Thursday, May 17, 2007

Quilting Slump Update

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who took the time to offer me some suggestions for getting over the slump I'm in. I'm really not able to sit around and do nothing--it just makes me crazy to feel like I'm wasting time! The last few evenings, my husband's been watching me watch TV, and every time he catches my eye, he asks, "Are you okay?" or "Is everything alright?" Obviously I'm driving him crazy too! So I started thinking along the lines some of you suggested about doing something different. I know you'll probably think my idea of "different" is pretty funny, but it occurred to me there was a little "home dec" project I had wanted to get to but had put off, and maybe that would be the solution.

Some months back, my office replaced our older secretarial chairs because the upholstery had worn through. Just about all of the chairs were still in great shape otherwise. Not long ago, we were told that if we wanted any of the chairs, we could have them free of charge. I brought two home; one for my husband to sit on in the garage when he's creating his weird craft projects and one for me for quilting. Everything adjusts--the height of the seat back, the arms, the height of the chair itself; you can set it to rock or remain stationary; and you can tilt the seat. I'm sure there are other adjustments I've forgotten. Here's one of them--yes, I know it's still pretty dusty, but I'll fix that:





My idea is to make quilted, reversible covers for the seat and chair back. So, it's still quilting, which is the part that's funny, but it's kind of a no-brainer and I think I'll have some fun with it. And I don't even have to switch machines since the Juki is still set up for quilting the Jo Morton quilt. I've pulled out the fabric I bought for this project and I also pulled more from my stash for the reversible side. I decided I should probably prewash the fabrics since the final fit will be important. I'll make the seat cover similar to an ironing board cover with a drawstring to tighten it under the cushion. I think I'll just make the chair back to be pulled down to cover the front and back, and I'll have an opening in the back that can be adjusted somehow--I'm playing with the idea of having it lace up--I thought that might be kind of pretty.

So that little project is begun, and in the meantime, I managed to work up a little enthusiasm for appliqueing my last two baskets of the quilt top I showed you in my last post. I still want to add something in the setting squares and triangles, but I'm fresh out of ideas, so I've put that back on my quilt rack for some other time.

3 comments:

Darlene said...

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE - I hear you revving up your MOJO. Woohoo! I have a chair in my sewing room that needs a little work - may I bring it to you? :-)

Oh, I hate sitting around wasting time - if I'm sitting in front of the TV I have to keep busy. And, when I'm not, my hubby looks at me and says things very similar to what yours has been saying to you. LOL - they do know us!

Paula, the quilter said...

That'll work! You will be surprised with what you will come up with next. Your mind will be whirling with projects and ideas.

CONNIE W said...

I use a chair made that way for my sewing. I love the arms on it.