Studio Progress!

 

Our unsuspecting sad little garage, with it's drooping roof and crumbling floor had no idea what was coming.

It looks even sadder as a pile of rubble.

A mere 24 hours later it was gone and the foundation was being poured.

One week later, after spending too much time watching concrete dry, this new pile showed up on the front lawn.  Nothing better than the smell of fresh lumber and the sounds of saws and hammers.

SnowBall Block Lotto

I always love the Mpls Modern Quilt Guild block lottos.  This month we did a snowball block.  I think making "snowballs" in April in Minnesota is hilarious because, even though we had an incredibly mild winter, the last thing we want to hear about in April is snowballs!  But I can certainly deal with this kind of snowball.

 We made four small blocks instead of one larger one.  So simple to do and...

...so many options to put them together.  We have yet to see a finished quilt from any of our lottos, and I have not won one yet.  My odds are getting better though because once you win a lotto, you can't win again until you complete the quilt.  It seems like everyone still likes to contribute blocks even if they can't win, so hopefully my day will come soon.  This block is definitely one that I will use again in my own quilting.

I Spy a baby quilt...

I really love making these little baby quilts.  This one is 41" square and has all kinds of interesting things to look for.  Elephants, baseballs, ants, owls and even a hula-hooper.  I like to use large squares to show off some of the bigger prints, plus it makes the whole thing go together pretty quickly.   I have been giving "I Spy" quilts as baby gifts for years and they are so fun to make.  It gives me an excuse to buy a little piece of all the quirky novelty fabrics I come across.  This one is for sale in my PixisSpit Etsy shop, and fabric to make your own can be found for purchase in my FreshStash Fabric Etsy shop.

The Birkie Quilt

Well, it's not the prettiest quilt I have ever made, but the recipient might be pretty happy about that. He requested "nothing fancy" when I decided to get started on it.   I made this quilt for a Mpls Modern Quilt Guild challenge where we needed to use only repurposed materials in the quilt.  I used t-shirts and race bibs from the Birkeibiener Ski Race that my husband does every year to piece the front.  They have seen over 500K of snowy hills in the northwoods of Wisconsin over the last 10 years.  There are a few pieces of his worn out pants and shirts in there as well.  I used a thrifted sheet for the back and an old blanket for the batting.  For the binding I used an old sheet that was given to us as a wedding gift to hold it all together.

My new best friend...

I have been spending some quality time with the Ikea catalog lately. Nearly the entire budget for my new studio space is going to build the garage. There isn't much left for furnishings. I have always been one to "live" in a new space and get a feel for it before doing too much in the way of furnishings and renovations. I have a pinterest board where I have been collecting ideas that range from practical to grand. But for the most part, I plan to use what I have now to start out with. There is one wonderful exception...
...an island! On paper, it looks like I can fit two of these beauties back to back in the center of my new space. The concept of that much space boggles me, but even if I can only get one in there, it is an ISLAND! A paradise, an oasis....
Okay, I guess there are two exceptions. I picked up one of these pretty floral trays. Perfect for transporting my lunch from the kitchen to the studio. I "heart" Ikea! Now, off to sit by the window and wait for the bulldozer to arrive.

Who knew?

Customers have been asking me for aprons for so long. Not being an apron-wearer, I was dragging my feet on it. I messed around with a few ideas and looked at some vintage aprons that I have collected with thoughts of re-purposingsing the fabric for quilts. They are stained and/or ripped in places and not really usable anymore. I finally ended up making a simple pleated apron with a pocket. I used lots of the linen blends that I have around and combined them with a cotton print for the pocket and ties. Linen seems so perfect for the kitchen. Soft and sturdy! I have my first craft market coming up in early May, so we'll see how the apron wearing public likes them.

Hello, My name is Lisa and I am addicted to fabric...

Check out this fantastic name tag made for me by Tracy! We finally decided that we needed to draw names to make name tags for each other in our MMQG instead of waiting for motivation to make them for ourselves. I couldn't be happier with mine.
This is the name tag I made for Flaun. We drew names from a "hat" and made that person a name tag. The ultra-small size was a challenge for me, but I managed to put something together. I missed the meeting when we exchanged and am excited to see what everyone else came up with when we have our April meeting next week!

What's not to love?

I love my sewing room! I love that I even have a sewing room! But I am busting at the seams and I am so excited that I will be getting a new sewing room soon. I might even venture to call it a studio.

One of the challenges of working from home has been working from home! I am at work when I am at home. I am at home when I am at work. A little separation (and a lot more space!) is in order. Not too much separation though. I don't want to lose the conveniences that working from home brings. Enter...the garage plan!

I have long dreamed of a sewing studio above the garage. We currently have a small, old and underutilized garage. And the bull-dozer comes next week...