The Design Wall Experiment

 

I'm in the midst of The Great Design Wall Experiment. 

Our new home will be complete in the next few weeks. WEEKS! Yay! We are counting down the WEEKS!

Our granddaughter will also arrive in a few weeks. WEEKS! Yay!

But, I digress. Back to the new house....

I had no room for a design wall in our little cottage. But in the new house, things will be much different. I have a really nice wall in my sewing room that is calling for a design wall. 

I'd assumed I'd have a rather tradition design wall...insulation board covered with flannel. But I ran across this product - this is a felt wall square that measures 12" x 12".  I ordered one of these to see how fabric sticks to the surface. The verdict on this sample is that it's a NO GO. The surface is so compressed that it's almost smooth. I tried roughing up the surface with a stiff brush and that helped, but it's still not holding on to fabric well enough. I can pin into it, but I want blocks to stick on their own. 

So my research continued...

I have ordered samples of two more products. I'll keep you posted on further results of my UN-scientific experiment. If these options don't work, I'll go back to my original plan.

Back to the new house...

Final walk through is in just over two weeks. Closing is just over 3 weeks away. Getting excited! We are so ready to live in town again. We are ready to be closer to our kids again. We are ready to be closer to our friends again. I'm ready to have my fabric stash unpacked, along with the greater part of my wardrobe. It's finally happening...

The Baby Quilts

Finally...I can share the baby quilts I made for our granddaughter, due in less than 6 weeks! I made this fun quilt from a panel - the alphabet of dog breeds. We are a dog loving family! I cut the panel apart and pieced it back together with colorful solids. I wanted this quilt to be bright!

I used my embroidery module to make her name.

 Okay, not a quilt, but I had fun making this pillow for the nursery. The nursery doesn't have a real theme, but if it did...it would be hot air balloons. Long story, but hot air balloons are a childhood memory for both of our daughters. The pattern can be found HERE.

And here is the quilt I made using the same fabrics as I did in the pillow - just a simple hourglass design. Instead of traditional binding, I used chenille around the outside edges. Wish I had a better photo to show this, but it provided a soft, fuzzy effect. These two items match the colors in the nursery.

Here's a photo of the quilt and pillow in the nursery. Love the look!

 I also made this little panel quilt for photography purposes - my daughter can lay the baby on it and photograph her each month.

Am I done with baby quilts? Probably not! I have actually made another quilt top for her, but I decided that the baby will be a bit older before I give it to her...maybe 3 or 4. And I'm sure I'll run across other pattens that call me to make them.

We are still hanging out at the lake. LOTS of rain lately. We are ready for good weather, mainly because there is a lot of outside work left on our new home being built. I'm ready for the driveway to be poured so I can get into this house with out walking through a see of deep mud. Yesterday, the mud sucked up one of my shoes - I didn't even make it into the house... though I hear the tile is completed and the hardwood floors are in. We still need appliances, a couple of light fixtures, driveway, landscaping, and adding flagstone to the back patio. Not too much left, huh? But this rain and sea of mud is slowing us down. Closing is set for next month. We are so ready!

Enjoy your day!