Sewing for a new space

A little before Christmas, I moved offices at work to a newly renovated space. The renovations have been nicely done to make the suite a functional, welcoming space, and to bring sunlight through, even though there are windows on only one wall.

My empty office on move-in day

My office is currently a rather white block, a blank canvas in desperate need of some warming up. Perfect, sewing project time. I started  planning a full set: mug rug (I bring coffee every day), a throw pillow for my visitors chair, a little wall quilt and a topper for a free standing file…

I haven’t started sewing yet, though. I have a wall of glass looking out on the main area, which has warm red and orange colors.  Not my normal color scheme at all: I use clear colors and lean towards the cool side of the spectrum with lots of white. (If you haven’t noticed) These are warm, autumn colors with brown tones (brick rather than bright red, pumkin rather than tangerine), and I’ve got so much white in the paint and furniture that I don’t really want to add more.

So, I’m trying to stretch a bit, and have pulled dozens of pieces of fabric as I consider my options. I think the Wonderland floral print in the center there will be the focus, but I haven’t really settled on designs either. I’m shopping for new art, too, for the walls, and various accessories,  so that will have some influence.

I did fill most of those empty shelves, and re-appropriated this pillow (originally intended for my shop) for one of the chairs. It’s a start…

Anyone else ever challenged by the space you’re sewing for?

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Kitchen Spoons

I live on the top floor of a big old Victorian-era house. Sadly, it doesn’t have the gingerbread, turrets and wrap around porches  that would immediately bring to mind it’s origins. What it does have, at least, my part of it, is odd little nooks and unexpected layouts, which I find charming.

This is one of my favorite of them, an odd corner of my kitchen just the right size for a pretty little got-it-from-a-yardsale-and-painted-white table and chair. I have a dining area with a full size table and enough chairs for guests, but this is my spot to sit and drink my first cup of coffee in the morning.

But anyways, what I thought I’d show you is one of my favorite, unexpected decorations: spoons.

The same blend of utility, beauty and crastsmanship that I love about quilts, I love in alot of vintage items (um, see shelf with antique bottles, my pyrex mixing bowls, my favorite blue and white teacups and the extra pieces of my petalwear dish set). Around here, you can get silver and silver-plate spoons for a dollar or so a piece at flea markets.  A couple of these have marks that date them to a 100+ years ago (for a dollar!)

Anyways, a few dollars, a few spoons with pretty decorations and an “A” monogram for my first name,  and an easy craft project, and I have a display. The dark blue backings are just painted pieces of styrofoam (it occurred to me later I could have wrapped the foam in fabric), and the the spoons are held in place by straightpins like an old butterfly display or something. You could glue, but I wanted the option to take them down so I could polish them occasionally if they got too tarnished, or scrap it all together if I got bored.

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Changing seasons

A sign of things to come:

That’s my quilt, back on my bed.

the room last spring with the quilt...

Earlier this summer, in the middle of a heat wave, I swapped it out for a light coverlet,

but a couple of days ago I bought apples at the farm stand, wished I had a jacket when I went to the store, and pulled out the quilt.  Fall is coming to New England.

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Poppies

Poppies

Originally uploaded by PioneerValleyGirl

A new job and a trip to Vermont got in the way of blogging lately. I promise, lots of quilting pictures from the Vermont Quilt Show, coming soon.

For now, though, some pretty flowers (yes, I’m buying you off)

I do love poppies. These lovelies are from my CSA. Flowers with my weekly share are such a nice touch.

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Redecorating…

A week of ridiculously hot weather (way too hot for a quilt) and an urge to re-decorate something (whether or not it needed it) set me to making a light summer coverlet for my room.

It’s just a simple nine-patch pattern with a apple green fabric from my stash – it’s not quilted (no batting) just backed with cotton.

And, while I was at it, a mini quilt for the wall. (This is the first time I’ve done it, but I really like this block)

And, new pillow cases with some of the left over fabric. I used the measurements from Ashley at Film in the Fridge’s tutorial but used my serger, instead of doing french seams.

Here’s what it looked like with my regular quilt.

I love this quilt, it’s not gone, just staying at the foot of the bed until the cool fall weather.

I’m thinking about an accent pillow – just haven’t settled on a pattern yet. Anyone have an idea? Maybe a star of some sort?

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Hello world!

Two requests in less than a week for my then-non-existant blog was enough to kick “start a quilt-y blog” off the “Maybe-I’ll-do-it-someday” list and onto the “eh, let’s give it a try this weekend” list

But where to start? Well, it’s not very creative, but it’s where my quilts start so it seems appropriate somehow….

Yep, red walls (no, I didn’t choose the color, but it’s a beautiful one), yep, antique spinning wheel (nope, I don’t spin and it doesn’t work), yep, work in progress on the design wall (already done, actually, and in the shop – these photos are a few days old now)

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