New Studio's Maiden Voyage

So last week we got a warm spell after a horrific winter of snow, snow, and more snow.  We recently moved to an area further up the mountain, and expected to get more snow than we were used to, but this was ridiculous!  The neighbors reported that this was the most snow they'd seen in 30 years.  Lucky us for perfect timing?

Back to the aforementioned warm spell... my studio flooded a little.  Yep.  Seems I'm cursed to have a sewing/art room that is plagued with water.  We are attributing it to the excess snow melting into the foundation area.  Everything is cleaned up and dry now though, so I'm not too panicked (though we're putting a pin in that for later).

This weekend I finally broke in my new studio.  Woo!  Can I just say I LOVE it?  I found I still need to move some things around a bit, to maximize the room's potential.  I worked on a project for the hubby, and gave my new serger its first spin.

I think I need to do more reading/watching videos, and perhaps take a class on sergers.  I haven't used one since my junior high home economics class, and we weren't required to thread those machines. I had a crazy time trying to get the tension right.  It seriously made me want a cocktail.

In other news, I also pulled The Kirk from its sad, dust-gathering perch, finished the sleeve hem, and began couching the gold cord onto the cuffs.  Eight moths later, and I'm finally making serious progress on this thing.

Do you ever have projects that feel like the world is conspiring against you, and you will never finish it?

Studio Update and other Ponderings

So Bella Lucia da Verona has announced the Italian Renaissance Costuming Challenge #3 (IRCC3) over at Realm of Venus.  These challenges have done a LOT in promoting Italian costuming/dress, and Bella is to be commended for her amazing work on these projects.  I've been thinking about entering, if only to push myself to actually finish some projects this year.  I hesitate though, because I have promises out for 3 scribal projects, and 3 sewing-related things for my hubby already (and clearly suck at getting anything done, whatsoever.  One of those scribal projects has been in the hopper for nearly a year - a wedding gift that is seriously late.

What do you think?  To enter, or not to enter?

I'm nearing completion on my studio space (two boxes left to unpack, and some final decorative items to go up).  What do you think (aside from the fact that I need to finish that Kirk tunic already)?

View from Stairs

Sewing and Serger Desk

Adjustable table and storage!

Adjustable table, art desk

View from rear corner

Art desk with light box

Studio Update

This weekend the husband and I went out to Ikea to finally pick up my new sewing desk.  I picked it out several months ago, but decided not to bring it home until after we'd moved.  Well, the moving took way longer than we thought, then winter settled in to make life and the long drive less desirable.  But we bit the bullet and did it.

No pictures of the studio yet, but hopefully will be done within the week.

In the meantime, here's an awesome video of Rakim, who is now sick with a respiratory infection, bless his heart.

Studio

Hey look, I've made some progress!

I have about six boxes left to unpack, so things are moving along pretty well.  My dear hubby bought me a serger... it was technically for my birthday, though I just got it this week.  We were packing up to move on my birthday, so it made no sense to buy something else I'd have to leave in the box and move.  Now I just need to secure my new sewing desk, and I'll be pretty set.

Interestingly enough, in the corner of this picture you'll see a cedar chest with pictures of kittens on it.  I was given that chest when I was 10 or 11 years old.  It's got all my old dance trophies, dance shoes, and other ancient memorabilia from my childhood.  I've hauled it around my whole life and only once every five years or so I open it up and peek inside.

Do any of you have a box of old memories you keep around?

In the Beginning...

New craft/sewing/art space!  And yet with some dismay, I admit this is what it looked like as of 8:00 pm last night.

View from the Stairs

View from the back corner

It feels a bit overwhelming because one key piece of furniture is my sewing desk, which I don't yet own.  It's a Christmas gift from my wonderful husband, but we've yet to take the trip out to Ikea to pick it up.  I've already picked it out though, so that's half the battle.  It just feels awkward to try to unpack space when that is missing.  I'll do my best though!

A couple challenges:  The dark paneled walls. I hates them.  I don't have the resources or time to deal with that right now though.

Flickering fluorescent lights.  This is a major problem that MUST be addressed.  My brother is an electrician whom I hope to bribe into doing some work for me to fix this up (track lighting would make my heart so very happy!).  But I can't wait for that to be done before fixing up and unpacking everything.  There are tasks to be done!

I'll provide updates as I progress with organizing and putting this hot mess in order.

Hello???

Hello?  *tap tap*  Is this thing on?

Where did 2012 go?  Remember this post of not all that ambitious goals?  Time to lay it all out there.  Well, you already know the truth if you read this.  2012 has been a crazy year of change for me, steeped in both disasters and awesomeness.

The only thing I completed on that list was to do a little calligraphy teaching.  I almost feel guilty for my lack of product and momentum.  But I don't! Hah!

This year I got married, had a series of major home issues including a basement flood, kitchen sink flood/pipe issues, broken dishwasher, broken fridge, and spent time out of town for a wedding reception back east.  Oh yeah... and we bought a house!  Woo!  This of course meant packing and moving, which has consumed all our time for the last several months.

We're in the home-stretch now though, and I am so very relieved and excited to get back onto a regular schedule, and to feel at home in a place that feels safe from disasters, and spacious.  We went from tiny and cramped to this light and airy divinity!

It's a major breath of relief.  I swear I almost hear an angelic chorus when I step into the house.  Oh yeah.  And we adopted a kitten.

Note that Miss Sim Sim Salabim is not too pleased with the new baby boy as clearly shown by her look of displeasure above (She's on the floor, looking up angrily).

I will be working on my craft studio shortly, and I intend to take before and after photos because the space is awesome but right now it's FULL of boxes and bins.  I also need to change out the fluorescent lights for something much more easy on the eyes and color-true.

Wish me luck!

General Update

I try not to post too much here that is overly personal, mainly because that's what other pages are for.  You're here for the arts and junk, am I right?  I'm breaking that general rule now, but this is slightly related, so forgive me.

I was slated to finish the Kirk tunic this week, in time for Field of the Clothe of Gold.  I worked on it Saturday and felt confident that with Sunday to work on it, and Tuesday to finish it (being a local State holiday), I'd be set to finish both the tunic and make a scroll.  It was not to be.

Sunday morning we ran errands and when I went to the basement at about 2:00 pm to get working, I discovered that the entire basement was flooded.  The carpets in both Sven's office (from which he works daily - a critical part of our livelihood), and my studio were saturated.  There was standing water in the storage closet and at the foot of the stairs, and some water/wetness pretty much everywhere else.

Sunday was therefore spent tracking down the landlords, and disconnecting/moving all electronics in addition to starting the investigation of where on earth the water came from.   The landlords left our home with no answer after looking at all pipes, indoor and out, running sinks,  etc., as well as inspecting ceilings and walls.  They had no answers. Monday was spent emptying the carpeted rooms of everything (no easy task, I assure you), so a carpet guy could come suck up water and start some fans to dry them out.  He couldn't find any answers either.  Add a professional plumber to the list of people who checked everything out to determine a cause. 

The carpets are now dry and tacked back down.  This is a mighty big blessing, as the smell of wet carpet pads and added humidity in the house were making life miserable.  The baseboards and paint job in my studio are in poor shape.  I'd care much more if it were my own home, but as it is, we're likely only to be here a few more months.

It's time to start moving things back in, but must do so in a careful manner, as the cause was never determined, and I worry it will happen again.  I did have some patterns ruined from the mess, but nothing critical or heart-wrenching.  I did have a moment of panic about my Moda a Firenze book though.  Luckily it was sitting on top of some cardboard which soaked up water before getting to the book. 

So anyway, have you ever had disaster strike your "creative zone?"  How did you cope?

Studio

I have determined that I have the world's crappiest light fixture in my studio. That being said, I have beat it into submission and now have light I can work by! Woo! If this house weren't a rental, I'd be adding extra light fixtures galore into this little basement hole of a studio. Thank goodness I have my awesome Verilux full spectrum lamp for doing art and sewing. My newly illuminated room served me well last night though, as I spent a good amount of time digging through my manuscript library looking for inspiration for a new scribal project.

So while I have no updates in my sewing projects, at least I now have a room I can work in. Now if only it would warm up a little so don't have to wear mittens down there...