Now, don’t get me wrong. I am keenly aware that the act of raising a child is a supremely creative one, contributing to the future of the world by advancing the next generation. And I truly enjoy every moment of my time with Juliette and I do not begrudge anything that she requires of me. But really, there isn’t much of any “me” time left any more. Maybe an hour or so after we put her to bed, if that isn’t taken up with bottles or cleaning the kitchen or finally getting a chance to check e-mail or what have you, or just simply laying down because I am too tired from a busy day. Let’s be honest – an inquisitive one-year-old on the verge of walking is a handful even for two people and requires “all hands on deck!” most of the time.

So why is it exactly this time (and over the past glorious year) that I have found my creativity welling up inside of me demanding an outlet. I was sure that I had lost my quilt mojo until I cleaned out my studio a few months ago and unpacked all my fabrics into shelving units. And I swear I could sit and knit for days on end if I but had the time. And my recent trip to the Minnesota Quilters annual convention in St. Cloud inspired me in ways that I didn’t expect and for which I was not prepared.

The other night, I must have woken at least a half-dozen times, and each time immediately thinking about a quilt I want to make or am in the process of making. And last night, after dinner, there was a part of me that felt like I was going to explode if I didn’t get into that studio and work on some quilt, any quilt, just sit and sew. I did manage to get a quilt pattern picked out for Juliette, the Crazy Eights pattern I have used before that calls for 8 fat quarters, and I got the first round of cutting completed, the strips that is. I have to cut those down into their various components to start piecing.

And when I was done with that, I put together a quilt sandwich of plain muslin to practice some of the stuff I was re-reading in the Easy Machine Quilting book I am reviewing. I convinced myself that I really do need the Easy Quilter frame I saw at the MQ show. That frame made it so much easier and faster to do graceful and smooth curves and so on. My head has been swimming recently with:

Voyager 17 – http://www.hinterberg.com/voyager-stretch.aspx

Nolting FunQuilter – http://www.funquilter.com/

Bailey Home Quilter – http://www.baileyssewingcenter.com/bahoqupro15.html

Handi Quilter 16 – http://www.handiquilter.com/shop/product/simply-sixteen/

Innova 18 – http://www.abminternational.com/innova-long-arm-quilting-machine.php

Pfaff Grand Quilter 18.8 – http://www.pfaffusa.com/18574.html

Prodigy – http://www.prodigyquilter.com/

Homesteader – http://www.thequiltingsolution.com/homesteader.html

Quilt Easy frame – http://www.shirleyssewingstuff.com/quilt/quilt_easy.html
http://www.sewingmachineoutlet.com/qejukiquiltcombo.htm

SuperQuilter Proflex frame – http://www.superquilter.com/

I wish I had both the money and the space to buy one of these. Honestly, what I really want is the Gammill Vision 18 or the APQS Lenni model, but I don’t have enough of space or money for either. A guy can dream, can’t he? In the meantime, I’ll do my best with the money and space I have to improve my own quilting skills so I can do more of my own quilting. I’ve always said that the was the part I didn’t like, so that is why I don’t do it. That’s only partially true. The reason I don’t like doing the quilting is because I’ve never found a way that I could do it sufficiently well enough to please myself. I’m hoping the Easy Quilter frame will go a long way in convincing me otherwise. I think it will. I can’t wait to find out for sure, but it will likely be several more weeks before I can get it. Oh, well, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Still, I’m something of an immediate gratification kinda guy.

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It all started last week when we picked up the new mattress we bought the week before. We had to haul away the old sofa that was being stored in the room, along with some other stuff, on Saturday, move out one large cabinet that was in the room but wasn’t needed there anymore, etc., etc., etc. Outfitted with all new linens, a new bedside table and chest from Ikea, the sturdy old wingback from the den, and some carefully chosen artwork & gorgeous Finnish textiles that Harald brought back from there, the room evokes what I imagine is a very Scandinavian vibe (and I have it on good authority, too!). We’ve done a ton of other stuff to spruce up the bathroom, improve safety (read: replace old fire detectors with new fire/smoke/C02 detectors), and generally make it the most inviting space we could manage. And if you don’t mind my saying so, I think we succeeded. Yes, the sauna will come out one day – we will likely haul it up Lutsen and install it there. But for now, I think this is a pretty cozy looking bedroom for any guest.

Her new bed is ready and waiting.

A cozy sitting nook for reading or just relaxing (or knitting!).

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