Long Arm Room Reveal

It's been awhile coming together, but I am finally ready to offer up a tour of my long arm room. Over the summer and fall we have removed a bedroom and created a room dedicated solely to the Tin Lizzie. Back in this post I wrote about my goal of putting the room in order and decorating it. And for now I am satisfied. There are still walls to be filled, but I will let that evolve.

Standing in the doorway to the room, this is the straight-ahead view. I propped the stepladder in the corner as planned (explained in this post) and draped 3 Sunbonnet Sue quilts on the rungs. The Sunbonnet Sue quilt on the wall is an antique made by my grandmother. I do not recall if this was my mom's or not. As soon as Mom sees this, she will know the details, I hope.

I didn't realize I had so many Sunbonnet quilts. As I emptied out some closets and tubs in the course of redoing this room, I came across all of these and decided that they should be kept together. Then I had the bright idea of using them in the room's décor.

Stepping into the room and turning at the end of the long arm, I have added a clock and the glass-front cupboard to the far wall. (Here's where it used to be.) On top of the cupboard, I have turned up an old laundry basket and filled both with quilts. These were fun to revisit while I refolded all of them. Some are very, very old - over 100 years, I imagine, while others might just be 30-40 years old. Most were quilted by Grandma, except for those most-ancient ones. They would be from my great-grandparents' generation.

There's just this one window in the room, and I have rehung the old curtains back up after laundering them. I made these curtains a long, long time ago, and I really ought to put up some new ones, but ugh. Not in the mood. These are a bit faded, but will suffice.

Let me point out the new light fixture and ceiling fan. This was not a priority when we first moved the machine into the room. However, when setting up the table, leveling out the height, attaching the quilt, we were so hot! It occurred to me that with just one window, I might not ever get good air-flow, so perhaps a ceiling fan would be wise. We were ordering new outdoor fixtures for our porches and garage door, so I added this to that order, and had an electrician hook everything up. I am already glad I had the foresight to do this. After quilting only 2 quilts, having the fan on very low speed has made a big difference.

Above is a picture taken prior to the new lighting installation. I wish you could see the original 80s-style fixture. It was a square box with a glass bottom; time for an upgrade, for sure.

A small dresser and a chair are centered on the remaining wall. The dresser has been around for at least 60 years. Originally, it was dark brown and had both its bottom doors when I was a small child. It served as bedroom dresser way back then. At some point, one door was lost, so the remaining door came off, and at some point after that, it came to me in my adulthood. I honestly don't recall where we used it - probably for the kids' bedrooms. When DD1 Erin moved into her own apartment, she took it and painted it white. Then when DD2 Emma went to college, Erin no longer had a need for it and Emma used it for several years. Now, Emma is in her own place and acquiring her own furniture, so it has come back to me. Hah. What a well-traveled little dresser. It is perfect for this space, as I have all the necessary notions and supplies in the drawer. Currently on top are the two quilts I've quilted so far, awaiting their bindings.

And that is my long arm room. Not too fancy. Nothing that will distract me from my task when operating the machine. I suppose as time goes along, I will add to the space, but it serves for now as is.

We have been having severe wind today which resulted in the loss of our internet for most of the day. This post was supposed to have been finished and ready to go several hours ago - before noon, for sure. Alas, here you go after 4pm. Oh well.

Happy Quilting, Friends!