Back on Track!... Setting up my sewing space.

And no, the seventh time was not the charm...but the new seam guide did. This one fits more tightly and as a result doesn't wobble and I seem to have more control over the fabric.

In the interim, we took an incredible trip to Norway with my parents. I did see two neat log cabin quilts in a small town, but the bulk of the textiles we saw were knitting and knit related.  In Bergen, I purchased a few meters of trim that would be used on the local costumes. I hope to eventually incorporate that into a quilt.  I should have purchased the one I saw in Stavanger as it was perfect for my husband. At the time, I thought we would have substantially more time in Bergen. But when one is reliant on the cruise ship schedule, one can't complain too much.

In June, I found a sewing table on our local Craigslist for a steal.  The one thing it doesn't have, which would be nice, is a lift mechanism to store the machine inside. It does have a small lift which recesses the machine for a larger flat work surface.  So, to keep the dust off, I'm using one of the scarves I brought back from a trip to China several years ago.  One thing I did learn upon returning from our trip was that I should also drape the scarf over the thread holder and spool as there was dust accumulating on top of the thread.

So I now have a dedicated sewing area, though it is currently in our bedroom.  Later this summer we hope to switch some rooms around so that I have a sewing/craft room/office (for Mike) in the larger bedroom and Gus will move into the current office. We are also plannning to redo some of the floors which should be quite an adventure.

One thing about having a limited space is that one must also be careful with one's stash - which is currently underneath the desk.  Not the prettiest solution, but workable. Though after this weekend, I think I've officially outgrown the space...

After I set it up, I was finally able to get an accurate seam!  I lost count of how many times I ripped out seams and eventually cut a few new strips before getting a few sets that came out right.

Something else I noticed this week was the importance of my body position in relation to my machine.  The straighter I am in relation to the needle, the straighter my seam.  So many of my past meandering issues have clearly been operator error.  (Very helpful hint from Page 22/Class 130)

The sewing area replaced a rather large dog crate that we set up in our bedroom back in 2006 when Dash broke his foot.  It stayed up and was used for Monkey's 2007 dislocated elbow, and then again for Dash's 2008 dislocated toe.  ... Fortunately we did not have repeats in 2009 and made it through the spring of 2010 without a Corgi in traction - we are a bit accident prone around here...  So I also hung several paintings that have been waiting for a place to hang. I've had these since childhood. They are by Jo Stripling, who we lived next door to many years ago.  The picture here doesn't do them justice.

I've also brought the ironing board into the space for the weekend as I've been busily washing pressing, and preparing my fabrics for the next several quilts.  I've reread Class 120, several times this weekend, gotten Gus to help get the fabric edges lined up and also dropped a ruler into the seam to weight it for a straight seam when Gus wasn't available.
Speaking of Gus, he is waving brownie mix in front of me, so we need to take a break to make up a batch of "No Pudge! Fudge Brownies."