An Ending...of Sorts

The hum of my sewing machines seem to almost echo in our empty house as the final quilt gets quilted....

 ...and another got binding sewn on.

I thought Jackson looked a little sad until I realized while I was ironing that he in fact just couldn't find a comfy place to rest! Poor guy! I felt so bad. With no dog bed of his own nor couch to rest upon...he finally found a cozy spot in the quilt I was binding. Smart puppy. 

 

As many of you know, hubby and I have been downsizing this year and as we all know, 

as one door closes, another one opens. We may not always know what lies in the horizon.... 

:

...but I actually find inspiration in the unknown right now. 

I'm filled with curiosity as this new life chapter begins. 

With that said, I want to send out a virtual:

As my last post here as Val's Quilting Studio but I want to invite you to continue to follow as I expand  my content under a new name.  I enjoy our your inspiration and friendships. I thank you for following. If you just found my blog, you can take a look around by clicking on my tabs at the top of the page and my post labels at the bottom of the page. With six years of quilting documented here...there's plenty of inspiration to be found and friends to meet by following the blog links on my sidebar. And hope your continue to follow as I write more about my "Creative Life".

With SMILES! Val

....because that's what's new around here.

Getting It Done!

I wasn't sure I'd really be able to get my studio from THIS to this:

But BAM! I did!!! And now.....eighty percent of it is in storage: 

With the only thing left standing being my long-arm:

The downsizing process continues to be rejuvenating for me in spirit.

So for any of you thinking about it tackling it yourself....it's been refreshing and rejuvenating. 

It's taken me eight months to get to where I am now and I'm loving the simplicity of having less.

As for the ol' blog here....I'm playing with the idea of an entirely new blog once we've sold our current home and moved into our much smaller home. Some of you have also asked about an eye-spy swap this summer. I haven't decided yet...but will soon! (Tomorrow is the last day of school....so time will slow down a little bit.) ANDDDD our Annual Piggy Bank Challenge will be on July 6th. So those of you involved in that, mark your calendar! Thinking of all of you and sending smiles your way.

A Productive Mess?

Hello! Hello!! Downsizing has consumed most of my free time over the past six months. 

After yard sales, trips to make donations, craigslist sales and passing things on to our daughter, most the rooms in our home are now empty and the house literally echos. LOL!

 All's I have left  to pack is the sewing studio...and right now it's a mess!

A productive mess...as I'm literally going through everything. Craft supplies I haven't used in years went in the yard sale. Fabric I don't like anymore, gone.

And it really is hard to sew when when my sewing area looks like this:

The long-arm looks like this:

And boxes fill most the floor space.

At times, the process of downsizing my sewing studio has felt overwhelming. Sometimes, even emotional when past memories surface. And sometimes I have found myself indecisive. But in the end, it's turning into a cleansing process that finds me actually looking forward to having a smaller space.
 Less is starting to feel good....does that make sense?

I've kept out my wool creative stitching and hope to get two donations quilts finished and three of my own quilt tops turned into a quilt before we sell our house and I temporarily pack up my long-arm. 

My new space will be a simple 10'x11' room:

 I'm already daydreaming of how I'll decorate and set up my new space.

And in the future, I can always decrease the length of the poles on my long-arm and set it up.

But for now, I like the simplicity. I'm actually enjoying the process....

and hey, I'll have plenty of quilts set aside to bind as I do love binding!

Thanks to those of you who have emailed me to touch base and to let me know my blog has been missed. That seriously, is just the nicest compliment. Thank you!!

Creativity: Being Prepared Part One

Which right now, I'm not!

Yet, as a school teacher, the new school year is more often than not my "New Year's Resolution" time of year. There are so many things I love about being a teacher, and the schedule is one of them.

Thus this Saturday morning as I find myself catching up on all your blogs and myself happily settled into a new school year, I find myself contemplating my quilty list of projects and set to use today to prepare myself for a productive year of Saturdays. 

Being Prepared

First, I've rearranged household routines of cleaning and mowing to be accomplished during the weekdays, between that afternoon gap of arriving home from school/work and dinner. My motivation?  My husband works Saturday, thus I really want to have my Saturdays free to relax and rejuvenate myself through my sewing/quilting.  It's an important part of my creative process to be intentional and organized. If not, it would be soooo easy for me to just go into my studio today and just kinda, look at everything. LOL! And truthfully, not get much done as there are WIP everywhere. (Of which I don't mind...that's normal for me, but none of it is really prepared to the point I just jump in there and sew for thirty minutes.) So being prepared is important to my creative process. We've been participating in the Primary Colors Personality exercises at work as a staff and quite honestly, I haven't done these kind of exercises since college. We've all loved it and have gained a better understanding of each other and ourselves. Heck, I've even had my family take the quiz. 

Okay, with that said, admittedly I'm a centered purple and only two point from being tied with centered orange.  I use to teeter into the extreme purple mode of micro-managing when I was younger, but age has truly mellowed any of those tenancies. My cooperating teacher teases me that I have "organized fun" and she's so right! Once my work is done...it's time for fun!

Seriously, it's admittedly that need for productivity and accomplishment that even has me sitting here today, "planning" my creative process so I can be productive while I have fun sewing! LOL!! (Of course I'm laughing at myself...but see, I just can't help it!)  Okay, with those confessions made and probably TMI shared, I am totally motivated by fellow blogger Jackie's "Alternative Creative Workspaces" post from last March. As, like many of us, she has a variety of creative projects going on at once and each with their own space and purpose. I love that!

Sooo what does being prepared look like for me?

Well, today I am setting out to accomplish the following:

1. Get projects ready and kept together.

2. Spaces I need projects for: a TV room hand project, a patio hand project, a sewing machine project, and well, there's always a quilt needing to be put on the frame. 

3. A portable project.

As I get busy with all this, have fun and click HERE  to take the personality test. 

Feel welcome to comment on this post to share your "color"  and how it relates to you as a quilter. 

I'll be back soon with an update of my progress.

I specialize in edge to edge pantographs with over 100 designs to choose from.

Check out my Long-Arm Quilting page for details.

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My 2017 Quilty Goals!

Happy New Year Blog friends!

Here's to many happy stitches and completed projects in 2017!

I've spent a good portion of my day in my sewing studio contemplating what I'd like to accomplish in the year ahead. As I went through my stash it became obvious that UFO's did not emerge to be a problem (YEAH!) but I did find enough projects to join OMG for the year! See: 

I'm looking forward to rejuvenating my Wonky RSC Flowers and second Saturday Sampler adventures with my quilty friend. My heart feels JOYFUL (little sampler quilt coming soon) and thus I've chosen JOY to be my word for the year. I'm looking forward to dedicating each third Thursday post to celebrating and sharing JOYFUL "stuff". (Who knows what I'll come up with but it will be fun)

My goals are posted right where I can see them  every single day which is going to be important as  my sewing routine will be going through a wonderful, but kinda major overhaul. After three years of NOT having weekends together, hubby and I are back on the same Monday through Friday work schedule! We're both really looking forward to this change as it will allow us to take mini weekend adventures together whenever we want and we won't have to take time off from work to do so. Thus, having an intentional plan for the year will keep me focused and productive, as I'm going to have to learn to fit smaller but more frequent times in to sew. But don't worry, he's already searching for his own recliner for the studio with plans to relax and watch TV as I sew. Of course I told him, we can rearrange the furniture however he needs. (Well kinda...but don't tell him!) LOL!

Wow! I already feel motivated to have things planned....and well, since it continues to snow...

View from my studio window.

...I think I'll get started!

Welcome to 2017.

This week's theme: NEW YEAR GOALS

Studio Reorganized & One Tip

While I should be working on my raw edged flowers and nine patches, I mean after all, they are my June OMG....but noooo instead: SQUIRREL!!! I got back from my retreat all inspired to rearrange my entire studio! (I have no idea why!) I created a larger cutting/quilting area:

Jackson was a great help! NOT! LOL!!Okay, see that big sectional in the background....

well I sold half of it (More...cash for fabric!! LOL!!) and...

... moved my little table and chairs over there (so cozy) :

My mom would call and after the third time of dropping the phone while she was talking, she asked: "What are you doing?" Reply: "Rearranging my fabric!" She laughed reminding me that I do that every summer...in reflection, I guess she's right. But I can't tell ya how rejuvenating it is. So I spent another day rearranging ALL my fabric. Truth be told, I was hoping to go through all my fabric in hopes of reopening my Etsy shop and getting rich selling my fabric stash...LOL!! NOT!...I found myself ooohhh and auughhhh way too much and only ended wishing I had more time to create.

I emptied my entire glass cabinets and here's how I always seem to end up organizing:

I organize my STASH in a RAINBOW spectrum.

My one tip: whether it be my thread or fabric organize them in a rainbow order. I start with green. 

Why haven't I finished this Metro-Rings quilt?? Until then, I 'll enjoy it here.

Here is my stash revamped: 

And now that I'm all reorganized...I got back to creating. I ending up backing my crazy jelly roll race classroom quilt with these pearl rings I found in my stash. I quilted it with a bubble pantograph.

Today I plan to sew a green binding on it and put it in my back-to-school pile.

Last thing I want to do is organize my WIP hand projects as inspired by Karen who blogs at Moose Bay Muses especially as our July will be a busy month filled with travels and family. She made these adorable vinyl bags and though I love their colored zippers, I'm pretty sure mine will be organized into gallon-size ziploc bags, put into a cute basket, of course. Thanks for the inspiration Karen.

So that's what I've been up to this week...no Etsy shop reopened...but never the less, reinspired am I.

Join us! Click picture to read about our Tuesday linky.

Winter Sewing!

I literally woke up at 5:00 am with sugar plums of sewing and quilting dancing in my head!

And since it's icy and foggy cold outside...

...what better place to spend my Winter Break from teaching than in my basement studio:

If ya peeked through the windows, you'd say: 

"Yep! It's time to uncover the ol' long-arm and get going again Val!"

(Atleast that's what my mom keeps telling me...love you mom!)

Here are the things on my holiday to-do list that I hope you'll find some inspiration from:

QUILTING:

1. Both Sun Bonnet Sues: FMQ/Cross-hatching done!

2. Christmas Charms: Christmas Pantograph  done! See it here.

3.  Project Linus: Cute children's pantograph done! See it here.

SEWING:

1. Quick charm pack top  done! See it here.

2. Paw Patrol Receiving Blanket   done! See it here.

2. Get out the ol' Neighborhood Blocks and play! I did! See here.

3. Work on my Metro Rings.

4. Start a "made fabric" project.I did!

APPLIQUE:

1. Finish my cabin block (I've been in a serious funk!)

2. Prep two more of these blocks for January Stitching

2. My January Wool Banner done! See it here.

Hey, what can I say:

And now that I have my list here, I can crumble up this piece of paper I've been scribbling notes on all week at work in anticipation of this break! I hope ya stop by often as I share my creations and

 maybe find a little inspiration along the way. 

Studio Chairs Made-Over!

Aren't these fun!?

The pink, green and turqouise match my studio quilt perfectly!

Together they create a cozy place to stitch with my mom and watch TV.

So much fun seeing my studio gradually come together!

(Now to get that wallhanging quilted!)

June Birdhouse Wool Banner (After)

I'm starting to enjoy stitching my adorable Lily Ana Stitches seasonal wool banners. They measure 8x11 1/2 when finished and hang on this cute little stand on our fireplace when done. 

This little wool birdhouse is the June banner:

I just received my July sampler in the mail last week, a patriotic sailboat, can't wait to get started on it!

With that said, Summer is finally on it's way as I sit here this morning with a cup a tea at hand and no where to go! (aka: work) Aughhh....summer days that are not ran by school bells! 

Today will be spent here where there is already a mound of things to do:

I found myself a little giddy in anticipation when I took this picture.
I haven't done any sewing for three weeks. I'm missing my quilt making! (It really is therapuetic isn't it!) Just know I'll be thinking of all of you as I sort and clean and make lists of  my summer project plans. And, while I'm busy doing that, if ya haven't had a chance to enter my applique give-away, just click here. Good luck to all who enter and I hope your week is off to a great start as well.