I'm a Ripper!

I meant to do a post yesterday but it was one of those days that got away from me... a little of this and a lot of that... and then it was dark. Not that it was a bad day! I love a day without commitments to anyone but yourself - my husband and son were at a Math League competition so I pulled dinner out of the freezer and kept on my merry way.

Event #1: Magazine Culling

I'm making my way through the opening Event of my Olympics Organizathon and now I'm down to the heavy hitters - my favorite magazines like Quiltmaker, Quick Quilts and Quilts and More. And guess what? After lots of encouragement from those of you who rip without hesitation I took a few deep breaths and joined you!

I like it already. Quick, easy and neat... plus I've got empty binders on hand to fill. Great solution for my older magazines! As for the newer ones and my favorites I'm not sure that ripping is the answer so I'm looking into storage options.

In the semifinal round of Magazine Culling I will be looking through the rest of the magazines with a different purpose - to identify Projects I Want To Make NOW. Either they fit into my Sewing for the Seasons theme or I just plain love them! These will factor into an upcoming event - Quilt Kit Making.

The Medals

I believe in rewards and they motivate me to get things done. And, more importantly, the best rewards are reinforcing because they are a constant reminder of the accomplishment. So after careful consideration I've decided on my Gold Medal... a new sewing table for Mr. Juki.

This is my current sewing setup (with clean tables because I'm going to be doing some quilting this afternoon). Both of my Juki machines are set back to back and I really like having them in this arrangement. I can see my design wall, look out the window and the light is great to sew by. It's easy to wheel my chair back and forth. I bring the folding table in to help support the quilt top and it's a quick trip down the hall to grab it from our utility room.

Julia sits on my daughter's old computer desk and Mr. Juki is on a wheeled table I bought about 10 years ago when I sewed in our laundry room closet. The problem I have with it is ergonomic - it is too high. I think when I'm piecing I'm up and down enough that it isn't an issue, but when I am doing a lot of quilting my neck and right shoulder get really sore.

Recessing this machine into a table has been a part of my plan from the start. As I start down the road of learning Free Motion Quilting I will be just be spending more time getting sore which is not very motivating! Julia will be moved onto the cart and I can use the desk elsewhere in the house.

I have to admit that while I love to drool over gorgeous sewing cabinets from Koala or Perfexion I am on the thrifty and practical side. Plus I prefer keeping my furniture footprint small in this room because of my 4' x 6' cutting table. Having space to breathe in here is relaxing to me.

My original plan was to buy components at IKEA and go the DIY route with help from my handyman friend. But after a lot of reading online I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Juki needs a sturdy table. He is a semi-industrial machine after all and I worry about vibration when sewing all out at 1500 stitches per minute.

After a lot more reading, research and thinking I've decided on a Sew Perfect Table like this for my Gold Medal. It's height adjustable, industrial strength and the size I am looking for. And, I do have to admit it that I got a lot more excited about it when I came across THIS post by blogger Sarah Ann Smith... I'm thinking aqua would look pretty spiffy!

Image from http://www.sewperfecttables.com/

Let's face it... I am going for the GOLD even if I have to pull an all nighter or two to get it! So much so that there will be no Silver or Bronze Medals in my Olympics Organization. Back to the magazines I go!