Project Cutting Table

Before I purchased Lolah, my sewing room was a craft room; it contained sewing, scrap booking and card making supplies etc. This was my table which I purchased used at Goodwill for $25 several years ago. It's an Ikea Galant desk with adjustable-height legs. Since I like to scrap standing, it's always at waist height which is perfect for cutting fabric too. Because Lolah was going to take up a lot of room, my supplies moved to the storage room aka former garage. I missed my table for scrapping and wanted to move it to the newly located craft room.

Last Thursday I went looking for shelving that I could alter by adding a counter top, short bookcases at each end for support and storage. One thrift had 2 of the right shelving but they wanted too much for them; they were the right color though! But I was not in a hurry and I wanted to visit other thrifts before I made a decision.

Sometimes it pays to be patient; that said, my kids and husband marvel at how, one day they can ask me to be on the lookout for something only to have me come home with it within a week! Thrifting queen is what our youngest son calls me. :)

What I found on Thursday last week was a crafter's table sold by Pier I Imports. I don't know what the original price was when new but I saw one on Craig's List for $250 and one on eBay for $1000; quite the range in price for a used piece.

Look at the price tag...

Better yet, Goodwill was having a 50% off sale on furniture! SCORE!! I didn't bother asking for my senior's 10% discount! It was already a good deal.

There was one problem... there were no shelves but all the shelf support pins were there. So yesterday, DH cut some 1/4" plywood which was perfect for shelving. No need for heftier thickness since these will only hold fabric. 

I was able to rid another bookcase of its supplies to fill these cubbies with room to spare.

You can tell it was well loved and used. The top has glue globs and the sides/edges have paint stains but I don't mind that. It shows a crafter lives here!

It's almost 5" narrower and 10" shorter in length which gives me more room to walk around the table and a shorter distance to my ironing board but plenty for cutting. 

Now I have a project shelf behind my sewing chair.

 And my scrapping table went back where it belonged just in time for a card making session!

Toodles,

Lorette

More pimping!

Yesterday I dropped in at a local LED wholesale supply store. I thought what the heck... if they only sell wholesale, I'll order the adapter I needed online. But luckily for me they also sell retail! :)

I should have gone there BEFORE I purchased the LED at Walmart. They have a huge selection of all kinds of LED with different brightness levels too! I asked the clerk how long a strip can one hook to a 12V adapter and he said 4ft! That's good to know! 

So this morning I PIMPED my regular sewing machine with 4 x 4" LED strips. Here are some pictures:

BEFORE

AFTER

BACK

The red electrical tape isn't pretty but it's what I have and I don't see it sitting at the other side of the table. And it matches my red chair! :)

Looking forward to increased visibility without burning myself on an extra lamp in front of the machine!

I also know where to go to get what I need for a future project... stay tuned for that one!

Toodles,

Lorette

Introducing Lolah!

I promised I would make introductions!

I've been quilting a long time but last fall, I became obsessed! I was on a mission to get lots of quilting done not only for gifts but also as a means to pass the time! You see, work outside the home was becoming less and less satisfying and I could see the end of my professional career getting closer. I've always been a firm believer in the saying: if it's no longer fun to do what you're paid to do then it's time to quit! Work was no longer fun and it was time to change gears.

January 2013... another death in the family! UGH!! Our father passed away January 2006 after a few years of dementia. This time it was our sister, the oldest of 5 girls, at age 66... such a shock! Cerebral aneurysm rupture aka: hemorrhagic stroke! None of us got to say goodbye! It still hurts!

Fast forward to March and a new beginning! After losing my sister, I decided it was time to concentrate on what I wanted to do, what was fun to work on and what I NEEDED to do for myself and my sanity!

Retirement! I'd been dreaming of having a longarm for years and never thought I would be so lucky to own one! Then I saw a listing on Craig's list! A lovely lady in So Cal. put up her longarm quilting machine for sale and asked interested persons to send her an email with their phone number... I answered that call 15 mins after I emailed her. AND BINGO!!! I was the lucky one! It was now or never!


This was Lolah's previous residence! There she was in this family room full of quilting supplies! Her owner was cleaning her "studio" and was getting rid of all her quilting supplies! YUP! She was done with quilting!!!

MY LUCK!! Lolah had been well cared for, had low hours of use and came with lots of extras. It was promised that she would stitch beautifully.I even bought all her thread and some rulers.

April 1st... Derryl, the Gammill technician for the local dealer called to ask if I was ready to receive Lolah... a whole day early!! Of course!!

This is Lolah in her new home. She's a Gammill Premiere Plus.  

 I ordered her an extended plate for ruler work. As Derryl's suggested, I also ordered some new wheels to make her glide across the bed without resistance.

Meanwhile I started practicing...

Someday I will get the hang of pantograph quilting! In the meantime, I'm having fun with her. The only stress I feel now is when I load her up with a new quilt! YIKES!! what shall I quilt on it???

Toodles,

Lorette