Name tag and Studio Pics

I made a quick name tag to wear at our monthly guild meetings. I've escaped having to do that for several years because I was rarely able to attend. 

Now that I can attend every month and am president, I need to set a good example. Am I right? Besides there's a $1 fine every time I show up without a name tag. That was also okay but, let's face it, the fines will begin to add up now.

I've joined several sewing/quilting groups on Facebook recently. One of them is all about craft rooms. People share their rooms, spaces, closets, wherever they craft. They also discuss ideas and ask questions. Chatting is nonstop. 

I have been enjoying reading these group discussions and have participated in several. Finally I decided it was time to take a few pictures of the studio and share them. 

Then it occurred to me that I had a rough sketch of the floor-plan from when we last worked on it and found it among the many jpeg files I have saved. It may give you an idea of where things are and how I have set up my little work-space. 

Sewing table

Having cleaned up a bit, I thought I'd share them with you, also. The cleaning is far from complete, but maybe it's not so bad that I need to be embarrassed. My daughters-in-law noticed the difference, so there's some progress, anyway.

Accuquilt Studio cutter

Fabric and notions

Ahh, the mess that I'm working on.

 Areas are now well-defined so that each table, shelf, etc. has its job to do. No more of this playing around and thinking, "Well, I can do this here." Or, "If I put this here, I'll remember to come back to it." And, "Maybe I can do two things in this place." I'm finally resolved to keeping things in the area where they belong. 

Thread storage

Innova long-arm machine

I really like this set up and hope I can maintain it until it becomes a habit. There are, surely, some more things to do: figure out what to do with all that extra fabric, give away some of the books that are hanging out under the long-arm, and arrange those odd things that I'm not sure what to do with. All in time, I suppose. 

Next week I'll tell you how I have solved some of the storage problems that come with having lots of stuff.  

Pin It Weekly #73

I really need to make myself a name tag for the guild meetings. First, I have to pay $1 every time I show up without one. Secondly, it's a sewn name tag, for goodness sake.  I should be embarrassed.  I'm not, really, but I should be.  So I decided to search for some ideas.  Well, some fast, easy ideas because I am very sure I'll lose it quickly.

A couple of ideas for using book paper  

And a few ideas for using old maps but it seems that they could be interchangable, don't ya think?

And a few more for using paint swatches 

Quilt Names

Riley's Quilt

Go in Green

Sunbonnet's Garden

Bow Tie Affair

After reading the comments from my Blue Monday post, I started to post a reply to the quilt naming theories.  This is something that's come up in several conversations over the last few years.  Some quilters, like myself, think everything should have a name--kids, pets, quilts, poems, homes--the list is really quite long for me.

Afterall, if it's worth your time and requires something from your brain, such as creativity or maintenance skills, then it's worth putting in the effort to name it.  I wouldn't give birth to someone and just call him "you," although technically You could be a name.  (I once met a kid named Yes and goodness knows, we have some kids with equally strange names at just about any high school.)  My point, though, is that quilts deserve to have a name.  Sally or Bob or Mary's Quilt might work, but I like to get creative.

The more creative I get with the quilt piecework and quilting, more more creative I get with the naming.  In fact, I would venture to say I spend a good deal of my quilting time trying out names.  I'll have an idea, call the quilt that a few times and if doesn't respond, I figure that's not the name.  Sometimes it takes a little effort to figure it out, but it's  a surefire way of finding name.  Luckily, it doesn't take me much longer to discover the name than to make the quilt.....sort of like having nine months of pregnancy to find a name for a baby. When the baby comes, it should be called something other than Baby.

Le Boites de Fleurs

Now, if you subscribe to the notion that things don't need names, you might want to get into another line.  This is the quilt/baby naming line and it's moving slow.  In fact, it's just about standing still and not going anywhere at all.  That's because we know the results: get to the end of the line, think of good reasons to name something, wait to get to the front of the line and give the reason, then return to the end of the line to think and wait.  In other words, it's what we do in this line!

So, which line do you find yourself in: the naming line or the other line?  The other line may move faster or in another direction, but ours is Oh, so much Better!

Leave a comment, I'm curious as to which line you're standing in.