Week 12: The View from My Machine

Before I tell you how quilting became more than a passing phase, I thought I'd show you where I spend my time.

When I originally started quilting, my machine was on a card table in my office. But I kept looking at the one room in the house we very rarely used--the living room. It was the prettiest room in the house, but we hardly ever went in there. Mark was the one who suggested that I take over that space as my sewing room. Love that man. :)

My main sewing machine is a Juki TL-2010Q, straight stitch only. It's a work horse with a large throat space. And some pretty stickers.

I  have an Elna eXcellence 740 for those times that I need more than a straight stitch.  I also have three Singer Featherweights, two black ones (one from 1947, and another from 1952--the year I was born), and this special little green one, Bonnie, the only machine that I have named.

This is the view when I'm sewing on the Juki. You can see across the entry hall into the dining room, which has a quilt on the wall and a quilting ladder made by our daughter-in-law, Christa.

I'm fortunate to be married to someone who has worked in the cabinet industry for nearly 30 years. My cutting table is a former display unit. It's the perfect height, has a granite counter top and plenty of storage.

There is a lot of natural light because of the large front window. This was taken early one morning--normally the sun doesn't shine directly on these quilts.

On that side of the room are some cool theater seats.

And beneath the seats are some great storage bins I have purchased from Christa. She is a sales representative for a company called Thirty-One so I have a few of these, with some custom embroidery. I always joke that when I think of a new phrase, I place an order for another bin.

Here are two of my favorites, especially Oh Scrap.

It's not only my favorite. It is also the favorite of little people, who love to toss scraps all over and then bury themselves. Wow, that's a lot of scraps....It is clearly time to turn some of them into a quilt.

Quilting books, fusibles.

A favorite corner.

Part of my stash. I won't show you all of it, although I will mention that when we have company, sometimes Mark takes them on a "tour" of my stash. Let's just say I've been collecting fabric quilting for a very long time.

 A current project on the design wall.

Mark's high school trombone turned into a quilt hanger.

I spend many happy hours in this space, and I try not to take it for granted. I also know you don't need a large space to create many beautiful things. Michelle from Week 11 demonstrated that very well. 

Where do you sew? Do you have organizational tips? I'd love to know.

I hope you have enjoyed a little tour around my sewing space. See you back in a couple of days.

Post by Cindy Week #12: Cindy comes from a heritage of quilting, going back several generations. She has been quilting for twenty-plus years. Besides making quilts for family and friends, Cindy regularly donate quilts to help raise money for disaster relief at an annual auction in my hometown of Fresno, California. Find Cindy on instagram.com.