The Times They Are A-Changing

I've been talking about my future quilting studio for some time now.  I spent a long time thinking about it and planning for it.  I had certain criteria.  It didn't have to be fancy, but had to have enough space to work comfortably, have ample closets, perhaps room for a design wall.  I needed enough space to have a friend or two over to sew, and a bathroom, fridge, and a place to plug in a coffee pot.  Priorities, you know!

Two years ago I decided where I wanted to retire and found a lovely place there.  It has a separate structure that will be a studio for me - or the Cottage as I call it.  It perfectly met my criteria, although there will have to be some minor modifications, very minor.

Do you want to see it?

Gasp, you already have!!!

I purchased the old homestead back in August of 2012.  The next month I posted this picture asking if this wouldn't make a nice studio.  I was bursting to talk about it but decided that I should wait until the right time.

That time is now.  I will more than likely be in the new place by the end of the year. I will be traveling back there one more time before the move to work out the logistics, do some more measuring, and make the decision on how much of the stash I should pay to move.

The main house was built in 1927 and has ton of charm.  I've actually posted a few pictures here and there.  The Cottage was originally built as a pool house.  It burned down in the '80s, I think, and was rebuilt as a mother-in-law's house.  Two bedroom, three baths, full kitchen, screened in porch on the side with washer/drier hookups ..... the perfect studio.

Here are a few more pictures of the inside.  It's not much to look at now but I think I can turn it into a nice place to spend my quilting time. 

 

 

The sellers and I agreed that they would leave any furniture they didn't want to move with them.  You will see odd pieces here and there in the Cottage.  Probably most of them will go, but at least I had a place to sit in there while visiting!

 



The stash closet.  It's really long.  Not much perspective in this picture.  I'll need to get more shelves in there - lots of them!

Part of the open sewing space.  The fireplace is working but the sellers put this temporary board across it.  I may leave it closed up, but will rig up something nicer looking than that.  Decisions!

 

 

The stairs to the bedrooms upstairs.

What I like most about this space -- the possibilities.  Kind of like laying out a yard of fabric and deciding what to do with it!  I have tons of pictures but there's not much more to see until I get there and get my quilting stuff moved in.

So there you have it.  Yep, the times are a-changing!

A friend recently said that I would have to change the name of my blog.  Then she thought a minute and said, "No, you won't!"  That's right.  LA Quilter will still be LA Quilter.  Los Angeles to Louisiana .... and, yes, the name was chosen intentionally!



One last picture ... I'll be sewing away on Bayou Teche!  And eating oranges, satsumas, grapefruit, and maybe drowning some worms off my pier.

Laissez les bon temps rouller!

Catching Up

It's been a couple of weeks since I've blogged anything.  Sharon emailed me this morning wondering if I had fallen off the face of the earth!  I had the best intentions of posting today but she spurred me on.  Thanks, Sharon!

I've been feeling kind of puny and recently had a bunch of tests done.  I'll get results next week.  While I don't expect anything too dire, there will be some things I'll need to deal with.  He did tell me a couple of months ago that my cholesterol was too high and wanted to give me a prescription.  Nope.  I said I would do it by myself.  He rolled his eyes!  That guy doesn't know me at all.  In four weeks I dropped it from around 250 to about 165 just through what I was putting in my mouth.  He was pleasantly surprised because a lot of his patients aren't dedicated enough to do it without the miracles of medication.  I need to get blood work tomorrow and hopefully it has dropped more.  A pleasant side effect of that is I've also dropped some weight.  I think the weigh-in next week will say it's about 20 pounds.  I noticed my work slacks were all too big, so I went to Nordstrom's and got a size smaller.  I just bought one pair for now.  I'm a realist!  :)

Enough of that.  On to quilting ...

I have two quilts that I just need to piece the backings for Brenda Riddle's Quilted Comfort project that I mentioned a couple of posts back. 

This is a older French General kit that was just sitting around.  It went together so quickly.  I could have done it in one day if my back had cooperated.  I might use this pattern again to make more quilts for the project.  The other one is a Fig Tree quilt that I did four years ago.  Here's the blog post that I did about it in 2010.  http://www.laquilter.blogspot.com/2010/02/stash-report-2010-week-8.html  It's a pretty quilt and the reason it wasn't ever quilted is because I gave the backing to someone who needed it.  I dug around and found another piece big enough and I just have to get it done.  I also have a box ready to mail to Brenda with a kit, some jelly rolls and matching backing, and some other things for her project.  I have a lot of girly stuff but not too much for the male recipients.  I need to go to the storage unit as I think I have some kits there that will work.  So, Brenda, I hope to get that box off to you this week, and the other two quilts off to be quilted the week after.  Someone emailed me and so graciously volunteered their quilting services on two quilts.  I won't post her name here, but hopefully when the finished quilts have been received by Brenda, that she will have given her permission to do so.  Thank you SO MUCH!!!  It's wonderful quilters like you who make these projects so successful!

My friend, Mary Ann, invited me to make a trip with her to M&L Fabrics yesterday.  Since I was clueless where I was going, I met her in Brea and she chauffeured me around.  That place is overwhelming.  I wish I had taken pictures of the thousands and thousands of flat folds.  The fabrics on the bolts went from very cheap to high end quilter fabric.  I didn't buy any of that fabric as the prices were comparable to the Fat Quarter Shop. 

They did have good prices on their Kona solids.  Mary Ann suggested I go with a plan.  So I pulled an older April Cornell tower from the stash room, Nature's Chorus.  I have been wanting to use that for the longest time but I didn't have a clue.  Well, one of Camille's hot new patterns gave me a light bulb moment! 

I thought by using the Kona solids and leaving out the cream FQs, that I could stretch the tower and perhaps get another quilt out of it for Quilted Comforts.  We'll see how that goes.  Anyway, this project is on my to-do list now.  It's about time!!

Mary Ann surprised me with a wonderful gift - a pin cushion.  She informed that I had to use this one and not put it in my glass display case! 

She used wool on the back.  I love it!  I couldn't resist displaying it on the Kona; it matches!!  Thank you so much, Mary Ann! Like Daddy used to say, "You didn't have to do that ... but I'm glad you did!!" 

(Daddy has been gone over 40 years now, and I miss him and think about him every single day.) 

I also picked up some chambray that Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's used as the background on a new pattern about to be released, Harvey.  I think I'm going to like sewing with it.  Thanks, Carrie!  I think .. well, yes, thank you ... I think.  You just keep inspiring me more and more and I don't have enough time to keep up with the inspiration!  (Wow, I can think of worst things in life!)  How much longer until retirement?

So that's it from here.  Too long, I know, but I had to catch up.  You know how that is!

Little Bites - Trace

I had fun working on the Miss Rose Little Bites pattern, Trace.  I get now why everyone likes making the minis.

I had the mini charm packs, and used scraps for the borders.  Just need to steam and square it, but I'll save that for another day.  I must get back to the quilt I'm making for Quilted Comfort!