This weekend took a piece of plexiglass and cut it to fit into the opening of my sewing table; turning my sewing table into a lightbox when I need one.  Below are the pictures of how I did it in case you want to try.

First you need a piece of plexiglass.  I was lucky enough to get a scrap from work that was big enough.  The plexiglass has blue film on both sides to prevent scratches.

I took a piece of freezer paper – because it was wide – and laid it over the opening on my table.  I marked the corners and used my quilting rulers to draw out a perfect square.  I taped this template over the plexiglass.

The tools I used and my workstation (see the safety glasses?  The nail files were for sanding, I didn’t have sandpaper and I didn’t feel like going to the store).  I used a circular saw to cut the plexiglass and a grinder to round the corners.

Once you have it cut and you have tested the size, sand your edges smooth.  Then you can peel off the blue film and clean it.

 Tip – I could have cut the piece bigger and just laid it over the opening when I needed to use it, but I wanted a flat surface to work on as well; plus this idea didn’t hit me until later.

Now I had to figure out how to suspend it in the open space.  I had some pegs left over from some shelves.  So I drilled some holes and stuck them in.

Fit perfectly

Next I mounted a light underneath.  I bought this light at Lowe’s for under $20.

Viola!!!  I now have a lightbox.

When I want to use it , I lower my machine and place the piece of plexiglass on top.

I think I am going to add another light.  The lights I bought link together so it should be easy and the one light is not quite bright enough.

Last week, my mother gave me her old sewing table (it is the light brown one).  In fact, my current sewing table is her old one that she gave me 10 years ago (that is the dark brown one). 

I don’t accept gifts like this unless I will actually use them.  Originally, I never asked her for it and was hopeful that she would be successful in selling it.  She had no luck and I am getting closer and closer to finishing Frolic and the Gator quilt.  Meaning that will need to machine quilt and my machine does not sit flat to my table surface.  I would have to move it to my dining room table and being short, it is very uncomfortable.  As a reminder, here is the before picture.

So, I asked my mom if I could have her table.  My thought was, since it is a compact table, I would stick it in the corner of the dining room and use it for machine quilting only and the occasional time when I am machine embroidering on my Janome and I want to pull out my old White.

I drove my son’s truck (yes, he has a truck, but no license yet…..that is a whole other story) over to her house to load it up.  My mom’s husband oftered to load it up.  But he is 70+ now and thinks he can lift like he was 30 years younger.  That and the fact that the table is deceiving.  It is so compact, you don’t anticipate how heavy it is.  Yes, it’s coming……..he dropped it.  Crash on the concrete driveway.

Was I mad – No; Was I upset – Yes.  But I was hopeful.  Rick is great with furniture, he could fix this.  Of course I think Rick can do anything (I am sure he can walk on water if he would just believe in himself).  I brought it home and he took one look at it…. “Trash”!!  Keep in mind, that I do a lot of things with out fully explaining to my husband my plans.  When I first got home I told him where I wanted to keep it.  He flipped out – “you have a sewing space and you have sewing stuff on the living room tables, you are not spreading into another room”  (all I heard was “yada yada yada”).  Once he was off his tantrum he took a real look and said “no, way.  I know you Brye, you will do an internet search and come up with some voodoo way to fix it, but I don’t know of  anyway”.

Needless to say I was upset and what do we do when we are upset – we sit at our sewing machines.  I was too upset to sew, but it felt good to sit there.  The idea developed.  I love my current sewing table.  It is the perfect shape, fits like a dream in my living room and is extremely comfortable to sew at.  The only downside is that my machine was too big for it.  I needed a lift to raise and lower my machine – the new sewing table had one.   I could combine the two tables.

As I sat there, I got onto Facebook.  Great minds think a like.  My mom sent me a message saying the same exact thing.

So the two of us got together this past weekend.  Two determined women, a bunch of Rick’s power tools, and empty garage and two sewing tables.  We went to work and here are the results.

I don’t even need a filler plate because my machine is so big.

I am going to cut a piece of plexiglass and make a flat surface for when the machine is down.  I will mount a light underneath and Viola!!  a lightbox!!

Any I can raise it up for when I want to embroider!

I am super excited about my table and it is wonderful to sew at.  The door to the new table has cubbies and storage stuff.  I am going to mount it on the wall next the right.

I need to give credit where it is do……Dustin was wonderful and helped us out greatly in the end.  I guess those carpentry classes did pay off.  Rick…Rick…Rick was very good at watch with a “I think your nuts” look on his face.  Ok, he did help with a few cuts and the hand saw.  But Mom and I did 95% of the work ourselves.

We are moved in!  We spent a week before the move painting and actually managed to get 6 out of the seven rooms done before the move.  I unpacked most of the boxes the first weekend, but then I had to go back to work and things slowed down a lot.

I never want to move again!

I still have Morgan’s room to conquer as well as 5 boxes for my room and about 5 others around the house.  If I didn’t have Christmas decorations to do in the middle of all this, I would probably been more motivated.

Last night, I finally unpacked all of my sewing stuff.  And, I love how I set up my sewing space.

Can you see it there….tucked behind the couch……

You go around the corner of the end table and. . . . . . Viola!!  it’s like my own sewing room (a super small room, lol)

Don’t you think the wall behind the couch is going to be perfect for a design wall?!

Anyway, wanted to let you know that I have not disappeared and you will be hearing from me soon.

Today we talking about keeping and organizing a Fabric Stash.

Thank you to everyone who left reviews on iTunes and comments this week.  Kelley from Pioneer Quilter, Corrine, Claire, and Shelly Beth from Fibermoon.com

What did I do this week:

Completed my first paperpieced block.

Picked up stuff to make baby booties for an upcoming baby shower.

Completed one bootie

Joined a quilt block swap on Facebook

Joined Ravelry, but I am still waiting on my invitation – Come on, Ravelry, it has been three days!

Care package from Kelley at the Pioneer Quilter.

Question of the Week Results

• When buying for your stash, how much do you buy
• 25 votes
• 48% buy one yard
• 28% buy 1/2 yard
• 12% buy 2-5 yards
• Corrine says “if you like it, buy a yard; if you REALLY like it buy 2 yards; if you can’t live without it, buy as much as your budget will allow”

Topic this week:  Fabric Stash

• Benefits of a stash
• Tips for taking care of your stash
• Ways to organize your stash
• Folding the fabric in your stash
• How to know what you have
• Is it possible to have too much stash? 

Check out these links for more tips:

• The Domestic Diva
• Feathered Fibers
• The Happy Zombie
• Cut Out and Keep

Buy Comic Book Boards here.

Call to Action

• Answer this week’s poll
• Leave a comment and share how you manage your stash

I will post an article this week on all my research – no lunch breaks this week to get to it.

Get a look at this.

I found this two basket organizer at Sam’s for only $4!  That is not a typo – it was regularly $16 on sale for $4.  I had to have it.  It fits perfectly under my sewing table and looks a lot better than having my projects in bags.  It is about 13″ wide, 20″ long and 5″ deep; very light weight but perfect for fabric and some of my rulers.

My husband is a neat freak and doesn’t like the way things are shoved under my table; especially since the table is between our living and dining room.