On Tour

This morning I had a nice surprise when I got to guild. Instead of a speaker, our scheduled program was a studio tour. Apparently in my focus on the quilt show, I totally missed that this month we had the opportunity to visit the studios of three local quilters. So much fun!!

Our first visit was to Jan's house. Her studio is quite small, proving that you don't need a lot of space to accomplish great things. Her custom-made sewing table is 6' wide, and has a folding back that opens out to support a very large quilt.

Here is the room from another angle. A lovely view seems to be the unifying theme in all three studios.

This is what Jan calls her stash. Stash? Really? She tends to buy for her projects, apparently she's not a collector.

(Actually, when you look out the window, I think she's a plant collector! Her yard is lovely.)

For those of you who love dogs, I thought you might like to see Annie. Her hair has more personality than any hair I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately she decided to be shy.

Oh wait! Here are some eyes! (She's 13, and Heinz 57...)

As we drove to the next house, we passed this wild display. Click on the picture, and look at the signs! There are so many, it was hard to take them all in. I made sure we backtracked, so I could snap this shot.

Our next stop was Diane's studio. Wow. Large and spacious, she has a wonderful workspace.

Again, her stash is, shall I say, meager. She only buys for projects, and doesn't have a lot of leftovers.

Isn't this a great idea for a potting table?

How about this collection of 30's fabrics?

Her sewing table boasts a lovely view of her back yard.

How about lovely lined baskets and fancy boxes to hold UFO's or projects in progress? A bit easier on the eye than my rubbermaid containers, don't you think?

This colorful display holds leftovers from projects, not lunch. All of the scraps are color-coordinated, so if she needs a small this or that, the fabrics are already stored together, just waiting for her attention.

The last house we visited was Judy's. Her studio is on the second floor, and the room has a lot of personality. The closet in the wall holds her stash. Now that's more like it. ;)

The little nook behind the cutting table holds her paints and trims and other (nonquilting) craft supplies.

Her sewing machine looks out the window. She says she can 'Keep an eye on the neighbors.' ;) (Judging by her work, I think she's really focused on her quilting, not her neighbors!)

I love the rocking chair in the corner...and the Civil War era project on the wall... I think it's a nice combo to have the 1800's nestled right there with the computer and printer along the other wall. You didn't even notice them, did you? They blend right in...

And that's how we spent our morning. I should have been doing quilt show wrap-up, but it will keep. The break was lovely, and other than folding drape, it will extend throughout the weekend. On Monday, I will be back at it, wrapping up our 2011 show and getting started on 2012. Have a great weekend!!!