Wednesday, July 30, 2014

How Many Miles of Yarn Can a Spinner Spin?

That is the question I hope to answer by the end of the day once I measure. It was a successful Tour de Fleece. I know I have spun a tremendous amount of yarn, yet I still have a few singles to ply before I can calculate a total yardage. All I know for sure is that I made a huge dent in my fiber stash and that's a good thing.



There was a lot more going on around here than just spinning during the tour. While walking off a large lunch one afternoon I found a set of antique quilt blocks that had never been assembled in a local shop. Still feeling inspired by the Chicago quilt show, I had to have them. The humble but charming blocks had been made of old men shirts - you can still see some of the seams. I sewed them together, added a pieced ticking backing in the form of a giant nine patch block and tied the whole thing together using my homespun yarn. I think it looks like a little boy's crib quilt.


I also couldn't stop thinking about the wonderful giant cutting table my friend Karen had ordered during the quilt show. Having a huge top to lay out projects is a wonderful luxury. As I sat there in the studio one day I had and idea. What it I pushed two furniture pieces together and just put a piece of plywood on top?


Look at how well they fit together. It was like it was meant to be. I love it. And when I tied that crib quilt I didn't have to crawl around on the floor to do it, which makes my shoulders and knees very happy.


8 comments:

Unknown said...

Brilliant!

I still have studio envy!

Michelle said...

Ingenious. My knees wouldn't handle the floor method....

Tombstone Livestock said...

Great idea.

Florida Farm Girl said...

I'm about to embark on setting up a new studio and would love to have a large work table like that. Great idea just pushing them together. You can still use both individually and together they add a great space.

Anonymous said...

My neighbor was throwing out an old dresser. The drawers were all but demolished. I asked if I could have the base.. I sanded it down, stained the top, it has a wonderful wood grain that is just what I wanted. The sides would not come clean enough to stain, so they got painted with left over ivory paint. Went to the dollar store for clear plastic bins to slide in the drawer slots and I have very useful storage that I can see for my sewing supplies that really sturdy. I hate to see things get burnt when they can be recycled. Did you stain/poly the top so it will not snag your fabrics or yarn? You are a creative genius!

Christine said...

Stained and sanded the top and plan to put a coat of danish oil on it.

Jayne said...

Love the quilt! I still have some of my grandmother's quilt pieces that have never been put together. Maybe I'll do that someday. The table is a really good idea. My mom used to love to sew clothes, and my dad made her a big table out of a plain slab door and some inexpensive table legs.

Linda said...

Fantastic!