Monthly Archives: June 2013

A New Pattern — and a Giveaway!

I’m pleased to announce the release of my newest pattern from First Light Designs. Here’s a picture of the cover:

sewing machine dust cover

 

It’s available at the Pine Needle Quilt Shop in Lake Oswego, Oregon and the Rose of Sharin’ Quilt Shop in Danville, Pennsylvania.

Would you like to have a pattern? I’m hosting a Giveaway this coming week — my very first! You have six chances to win. I’m giving away five copies of my pattern, and the sixth winner is going to get a pattern and a custom sewing machine dust cover made by me. It might be you!

To enter, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what you hope to accomplish this summer on the sewing/quilting front. Multiple projects? One big finish? It’s always fun to know what’s going on in sewing rooms around the world.

I’ll keep the Giveaway open through Saturday, July 6 and announce the winners the following week. Be sure your contact info is included in your comments. For the winner of the sewing machine dust cover, I’ll be in touch to give you some fabric and color options.

 

 

 

Posted in Giveaway, sewing machine cover, update | 23 Comments

Think Pink!

I learned from Thelma at Cupcakes ‘n Daisies that yesterday was National Pink Day. I’m working on a project right now that has a lot of pink in it, so I thought I would post about it, even though I’m a day late. Take a look:

Dust Cover in Progress

 

Regular readers of my site must be thinking, “What? She’s making another sewing machine dust cover?” (I’ve already made several versions, which you can see in my Small Pieces Gallery here.)

Yep. Two reasons for it: one, I needed a partially-made sample for a class I taught recently, to demonstrate how I sew the side panel to the main body and add the bias binding strip, and two, in response to multiple requests, I have written a pattern. (I always make samples while writing a pattern to test my directions.)

I’ll introduce my pattern later this week along with a giveaway — my first! — so please check back. I’ll be giving away several copies of my pattern, and one winner will get a custom sewing machine dust cover made by me for her machine.

Yesterday also happened to be National Pecan Sandies Day. (Who thinks these national days up, anyway, and why June 23?) If you’re inclined to celebrate after the fact by whipping up a batch of pecan sandies, here is a recipe from allrecipes.com.

 

 

 

Posted in Janome 6500 sewing machine, sewing machine cover, update | 2 Comments

Bathroom Reno — Week 12: Finished!

Yes, after 12 weeks, the renovation of our upstairs bathroom is all but complete! Would you like to see? Let’s start in the doorway. The first thing you see is the quartz cap on the toilet alcove:

Week 12, quartz wall cap

I’m so glad we waited to find another remnant of the quartz (“Lattice” by Pental) to finish this half-wall instead of capping it with wood trim. Wood would have been very nice but this is much more elegant. To the left of the wall you can see part of the clawfoot tub. Here’s a look at the entire tub:

Week 12, clawfoot tub

I love the look of the vintage bath hardware, including the telephone-style shower head.

Now for the shower, in all its tiled and glassed-in beauty:

Week 12, shower

 

Moving counter-clockwise, here’s the five-panel door, which used to swing into the bathroom but now slides neatly into its wall pocket:

Week 12, pocket door

As you can see from the right side of the photo, I’ve already hung towels on the wall to the left of the shower. I chose a deep teal blue.

Am I saving the best for last? Maybe! Here is the mirror over the vanity, with the three sconces mounted in place:

Week 12, light fixtures and mirror 2

Another view from across the room:

Week 12, light fixtures and mirror

Even prettier with the lights on:

Week 12, light fixtures and mirror 2 (2)

And, for some drama, here’s a shot of two the sconces with the lights turned low:

Week 12, vanity lights on dimmer switch

 

Back where we started, here’s another shot of the toilet alcove and wall cap:

Week 12, toilet alcove with wall cap

 

And there you have it. Am I thrilled? Absolutely!

There is more to come, however. The plantation shutters I ordered for the windows are due to arrive by the end of June. I’m going to wait until they are in place before putting pictures on the walls. In the meantime, I’ll be looking for a long narrow console table, preferably vintage, to go in this space between the end of the tub and the half-wall . . .

Week 12, area for table

. . . and a bench to go in this little corner:

Week 12, area for bench

 

Once the bathroom is truly complete, which may take a few weeks, I’ll post some before-and-after photos. Until then, if you want to review the project from the outset, feel free to follow these links:

March 16: Happy Birthday, House!
March 27: The Bathroom Remodel Begins
March 31: Bathroom Reno, Week 1
April 8: Bathroom Reno, Week 2
April 15: Bathroom Reno, Week 3
April 21: Bathroom Reno, Week 4
April 28: Bathroom Reno, Week 5
May 5: Bathroom Reno, Week 6
May 12: Bathroom Reno, Week 7
May 19: Bathroom Reno, Week 8
May 27: Bathroom Reno, Week 9
June 2: Bathroom Reno, Week 10
June 9: Bathroom Reno, Week 11

Thanks for following along!

 

 

 

Posted in bathroom remodel, update | 12 Comments

Bathroom Reno, Week 11

After 11 weeks, we have running water again in our upstairs bathroom! The water is flowing from these lovely faucets:

Week 11, vanity faucet

Be sure to check out the tile backsplash, which matches the tile design on the other side of the bathroom. Doesn’t it look good?

Here’s a full view of the vanity (taken from a rather odd angle):

Week 11, vanity with backsplash and faucets (2)

 

The toilet has been installed!

Week 11, loo

 

And we have glass walls in the shower!

Week 11, shower walls

 

Can you tell I’m excited? I’m so ready for the bathroom to be complete.

Last week we were faced with a dilemma. We originally thought the remnant of Pental quartz chosen for the vanity was large enough for both the vanity and the top of the half-wall that forms an alcove around the toilet. The piece left over after the vanity was cut turned out to be just a few inches shy. Should we wait a bit, hoping another remnant would surface? Or cap the wall with wood trim instead? I asked my contractors to keep looking, and on Friday they found a small remnant of my quartz.

Maybe I’ll be able to show you photos of the wall cap in the next installment of our Bathroom Reno report. Thanks so much for stopping by.

 

 

 

Posted in bathroom remodel, update | 6 Comments

Bathroom Reno, Week 10

Last week I was predicting that the shower glass would be installed and that the bathroom remodel might actually be completed. Alas, it was not to be. The shower glass did get delivered but two of the three panels were not beveled at the correct angle, so back they went.

Thankfully, we don’t have a pressing deadline for completion of the bathroom. The contractors predicted an eight-week job, and here we are approaching Week 11, but I don’t really mind. I think the wait will be worth it. And I do have something new to show you: the vanity!

Week 11, vanity with countertop and sinks

As you can see, the countertop is on and the sinks have been installed. The countertop is Pental quartz; the color is “lattice,” a creamy white with very subtle beige-y grey markings. The knobs on the cupboards and drawers are clear glass. The drawers glide open and closed ever so smoothly. (I know this because I keep wandering into the bathroom to try them out.)

You  may be wondering why the vanity isn’t wall-to-wall. In the original plan, it was. But early in the project my contractors found a remnant of the quartz countertop I wanted which was a few inches shorter than the full space between the walls. One option they presented was making the vanity look like a piece of furniture (i.e. free-standing) in order to use the remnant. I am very pleased with the result.

Since I don’t have a lot to show you this week, I’ll end this post with a preview of a coming attraction:

Week 11, sconce

Isn’t that a lovely sconce? There are going to be three of these mounted on the wall above the vanity. But before that happens, Erik (the tile guy) is coming back to install the backsplash on the vanity. I hope you’ll come back for a look.

 

 

 

Posted in bathroom remodel, update | 5 Comments