Monday, July 18, 2011

My quilt room/space/corner

From time to time I get a blogging glimpse of quilter's "studios" or "rooms", their lovely design walls and shelves of organized stash. I see the latest machines that do everything but wash the dishes.

Well, here I am in my chair, my machines connected to my arms (and they also wash the dishes) and my trusty helper at my side. My husband at the shutter saying,"why would anyone want a picture of this!"

But, my friends, THIS is the world's most comfortable chair! And, it has a story.

When I was teaching in the public schools, the Board of Education took money from our scant pay and put it into a retirement fund rather than social security. You can bet it wasn't much since the starting salary was only three thousand dollars a year. In the late 60s when I was back in the States, I checked up to see how much I had in my retirement account and I was told $135.00 and it would never amount to more no matter how long it sat there so I decided to take the money out and buy something I really wanted, a wing rocker. Because of a crooked spine, there are not many chairs I can lean back in but this chair is perfect for me. $134 well spent!

It lived in my bedroom for years and I rocked and nursed babies here. It sat in other rooms in other houses and we piled in with kids to the side and kids on the lap and read thousands of stories. The upholstery wore to shreds and we had it re-covered. This time the foot stool and the arms got some quilted covers to protect them. Now it sits in the corner of my living room. to the right is the entryway. To the left are some drawers for my rulers and sewing things and my Ott light. My quilting waits in the bag I used to carry it to my group meeting on Friday.

The light is special to me too because years ago I quilted a quilt for a friend who said she would pay me. I kept a record of the hours I spent working on her lovely quilt but had no idea what my time might be worth. In the end, I had seen the Ott light advertised in quilt magazines and really wanted a lamp that would give good light for judging color at night.(which was the time of day mothers of large families had for quilting) I cut out the page with the ad and gave it to my friend, who had a APO address and could get things from the states, when I returned the finished quilt. I believe there were three sizes of lamps and I would have been happy with any but she bought me the floor model and an extra bulb. The lamp has lived beside my chair ever since.

For a room so tiny as our living room, this chair is really too big an object but my husband has a massage chair that is even bigger so I feel a bit justified and it is a comfortable place to sew. The only trouble being, since it is by the door, things tend to get piled on it when people come in.

And now for the next project in the lineup. For my daughter's final runner, I wanted to make her one double length size for when she adds a cube for parties. She wanted some traditional Japanese indigo fabrics so I drafted this simple five inch block and alternated dark and light fabrics.

All the blocks are complete so I laid them out on my bed/futon (the only horizontal place in the house of any size without a layer of dog hair) to see if I can come up with an arrangement. I'm still not completely satisfied. Here is where a design wall might come in handy. In this room the ceiling slants down to only about two feet above my pillow, a bit hard to get the whole view.

The typhoon, "Ma-On", is bringing rain to my garden after a long dry spell. It is not clear yet where or if it will land but rain is predicted for the next two days. I wish I could say it has brought cooler air but with the windows shut against the rain, the house is hot and muggy as usual.

23 comments:

  1. It looks lovely Julie. Have you thought about moving the block in the centre row, 4 from the front to the other end in the centre? The blue of that background is in a few blocks where it is but none at the far end. Hope this helps.
    Love Munaiba

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  2. Hi Julie, your sewing space looks like one of the most comfortable ones I've seen. Love your trusty helper. I love reading your blog and seeing what life is like in another country. Thank you for brightening up my day.
    Linda in Ireland

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  3. There is nothing like a well loved comfy chair, except that my dogs think that MY chair is actually their's - lucky I love them! Love the table runner. I still can't believe that you sew it all by hand! Phew! happy stitching - and give your lovely dog a pat from me.

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  4. I think there are advantages to having a small sewing space--much less room to clutter up. I will have to share a photo of my sewing pit someday :-) Love the new indigo runner.

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  5. For my first mother's day gift my mother-in-law gave me a rocker. It lasted through three babies, was recovered, and when my oldest was pregnant with her first baby I passed it on to her. At some point it came back to me and I rocked grandbabies. It finally had to be tossed as even the frame wasn't good enough any more to salvage. I loved that chair - it was perfect for rocking babies. While you might not have a big sewing room or expensive equipment you have something even better. First of all you have the intelligence to embrace the talents God gave you for creativity and design. Second, you have learned to make the very most out of what you have. And third, you have such joy in all that you do that you inspire me. I'm glad we're friends. This is going to be the most beautiful of all the table runners. blessings, marlene

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  6. A good chair is a MUST for quilting. I have the same Ott light, and I love it. I move it to wherever I am working. DOG HAIR!?!?! We aren't supposed to have dog hair on EVERYTHING???? Please don't tell my dogs this, they work so hard making sure it gets spread evenly over the whole house ; ) Love the indigos. They sure don't have those on this side of the pond. Sew cute!

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  7. I do remember a large Typhoon when we lived in Japan.. I hope you are quite safe. The humidity there can be quite something. I enjoyed seeing your sewing space. Yes, space is quite limited there, I forget as we were quite lucky to have a large house when living in Japan. Well... for Japan that is.. :) Space is quite limited and you tend to value what you do have. I am so lucky now to have a sewing room. I really need to get it organized though.

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  8. Dearest Julie....funny enough I love small cozy spaces....just a couple years ago we lived in an 8,000 sq foot open..ridiculous it now seems, but with the brew we had and a full time nanny, it was still sew large...Now we are in a small custom bungalow at 1300 sq feet and I am still thinking it is wasted space..I would like to go smaller...It matters not the size of our space...but the size of our hearts..and yours could fit all of us in there....and still there would be room....I love that you do everything by hand..would you want a sewing machine??? or do you prefer hand stitching...I certainly do...I prefer hand stitching over machine any day...your daughters runner is priceless ...sew you indeed....

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  9. Thanks for showing your sewing "area". Great to see what someone does with what they have available, always something to learn from one another.

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  10. It looks so comfy! Well within reach of a lot, and anytime you can prop up your feet is a good time in my book! :)

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  11. Dear Julie, I live in a very small, but cosy and peaceful, house too, although I do have a small room which is "just mine"!! In there I house the computer I am using now, my sewing machine which sits on a small table, an ironing board, shelves of books and my stash of fabric. All that stuff may make the room sound a lot bigger than it is, but I practically have to hurdle over the table to get to the ironing board!!

    I love the blues in your runner. It looks very nice from this side of the screen and I'm sure you will make an excellent job of it and your daughter will enjoy it.

    Will be in touch soon.
    Blessings
    Kate

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  12. I have my own studio room at our house (though it is hardly picturesque) and two hand-me-down machines (though they are not full of "features"), but I will never be able to make quilts as wonderful as yours!

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  13. I love the runner, the fabrics are just so beautiful.
    ok having a good chair is the best thing in the world!
    I have a wing back chair I just love sitting in and taking a quick nap , reading, hand quiilting, almost anything in
    just so comfy! nothing better then that ott light floor lamp next to the comfy chair! that was a great trade!

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  14. Your chair is wonderful! I love stuff with a story. And what a wonderful story! My sewing room and "stash" room are mine for now - and I know that I am very lucky to have them - but we may have to "downsize" one day. When that day comes - my "desk" will be the one thing that is a "must keep" for me.

    My desk is like your chair. I did my high school homework on my desk. I put my sewing machines on my desk - and did my college homework on it. Now it sits in front of my window with my sewing machine on it. My desk goes where I go!
    ^..^

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  15. Your space looks nice and cozy. I have a sewing room, but I spend more time in my comfy chair in the living room. I love your indigo runner, that is beautiful.

    Debbie

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  16. How lovely to see you in your quilting space. It looks very comfy. I love the extra covers on the arms and footstool.

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  17. What a comfy space you have and you don't need a lot of space or machines when you do hand piecing. Oh yes, your space is cosy and that is the most important thing.

    A devoted companion to share it with you .... priceless.

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  18. I loved to see you in your sewing chair/space, you look so comfortable and "at home". You have everything you need at your fingertips. I hope the rain brings some fresh air to your part of our world soon.

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  19. You look so comfortable! Cute helper. Now I am missing my old recliner. I could put out the foot rest without reclining. I love the blues in the beautiful runner. Sandy (quiltincats)

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  20. I have a place just liket that where I can sit and hand work. Its nice to have a nest, I think!

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  21. You look very comfortable there in your chair! And everything at fingertips reach, yep, like a real Japanese! Hi Nikko! You sure are a good helper!

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  22. Agree with the others... a very comfy space, perfect for you. Love those arm chair covers and the footstool. Pattern? And I am always BEHIND the camera not in front... if I can help it. At least your pic is clear. I never let my hubby take my pic... even with a point and shoot, it's still blurry, out of focus, head chopped off, too close, etc.

    Our (my) dog before Winston, always kept me company if sewing at my machine, in a chair hand stitching, at the piano... Karen

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  23. You look at home in your comfy chair! I used to cut many quilt on my bed and the sewing machine was at a corner in my bedroom. Design wall was a curtain and still is - hugs Nat

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