Sewing Room Clean Up Along: the AFTER

Posted on February 25, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Well. Did you get your sewing space cleaned up? Even if you didn’t share your “before” photos (or if you were too embarrassed to put them out there publicly!), I’d still love to see what your sewing or craft space looks like, so feel free to link up at the bottom of this post.

Here’s what my sewing room looks like after 10 days of cleaning up a little at a time (now maybe I can keep it clean for 10 days!). My cutting table and sewing table switched spots in the process of the clean-up, and look! There’s a quilt on my machine! I actually found some sewing mojo while cleaning up, which is just what I had hoped would happen. Also notice the addition of two mini quilts that have been added to my weird, sloping wall that weren’t there before.

The shelves below have mostly bottom weight and fabrics that would be used in garment sewing. The upper shelves contain other notions and essentials (glue, pins, webbing, ribbon, buttons, etc.). They needed to be tidied and purged of random papers and things that got shoved in there. And there’s my cutting table, which can actually be used to cut fabric since it no longer contains piles of fabric and mending and thread.

The ironing board has been put away inside the closet for the sake of these photos, though I’m sure it won’t remain there long. All of the fabric has been put away, things that don’t belong in this room have been removed. The quilted folded on the chair in the before photo is the one on my machine in the first picture. I think that closet door would make a great design will; I just have to figure out how to make that happen!

And the wall of fabric. This has been reorganized so that all the quilting fabrics are together. I purged a little, but could probably do more in that area. I’m still hanging on to some fabric that I bought before I knew what I was doing, and the quality is not up to my current standards. There’s that disastrously unusable cutting table in the before photo which has now traded places with the sewing table.

I mentioned that mini quilt when I gave you the tour of the messy “before” space because it really deserves more than to be hanging out over the edge of my scrap bin. Well, now it is hung proudly over some favorite things. I culled all the lists that were completely or partially completed from my pin board and recovered it with a pretty Kate Spain fabric. I love the fabric and I’m glad I decided to put it in a place I can look at it every day. The plastic drawers have scraps that have already been sorted (warm colors, cool colors, neutrals) and they now live under the cutting table.

Random shoe shelf is now a fabric shelf and has a home and a purpose.

The bookshelf has been straightened and relocated. I really need to find a new spot for that felt, too because I want to use the entirety of this shelf for books.

So, can I see your sewing space, too, please? Even if you didn’t clean up along with us, it’s not too late; I’ll leave the link-up open until next Monday, so come take a peek at some other sewing spaces and share yours!

4×5 Bee Hexagon Blocks

Posted on February 23, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I was late to the sign up for the 4×5 Quilt Bee this quarter, so the group filled. However, I managed to be first on the waiting list, and so when a spot opened up in Hexagon group (block must incorporate a hexagon in some way) I knew that my Multiples of 3 block would be a good fit.

The mailing deadline is today, so I’m thrilled to have these finished to send off to their new homes.

Pink, green, and gray with white background for Tsoniki.

Aqua, lime and brown with cream background for Melissa.

Purple, green and gray with gray background for Hannah.

Pink, green and navy with white background Jenn.

Turquoise, iris and apple green with white background for Rhonda.

I hope these ladies enjoy their blocks, and I’m looking forward to some happy mail soon with block in lime, tangerine, and lemon yellow. I eventually plan to make a picnic blanket that folds up into its own pocket with these blocks.

I’m linking up with Finish It Up Friday (even though it’s Saturday!).

WiP: The Big Clean

Posted on February 20, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Are you going to QuiltCon this weekend? Yes? Good for you. I shall live vicariously through your social media updates. No? Me neither. Which means it’s the perfect opportunity to clean our sewing spaces! I’ll have a link-up on Monday where we can show off our newly cleaned/organized spaces and meanwhile, we can bond over our respective creative messes.

So, that’s my major work in progress this week: cleaning my sewing room. Still plenty of time to link up your “before” space in this post. And I’ll see you Monday to link your new, improved space!

Where is my cutting table?! There it is! See, definitely a work in progress.

I’m also finishing up my blocks for the 4×5 Bee.

And I now have 7 of these monochromatic English paper pieced rose stars and not one single idea what I will do with them. I’m open to suggestions … ?

What are you working on this week?

A mini finish: A “little” wonky

Posted on February 15, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Hey! Guess what? It’s “Thank Goodness I’m Finished Friday” and I’m hosting. I apologize to all of you on the other side of the world. It’s still breakfast time year, but I know it’s mid-afternoon over there already.

I really am thankful that I have finished this one little thing today considering the state of my sewing room and the fact that I finally got my sewing machine out last night for the first time in over a week. I’m hoping my in-progress Sewing Room Clean Up will unearth the inspiration that has been difficult to find lately. (It’s a Sewing Room Clean Up ALONG, by the way, so if your space needs some tidying, please join me!)

I’m pleased with this scrappy little wonky diamonds mini. I am working on a larger scale project with this design, so this one was a test run of sorts, to see how it would all come together.

I free motion quilted this using the “dogwood” patten I saw on Oh, Fransson!. It was really perfect for this project since it’s already in a 2-inch grid. No need to even mark.

You can see it better on the back. It’s a little wobbly in place, but for my first attempt, I LOVE it. Now, to actually get it hung on my wall …

Link up below with your finishes for this week. Don’t forget to visit the other links and share the love! For more Friday link fun, I’m also adding my finish to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Sewing Room Clean Up Along: The BEFORE

Posted on February 15, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Okay, friends, I’m about to show you the before photos of my sewing room in all their embarrassing glory. Yikes! Please don’t think less of me when you see this disaster.

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s time to clean up the sewing room, and I want you to clean up yours along with me. I do love working in a nice, tidy space, but I admit, my creativity tends to explode all over the room and destroy the tidiness. Regularly. Yes, “explosive creativity” is what I’m going with here.

Prepare yourself. Here is your grand tour.

Here we are standing in the doorway of the room. Look left and you can see the wall that holds shelves of most fabric and supplies. Next to that is my cutting table (which is actually too low for cutting). Notice that it is currently covered in randomness, which makes it rather difficult to cut anything. Hmm. One lonely mini on the wall. And a small shelf with bottom weight fabrics (plus more randomness) and other sewing/craft supplies above.

Moving clockwise around the room. To the right of the window is my sewing table. Notice the absence of the sewing machine. Hmm, kind of difficult to sew without a sewing machine right? A friend borrowed it a week ago and the state of this room is so appalling that I haven’t even bothered to put it back yet!

Moving on. Ironing board. Suffering from the same “covered in stuff” affliction as the cutting table. Same outcome of “kind of difficult to iron anything.”

And finally, looking back toward the door at the shelves. These have already been tidied just a touch.

Some details. Scrap bin with a mini quilt ready to be put on the wall. Seriously, I love this mini, and I received it 5 weeks ago. I LOVE it, and it deserves more respect than hanging out of my scrap bin. There’s also a race bag that’s been there since December.

Shoe shelf. Empty. On its side. Why?

That (presently unusable) cutting table with a small (completely disorganized) bookshelf below.

Pin board. Some paper with notes for projects that have been completed, random templates for quilt blocks, etc.

I’ve been intending to jump in and clean up this room since the beginning of the year, but here we are, mid-February, and I haven’t done it yet. Now is the time! My sewing mojo has been at an abysmally low level all year, and that makes me really, really sad. My sewing time is usually my happy time, but I just haven’t been inspired.

I was motivated by Amy, who last week posted a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #sewingroomcleanupalong20122013. That was just the reminder I needed. These unpleasent tasks are always easier if we do them together, right?

Let’s Clean Up Our Creative Spaces Together!

Go, take some before photos of your sewing/craft space. Write a blog post or post to Flickr and share with the link-up below. If you use Instagram, tag them with #sewingroomcleanupalong20122013. You are not alone (“explosive creativity”, remember?).

On Monday, February 25th, I will show you my “after” photos and invite you to share yours as well. We can pat each other on the back and work, newly inspired, in our (temporarily for me, I’m sure) tidy spaces!

You have one week and two weekends, so knock it all out in one day, or do it a little at a time. But before you sit down to sew this week, first do a few minutes of cleaning up, putting away, or reorganizing.

After the clean up post is here.

Sewing Room Clean Up Along

Posted on February 12, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

My husband came home from dorm duty (we live at a boarding school) at 11:30 last night. I was in my sewing room, up to my eyeballs (possibly deeper) in disaster.

“What are you doing?” he asked me.

“Looking for something.”

“Um … did you find it?”

“It’s my sewing mojo. It’s in here, somewhere,” I said. “If I dig deep enough, I know I will find it. I think it’s buried.”

My sew-jo disappeared somewhere around the beginning of the year. It has made a few brief reappearances, but it’s still a little lackluster. This bums me out because my sewing time is usually such a welcome respite for me. The kids are in bed, the house is quiet, it’s just me, some music, and the hum of my machine. I cherish those hours. Or I did. And the worst part is, I have some projects that I actually want to work on. I do. I’m just feeling rather uninspired.

When I first posted about my lack of sewing inspiration back in January, I suspected what I really needed to do was to clean and reorganize my sewing space. Yeah, that hasn’t happened yet.

But now it shall!

I want you to have a nice, clean, organized space to work in as well, so join me in a Sewing and Craft Space Clean Up!

I might be a bit embarrassed about that first photo of my disaster of a creative space, but I know there are others like me out there. A few have shared your craft room disasters under the Instagram hashtag #honestcraftroom. And now, I want to see photos of your CLEAN #honestcraftroom!

So, this Friday, February 15, I will open a linky and we can all share those embarrassing “before” photos of our creative space. And then the clean-up begins. Maybe you can dive in and have your space all tidied up in one day. Perhaps you only have a few minutes each day. Regardless, before you sit down to sew next week, I encourage to take a few minutes and fold up a few of those fabrics from that project you finished last month, or put all your WiPs in one spot, or clean off your ironing board so you can actually use it!

If you are on Instagram or Twitter, we’ll share our progress with the hashtag that Amy first started using #sewingroomcleanupalong20122013. You will have 10 days to get your space in order! On Monday, February 25, there will be another link-up to share our “after” photos. Cleaning is really NOT a good time, but if we are all in it together, perhaps it won’t be such a daunting chore (misery loves company, right?)!

I’ve made a little bit of progress already … here’s that corner of my sewing room now (not yet “after”).

I’ve got a long way to go; will you join me? Okay, see you Friday!

January Fresh Sewing Day

Posted on February 1, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Ack! It’s February! I saw my husband flipping the calendar and had a mini panic attack. “It’s already February!” Him (sarcastically): “Yes, that usually comes after January.” Me: “That means we are having a baby next month!”

As far as things on the sewing front: they were slow, to say the least, in January. Nothing like a new month to remind you what you didn’t do last month. Blah. I spent the early part of the month in a serious no sewing loss of sewing mojo. It has only returned to a moderate level. I’m fairly certain that a major clean and reorganization of my sewing room would help, but I’m sort of dreading that task!

I did manage a few sewing projects, though. As well as some sewing related projects that were exclusively digital.

I’ve got all the blocks planned out for the Road Trip Quilt Along this summer. I think they will make a nice little sampler quilt!

I made my first printable PDF for a quilt block. This one is to go with my tutorial for the Spiderweb quilt block.

I finally finished the top of the quilt from the free form robin I participated in last year. I can’t wait to finish this one!

I have a few more blocks for Brian’s quilt finished. I really need to get this put together!

And I wrote a tutorial for a pretty little checkbook cover.

I also have finished bee blocks that will go in the mail today and have been practicing free motion quilting by working on quilting my Road Trip Quilt Along Sampler quilt from last summer.

So, that’s it. No real finishes per say. Leaves me something to strive for I guess.

I’ve got sunshine!

Posted on January 28, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day! And it came in the form of fabric in my mailbox! I am so excited about this that I could pee myself. Not really.

However, this fabric was delivered to me by Moda Fabrics to use in completing the projected I submitted for Moda Bake Shop. I was super excited that my project submission was accepted, but even more thrilled when I learned that I could submit a fabric request to complete the project!

I gave several possibilities, so I wasn’t sure which one would appear in my mailbox. It was Snap Pop by Sandy Gervais!

Seriously, don’t the fabulous colors just make you joyful?!

And now, the real work begins. Because of course I designed a project composed of 520 2-inch squares. Let’s see if I can finish this before the baby comes! Go!

Works in Progress

Posted on January 23, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Brrr! It’s cold outside. Though, compared to some other parts of the country, Virginia is a tropical 17 degrees F! Makes me wish I had a nearly finished quilt so I could sit under it and sew on the binding. Sadly, though, none are that close to being finished. The three I have in progress are in various stages of finish:

a. Brians quilt: I still need a couple more block and then the top needs to be put together.
b. Free form robin bird quilt: top and back are finished, needs basting and quilting
c. Road Trip Quilt Along quilt: still working on FMQ

Phew. Speaking of works in progress, here’s what The List looked like last week in entirety:

1. Inventory for my Etsy shop: clutches + totes. None.

2. Six more blocks for Brian’s quilt top. None.

3. Finish quilting on Road Trip Quilt Along sampler. Minimal progress. I quilted a couple more blocks. It’s a long process because I”m learning to free motion quilt as I go, including watching my Leah Day Craftsy class here and there.

4. Backing and quilting for the free form robin bird quilt. Progress. Back is finished. Needs to be quilted and bound. I’m kind of in love with the back. It is particularly special because it includes the panel with the names of all the ladies who worked on it with me. I wanted something fun, so I picked up a Kona Modern Quilts print on sale at the Fat Quarter Shop. Then I pieced a strip to imitate the print in the fabric and added the signature panel.

5. Kelleigh’s wonkey star blocks for Bee a {Modern} Swapper. Some progress. These should be pretty easy to finish up, if I just sit down and do it.

6. Nancy Drew project for the Nancy Drew Get a Clue blog hop, using Moda’s new Nancy Drew fabric as part of the project. Still need to actually buy the fabric. None. Must buy fabric.

I also worked on some things that weren’t on The List. I decided I needed a checkbook cover and made tutorial for that.

And I did a little bit of hand sewing on those monochromatic English paper pieced rose stars (how’s that for a description!).

Here’s The List today (didn’t change much):

1. Inventory for my Etsy shop: clutches + totes. None.

2. Six more blocks for Brian’s quilt top.

3. Finish quilting on Road Trip Quilt Along sampler.

4. Basting and quilting for the free form robin bird quilt.

5. Kelleigh’s wonkey star blocks for Bee a {Modern} Swapper.

6. Nancy Drew project for the Nancy Drew Get a Clue blog hop, using Moda’s new Nancy Drew fabric as part of the project. Buy the fabric.

See more Works in Progress in the sewing and quilting world at Freshly Pieced!

How to make a pretty checkbook cover

Posted on January 22, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

There’s no reason why those “everyday things” can’t be lovely to look at, is there?

Maybe you don’t write a lot of checks anymore, but as a parent of little ones, I certainly do (preschool tuition, dance class, soccer). For all of those, checks are the best way to complete the transaction. When my new checks came in this week, I decided I just didn’t want to carry around that blah, dark blue, flimsy plastic cover that comes along with them.

So I made one out of a favorite fabric. It took less than 40 minutes. Here’s how you can make one, too!

Supplies

You’ll need a fabric for the outside and the lining and a fabric for the pockets. You can use the same if you are so inclined. I used the flimsy, plastic cover to measure the size. It is 6-3/8 inches wide and 6-7/8 inches long when opened.

From outside/lining fabric cut: (2) 6-7/8 x 7-3/8 inch rectangles

From fusible interfacing cut: (1) 6-1/2 x 7 inch rectangle

For pockets:
From fabric cut: (2) 6-7/8 x 6-1/2 inch rectangles
From fusible interfacing cut: (2) 6-1/2 x 6 inch rectangles

Directions

Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the outside and wrong side of the pockets according to the directions. I left the lining without interfacing, but if you want a stiffer cover, just cut another piece.

Optional: round the corners. You could leave them crisp and pointy, but I chose to round mine. You don’t want to cut off much of the area of your cover, so trace a small diameter circular object.

Fold each of the pockets in half so that they are 6-7/8 x 3-1/4 inches.

Edge stitch along the folded edge of each pocket.

Align the pockets on the right side of the lining so that the raw edges match up and the folded edges are toward the center.

Place the outside piece, right side down, on top of the lining and pockets. Pin in place. Round the corners of the other layers. Sew around the perimeter with a 1/4 inch seam allowance, leaving a large opening for turning the cover right side out. (I actually left most of one side open so it would be easier to turn with all the interfacing.)

TIP: As you round those tightly rounded corners, go slowly. Move a stitch or two at a time, then lift the presser foot, leave the needle in the fabric, and turn the piece. And repeat.

Notch the corners to reduce bulk.

Turn the checkbook cover right side out through the opening. Poke out each corner. Iron flat, tucking the seam allowances of the opening under to press.