Translation

My shift leader and I were having a wacky discussion last night about communication within families. I told her that if you can talk to your teenage children and they understand you, then you are bilingual. If both your husband and your children understand you, then you must be trilingual. (Anybody who works night shift understands goofy jokes at 4 in the morning.)

This led me to consider the fact that not everyone knows about Babel Fish. http://babelfish.altavista.com/

Babel Fish allows you to type in a message and then translate to another language. Or if you receive a message in a second language, you copy it in and then translate it to your language. It's not 100% perfect, but you'll get the gist of it.

More quilt related adventures to come. Until then, keep stitchin' . . . . .

Close up shot - Kitchen Sink #1

I'm learning to play with Picasa2, which was a free download. (Thanks Bonnie.)

This picture is dedicated to Mr. Toooolbucket who requested a close-up.

I promise more fun and adventure on studio set-up later on in the day.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . . .

Space, The Final Frontier

Anyone can build rectangle shelving units. Even if you don't own or operate a tablesaw or know anyone who owns and operates a tablesaw. I built mine back in 1993 when I lived in an awful efficiency apartment in Riverdale, Georgia for 11 months. Thank goodness, both the shelves and I survived.

All you need is a nearby Home Depot type of store and a screw driver or portable drill. Well, and the gas to get there, but we won't talk about that. You'll want to go to their pre-cut lumber section. You're looking for Grade D (yes lumber comes in grades) white pine that is 48" long and 12" wide. Buy 3 of them for each shelf unit. You shop for lumber the same way you shop for fabric. Look for clear boards with few knotholes and no warping. If you just won the lottery and feel like going for Grade A, that's up to you. Personally, I like to paint mine so grade D is just fine.

Ask the kindly tablesaw operator at Home Depot to cut 1 of the 4-foot boards in to 3 - 15" long pieces. The first 2 cuts should be free. The third one is probably still 50 cents.

You'll need wood screws to assemble. Nails just won't do it. I've no idea what size, but someone at the store will know. Too big a screw will split the wood and too small a screw will not hold it together, so yes, size is important.

Using #1 - 4 ft board, draw a center line with pencil across the width (not length) of the board. Repeat for 4 ft board #2. Using a portable drill with a drill bit (bit must be smaller than the screw size - trust me on this), drill 3 small holes equidistant along the pencil line. Repeat for board #2.

Align the 12" x 15" spacer board directly under the predrilled holes of board #1 and drill in wood screws about 1/2 way down. Lay that board flat on the ground and place second long board on top of spacer piece. Repeat step. You now have a big H. Place the remaining 12" x 15" boards on each end of the H and screw half way down on each end and each side. Once all spacer boards are in place and evenly aligned, finish setting screws flush with the top. Take your time. Paint if desired.

CAUTION: If you make more than 1 stack and there are kitties or toddlers in the house (prone to jumping and bumping), they need to be screwed together and then to the wall. Mine have never toppled, as they are weighted down and very sturdy; however, there are no kitties or toddlers here.

Kitchen Sink, #1

Thank you so much Mary for your kind assistance with my header. Unfortunately, the blog elves will not allow me to list my title also.

This picture is for those of you wanting to see the entire quilt. The title is Kitchen Sink, #1 in the series.

The 4-patches are made with 2" squares, then trimmed down to 3-1/4". The light and dark fabrics consist of many donated, old, very ugly, or otherwise unloved fabric. For fun, I threw in any leftover blocks that could be trimmed down to 3-1/4". It is backed in flannel that I bought through the Hancocks of Paducah catalog about 5 years ago. If you make a kitchen sink of your own, I would love to see a picture of it. It's a very liberating pattern because you throw in, "everything but the kitchen sink."

In stitches . . . .

Setting Up

Through the years, many folks have asked me how I arrange my work space.

When I lived in Georgia, I moved 8 times in 12 years and got very good at setting up my work space quickly. This was often due to the fact that I was moving on a Saturday and teaching on a Monday. I taught in a minimum of 3 quilt shops back then and had to be able to locate all of my needed supplies.

My current residence required a bit more thought. I knew when I rented this small house it would not be for a long duration; therefore, everything that went up, had to come down very quickly. Electrical outlets were at a minimum, as well as sufficient lighting. For an even greater challange, I decided to keep set up under $100.00.

Throughout the next few days, I'll explain the process step by step.

until then, keep stitchin'!