It's that time again. Please feel free to suggest topics for future discussion. It was fun to read your "perfect quilting day" descriptions last week, thanks for stopping by."What is the most valuable tool in your sewing room?"
For me, it has to be my cutting table. The first thing I needed to do in answering this question was to look at the word "valuable". I needed to differentiate between sentimental and monetary value. Things of monetary value can be replaced, things attached to sentiment cannot. My cutting table is the heart of my sewing space. It measures 45" X 72" and was built for me by my husband from three oak trees that we lost at our home in a tornado twenty years ago. This table has moved around the world with me, and back. Most recently it has been upfitted with designated drawers to hold my thread, stencils, rulers, and scrap bins. It's the place where I measure and cut and lay out blocks, it's where I stack and fold and ponder. It's, without a doubt, my most valuable tool!
...and sew, "let's talk"...
Life is Good!
Life is Good!
14 comments:
"What is my most valuable tool in your sewing room?"
Has to be my ironing board. A guy from work made a big board for his wife and as a surprise made one for me! I do not know how I managed without it. It is bigger than the Big Board you can buy. I covered it with a pretty pink sheet and drew measurements along the side. I use it to rough measure fabrics too. Anyway, I love my ironing board. When fabrics are pressed and starched they cut beautifully.
Subee
Wow your cutting table sounds fabulous! I'm jealous.
I'm going to say the most valuable tool in my sewing room is my machine. My hubby bought it for me for our first Christmas together. We'd spent all of our money on our wedding and had decided to seriously scale back Christmas that year. I came out to the living room in our tiny place to see my machine all set up. I still think about it every time I sit down to sew :)
Tunes...my computer has a good set of speakers with a subwoofer so when I need to be really productive I crank the tunes.
I think you should have re-posted a photo of your cutting table, Mrs. G., or maybe included the link to a previous post about it. It's gorgeous and your new readers would love to see it, I'm sure.
Back in the dark ages, before CAD was invented, mechanical engineers designed on drawing boards. When my DH went over to CAD, he let me have his uber-fancy drawing board, six feet long with adjustable height. I use it as my cutting table - the height is perfect, it has an overhang so I can mount lights on it and it holds LOTS of fabric, thread, rulers - all sorts of things. My sewing machine is probably more "valuable" as far as cost, but I love that he gave me his table.
My current sewing space doesn't hold anything of particular value or sentimentality. One day . . . . when I have an honest-to-goodness quilting room, I plan to display the thimbles that belonged to my grandma and mom. They will remind me that generations before and generations to come will enjoy this work just as I am *s*
In terms of sentimental value, my ironing table is the most valuable.
Many (25+) years ago when my grandfather downsized from his house to the upstairs of my aunt's house, we inherited his dining room furniture (sideboard, china cabinet, 6 chairs and table with leaf).
Two years ago, when we updated our dining room, the straight-back, hard-seated chairs were auctioned off, the sideboard and china cabinet remain in use, and the table with the lovely legs became an orphan.
Clever DH moved it to my studio. I covered it with a quilt to protect the surface. He then constructed a second flat surface on sturdy supports which I covered in foil (don't laugh - it defeats the steam from the iron), ugly double-sided quilted fabric from ???, and finally a layer of colorful quilting fabric from my stash.
Voila - a huge ironing surface that alternates as a super work table.
As a child, I used to crawl under that table with a can of Pledge and a dust rag, imagining myself to be far, far away.
Now, I see the lovely legs peeking out from under the quilt and I dream... of more quilts!
I'm not sure, but whatever it is I still can't find it yet!
The Great Clean Up continues....
:-)
Mrs. Goodneedle,
This is a hard question- I guess my most valuable tool is my lovely sewing machine that my husband bought for me in 2000. It is an Elna Quilter's Dream- not fancy but does the things that I need it to do .
As far as the most valuable thing I have in my sewing room ( from a Sentimental view ) it would be a high top boot pin cushion that hung on my grandmother's wall.. It helps me feel close to her..
Have a great week,
Regards,
Anna
I am jealous too, of your lovely cutting table description--someday I hope to have a sewing room with a real cutting table but a couple of offspring would have to move out before that happens...:)
My most valuable tool would have to be my rotary cutter/ruler combo. I just can't imagine using a pair of shears to cut all the pieces for a quilt! Second would have to be a good light. I think of all those women before electric lights, sewing by kerosene lamp at night.
I would have to say my sewing machine. I adore my Bernina. It helps that my hubby gave it to me for Christmas and then the next year gave me the cabinet to put it in.
My Baby Lock. My husband surprised me with it a few years back and it is a mad quilting monster.
The most valuable sentimental item I have is my sewing machine. It belonged to my grandmother. I loved her dearly. She too was a quilter. As a little girl, I remember watching her at the machine. There is a water ring on the cabinet where she always had a glass of ice tea by her side. My mom and aunts learned to sew on that machine. Now so have I. Priceless...
This may sound crazy but it is my chair. Nothing fancy but it is comfortable and stable (after falling off the one with wheels twice I got the hint!) This one I picked up at Auction in the UK...it just works for me!
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