And away we sew!

Progress is slow going on the quilt I have loaded in the new frame. Unfortunately, I am having tension issues with my machine, and they have me beating my head against the wall! I have to get it sorted out quickly, though, as I just took in a quilting order that needs to be done by mid July. Time is more than enough, assuming I can get the machine cooperating again!! Very glad I started with a quilt that is staying in our house, instead of jumping right in to something for sale.

Scrappy Quilting IRR 2010-2011, 'Bug's Star' is hopefully going to be finished soon. :)

Since the futzing with the machine will require attention that I can't give it while Tank is awake, I'm starting on some simple market totes to add to my shop inventory. They're going to be slightly larger than my usual ones, in hopes that some Pennsic shoppers will avail themselves of the bags for sale. :)

That's my quick update for today, back to the machine I go!

Oh Dear...

Seems my blog got neglected. Again.  I moved it all from my personal account to my Cattails account, broke all my photo links, and then Google added G+, which has me even more confused (why can't I find the 'link to share photos on other sites anymore??)

Things have been moving merrily along in the Cat's world. In the fall I picked up two new bookkeeping clients, one weekly and one sporadic, then another sporadic over the winter. Bought a new truck for hauling inventory to shows in December, and just recently bought a new quilt frame!

This is the new beast, and yes, he does not reside in the studio! One of the biggest pluses is that I now have the available length to do the random king-size quilt.

This also means that my other frame is for sale. I'd prefer to not ship, as it is multiple boxes and quite weighty, but if you know someone interested, please contact me!!

In May I ran a quilt show & competition at Costume Con 30 in Tempe, AZ. I had 25 entries, and some STUNNING ones at that. I'm still waiting on photos, as I never got to take any pictures :(

Along with the quilt show, I had the children in two competitions. One a take on the popular Project Runway, where we had to design fashion based on some popular characters, both real and fictional. My inspiration was Queen Amidala, and of course Bug insisted on modeling. Check out the attitude on this one! I'm doomed, folks, absolutely doomed!

In this challenge we designers were presented with a selection of characters from which to design an outfit. We were then taken to SAS Fabrics, a local mill-end type fabric store (If you ever have the opportunity to visit Phoenix, I'll take you there!!) and were given 45 minutes to shop on a budget. We were then taken to a workshop space and given the next 12 hours to work, plus 8 the following day. That night was the runway show, and although I was back-stage, I've been assured that Bug absolutely worked the audience. I didn't win anything, but that's ok, I made an entire outfit without a commercial pattern, something I wasn't sure I could do.

Saturday both children were in the Fantasy & Science Fiction competition in an entry titled 'Alice and the ... Jackalope?' Unfortunately, Tank didn't want to wear his antlers and ears, so part of the humor was lost to those sitting past the first few rows, but it was still great fun. I have ideas for future con entries, too, but some require that Bug doesn't get any taller!! (Wishful thinking, I know...)

I've added a few new items to my Artfire shop, and a few more are in the works to get up there. I just need to convince Tank that yes, in fact, mommy *does* need to spend most of every day in the studio. He doesn't agree...

We'll be at Pennsic Wars in August with Designs by J again, so if you attend, come find us at the usual location! I hope the Marauders camp is ready for Tank!

That's the update from the desert for now. Thanks for sticking around!

Update to the Sewing Room Redesign

(Oops! This was supposed to be posted back in... oh, October??)

I'm going to add shelves over the window & door, for displaying pretties that don't need to be taking up my storage space, and hopefully my husband can help me come up with a way to support a closet rod for my roll of batting as part of the over-the-window unit. I've already got a piece for a shelf over my desk, complete with holes for cords- it's the back piece for the current desk I'm using. It's ~5' x 1', so with proper mounting will be perfect for an electronics shelf!

I've decided that I will go to Ikea for their Expedit bookshelves for the base for the worktable unit. a 2x2 unit and 2 4x2 units on their sides will be perfect, and provide more storage, then I can move the shelves currently under my work table and desk to under my frame. They can't be used to support the frame, they're a) too low and b) not sturdy enough, but they will fit under there nicely. Then later I can purchase the counter units to put the frame tracks on, instead of the legs that are easy to bump.

Now to find someone to come install flooring for cheap (hey, I already have 80% of the tiles, I just need to get something to contrast/coordinate and plan a layout), and then I can do this room up right! Wish me luck! :)