over the Christmas break, Hubby wants to insulate the wall between the attic and garage. That will help muffle the sound as well as keeping the cold breeze from coming through the cracks between the foam pieces. In the meantime, I have made progress on the Depression Blocks. I exceeded my goal of eleven by making twelve blocks. That doesn't sound like much, and really the blocks are simple to make, just time consuming when each set of half square triangles need to be sewn together, pressed, and squared up before joining into rows and then blocks. I try to make two blocks each evening and make enough half square triangles to get a head start on the first start the next day. It's easier to build momentum if the block is ready to be put together without spending time searching for fabrics first.
I normally crop my photos to avoid showing my attic space, but the blocks are off my design wall board and the only way to show it is to back away and take a big picture. Besides, if anyone is unhappy with their sewing space, this should make you feel better about it. But someday... someday, I hope to have a beeeautiful space up there.
I was able to get in sewing time every day this week, so I'm still on a roll for December. At this rate, I'll be up to 45% by the end of the year. Not the number I was hoping for when I started keeping track in January, but months off will do that. Currently, my success rate is 43%.
My local quilt store is liquidating and I finally made it over there this week. I bought some Fat Eighths, which I've never seen, or maybe noticed before at other places. I bought a few colors to help finish the clamshell wallhanging and used a couple to add to my dwindling supply of half square triangles for the Depression Blocks. I bought a couple of yards of pretty fabrics, just because I wanted them, a ruler set, and a glue stick. I used enough of the Fat Eighths that the remainder went into the scrap basket. I quit counting my stash sometime in June, the same time I took a leave of absence from quilting, but I never started recording it again. One of my goals for 2019 is to have my entire stash unpacked (there are still boxes of fabric here and there), and start working on reducing the total as well as tracking how much I add and use for the year. For now, just the amounts for this week and month:
Added this week: 2.50 yards
Used this week: .50 yards
Total gain this week: 2.00 yards
Total loss for December .25 yards
Making weekly goals is really helping me keep on track. My goals for last week were:
Make at least 10 blocks for Depression Blocks quilt. (I made 12.)
Finish piecing Black and White Starburst. (I finished paper piecing.)
Cut fabric for scrappy EPP stars.
Cut fabric for white EPP stars.
Make two rows of Puppy and Rabbit wallhanging. (Instead, I took off the row I had made and redid it.)
Cut 14 strips for blue and green fabric basket. (I only made 4.)
My goals for next week:
1. Make 11 Depression Blocks.
2. Cut fabric and templates for clamshell wallhanging.
3. Cut fabric for white EPP stars.
4. Cut 14 strips for blue and green fabric basket.
That's enough for the coming week. I probably need to do a little Christmas shopping and a lot of cleaning too.
Linking to:
15 Minute Challenge at Life in Pieces
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
Over the Christmas break, Hubby wants to insulate the wall between the attic and garage. That will help muffle the sound as well as keeping the cold breeze from coming through the cracks between the foam pieces. In the meantime, I have made progress on the Depression Blocks. I exceeded my goal of eleven by making twelve blocks. That doesn't sound like much, and really the blocks are simple to make, just time consuming when each set of half square triangles need to be sewn together, pressed, and squared up before joining into rows and then blocks. I try to make two blocks each evening and make enough half square triangles to get a head start on the first start the next day. It's easier to build momentum if the block is ready to be put together without spending time searching for fabrics first.
I normally crop my photos to avoid showing my attic space, but the blocks are off my design wall board and the only way to show it is to back away and take a big picture. Besides, if anyone is unhappy with their sewing space, this should make you feel better about it. But someday... someday, I hope to have a beeeautiful space up there.
I was able to get in sewing time every day this week, so I'm still on a roll for December. At this rate, I'll be up to 45% by the end of the year. Not the number I was hoping for when I started keeping track in January, but months off will do that. Currently, my success rate is 43%.
My local quilt store is liquidating and I finally made it over there this week. I bought some Fat Eighths, which I've never seen, or maybe noticed before at other places. I bought a few colors to help finish the clamshell wallhanging and used a couple to add to my dwindling supply of half square triangles for the Depression Blocks. I bought a couple of yards of pretty fabrics, just because I wanted them, a ruler set, and a glue stick. I used enough of the Fat Eighths that the remainder went into the scrap basket. I quit counting my stash sometime in June, the same time I took a leave of absence from quilting, but I never started recording it again. One of my goals for 2019 is to have my entire stash unpacked (there are still boxes of fabric here and there), and start working on reducing the total as well as tracking how much I add and use for the year. For now, just the amounts for this week and month:
Added this week: 2.50 yards
Used this week: .50 yards
Total gain this week: 2.00 yards
Total loss for December .25 yards
Making weekly goals is really helping me keep on track. My goals for last week were:
Make at least 10 blocks for Depression Blocks quilt. (I made 12.)
Finish piecing Black and White Starburst. (I finished paper piecing.)
Cut fabric for scrappy EPP stars.
Cut fabric for white EPP stars.
Make two rows of Puppy and Rabbit wallhanging. (Instead, I took off the row I had made and redid it.)
Cut 14 strips for blue and green fabric basket. (I only made 4.)
My goals for next week:
1. Make 11 Depression Blocks.
2. Cut fabric and templates for clamshell wallhanging.
3. Cut fabric for white EPP stars.
4. Cut 14 strips for blue and green fabric basket.
That's enough for the coming week. I probably need to do a little Christmas shopping and a lot of cleaning too.
Linking to:
15 Minute Challenge at Life in Pieces
Sunday Stash at QuiltPaintCreate
I am so impressed with all your blocks, and they are pretty too.
ReplyDeleteWe do sew wherever we can. I remember my Mom shared space with her dining room. She had a Singer in a cabinet, so it looked like part of the decor - lol!
My hubby has a building where he does his carpentry/piddling with wood, but he often says "wouldn't it be fun if we could share a space where you could sew and I could build things". Ummmm no. Lol! But I would do it if that was what he wanted. ;)
I've had my sewing space in a dining room before and that actually worked out well. In our last house, our woodworking area was in a separate garage, but we thought it would be nice to be able to have all our workspace under one roof and not have to go through the rain or dark to get to it. Now I wish we had a separate garage for those loud tools. Oh well, we usually work together and it doesn't matter. It's when one of us is making noise without the other that it bothers either of us.
DeleteLove your Depression blocks! It's going to be such a fun scrappy quilt. Congrats on having stitched every day in December, that's an achievement, especially since you've been dealing with your MIL's apartment clean up. Hope this week is as good (and that Your Guy is quick with his insulation work).
ReplyDeleteThank you. I hope I can continue this momentum in 2019 now that it is a habit again. I guess it's the warm colors, but scrappy quilts look so much warmer to me. I should be helping more with the insulation. I thought I'd get those Depression Blocks kicked out fast this week, but Hubby just informed me that WE are working on the house tomorrow.
DeleteSounds to me as if you are getting a lot done in at least semi-trying circumstances. I hope you are staying warm up there! I'm still trying to figure out how the garage and the attic can be next to each other. You don't have a mobius house, do you? LOL Best of luck with your insulating for sound and chill!
ReplyDeleteThe garage is open to the top of the roof, so basically a two story garage. We have a couple of heaters up there, and they warm it up, sometimes too warm unless the breeze is blowing through the wall. We're living in a 5th wheel in the garage, so that would probably be a yes to your question, though probably not the way you meant it. lol
Delete