Saturday, July 12, 2014

It's been a while...

Since I last posted here but I'm going to come clean and admit that I was in a bit of a funk.  It was a week ago today when tropical storm Arthur...remember him?...decided to pay us a visit.  Rather than bore you with all the sordid details, the long and short of it was that we were without power and water for F-O-U-R long days.  

If you ever hear me say I want to go camping, shoot me!

F-O-U-R days without water is 3 and 3/4 days too long, especially when you're on a well.  I don't know how many trips we made to the local spring just outside of town to fill 5 gallon jugs with water to freshen up with and to flush the toilets.  And I'm soooooo tired of sandwiches because we couldn't cook either!  

Having said that, neither we nor our property suffered any damage apart from some tree limbs and tons of leaves that fell.  We did lose the contents of our large freezer and fridge freezer which kinda hurt.  The sad part is that there are still tens of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada without power and my heart goes out to them.  Thank goodness it's not winter!

If you recall that just prior to Arthur blowing in, I finished my "man quilt" flimsy.  I don't know about you all but when I finish a large project, it can become very anticlimactic for me...kind of like coming to the end of a really good book where you want to finish it to find out how it ends but when it does, it can also leave you with an empty feeling wanting more.  And not only that, I had to write up the instructions for my second Primitive Quilts & Projects magazine project that are due by the end of the month and I hadn't even started that when the power went out.  I wrote them all out in longhand which did help to pass the time and I also redid the line drawings which are as close to perfect as possible because I had so much time to spend on them.

So my "man quilt" is off to Alice to be quilted and my Spring 2015 project is on it's way to West Virginia to Primitive Quilts & Projects. I can't tell you what a load that is off my mind.  Yay!

Another positive thing that came out of the Arthur debacle is that I designed another small quilt project.  I had so much time on my hands and the ideas just kept on coming so instead of asking myself what my next project would be, I now know what it is...especially since my studio is all clean, neat and tidy again!

Yesterday Mr. Painted Quilt, Ollie went to visit our friends who live on the south shore of Nova Scotia to pick up a cabinet that she was selling.  Guess what I did this morning?  

Yep...cleaned and reorganized my studio!

I usually do this after each project but Arthur and the no-power thing threw me off my usual routine.  

I've been wanting a cabinet or cupboard large enough to hold lots of fabric but not too large that it would overpower my sewing room.

It's perfect!


Her husband made it as a sewing cupboard but she really isn't a sewer so she wouldn't need it in the new house.  Can you see the thread holders on the door on the left?  Cool, huh?  I was able to neatly pile all the the fabric inside that I had out on shelves, exposed to the UV light rays.  I'm thrilled!
I moved the bookcase that was there over here...
which allowed me to keep BIG Bernie where she was...
and little Bernie too!
Here's the view to the left while sitting in the chair behind little Bernie...
and straight ahead.
After all the moving, sorting, vacuuming and dusting this morning, I'm too tired to start on anything new today but you know what I'll be doing tomorrow.  

I always feel so inspired when everything is clean, neat and tidy!

Nap time...ZZZZzzzzzzzz.


Happy stitching!

38 comments:

Phyllis said...

Love the new cabinet! It looks great and your sewing room is soooo tidy. Rest up and have a great weekend.

gracie said...

Just love your creative room! Sorry about the hurricane. Get some rest this weekend so you can create on Monday!

Janet O. said...

That is a long time without power, but it sounds like you put it to good use. You were awfully productive and I look forward to seeing the fruits of your labors!
I'm glad you didn't suffer serious damage.

Janet O. said...

p.s. That is such a cool cupboard--love it. The spool holders are a perfect touch.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

I'm glad y'all are all right. Sorry about the outage, but you are safe.
I love the thread holders on the cabinet door.

Lynn said...

What a wonderful sewing space Kaaren! Your new cabinet looks like it was made for your room. Being without power for so long is an inconvenience for sure, but it sounds like you made great use of your time.

mayme said...

Love that cupboard. It is perfect in your sewing room. Get some rest and I will be looking forward to seeing that new project!

Neabear said...

That cabinet is perfect for your room! Looks awesome. Mine is a terrible mess right now. I need to tackle it again so I can get back into the rhythm of working on things again. But first I am doing other projects at the moment that is keeping me busy. Glad you are okay!

Linnea

Jacqueline said...

Love your cupboard..and glad to hear you have power back.

I need to tackle my sewing room too. I always feel so much better and creative after.. It is just getting to the "doing" part.

Karen said...

You even have your cutting table decorated with a quilt. Mine is never empty to do that.

Material Girl said...

I feel your pain about no power for days. I lost mine for 10 days after Sandy or Irene, not sure which. I purchased a butane stove for hot food and drinks. You insert a canister for fuel, of course, there are propane camp stoves too. We actually bought a generator so we could use our well and heat. That was 15 years ago - we purchased a backup generator for the old generator. Now we can shower and cook a bit. The most awesome thing I can do is SEW- I use my Singer 301 and sew away.... Glad you are back in business!

Candace said...

Oh Kaaren, I somehow missed this post. How terrible you had no power or water for so long! It's almost as though your cabinet is a "reward" for getting through it! What a wonderful treasure - I love the thread racks! I hope life is back to normal and you can enjoy your summer!
Cheers!

Mary Ann said...

Great looking cabinet for your sewing room.

Anonymous said...

Hey stranger! Sorry to hear about your power loss. I got an email from Shelley (Red Quilts) they are on the 7th day of no power and still have no power. I think she was using a free WIFI somewhere.
Your sewing room looks inviting. Glad you were able to get creative juices flowing.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Definitely need to either invest in a camping stove that uses gas, or a barbeque grill which has a side burner. I keep both just in case. Glad you got so much accomplished though and you are very fortunate that there is a place to get water.

Jeanna said...

I feel your "no power" pain. We took two direct hits in 2004 (Hurricanes Francis and Jeanne) and another in 2005 (Hurricane Wilma). The least number of days we were without power is 9. (And we both work for the power company)

I love your sewing space and especially your new cupboard.

Jackie's Stitches said...

Your cabinet is wonderful! It looks like you've filled it up. Are you going to use the thread holders?

Four days without power does not sound like fun at all. I hope you weren't too hot.

ShirleyC said...

I totally agree about not having water.
It's bad either way here if the weather is hot.
I wish my sewing room was all cleaned up - I mean really clean and reorganized.

Dorothy said...

Great cupboard. When we bought this house there were two cupboards just like yours in the garage. Abandoned and not wanted. DH put new shelves in them for me and then I painted them. They hold so many sewing things in my craft room. Enjoy yours.

Sherry said...

Sorry to hear that you were affect by the storm. It is good that things are getting back to normal. I love the cupboard and I am inspired by reading your post. I have a bookcase to move in to my sewing room and it will be a help to organize my fabric, I just keep putting it off.

sunny said...

Your new cabinet is awesome! What a great addition to your room. I'm glad you didn't suffer any damage. We had a bit of a wind storm this Tuesday, and some folks just got their power back today. Yep. Four days! Fortunately we weren't affected. Hope you can keep up with all your inspiration!

Bev said...

We just got back from our cruise to Alaska and heard about your hurricane. How awful , so many days without water. Glad to hear all is getting back to normal. Your new cabinet is gorgeous and a very nice compliment to your sewing room. Nice ending to a challenging week. Be well and take care. Bev

Susannah said...

Your new cabinet is perfect and I am so glad that you got it!!!! It will hold so much fabric and right where you can get to it easily. Hope you are having a good weekend...now that Arthur is GONE!

Susannah

antique quilter said...

being without power is really tough, learned that lesson during hurricane Sandy almost 2 weeks
glad your fine and your sewing room looks great, I love seeing your little quilts thru out the room.
beautiful cabinet it fits right in your home.
how special it was made by her DH too.
Kathie

margaret said...

what a wonderful sewing room you have and so well organised and tidy too. That was a storm and a half you had and to be without water and electric no fun at all. I do not think many of us would have liked living in the days prior to running water and electric lights

paulette said...

Your 'funks' are a lot different than my funks!~! haha I would call your funk going into full out work-horse mode!! You got tons of things accomplished! WOW!! Love your sewing room...looks so organized! I need to have a funk like that!
all the best!
P

The Prairie Stitcher said...

Love your new cabinet and I also recognized the quilt on your table as the one I made you for the quilt exchange. Sorry to hear of all the trouble from the storm, but as least it didn't do any damage to buildings. Take care.

Barb said...

wonderful cabinet and your sewing space looks so nice!
i feel the same way about camping.
The older i get the more I like my comforts.

Ronda said...

Oh Kaaren I hate that you all were roughing it for so long. I remember the last big ice storm we had it was awful no power for 7 days and many went longer! sure makes you appreciate the little things or are they big things (lol) Love the cabnet! Its perfect for your space!

Janet said...

It's tough without power but no water would be darn hard. Your sewing room looks so good and what a wonderful new cabinet, I have a little envy.

Judymc said...

So sorry to hear of your problems due to the hurricane. We've only been without power for 24 hrs. and I can't imagine 4 days! Being without water would be the worst!
I love your new fabric cabinet with the spool storage.

Charo said...

Oh, Karen!

What a wonderful sewing room you have! It's just my dream sewing space!

This cabinet is so beautiful and useful too! The thread holders on the door are a great idea.

It would be difficult to take me out of this room if it was at home....

Maybe one day, when my kids leave the nest....

A big hug from Mallorca (Spain)

Cyndi said...

We got lots of wind from Arthur but had no damage here in my area of Maine. Love your neat and tidy sewing room!

Treasures by Louise said...

Yum! that cabinet filled with fabric all folded and organized looks delicous!

Flickenstichlerin said...

Dear Karen,
love your new cabinet, congratulations, this must be like Christmas for you.
Greetings,
Sylvia

cityquilter grace said...

dynamite sewing space...your reward for arthur....enjoy!

Lori said...

What a great cabinet! I hope all is back to normal in your neck of the woods.

Deb said...

Kaaren. I absolutely love your Jam cupboard!! great work on reorganizing.