Workspace Makeover, Part III

Here's where I park myself ... a lot ... at my new/old desk. 

I.LOVE.IT. 

I'm very lucky to call this talented lady friend.  One of these days I'll tell you story about how we met and how she was the first business woman to make me think I had legitimate sewing chops by selling my wares in her shop. :)

I bought this "Lady's Writing Desk" from Barb last Fall but I couldn't use it as my desk until I got my new computer because the old PC tower wouldn't fit underneath. 

AND it even has DRAWERS, which I lined with Laura Ashley drawer liners ...

- no longer scented but still pretty - 'cause they match my ironing board cover ...

and the hat box on top of my shelving ...

Is that totally awesome ... or just seriously pathetic?  Don't answer. ;)

The lamp - also from Barb (I've furnished my sewing room with a LOT of things from her!) - is perfect here in the corner. 

It was the raspberry beaded fringe that made me buy it ... well, and the crystals ... and the taupe shade that matches the stripe in the wallpaper.

The clock that taunts me all day long by ticking away ... but also reminds me when it's time to pick up the girls from school.

The oh so adorable applique ... which sadly is hidden by the computer ... but I know it's there. :)

The magnet board is new.  I've been meaning to get something like this for a while.  Kate found it at Ikea and said I should get one.  I've learned the hard way to always listen to her purchase recommendations.  I can't tell you how many times she's told me to get something and I hum & haw ... and then six months later totally regret it.  I know I'll never regret this magnet board. 

And the iron decoration was an impulse buy a few years ago.  I thought I'd put in the diningroom, but it's been neglected in a sideboard drawer.

My perch - another Honey B's score from a few years ago - which goes so well with the desk, even though they're not a set.  I'm thinking of recovering it with the same ironing board fabric ... or maybe the green check ... tee hee. 

Too bad I'm better with a needle & thread than I am with a screwdriver & staple gun ... 'cause I bruise easily.

I'm a wimp delicate flower. 

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 40

Yellow, Gray & White

Ok.  How nerdy am I?  Omg, seriously nerdy.  I can't help it.  It's embarrassing.  Lemme 'splain.

I want my FW quilt to look balanced ... you know, not too much or too little of any color.  This is how I'm keeping track ...

I would TOTALLY not blame you right now for putting your finger & thumb in the shape of a "L" on your forehead ... I totally deserve it.

This week I looked for the 2 most lacking colors and they happen to be yellow & gray.

I know. 

Sad. 

And totally O.C.D. nerdy.

#109 - Windows

I thought of going red with the 2 inner triangles, but I've done that lots already ...

And since last week's fussy cutting turned out so well, I kept on going!

#28 - Duck & Ducklings

And the nerdiness continues ...

How on earth could I NOT make ducklings yellow?  I mean seriously people!  My ducklings HAD to be yellow.  I couldn't live with a quilt that had pink or blue ducklings. I just couldn't.

(Note to self - DUCKLING is my new favorite word.)

And in case you're wondering how I justified the gray, the ducklings are walking across a paved road.

Don't worry.  They get to the other side safely.  I made sure it was a quiet country road. 

Workspace Makeover, Part II

LOTS of pictures today to make up for all my blah blah blahing last time.

After the big fabric purge, the next project I took on was my disgusting ironing board cover. 

The super grotty section is just outside this picture frame ... too ugly to show here.

I should have made a new one a loooong time ago, but as usual I was crippled with indecision and couldn't settle on a fabric. 

But I found this Laura Ashely lightweight upholstery fabric during the purge ...

that I've been "saving" for too many years to admit.

(Ok, I'll admit ... for those of you who are a little rusty with your Roman Numerals that reads 1993.  Sorry, inner nerd just escaped for a second.)

I remember falling in love with this room in my previous life as a single girl.

So light.  Bright.  Fresh.  Pretty.  And I loved that little hit of a gingham check on the lampshades.

When we bought our house 16 years ago I got a 3rd-hand sofa, loveseat & chair suite of 1980s pine Ikea furniture.  Totally cheap.  Kinda ugly.  And super uncomfortable.  But I recovered all the cushions with this lovely print on one side and a damask ivory floral on the other.  LOL!  Nothin' like Laura Ashley to totally class up knotty pine Ikea! Even my husband thought it looked good.  

So when I found this fabric I knew right away it was going to cover my ironing board.

Tada!  Isn't it just so ... lovely?  Especially against my perfectly coordinating Laura Ashley wallpaper that my sister & I hung in 1997.  ('Member that sister?) 

If I were to ever become a marriage counsellor, I would strongly recommend that couples NEVER hang wallpaper together.  Especially if the wallpaper is NOT pre-pasted like the fancy-schmancy-totally-way-too-expensive-for-a-new-homeowner-unless-she-has-a-staff-discount-kind.  Sister's are a MUCH better option.  Am I right ladies or am I right?!

But wait, there more!

I found a Laura Ashley remnant of that green check too.  I know, what a shocker, eh?

For what?  So glad you asked.  Let me show you.

I was given this fairly old, handmade sleeve board a long time ago. 

I'm certain it was a DIY project - in just-git-er-dun style - from years gone by.  You can see the hand-chisel marks and the screw & bent nails ... clearly trademarks of someone more interested in function and not so much in aesthetics, eh? ;)

It was lovingly covered with a muslin-type fabric and hand-stitched in place.  I don't know who did it, but I imagine it was someone who loved sewing.  I mean, check out that beautiful envelope corner!  Someone really did a nice job.

Sadly the fabric was stained and I just never did anything about it.  Plus I didn't want to remove the padding.

It works well despite the stain and I use it a fair bit (although I don't have to iron teensy WEENSY little girl clothes anymore ... sniff!)

But then I got it in my head it would be nice to cover this board too ...

Tada!

Eeeep!  I'nt she cute?! 

I even like the ribbon tied as a bow hanging down.  I felt like I was cinching Scarlet O'Hara's corset pulling that ribbon so tight!  LOL!

So who says dreams don't come true?  It only took 20 years from the time I saw this room ...

to when I got this one.

Ok, ok, granted it's not EXACTLY the same.  But I love it just as much. 

Maybe even more.

Workspace Makeover, Part I

Warning:  Lots of blah blah blahing today ...

While I was offline, I found myself with time to clean house ... or at least clean my sewing room.  There was waaaaaay too much stuff in here and it was getting crazy messy.  I didn't have room for new fabric, I couldn't hardly see the floor (yes I know, bad grammar), I couldn't get to the closet, the spare chair was piled high with ... I dunno, ... stuff ... UGH!!!  It was terrible.

No I didn't take any photos to prove it.  I was too embarrassed.  Just trust me, kay?

So I begged my bestest friend Kate (let's just say she doesn't exactly live across the street ... more like she almost needs to pack a lunch for the drive to my house) to come over one afternoon to help me 'cause that girl has like a black belt in purging & organizing.  The word ruthless comes to mind ... in a good way, though. ;)  

PLUS she knows me really well.  PLUS she's a quilter/stitcher too (thanks in large part to me, tee hee) so she totally understands what I have, why I have it and has an impartial perspective on what I really need to keep and what I should get rid of (I know, more bad grammar).

The last time we went thru this exercise - I'm a work in progress - I got a taste of what it really feels like to be a hoarder in the middle of an intervention.  Now in all seriousness, I have a relative who's a bonafide hoarder, as in she could be on one of those reality shows.  And she was a MAJOR seamstress/quilter so I'm no stranger to what unhealthy fabric collecting looks like.  But I reeeeeally don't want to end up like that and seeing what happened to her is a very strong motivator for me to keep my fabric obsession under control.

Sorry, went off track a bit there.

What I was getting at about tasting hoardism is that when Kate was trying to help me part with certain things, I actually had the beginnings of a panic attack ... you know, elevated heart rate, sweaty palms, tight chest, feeling trapped.  And all she was doing was trying to convince me I could get rid of a little shoebox full of tacky Christmas fabric - SCRAPS no less - from the 80s.  I mean come ON! WHEN am I ever going to make something with gold lamé again?! Yeah, like NEVER.

That panic attack really surprised me and kinda scared me.  It was a good wake up call, let me tell you.

But I was now at the point where every time I looked around my sewing room to find inspiration and motivation, I felt stuck.  I couldn't think.  I felt anchored in the past with all my aging - albeit lovely - fabric.  I realized I'm no longer interested in making pretty things out of old fabric.  Or fabric I bought on impulse.  Or fabric that was given to me that didn't give me butterflies in my tummy.  Or fabric I'm simply SO OVER.

All this ... this STUFF was clogging my creative arteries.  ENOUGH!  BLAAAHH!!!

So I called in the big guns and we went to work.  Three hours later I was waving good-bye to her and about 100 lbs of fabric ... including my precious scrap bin ... and I've gotten rid of even MORE since then.  Confession:  she's having a garage sale in May so she said I was allowed to take back anything I NEEDED before then.  And I may have already brought back a few FQs.  But the exercise of removing all that fabric from my house is proving to be very theraputic.

ANYHOW (geez I'm long-winded today!) that purge got me started on a makeover of sorts here in my workspace where I sew, write & blog.  Now that my room is looking presentable, I thought you might like a peek.  I don't want you to get too excited.  I'm no Sarah Richardson.  But I think this room is pretty and I love being in it.  So I've written a little series of posts to show you around. 

Today - because I'm starting to bore even myself here - I'll just quickly show you the floor plan I drew up a few years ago.

I'd never done this before - drawn a room & furniture to scale on graph paper - and it turned out to be a great exercise. 

With graph paper, a pencil, a measuring tape and an Ikea catalogue I was able to see what I had to work with, identify what I needed and figure out what would fit.

There are a few Fung Sui problems with this layout, like my back is to the door when I'm sitting at my sewing machine and my desk, but that's the compromise I made so I could look out the window and spy on the neighbors watch the world go by.

So even though it's not perfect, it's perfect for me ... for now ... and I'm grateful.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 39

Pink, Yellow & White

Don't these blocks say SUMMER?!  I think sorbet & sunshine. :)

#57 - Morning

Oh yeah, this is a sunny summer morning if I EVER saw one!

I struggled with the yellow.  The block in the book uses the same fabric for all the yellow pieces, but I wasn't jazzed about doing that.  I toyed with using different colors, but then realized that I rarely use different prints of the same color in a block so I gave it a try.  Love.  Even the fussy cut center.  In fact, I really like how the blocks look like sisters with one big & one small fussy cut floral.

#37 - Flower Pot

Every decision that went into this block was followed by the thought, "I don't know if this is gonna work".  Yellow pot ... gamble.  The large fussy cut for the pot ... gamble.  Scrappy pinks in the flower ... gamble.

In the immortal words of Kenny Rogers, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em!  LOL!

O.m.g ... I just grabbed this video off YouTube and now my brain is spinning like a slot machine while I attempt to process that this song came out in 1978.  Nineteen freakin' SEVENTY EIGHT!!!

I feel a chocolate emergency coming on ...

Communication 101 ... For Moms

If your 8 year old requests macaroni & cheese for dinner and you go to the grocery store with her after school to get the ingredients and you're not sure how much milk is in the fridge so you ask her and she tells you there's LOTS, make sure she knows you mean WHITE milk, not CHOCOLATE. 

'Cause even hardcore chocoholics have to draw the line somewhere ... right?

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 38

Kay, you're probably getting a little tired of FW catch up.  Sorry.  But now I'm back on track so this is the last set of blocks until next week.  Promise.

To keep with the Valentine's/Birthday theme for this week ...

Pink & White

I am so.in.love with these blocks.  Really.  I love them. 

#35 - Flower Basket

Inspired by the antique silver bowl in this block, I really needed to make this basket pink.  And I was in a silly mood, I guess, but something told me to fussy cut the little posies.  I was just going to do it for the 3 squares in the corners, but then I couldn't stop.  I was a little nervous while putting it together, 'cause it could have looked really stupid.  But it doesn't.  At least to me.  I think it looks sooooo pretty!

I had to move the top triangle a bit so the handle wouldn't cover the flower.  And it reminds me of the kalidescopes I used to play with as a kid.

#47 - Homemaker

When looking for a block to go with Flower Basket, I came across this one.  I nearly passed on it ... AGAIN ... because of the inset seams.  But then I thought:  these inset seams aren't gonna stitch themselves up and are STILL going to be here every time you flip through the book until you MAKE this block so ... what was that phrase? ... oh yeah ... Suck it Up, Princess!  LOL!

And then I thought about the name of the block.  I'm a homemaker (well, to be perfectly honest, I'm a quilter who is frequently annoyed that I have homemaking responsibilities, but never mind that) and I am pink so ... there you go.

It turned out a little wavy on the edges, but I've learned ... from lots & lots of practice ... that I can press just about anything into submission once I sew it into a quilt.

I'm a very happy Farmer's Wife today. :)

A Pretty Milestone

(Singing) Happy Birthday,

to you,

Happy Birthday,

to you,

Happy Birthday,

Pretty by Hand blog,

Happy Birthday,

to you!

Yes, Pretty by Hand is one year old today.  I can't believe what a year this has been for me!  Do you know it took me 11 months from the time I registered my website name to my first post?  I was so scared.  I researched the crap out of blogging before I started and I STILL felt ill-prepared.

But wow!  I've met so many lovely people, some of whom I'm delighted to call friends.  And all of you who have taken time to leave me a comment (almost 5,000 ... no WONDER I felt lonely when I was changing computers and couldn't blog every day!) or send me an email just to say hi or to let me know you like what I do or even share a little something about yourself with me ... crazy awesome.

I've met amazing people in the quilting world at Quilt Market and can't believe that I'm allowed to call some of them friends.  That totally blows my mind.

I blogged my way thru Camille's fantabulous book Simplify. 

Learned to free-motion quilt in the process.

FWQAL has been CRAZY fun!  Thanks Amanda & Angela for running this project!

And then there was the Mini-Series.  TOTALLY loved making those cuties. :)

My little cases made with 2-1/2" squares.  Felt the love from you over these, I tell ya!

The messenger bag I made for my daughter.  I still can't believe the reaction!

My Daisychain Sampler is coming along nicely.

(albeit a little slowly ...)

Lecien asked me to make a quilt for their Fall booth to launch the (then) latest Flower Sugar fabric line.  What an unbelievable honor.

And the tote bag I made based on that quilt.

And of course tons more.

But my most favoritest thing about blogging is hearing that so many of you find my little blog here a source of inspiration ... that something I made got YOU to make something, learn something, try something, whatever.  Even if you just dream about making something ... that is also part of what I consider life support for the creative soul.  I couldn't survive without inspiration myself and I find it funny ... and also just plain FUN ... that I can do that for you.

When I started my blog last year it felt a lot like holding my breath, shutting my eyes real tight and jumping into the pool.  Now that I've gotten used to the water (thank god this analogy doesn't require me to ACTUALLY BE in a bathing suit in front of y'all!) I'm ready to do it again ... into the deep end this time.

I have a few things brewing behind the scenes.  I don't mean to tease you ... ok, maybe just a little ;) ... but I'm very excited about the upcoming months.

Now excuse me but ...

this prettiest-little-pink-cake-in-the-whole-entire-world isn't gonna eat itself. 

If you're picturing me going all psychotic when I saw this to-die-for PINK confection in the shop window, I assure you ... it was even worse than that.  There may have been squealing and clapping and jumping up and down ... can't be certain ... I think I blacked out for a sec.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 37

Red, Pink, Green, Gray & White

Valentine's Day theme ... of course. :)

#45 - Grape Basket

I don't have any purple in this quilt so I couldn't do grapes.  But I thought a bouquet of red & pink roses - WITH a little bit of greenery - IN an antique silver bowl - would be perfect for today!

Oddly enough, I'm totally diggin' the asymmetry of the flowers.

#106 - Wild Rose & Square

I thought these roses were the perfect compliment to my bouquet. 

I did a little boo boo with this one and forgot to make the corner squares gray the first time around.  Had to redo.  Much better.  Glad I did.  Makes a big difference!

I know you're wondering why I didn't save this post for tomorrow ... you'll see. :)

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 36

Red, White & Gray

#69 - Practical Orchard

Whenever I hear the word "orchard" I think "apple".  I don't know why.  There are no apple orchards where I live.  Come to think of it there aren't ANY orchards around here.

And I have no family or holiday association with apple orchards. 

But that's where my brain goes.  So my Practical Orchard symbolizes apples.  Handy that red is my accent color. ;)

And I couldn't resist throwing in a few apple blossoms with the floral gray.

#90 - Storm Signal

This block looks totally different than I thought it would.  But I really like it - especially when I turn it on point. 

I think it's going to play very nicely with the other blocks.

                                   *                    *                    *                  

Well what a great week this has been ... just as long as I don't count the night I had insomnia and thought watching Slumdog Millionaire at 2:30 a.m. was a good idea.  It is listed as a Romantic Drama.  Omg.  Seriously?!  THAT is not my idea of romance.  People if you haven't seen it yet let me warn you like I wasn't ... it is NOT a feel-good movie!!!  I managed 1/2 hr of horrific images before I just couldn't take it anymore.  And then I spent the rest of the night browsing the Comedy section of Netfilx looking for an antidote. 

Aah, but now the weekend is here and sewing can cure just about anything, right?! :)  See ya'll next week.

Farmer's Wife Quilt Along Week 35

Blue, Gray & White

You know, I was so smitten (Omg ... "smitten"?  Really?  Who USES that word anymore?!  Makes me sound like I should be using a walker and cranking up the volume on my hearing aid ...)

Let's try that again.

I was so HAPPY with my last set of blue, gray & white blocks I wanted to try that color combo again.  They just looked so different from the rest of my blocks.

#103 Whirlwind

I really really really love this dark blue.  And with the gray? Gorg(ous)!

#88 Star of Hope

Again, loving the big mass of dark blue.  The large square really shows of the print nicely. 

And the gray instead of white background just softens it a bit.  Although I confess to putting a white square in the corner because the other block has white in it too ... my OCD made me do it! ;)

Farmer's wife Quilt Along Week 34

YAY!!! I'm back!  Oh this feels so good. :)

Thank you so much for your all your responses to my request for feedback on my blog banner.  Wow you guys are so nice!  I wasn't expecting so many of you to tell me to do what pleases me.  That is pure generosity and I am totally grateful. 

My favorite comments were ones that suggested I do "the same but different".  So now I'm working on a new banner that you will recognize as me ... for sure ... promise.  It will be the same, but different.  Not sure when it will be ready.  But you'll be the first to know when it's done. :)

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

I have some MAJOR catching up to do here on the farm and beLIEVE me, I've been farming!  I'm going to spend this week showing you (some of) my new FW blocks ... and there are some beauties I tell ya, like today.

Green, Gray & White

#67 - Pine Tree

I live nestled in the foothills of the Great Canadian Rockies.  I suppose I should appreciate the landscape more, but I'm not into rocks & mountains and the indigenous flora that isn't anywhere NEAR my preferred English Cottage look ...

We have an abundance of pine trees and I think almost every other species of tree with needles & cones.  I bet there isn't a single residential street in the city without at least ONE.  Again, I suppose some people would find that charming and romantic.  Not me.  I only like these trees at Christmas time.

However, THIS is the kind of pine tree I can get jiggy with ...

all covered with flowers! :)

#105 - Wild Goose Chase

I had the.hardest.time deciding how to make this block in terms of print/color.  Should I go two-tone? Symmetrical?  Totally scrappy? And all the beautiful and inspiring versions I found on the FWQAL Flickr group didn't make my decision an easier.

But I finally went with these colors, scrapped "the snot" out of the green and I EL-OH-VEE-EE it!

YUM! :) 

(Just so we're clear here I mean yum the color ... not yum the snot.)

10 Things I Know Today That I Didn't Know 3 Weeks Ago

1. If you have an eye infection, don't chop onions.  THAT shoulda been a no-brainer.

2. If I'm not blogging I can make 22 Farmer's Wife quilt blocks in one week.  Trying to start the 23rd block, however, is like pointing a loaded gun to my head.  Just.couldn't.do.it.

3. If there is a Super Bowl party at my house, the next day I will have chocolate covered cheesecake morsels for breakfast, red licorice for a mid-morning snack and potato chips with pickle dip for lunch ... and then grow a zit by dinnertime.

4. The NEXT time I go to a seminar on how to use my new computer, I WILL remember to bring a notepad and pen.  (What is WRONG with me?!)

5. Getting used to using the "command" vs. "control" key is surprisingly difficult & frustrating.  (This will only make sense to you if you've ever gone from a PC to a Mac.)

6. If the furnace in my house dies at 3:30 a.m. and it is only slightly below freezing and lightly snowing outside, I can stay almost warm all day if I drink lots of tea, wear a wool sweater & socks, keep a space heater on in the hallway and the oven on in the kitchen ... and all the lights on in the house.  Eating ice cream is not recommended.  And making the chili for dinner extra spicy only upsets the children. 

7. If my husband has recently started a new job and I attend the annual company party with him, I will ALMOST make it through the night without sticking my foot in my mouth.  Unfortunately, I will exercise my occasionally sarcastic sense of humor as we are leaving and make fun of the door prize we won ... TO THE WOMAN WHO ORGANIZED THE ENTIRE EVENT.  (Seriously, WHAT is WRONG with me?!!  I was just trying to be funny.)  In my defense, I didn't know it was her.  And it really was a fantastic evening, just sayin'.

8. I will never wear high heels again.  Ever.  Life is too short to suffer that kind of unnecessary pain.  I am probably shopping for black patent ballet flats this very minute.

9. I love blogging.  Not being able to blog about pretty things makes me sad.  (I also had "& lonely" but deleted it because that just sounded pathetic.)  I am back tomorrow with some new things. 

10. BILLY CRYSTAL IS HOSTING THE OSCARS!!!