Welcome to my world

My older sister Julia, who comments on this blog as "rolleiflex", usually holding back the much funnier comments she has circulating in her head in case you lot think she's mean, has written a little insight for you all into my sewing room.  I should quickly add here that my first choice sewing room was hijacked by my husband as his study which seemed unfair at the time as I have to camp out on the dining room table but, as the dining room table is big enough to baste quilts on and as I can see the telly and shout at the kids from where I sit sewing, I am trying to make my peace with this decision.  Anyway, here is my sister Julia at our recent family party so you can see what she looks like.


And here you can see me (far right) and a ton of kids and my brother-in-law and my Mum and Dad at the same party.


And here is what Julia had to say about my sewing room: Walking into Lily’s Quilts quilting room is like walking into Winston Churchill’s war cabinet room. It is impressive, intimidating and obviously the place where ALL IMPORTANT DECISIONS are made. By Churchill himself, or rather Lynne. The table is at least octagonal, she has at least 8 chairs to choose from, a view of the garden or down into the sunken sitting room with the roaring fire and conservatory just beyond it. The walls are red and black (the previous owners liked colour in a big way) and there is even a secret staircase leading up and out to an unknown location.


On the table is the mother of all sewing machines with lights, a LED screen, an automatic bobbin winder (to die for when you still have an old hand Singer machine), and all sorts of accessories that mere mortals cannot possibly ever hope to learn how to use.  On the massive table are envelopes containing bee blocks arriving from around the world, envelopes containing bee blocks waiting to be sent around the world, snippets of material, a mini sewing machine owned by one of my nieces and lots of piles of QALs, UFOs, WIPs and scissors galore.


Behind the sewer (ie Lynne) there is an iron and cutting board set up on an old drinks cabinet. The drinks have dust on them. Who has time to drown their sorrows when there is this much work to be done?


And the best bit, even for a very amateur sewer like me, are the rows of boxes of all shapes and sizes piled up along the edges of the room FULL of fab material (fab fabric sounded wrong here). Tons and piles and lashings of beautiful prints from colours to solids to large pieces to minute centimetres of stuff. All waiting to be sewn into something else.  This is a little fraction of the boxes lining the walls of the room.


The rest of the house has quilts lining the walls, quilted cushions on the sofas, quilted mug rugs and children lounging under quilts.


The grand tour ended in me having a go at free motion quilting. I ‘wrote’ Lily’s Quilts in a style that looked like one of those photos of spider’s webs done by a spider sky high on dope. This was honestly my best effort.


 Then Lily did her best effort.


And that is why she usually writes this blog and not me.

Comments

  1. Too funny! Thanks for sharing your sister!

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  2. A lovely insight into your world Lynne, I could feel the respect your sister has for you, thank you Julia!

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  3. So jealous, my little shack looks like a kiddies playhouse in comparison!

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  4. Rollieflex cracks me up. You need some shelving, Lynne! I'm afraid that fabulous material will be forgotten in the bottom of a box!

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  5. Your sis has quite a wicked sense of humor. Clever, witty and downright funny. You, on the other hand are an amazing quilter and piecer (is that a word?) and I am happy to get to know you a little better through your blog.

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  6. too much fun!! you guys make a great pait!!

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  7. It`s great to see where people create their masterpieces - thanks to your sister for the tour. By the way, I`ve met some lovely people as a result of this month`s Fresh Sewing Day and am sad that I`ve been so uncreative the past month that I won`t be able to participate tomorrow. However, that won`t stop me blog hopping and seeing other`s creations. Thanks again!

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  8. Lovely to see that your sister shares your mad sense of humour :)

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  9. LOL I so agree with your sister! I still think the table is from a James Bond scene and should open up and reveal your master plan to take over the world (the quilting world of course!) Poppyprint is right, you need shelves so you can be even more inspired by your fabric stash on show!

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  10. This really made me chuckle! I have taken over the dining room too, I dream of a spacious, light filled studio, with views to die for and wall shelves spilling over with more fabric than you can shake a stick at. one day... one day....

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  11. Awesome! Spoken like a true, loving sister! :D

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  12. Ha ha ha this was hilarious. I really liked the reference to the wasted spider.

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  13. Great post, I'm pleased to see my dining table is pretty much in the same state as yours.
    A mad sense of humour runs deep in your family and I think Julia needs to say exactly what is on her mind in her comments.

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  14. Hilarious, I actually laughed out loud which I read about people doing in front of their laptops but never actually do myself. Glad I am not the only one with mounds of fabric everywhere. Get yourself to IKEA girl for some shelving!!

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  15. Actually laughed out while reading this post. My stash of fabrics is housed in a luandry bin from Tesco and a set of draws. When I use living at home with the parents, I had to 'borrow' the dining table to use my cutting board and rotary cutter; now i have to use the floor in my bedroom!
    Lynne, you need to get some proper storage sorted for that fabric!

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  16. I loved reading your sister's perspective of your sewing space. I'm quite jealous of all the room, all the fabric, and the nice sewing machine. I'm stuck with a borrowed one that doesn't work well, so haven't been sewing like I want. Seeing your area has re-ignited my desire for my own, brand new, sewing machine! :)
    Enjoy all those projects!!

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  17. Isn't great to see your space through you sister's eyes....I'm afraid to ask my sister what she really really thinks of mine. Great post.

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  18. okay, now I just need to meet your whole family! I don't think I would ever stop laughing. I loved this post. She should be a guest blogger at least once a month. I request it! Tell her I'm one of those people who is lucky enough to receive some of those mysterious packages being sent around the world and have also managed to send some back. ;) (Did I sound like I should be feared and respected and my every wish obeyed? No? I'll have to work on my plan for world domination elsewhere. )

    So many things made me laugh, from fab fabric to Winston Churchill. And especially because both of those phrases are in the same blog post.

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  19. haha! That was an awesome post! :) And it makes me feel a bit better about things... we'll be moving soon and into a place without a "sewing room" so my room will now be the dining room... but not so much dining... see we don't have a dining room table! lol. :) Looks like your area is pretty awesome!

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  20. Looks like a fabulous sewing space - hopefully you don't have to pack away to use the table very often! Now where does that secret staircase go...

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  21. Everyone should have a sister as doting as yours to describe her space. The point of view of an observer is quite interesting.

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  22. love this post! too funny! i see humor is a family trait.

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  23. Your sister is so sweet! Love the peak into the creative heart of your home!

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  24. I love sisterly banter. Thanks for the insight to the sewing conditions and the drunken spider quilting

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