Re-purposing rocks!

 Would you believe..?

This used to be a swiveling TV stand from the 1990's? 

I had to have a laugh when I read Leah Day's post today, she mentions Sharon Schamber's pressing board tutorial which is where I got the idea to make this TV stand into a pressing board 2 days ago. The best part? It cost me a whole $3 to make it (I had to buy staples for the staple gun ;D).  The stand is well used, dinged up, chipped but overall it's extremely sturdy. It survived a gaggle of teenagers, a handful of babies and toddlers, 2 husbands (mine and another's lol), 4 dogs and a baker's dozen of cats. I figured it could handle the heat (pun intended).

In order to prevent the top from swiveling I used LePage No More Nails, I did not want a bunch of screws or nail ends sticking out, nor did I want to contort myself to try and get them into the small shelf area, I could just envision all the different problems trying to use a hammer or drill. Plus I thought the less holes it has in it the sturdier it would remain.

No More Nails ranks right up there with duct tape for the different uses it has, all I did was smear a bunch on the top of the lower box and the bottom of the swivel shelf, aligned the edges evenly and sat on the top with a good book for 15-20 minutes to help it set. Since I am not a dainty daisy, this worked really well :D  

The next step is to allow it to cure overnight before strong arming it into weird positions so you can use the staple gun in awkward spots, worked like a charm, there is no way these 2 pieces are coming apart without the use of a sledge hammer!

I also really appreciated the width and depth of the shelves themselves, it has an easy access area to keep my regularly used notions (thread, bobbins, extra pins, etc) I am thinking of creating a caddy for my scissors and other items that tend to wander off on excursions without consulting me first, it would be cool to have it hanging off the edge with a pin cushion on it as well to prevent my hexie caddy from migrating from my table to the pressing board.

Never mind the broom and laundry :D

Another really cool feature is the open back, I can also store stuff back here and not have to dig for it like I would in a deep enclosed shelf. I looked at the IKEA open shelf Leah Day mentioned, I think that will be a definite future purchase, I have a spot in my basement that would be perfect for 2 of those side by side, I really do love open shelves. (My husband is going to bang his head on a brick wall if I keep expanding into his "tool territory")

I used the beautiful blue stripe fabric not only because it was just the perfect width (literally, I didn't do any cutting at all) but because it has some flaws in it, they aren't apparent in the photos - actually they are barely apparent in person. Just small little holes, kind of looks like someone was poking a fork into the fabric at random, made the piece unusable for any type of quilt (in my mind at any rate). I hung on to it anyway since it was lovely, I knew I'd find a use for it.

I was going to wait to post the finish of "Lessons Learned" on Sunday but meh! I am here tonight, I'll get it out of the way.

I used a fairy fabric to bind it, the blue is beautiful and the pattern has all of the colors found in the charm squares in it. Had I used it to sash with, it would have been way too busy but as a binding it adds just a hit of extra color, perks up the yellows and peaches for a cheerful finish.

Cross Hatch Corner.

When I dropped this off at the guild on Tuesday I looked at it and my first quilt, Lord the difference! I almost ashamed at the finish on Boxcar Suzie in comparison to this one, it's silly to think like that, I realize but it makes it no less true.

I did manage to remember to post a pic of the cross-hatch done with the walking foot as well as a close up of my machine binding. 

I think I am going to stick with the larger 3"+ bindings on large projects, they are so much easier to work with and easier to get a well mitred corner on or hide threads in. 

On Sunday I mentioned in comments that I am having difficulty getting my quilts squared up well, so I was wondering what sort of hints or tips anybody has to share? Other than paying attention to what I am doing :D

Second Question: I am always looking for great tunes to quilt too, I listen to everything from Gospel to Heavy Metal (an oxy moron I know ;D) so I got curious as to what everyone else listens to? Favorites?

This is Of Monsters and Men, Check them out: