My Design Wall

Due to a bit of a health crisis I will find myself stuck at home for the next couple of months. Good thing I've stocked up on toys. I have enough fabric and sewing machines to keep me occupied. And I need to finish organizing my sewing room. It's a tiny little bedroom but I have managed to squeeze in 4 sewing machines, in their respective cabinets, and a good sized cutting table. One thing I've been wishing for is a design wall. A place to lay out my quilt blocks and arrange them to be visually pleasing. A table is fine for piecing individual blocks but once you begin assembling the quilt you need a larger space. Looking around my tiny, crowded sewing room I knew there was no place for a design wall. Or was there? One day it dawned on me. The sliding closet doors are "almost" a wall. Why can't I hang a portable wall over the doors? This week Jo-Ann Fabrics is having 50% off all their quilting notions. While I was there picking up my suction cup handles, to use with my cutting rulers, I spied a pre-made portable design wall from Fons & Porter. If I had to pay full price it would not have been worth it, but at 50% off I couldn't pass it up. I couldn't make one for $12.50. My husband installed some hooks above the closet doors and hung it for me.

You can get the same effect by hanging a large flannel backed plastic tablecloth, but I like having the grommets along the top. There is also a grid pattern on the back that shows through so you can line up your blocks. If you miss the current sale, which ends Saturday, you can always use one of those Jo-Ann's coupons to get it. Or just look at the dollar store or Big Lots! for a large plastic tablecloth and some thumb tacks.

It seems my bees have come through the winter just fine. Yesterday they were out flying like crazy. Apparently there is quite a bit blooming right now because they are finding pollen as evidenced by this poor girl who didn't make it back to the hive. I found her dead on the walkway, her pollen baskets filled and her underside also covered. It looks like she crawled right up into a huge flower.

I also wanted to show why it's important to keep your kombucha bottles stored in boxes. They can explode. Wednesday I was down in the basement, watching 'Ghost Hunters', when I heard a strange sound. "What was that?" Upon inspection I found a steady stream of booch leaking from a cardboard box. Note to self: next time line the box with a plastic trash bag to contain the leak.