quilting

Messy Creative Fun

December 6, 2017

Messy creative really does describe me. I have messy creative piles all around my sewing room. Some are orderly; some not so much. I had thought I wasn’t going to post today because I really have nothing new to show you, but then I thought, why not? I’ll show you the mess I’m working in as I continue my fascination with those cute little Tomtes. You can see my earlier work on them here.

I should probably explain why I’m working on the Tomte designs. While my mom was living, she collected Swedish things, and one of her favorites were the little Tomte figures. Each Christmas, I would go to a nearby Scandinavian store and find her something. Not always a Tomte, but something I knew she would like. So whenever I see a Tomte, it brings a smile and a tear. I miss her at Christmas, and this is one way I can remember the fun we had together.

Okay, this post is really going to be keeping it real, friends. You’ll even get to see my highly scorched ironing board that I need to re-cover. Someday. So let’s get to it.

I’m still working from the Tomte Bundle that I ordered from Moss and Lotus. I ordered Pernille Tomte the other day, because I wanted to make a girl Tomte and those braids are too cute. So far, I have made 11 Tomtes from these two patterns. No worries, I’ll only show you one today.

I enjoy paper foundation piecing, and the little Tomtes are full of little teensy pieces. Seriously, some pieces are smaller than an 1/8″! I seriously enjoy it. I’m addicted! Because the patterns and pieces are small, I work right beside my machine. I only go to my cutting table if I need a bigger piece of fabric.

Yikes, so here we go. Here’s my messy corner of my sewing table.

Messy Creative Fun - One corner of my mess as I work with foundation paper piecing - piecefulthoughts.com

Note that I am not only messy, I also sew dangerously and leave my rotary cutter open – haha. That mess at the top of the picture is mostly trimmings. I don’t toss them right away because I often dig through them for a little piece. The silver scissors to the left is my paper cutting scissors. I have used this scissors since I was a kid; it has a great deal of sentimental value. My mom always said I would cut anything I could, and I did. I cut my dog’s hair, my own hair; she was justified in her comment. I’m pretty sure that scissors was my partner in crime.

The other little scissors on the right is to trim threads and fabric if needed. My sewing stiletto is often tumbled in the mix, but when I took this photo I had it on my sewing machine out of sight. I have the little 6″ ruler and a small cutting mat. Somewhere in that mix (likely under the blue polka dot fabric) is my Add-A-Quarter ruler, which I often use for paper foundation.

Okay, ready for the next mess? My ironing station, which is right next to me when I sew. My ironing table is about 18″ x 30″ and was made for me by my brother. The ironing board sits atop a small table. It is one of the top sellers in my brother and sister-in-law’s shop. My top is covered with batting and then a layer of cotton fabric. You’ll see it’s obvious that I need to replace the top. Soon.

Messy Creative Fun - More creative mess and a very scorched ironing table - piecefulthoughts.com

You’re also getting a sneak peek of the Tomte I’ll be showing you in a minute. To the right of him, under the scorch mark, is the makings of a little Tomte hut.

My next little mess is my cutting board. I have a small cutting area. Our house is small, so we needed to figure out where I could do my cutting. My husband designed and built a cutting board that fits over our small deep freezer. I put a cutting mat on top and I’m good to go.

Messy Creative Fun - My cutting station piled with fabrics I'm using while foundation piecing - piecefulthoughts.com

I have fabric there that I’m using for the Tomtes, but also fabric from a former project that I haven’t put away yet. There are rulers buried under the fabric. Note that I have closed my rotary cutter here. One can only live so dangerously, y’know!

All that mess created this little fellow. So much fun. It’s a perfect project to work on while I listen to Christmas music.

Messy Creative Fun - Tomte from the Tomte Bundle by Moss and Lotus - piecefulthoughts.com

So that’s my midweek mess that I wanted to share with you. Are you messy like me? Or are you tidy and orderly while you work? I’d love to know!

Enjoy your day, friends!

Wendy

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