Current Mood : Beyond thrilled !
Current Image Notes : Guess what's new in the Lab ?
So, today I was thinking (and the very Earth trembled). When do I have the most fun in the Lab ? When I'm tearing it up to do something new in there ! And with my new ‘use it or lose it' goals, I can have it torn up for weeks ! I also realized that I haven't sewn all year because Brody is on the sole surface set up for sewing. The cutting/pattern table is all wrong to sew on - wrong height, wrong depth, no leg space - and all other flat surfaces are in use for other things and aren't good for sewing either. Technically, I can sew on a TV-tray table, but those wobble around a lot. What're we gonna do about that ?
Seriously. I don't want ‘KJ', my regular sewing machine, set up on the dining room table. It's not permanent, too far away from most of my supplies, and not where I want to sew. We're not gonna mention how it'd be covered over with mail, clothes, and misc. in less than a week. What I need is another desk or table in the Lab. Nothing major, just something stable - doesn't need drawers or anything. So I proposed a deal to Beloved Hubby. If I could find one cheap second-hand or he could make one, I'd donate and ditch the two milk crate ‘towers' of fabric in order to create space for it. He agreed, and quickly sketched out a simple desk-like table with two open cubbyholes for thread and often-used notions, much like my current school-surplus table. Just with the spaces on the opposite side. Awesome. I want to sew again, not just embroider, and this would be great !
A small confession. Brody is a combination sewing-embroidery machine. But I hate changing tension, feet, and supplies on him when they're just right for one function, but not quite right for the other. I have two machines I'm comfortable with, and greedy me wants to use them both.
I began brainstorming of ways to redo my sewing spaces. I breathed a sigh of relief. With a second table, I could move the often-annoying small plastic cabinet on my sole sewing desk over to the new one, I thought. It only holds iron-on patches and sew-on appliqués, and often gets in the way, so having it somewhere else...then I smacked m'self on the forehead. Um, if the cabinet's in the way, nobody says I have to keep it, and keep it right in that spot forever ! I can transfer all the patches to a bag or box, and move it to the notions cabinet ! Duh ! Why did I not realize this years ago ?! Aarrgh !
Also in that vein of thought, I decided to ditch the plastic ‘rug saver' circle-thing under my sewing chair. We bought one, intending to buy another later, so both our computer chairs would be able to move easily on our carpeted floors, years (possibly approaching a decade) ago. Shortly after, we moved to a place with tile floors and then down to one computer, so it ended up in the garage. When we settled in here, I put it under my chair at the sewing desk - where it's been a PITA ever since. The casters keep getting caught in the edges, I can't move very much, there's a crack in it that endangers toes and chair at random moments... time to dump what doesn't work. If it didn't have that crack, I'd try to donate it, but I know it's trash. I'm only holding on to it because seven or eight years ago - possibly more - it was sorta expensive. Feh.
I was mentally reorganizing things when I took a peek on Craigslist.org, just to see what cheep desks and tables were out there. Well, you know what happened next. I found the desk of my dreams for $50. It wasn't far away, and was absolutely HUGE - I could get both machines on it with room to spare, and it had a cubby-filled hutch !
If I got this monster, the Lab would darn near be a complete do-over. The two-shelf cabinet would have to go, as would my old desk. I found that I wasn't quite so attached to them as I thought I was. And it was doubtful that this corner-oriented beastie would go under the window, something I always insisted on before. Wanted the view while I sewed. But that wasn't as important as it used to be either.
Three hours later, we were on our way home, desk in the truck. It had suffered from a bad paint job, but by the time we get all my stuff on it, you won't be able to see the bad spots. The white center section is in my Lab, and the faux-woodgrain tables are now in our bedroom. The Lab is torn up ! I got milk crates of fabric stacked up high in our bedroom, the cutting table's in the middle of the floor, and my old desk is right where it's been for the last few years, but it'll be out tomorrow. To where, I have no idea.
It's really late, and I got a fabric-filled dollhouse to move off our bed... but I can't wait for tomorrow ! This is gonna be so much fun !
