it's been a while since i've had a finish. i'm right in the middle of a couple of projects, some which are approaching the finish of phase 1 - piecing the top/making a flimsy.
"dreaming easy" is getting it's rows pieced together. unfortunately, i sewed one of them on backwards last week so i'm at a standstill until i unpick the whole darn row.
my triangle quilt, which really needs an official name, is developing a split personality. i find i have two types of rows: bold, bright colored ones (top and bottom) and gentler, softer rows with less contrast between the triangles used, like all the golden bits in between. i am either heading towards 2 separate quilts or two sides with slightly different colors because the bright ones are not blending too well, especially the one at the bottom of this photo. this fabric pull was a branch out for me and i'm learning about it as i go. i'm curious to see where i end up when all the experimenting and play is done.
poor old penny patch 2.0 is begging to come out of the corner of shame. after i failed to realize i was sewing the directional prints all the wrong way, i stuck the design half wall containing the laid out blocks in my formal parlor, facing toward the wall to help preserve it from child-induced disasters or simple curiosity. this also greatly enhance the appearance of this "nice" room of the house, can't you tell? three months in the corner is long enough, so the other day i pulled it out to consider what needs to be done.
it wasn't looking too good on the other side of that design wall! i opted to remove all the blocks and just start over with the layout once i get all the new pieces cut. in the meantime, i put "dreaming easy" up on the wall since there wasn't any spare room for it anywhere else.
that's all that's in the works at the moment.
now here's my dilemma.
my dining sewing space is hardly recognizable as a dining room anymore and is not easily converted for use in it's original mode. in fact, it's overrun with sewing and looks terrible. this is one of the first spaces of our home you see when you enter the front door. it's simply not attractive. even when i clean it up, which i do regularly, after an hour or two of me working in here, it looks a mess again. not to mention that fabric and boxes "hiding" all over the place even when cleaned up doesn't look nice.
my poor husband has been pretty patient with the whole scenario, as much as he dislikes it. the other day he said to me, "we need to enclose this and fully convert it to a sewing room for you." on the one hand, i love that idea. the location in the house is just where i would like it to be if only i could close it off from view when wanted. being able to make this a more functional sewing space would be dreamy, too.
but then i loose my formal dining room, which i haven't really had for over a year anyway. i'm not using it as the dining room but the idea of forever giving up that option is hard to formalize. before the sewing came in i had this space almost exactly where i wanted it for a nice dining room. i like to use it for sunday dinners for our family, large family gatherings at holidays, and the occasional, rare entertaining spree. i've collected lots of white ceramic wares which are housed in this room. the genealogy wall, with our family tree fan chart and heirloom photos is also really special to me. i don't know where i would move these two collections. the 12 seat dining set is a whole other matter entirely.
in reality, this became a sewing space a long time ago and i should probably just give in. a set of sliding barn doors across the front will give me a space i can open or close as needed. then i can get to work making it a truly functional sewing space, which will also open up room in my
bawthroom if i can bring all my stash down here.
i don't think i need to ask any sewing enthusiasts what they would do because that's pretty obvious.
oh, decisions, decisions!
Uhhhh yup, sewing enthusiasts would say, what dilemma?
ReplyDeleteTell you my thoughts would be .......sewing most days, room for dining a lot fewer days. How's about you set up room for sewing and on those huge occasions you would like to host a dinner, pack away the sewing for a short time. Have lots of lovely storage that you can whisk away when you entertain. I have been known to dismantle my huge table to move it to another formal room, reassemble and have wonderful parties, then dismantle and move back to kitchen. It is a lot of work but as you don't usually entertain every week it worked for us. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
That is a problem. I'd put it in the back of my mind and sew away on your beautiful projects. Let your sub conscience work on it.
ReplyDeleteI went round and round with myself over this just last summer. My dilemma was the fact that I would have to relegate my dining room chairs to the (not climate controlled) attic and move other furniture/decor around too. I finally tok the plunge and I have never been happier. I feel like the room, rather than never being fully one thing or the other, is MUCH better for my whole family, because it's not just sewing stuff covering up a dining room. My table is still used as my extension table behind my sewing machine, and my china cabinet just got moved into another room (it doesn't have glass, so it doesn't look strange to have dishes in that other room). Even my husband, who wasn't thrilled about moving everything around, agrees that it really is the best use of the space. Because it is ONLY a sewing space rather than cramming two rooms into one, I am able to keep it neater too. Good luck with your decision.
ReplyDelete:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
My mom and I were talking about an issue like this a few weeks ago - where would I set up a long arm machine? I said we could put it in the sunroom and she disagreed because we use that room for "overflow" seating when I host family dinners. My response - I host a big get together maybe twice a year, so why not have the room be useful 363 days a year instead of just 2? Makes sense to me! :)
ReplyDeleteI think if your hubby is willing to give you such a fabulous space, you say, "Thanks, Love!" and move in!! :-)
ReplyDeleteHow often does the parlor get used? could that be your formal dining space?
Decision made then lol and we are all in agreement!
ReplyDeleteWell if the husband is on board then I'd probably put up the doors and sew away but I understand the dilemma of what about the dining room furniture.
ReplyDeleteWe use our dining room at 3-4 times a year. I'd like to have one big eating area in my next home and a breakfast bar area and skip on the dining room. That space could be my sewing space.