I have been into a lot of sewing the last week since I got back to the RV in Colorado. DBIL manufactures arm slings and has a shop with amazing stuff includine a ginormous cutting table. He actually gave me a key to the shop so I can go whenever I want. So far I have cut out muslin for 4 clothing patterns......I used an old sheet. Pants and 3 dresses. I sewed 3 of them and made a few tweaks. I cut out 3 in my fabtics. Yesterday I finished sewing the first sundress. I still need to hem it. I used a fun rayon fabric I got at SAS during the retreat. I am going to make another with the same pattern using another fabric from SAS. 

DH went to New Mexico for the weekend to work on the house and I stayed here. I am going to Colorado Fabrics  (formerly Denver Fabrics). I am hoping to find fabric for a fancy dress I cut fabric for a muslin yesterday. We are attending 3 wedings this Summer and I don't have a fancy dress. One of the invites said coctail dress.

I've seen the kind of rig you are talking about at Road To CA...I think both Caryl Bryer Fallert  and Kathy McNeil have setups kinda like this as well...I think Kathy's might be attached to her ceiling... but holding the weight of the quilt is a great idea! 

My sewing room has barely enough room for me...someday I hope to have a bigger sewing room where I could have something like this!

heh... Quilt Suspension...here is one by Joanie Zeier Poole - http://heirloomquiltingdesigns.com/product/weightless-quilter/

It looks fantastic but I have no floor space to set it up.  I have  just enough room to get in and out myself!  And my ceiling is too low for that to work.  I love the idea but it won't work in my sewing area.  Thank you for showing me that.  

Heh...going to my nephew's wedding today...the invite said 'Garden clothing'...now...that could be interpreted a bunch of ways!! But it turns out the wedding party just wants semi - dressy, not formal and no pointed heels for women's shoes since the ceremony is going to be held on a grassy plot - even said dark jeans would be ok! My DS did not read this nor contact his cousin before he came down..and brought his Monkey Suit (tuxedo)!...I think he is buying a pair of jeans and a button down shirt...We thought we were going to have to buy my DH a pair of dress slacks...but he has a couple pair of dark jeans...so that is what we are going with! I am nixing the hose and going with sandals...its supposed to be the first really hot day here!! Mini heat wave for the next few days...uggggg

well...will have to see how many folks actually read the wedding website and/or contacted the groom! I am sure there will be some variety!!

Sounds like you are having a blast in your DBIL's shop! Hope you find just the perfect fabric on your hunt!

That is the general idea, but instead of being one unit that sits on the floor and wraps around the table, it is individual "stands" that can be moved and clamped to wherever you want them on your table(s).  Whoever came up with that rig is surely very innovative, but I can tell you right now, the first thing I would do is get my chair, cords, and/or feet all tangled up with those "feet" on the apparatus, and I and the entire rig would go crashing to the floor.  Yikes!  

It *would* be really nice if one had a nice, spacious quilting "studio" where the bungee cords could be attached from the ceiling somehow, and just retracted when you don't need them.  An interesting engineering project, indeed.  :o)  

I  agree that setup looks like a tripping hazard. Patsythompsonsdesigns.com sale a setup that clamps to your sewing table and on Leah Day's website she shows her setup of bungee cords attached to the ceiling.

Jo

yeah...that kinda concerned me too - getting my feet all tangled up!! but I have seen the clamp on ones too...

Leah Day has them suspended from her ceiling....

Those "hang-em high" ideas are awesome for saving your shoulders. Use those ideas if you possibly can while you are young enough to benefit from them (says the old quilter with worn-out shoulders and wrists.).

On another subject, here are some more goofy polymer clay creations stuck in my flower pots. The Super-Scrappy Daisy must have smelled good to a passing fly because it stopped by for a visit:

I have ordered new cutters for working on these clay things. I have been using "plastic" cutters that are created by people using those do-it-yourself molding machines (injection molding is the proper term that finally came to me) and they just do not make clean crisp cuts in polymer clay. I have ordered metal cutters which are more expensive but I'm sure they will do a better job, just as metal cookie cutters do a better job than plastic cookie cutters.

Next image  (Brown-Eyed Flopsy) shows why I need sharper cutters:

Edges of some of these petals are not as crisp as they should be.  Flower was named the Flopsy because I noticed that one petal got jiggled out of place as I was putting this thing in the toaster oven to bake.

Last but not least is the Flying Yellow Peapod Bug. This used to be a staple remover but it was covered in polymer clay for a more glamorous life.     (I think I need to go to the Dollar Store and see what other small lightweight gadgets I can find to cover in polymer clay.)

you are having such a blast with these wacky bugs and blooms!!  such fun!

Polymer clay just brings out my inner pre-schooler. 

Or maybe it is my inner fifth grader. 

Don't think the pre-school crowd would be allowed to play with toaster ovens, sharp blades and dangerous pokey things.