Jelly Roll Rug completed

Although I had to undo the blue part twice, it was such a fulfilling project that I ordered more batting from Temu to stitch another one.  The undo part was rough will millions of little pieces of thread to remove, but the stitching itself is utterly relaxing, just you, your thoughts and your machine chucking away.  And the best part, it is finished when the rope ends!  No quilting, nothing.  It is done.

So, using the nifty Clover Tube Maker, the strips with batting are turned into a long tube 4 layers thick

and rolled into a ball by starting with the colors you want on the outside of the rug on the inside of the ball.

There are a few ways of starting out in the center for an oval mat and I chose the more traditional way which use this template.  To calculate the beginning of the start strip, just deduct the width from the length of the rug.  I think I started with about a 12" strip and ended up with a rug of  34 x 44".

I did not experience any trouble with the inside bends, just keep scrunching around the bends, keeping the outside of the tubing flat and iron regularly.

With the blue parts though, I somehow didn't feel the need to keep on feeding extra fabric around the bends, big mistake.  But, after fixing it, it came out great.  The photo was taken just before the final press. so I can guarantee you it lays flat.

At end of the rug, I just added a handmade label to both sides and added the quilt's label to the back and off to Bloemshow it went.

Three of the Rotary Cutter members finished their items as well.

Rika stitched a beautiful turquoise rug,

Marietjie did a rug in shades of blue

and Hesmari made a gorgeous beach bag.

This group offers so much help.  Do join them and just follow the posts for a few weeks before starting your own.  Uniquely Mateo is another goldmine of information.  Another big help is this Jelly Roll Calculator which tells you how many strips you need for a specific size.  So, what are you waiting for? Take the plunge and enjoy!

Needing more space

With the arrival of Lady Reh (the Brother Luminaire) I had outgrown my current crafting space.  As my husband doesn't want me to sell Boetie yet (the Brother Innovis 4000) we had to make some serious decisions as how to incorporate everything.  

With me not working from home anymore, we could use the office space and moved the two Brothers to that space with all the paraphernalia needed for more specifically machine embroidery.

My laptop is situated between the two machines with a cutting station at the back wall.  The cupboard underneath contains all the accessories of Lady Reh.  There is a also small flatscreen TV to keep me company.  As this is a rather small space, I have to keep it super neat and organized otherwise I get totally frustrated.

The desk with computers were moved into the current needlework room where all the fabrics and cupboards stayed behind.  The cupboard with my 1981 Bernina as well as the overlocker also stayed put, so I am now operating between the two rooms which is somewhat strange with me still figuring out at times what is where.

The router and cameras are also based in this space.

As you can see, even with more floor space in this, the original sewing room, every nook and cranny are packed to the brim.  But, as I became more accustomed to this setup, I am sure I will enjoy it immensely.

It was a rather busy week with me having to seriously look at my wardrobe as I was working from home the last 5 years and suddenly realize that I was in dire need of office clothes.  All my clothes were worn and I even discovered shoes and sandals I had completely forgotten about as I operated barefoot at home.  With the help of friend Magda I was able to get that done as well before eloping to the seaside for a week before I had to start work today.  So yeah, a whole new chapter starting just when I had begun to grow accustom to the idea of being unemployed. 😃