A Needle Pulling Thread

The introduction of bedroom furniture to my room prompted significant re-arranging which included the relocation of my sewing machine and table to the closet. In an effort to keep our two guest rooms neat and prepared for company, this sequestering of my crafts to the closet was necessary. And I didn't mind all that much because I actually have a walk-in closet (four of our five bedrooms have walk-in closets). So the hanging clothes moved to the left side, and the sewing table was tucked cozily away under a closet-length shelf on the right. While my rolling chair only has about 2.5 ft. to maneuver around under the table, this arrangement is wonderful. I can make an absolute mess with fabric and thread and patterns, and simply close the door to hide the disarray. Believe me when I say that this is the only sort of mess I can really tolerate leaving in my bedroom.

Due to this new dedication of my closet to more crafty endeavors, I have become obsessed once again with planning all sorts of projects. Very few of these ever really come to fruition and I am left with folders full of photos, outlines, and ideas that I can waste plenty of time scrolling through. Some, however, are begun with one result in mind and actually facilitate the completion of another idea that would have otherwise been lost in document limbo.

One such project began with my perfect pinwheel tutorial, which I posted to the blog in December of last year. With my completed pinwheel and diamond blocks (of which I was rather tickled to complete successfully) I pieced together a small wall-hanging quilt top. This fabric sat completely neglected and without purpose until this morning when I finally decided what to do with it!

As a result of our adventures with Papa and John Deere tractors in North Carolina, I have been on the lookout for cute, related projects and memorabilia to help commemorate the time we spent engulfed in Tractorville! I took a picture of a no-sew fleece blanket at Jo-ann's which featured a cartoon-ish green tractor against a pink floral background, and the phrase "Roses are red, tractors are green". While I thought this was cute (and it was on clearance) I also found it to be a bit cheesy for my taste. But I liked the idea and wanted to remember it for the future.

So there my pieced quilt top sat, in shades of green, yellow, and pink (not my normal choice for a color scheme) and I suddenly envisioned a big, bold Deere embroidered at the center! I also came up with another phrase that suited my taste and humor, and applied to my field of expertise. You'll have to wait until the end to find out what it is!


Hooped and ready for embroidery!


Embroidery done!

More recently I have had time to pursue sewing projects. I am only taking one class right now (College Algebra online) through FSCJ and have nearly completed my Neonatal Resuscitation re-certification tests (also online). We have settled into a nearly regular schedule as well, so I feel I can spend time on creating things. It is a wonderful outlet for pent-up energy after solving Algebra problems all day!