Several months ago I took a break from blogging and signed off on my Sunshine Daisy Designs site. My husband and I had moved to a new home, life was busy, and I thought maybe I’d tapped out on everything I had to say about quilting and art. Fast forward a few months; life is more settled now and I’m finding I actually do have more to say on these fascinating subjects. Honestly, I’ve missed ‘sharing’ (a modern affliction?) my humble musings on creativity with the social world. During this self-imposed hiatus my friends and I have continued to create new challenge quilts and done some fun things. The sewing studio has been re-organized twice (!) and my fabric stash has even been purged. That’s a post begging to be written!

When thinking about returning to blogging I knew I wanted a fresh start with a new look. I hope you’ll find this new site clean, easy to navigate, and welcoming. I also hope you’ll visit often and leave a comment here or there. Thanks for taking the time to check it out –  I really am glad to be back. 🙂

A good place to start is by showing you my new sewing room and a few of the details that make it special to me.

First of all – the windows! There are two of them and I love the outdoor view while I’m working. Natural light is great but I do have to be careful because by mid-afternoon the sun is shining on my design wall and shelved fabric. Because of the bright sun, wooden blinds are pulled down to keep the room dark when not in use. Some favorite and special items to note in the pic are the yellow daisy badge holder in the upper left corner (made for me by Candy, to use on our trip to Houston’s IQF in 2014), a daisy topped yellow cupcake picture (the front of a card from my friend Patty), and a small photo of my niece, Kali – who looks like a backlit Madonna with flowing wavy hair and eyes raised to the heavens. (Someday an art quilt is going to be the result of that beautiful photo). Also, a  framed floral print from Detroit’s Eastern Market (a gift from my daughter and son-in-law) and stained glass from my visit to The Dairy Barn’s last Quilt National Exhibit.

Initially my sewing machine sat under the window on this corner desk, but with a mere 12 inches between the machine and wall there was no room for quilting larger sized pieces. Out of necessity I moved my drafting table into the space and – voila! – it worked. Not only was there more room for quilting but I gained handy storage bins for small accessories like seam rippers, tweezers, extra feet, and marking pens. And on that back wall…

I decided recently that it really was possible to have too much fabric and took a week – yes, a week – to go through every piece of yardage, fat quarter and scrap that I had. Using a semi-ruthless eye, I tried to keep only the fabrics that spoke to me. When you see all that’s left you might think I didn’t get rid of very much, but believe me, I did. It’s a little embarrassing to admit the sheer quantity of my stash but on the other hand fabric IS my medium and a variety is necessary to my art. Really. Seriously.

After deciding which fabrics to keep came the re-organization of their storage. I do love a well organized space. Since I had recently read Susan Carlson’s blog on using fabrics based on value, not color, that became my system for the batiks.

Another small detail can be found on these shelves. Once, when my friend Candy and I were browsing in an antique shop, she bought some glass refrigerator dishes for her own sewing studio and I was inspired. I picked up a few myself and think they add a nice visual break when placed among the fabric.

 

More details? A woven basket for scraps, small bags sewn by friends, hand-made books by my granddaughter, Natalie, daisy delights of all kinds, including and not least of all the sewing studio mascot, Daisy Loo.

 

All of these things and many more go in to making a personal and nurturing creative space that works for me. It feels good to be settled into my space and comfortable enough to be looking forward again – forward to more sewing, creating, writing, and sharing. 🙂