Sunday, January 9, 2011

Treadlin' Bloggers webring

Calling all bloggers who use and/or collect antique and vintage sewing machines! If your blog focuses mainly on sewing adventures using your collection, or on the hunt, repairing or restoring vintage machines, you're invited to join the Treadlin' Bloggers. Users of treadles, handcranks and vintage e-machines are welcome.

Join here

The link takes you to a page to add your site (your blog) to the ring. Enter the name of your blog,  a brief description and the web address (URL) of your blog. Then give yourself a user name and password so you can log in to make changes to your membership. Be sure to include your name and email so I can let you know if there are any questions and when you are added to the ring.

Then the most important thing, copy the code that creates the "ring" box that goes on your blog, and copy it into your blog. On blogger you do this by clicking on Design in the top right corner, then clicking on "Add a Gadget" at the top of your sidebar. Choose HTML/JavaScript and hit the "+" sign. Don't put anything in the title bar, but copy the code into the Content box. Then hit save.

When I get a submission for a ring, I'll check for the code and approve your blog after I see the code is installed.

More later.

Stuff, stuff and more stuff!

The reorganization continues! How is it that I added 33 linear feet of shelving, added three drawer units, filled all of them up and still have more stuff without a home? Never mind, don't answer!

Yesterday was actually a pretty productive day. I got all the bins of theme fabric resorted, labeled and back on the shelves in the storage room. And all my regular fabric is up on the shelves. I sorted through lots of stuff, got the main room to the point I can work again, got rid of a bunch of nasty cardboard boxes and a big bag full of plain old trash. I also put up some little decorative shelves over the windows (found them cheap at Goodwill) and put some of my decorative pieces on them, freeing more horizontal surfaces.

My biggest improvement is my new art station. This counter had been covered with stuff, with no clear space to work. Now many of my art supplies are in the wire shelves on the left end, sewing supplies on the right end, beads, specialty supplies and scraps of fused fabric in the cabinet on the left end and plenty of counter space! There are a couple of long-finished cross-stitch pieces draped over my design board right now, as a reminder that I need to get them framed. The work station is already getting plenty of workout with my fabric painting and the drawing class/challenges I've gotten into.

There's still lots more to do, of course. The table in the annex (dining room) is piled with empty containers, which will replace yet more old nasty cardboard boxes. A lot of the fabric on the shelves needs to be refolded. And I need to go through the dresser drawers in the studio and figure out what needs to be in them (close to the sewing machines) and where to put the stuff I take out. And I have to figure out where to put a Pfaff industrial treadle. That's a big one.

So I'll be fine-tuning for quite a while. Today's project is to vacuum (now that I can get a vacuum in there) and then I'm spending the rest of the day sewing and creating. I'm nearly finished with my little painted quilt, then I have a couple of other projects in progress I'd like to work on.

We're battening down for the weather here. We're expecting a rain/freezing rain mix tonight and tomorrow. A little snow is fun, since we never get more than a little here. But if anyone knows anything good about an ice storm, please let me know.

More later.