Checking in today with another progress report on the seemingly never-ending basement redo/reno/waterproofing/lipstick-on-a-pig project that is my sewing space.

I'm not sure whether I'm ruining the effect by periodically sharing my progress or not - but it allows me to sit and tally what I've actually managed to accomplish while two littles are napping or down for the count at night - and that makes me feel a bit better about how long all of this is taking.

(it also lets me total in my head how little I've managed to spend on this whole thing and that makes me feel like giving myself a pat on the back...)

If you haven't read what I've been up to with this sewing space redo, you can read all of the back story posts {here}.

When I last left you, I was finishing up painting windows and trim.

Since then I managed to paint my second IKEA INGO table hack (for my Janome 6500*) to match the table I hacked a few years back for my Singer 201.

A photo posted by Erin Davis (@sewathomemummy) on Jun 5, 2016 at 2:03pm PDT

(here's the Janome 6500* table just after I cut the hole in the top this summer, waiting for sealing)

My mom and I had picked out this crazy watermelon pink years back for the 201 INGO table, and so while I was leaning toward painting everything white, she convinced me we needed more color in the room (since all of my bookcases and other tables are all white) so off we went to pick up some matching watermelon pink paint.

Dear oh dear, please forgive the absolute chaos in the room and concentrate on the pink. Please.

I sorta feel like I have to defend my choice in paint color here. Not sure why. Maybe because it's, well, pink? Typically I'm more of a blue and green and everything in-between those two colors type'a person, but good ol'mum. She convinces me every day to be more fun. Okay. Rubber arm twisted.

The other sub-project accomplished in the last day (and a relatively big one) was my homemade Roman shades - all made by moi, from a Lotta Jansdotter print on canvas and lined with a heavy black-out lining for more insulation. I'll take some close-ups later, once the room is more organized, but instead of using traditional pull ends on the cords I used vintage wooden spools a friend had given me.

Vintage wooden spools for cord pulls

I have to say, making these shades was pretty time consuming - or maybe it felt that way because I was working on them every night when the kids went to bed and for the fact I had to make 5 of them?

There's been a few other smaller projects I've completed over the weekend - I mounted the pipe for my DIY ceiling fixture in the space above my tables (not an easy task to do by yourself, FYI...) - once it's done and my "I'm just winging it" DIY has actually worked I'll post how I did it, but by my math I think I'll be about $50 all in for 3 custom light fixtures.

I treated myself and picked up this circle shelf* from Target* over the weekend and got it up on the wall.

I also started decorating the wall with some cute 1" shimmery gold circle vinyl stickers from Etsy. I'm only about half-way through doing that in this picture:

Now to finish off my light fixtures and get them wired, and to get my bookcases in and fabric put away.

I'm also thinking I might make a shallow cubby shelf for one of the walls, to store fat quarters in - something like this one from Target* that I see on all of the Pinterest boards:


Speaking of Pinterest - I am a total Pinterest addict - it's great for inspiration for everything - food, DIY, decorating, hacks, you name it. I'm constantly adding great ideas I find from all over the internet - even in the midst of this project I'm busy adding ideas I can use in the sewing space -


I can't wait to start putting stuff away and getting things organized and cleaned up. I have some plans for the decorating phase of the reno but that comes at the very end - it's like the icing on the cake.

Right now, I'd just love it if I could find my rotary cutters. To be continued...

Heads up everyone! Sharing the coupon love!

Amazon has the Brother Serger 1034D 3/4 Thread* on right now (for the next 2 hours!) for $152* (MRSP $219.99). Check it out here!*



I've been saving for one of these forever - and happened to have a $50 gift certificate to put towards it! Needless to say, I'm REALLY happy right now!

I noticed that they also have the Singer Stylist 7258* for today for $90 (MRSP $170).


Happy pre-Black Friday shopping!

Recently, one of my husband's colleagues had a very unexpected stroke.

She's the same age as myself (mid-to-late 30's [a lady never divulges her age]), has two littles slightly older than mine, and is probably one of the fittest, friendliest, happiest people I have ever met in my life. She's one of those people that is just so, genuine. Like, when you meet her, you know instantly she has a million friends and everyone loves her. The kind of person you want to be, you strive to be.

Shit like this always happens to the best of people.

She spent some time in hospital, a rehab facility, and then was back in the hospital for a while and was just released again a few days ago.

When my husband's boss sent out the initial email to inform her colleagues of what had happened, my first reactions were

a) panic for her kids,
b) panic for her,
c) talk myself down,
d) crap, I gotta do something. What's she gonna need?

Food. Comfort.

My mom is visiting and was sitting with us when hubby read the email. Mom instantly said she was going to make freezer meals for her and the boys, that she wouldn't feel like cooking when she got out of the rehab facility.

And: Quilters gotta quilt.


I kept this one simple - I tried to use happy, upbeat, girly fabrics for her; several of the prints have text on them - fun stuff to read when she'll be undoubtedly bored out of her tree sitting on the couch convalescing.

(I used Sweetwater's Treehouse Club line -

image courtesy of LouLou's Fabric Shop

Please excuse the wrinkles - I was in a rush and didn't get a chance to iron the quilt before its photo shoot - but in true Sew at Home Mummy fashion, I made the quilt 'double-sided' - the front (or back - you pick) is a simpler strip of the prints bordered in Kona Snow and surrounded by a large negative space of grey. This style of bordering feature prints and adding a plain background is one of my favorite ways to piece a backing.

It finished up at about 47x66, a perfect lap-sized quilt for the couch or chair to snuggle up under.

I hope she likes it. The prints aren't the style I would normally use for a grown-up's quilt, but I wanted it to be fun for her. Light and playful, just like her personality, a reminder to see the bright on a dark day.

Get better soon, J. We're all rooting for you.

You are awesomesauce.

If you've missed the first few posts in this 'fun' journey - click {here} for the back story...it's a doozy.

Boy oh boy. Am I tired.

It doesn't look like I've done all that much, but, in reality, I have. I swear.

I had a bit of a setback over the weekend with a sick 4 year old needing some constant loves and snuggles, but Monday I was back on track.

My mom is visiting from Canada and we have been going at the space like gangbusters - the rest of the brick paneling went up, caulked/filled, painted (color: SW 7030, Anew Grey, in a Behr Marquee eggshell finish - left over paint from my kitchen cabinet project) and I used some paint that I 'acquired' (long story) on the upper paneled walls in kind of a sage green (not in LOVE love with it, but hey, the paint was free...):

the sage is growing on me. I thought it might be too dark for this already dark space, but, in reality, it has actually brightened it up in there - crazy.

the horrible, broken black blinds came down, and then I got the ledge trim up, caulked and painted (I actually used a 3" baseboard for this, but installed it upside down):

new paint on the windows, the ledge, and new trim on the knee wall ledge. I'm getting pretty good at using a nail gun.

and swapped out all of the old black outlets for new, tamper-resistant ones (I used these ones* and this one* - and even switched out my main plug for my machines, etc., with one of those USB/power outlet combo plugs) and I went with midway and over-sized plate covers since I was going for that chunky, industrial look (I used this one* and these ones*):

all new tamper-resistant outlets are in! this was the quickest part of the project for me. 30 minutes and 5 outlets all replaced.

(I love this close up of the brick, the 3D texture is great) -

can't wait to have less plug-clutter with this new outlet! great close up of the brick detail

...and while painting all of this other trim white, I was working on the windows (they're old and wood and not in the best of shape - but repainted, nonetheless. It took me a full day just to paint them.Window painting = tedious...) My mom and I also stripped all of the original brass window hardware on Friday night (here's how I did it - it's super easy!) of literally 5 layers of paint: black, white, cream, green, blue (and on some of them, pink!):

2 weeks ago I repaired the storms on all 5 of these windows in prep for winter -


I have a few more little weatherproofing things to do to the windows but already the drafts are significantly less with the storms re-glazed. The windows themselves need re-glazed but already it's too cold out for me to be:

a) using my fingers, sans gloves, to try and get perfect glaze lines, and
b) the glaze wouldn't set, it's too cold

...good enough for me, tee hee.

Last night right before dinner my hubby and I finished putting up the baseboards in the room (I needed his help here - the boards were too long to manhandle myself and I wanted to be quick, it was only 20F outside...), and I got them caulked and filled ready for paint:


...and after the kids went to bed I worked until 1030pm on the Roman shades that will go on all of the windows in the room (last year I bought up all of the Lotta Jansdotter Glimma canvas I could find in prep for this project!) -

Glimma, Lotta Jansdotter - making a ton of lined Roman shades!

Today/tonight I'll paint the baseboards or work on the shades while the kids sleep.

Or maybe I'll sleep. (Probably not - who am I kidding...)

To be continued.

My current baby!! the Janome MC6500

Every time I go to a sew-in or a retreat with my fellow quilters, someone comments on or asks about my machine.

Usually it's to ask questions about its functions and capabilities (lots!), what size quilt can I comfortably finish on it (full/queen), is it heavy (yup!), do I like it (LOVE IT), does it bounce (nope, it's a tank), etc.

I have a Janome MC6500P that I purchased last year (and have never looked back). It is a solid, reliable machine with a massive throat space. It accommodates cones and spools, has a knee lift, thread cutter, threader, stitch memory, independent bobbin winder, 7mm wide feed dogs, a ton of stitches, and more. It quilts (both free motion and straight stitch) like a dream. I freaking LOVE this machine. I researched the move to this machine (and all of it's competitors) for about a year before I actually purchased it, and I'm so glad I did!

the first new machine I ever had, and again, loved it! (Singer 9960)

Before moving to such a large machine I spent several years sewing on a vintage Brother, and then I was fortunate enough to upgrade to an entry level computerized Singer (which I LOVED as well but the harp space was tiny and anything more than a lap sized quilt was impossible to get through it's neck to quilt). But - that said - I didn't have anything to complain about with that machine for everyday piecing and sewing - it was a workhorse. (And to be honest? I'd still recommend this machine to anyone - awesome for everyday sewing and piecing - it's just not great with big bulky stuff). It had all sorts of fancy features on it like an auto thread cutter and threader. Going from my vintage, basic Brother, I felt like I had moved from a beat-up 1981 Honda Civic 2 door (you know the ones - that copper color, too...) to a Lexus. Boo ya.


Eventually I decided that:

➽ I was going to stick with this quilting thing, and
➽ I was spending a fortune to send quilts out that I could be quilting at home.

I compiled this list of larger harped sewing machines below (almost all of which were on my short list last year) as a starting point for anyone looking to upgrade to a larger machine (or for any spouses or family members out there who have a quilter in their lives and think that maybe this coming holiday season said Quilter maybe deserves said upgrade, tee hee) and included affiliate links for your researching pleasure.

Of course, the machine I decided to go with last year (the Janome MC6500P) made the list (can I say that I love it again???) although most of these machines below made my short list in some way or another - either through their features, test driving them at quilt shows, chatting with friends who own or have owned them, etc. Note that some of these machines below, notably the higher speed ones, are straight stitch only.

Other than the machine I ended up choosing being labeled as #1, the machines listed below are in no particular ranking or order. Here we go!

1  ⬤   2  ⬤   3  ⬤   4  ⬤   5   ⬤   6   ⬤   7   ⬤   8

1) Janome 6500MCP

• Stitch Speed: 1,000/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 9" x 5"
• Stitch Count: 400
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: Yes

2) Janome MC7700 QCP:

• Stitch Speed:1,000/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 11 inches
• Stitch Count: 250
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• 9mm Accufeed
• Knee Lift:
• Extension Table:

3) Janome MC-6300P:

• Stitch Speed:1,000/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 9"x5"
• Stitch Count: 66
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: Yes

4) Juki TL-2010Q:

• Stitch Speed: 1500/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 8.5" x 5.9"
• Stitch Count: 1 - straight stitch only
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: Yes

5) Janome 1600P - QC

• Stitch Speed: 1600/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 9" x 6"
• Stitch Count: 1 - straight stitch only
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: No

6) Janome MC Horizon 8200QCP

• Stitch Speed: 1000/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 11"
• Stitch Count: 170
• Thread Stand: No
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: No

7) Singer S18

• Stitch Speed: 1,000/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 9" x 5"
• Stitch Count: 400
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: Yes

8) Brother PQ1500SL

• Stitch Speed: 1500/minute
• Work Space (to right of needle): 9" x 6"
• Stitch Count: 1 - straight stitch only
• Thread Stand: Yes, 2 Cone/Spool
• Knee Lift: Yes
• Extension Table: Yes

I ended up going with the Janome 6500 last year for the following reasons:

1. larger harp space than my previous machine
2. higher speed sewing
3. multiple stitch options (for my Etsy business I still needed embroidery and satin stitch capabilities, otherwise I would have considered a straight-stitch only machine)
4. Knee lift
5. auto-threader
6. thread cutter
7. extension table
8. weight (that machine is HEAVY)
9. it was in my price range

Regrets with going with the Janome 6500:

1. only one: that I learned soon after acquiring it that the Singer S18 is the same machine - just licensed to Singer and a Singer facade put on it - and the Singer rings in at a lower price. D'oh! 

Hopefully this post helps anyone starting the search for a larger machine! I have absolutely no regrets moving to a larger more heavy duty machine. My shoulders and back thank me every day. It's a little heavy to bring to sew-ins and retreats, but it is totally worth it. Best thing I ever did!

Check out this post here for more info on why the heckadoodles we painted this cement wall blue!

yes, I'm using a quilting ruler to mark my cement board! Use what you have, right?

Cement board isn't smooth enough to just paint over like regular drywall; I would have to finish the wall off in some other way. My options were to plaster the wall smooth and then paint, or, cover the wall with paneling or tile.

Image courtesy of DPI.

Again, for ease of removal in a worst-case scenario, I decided to go with a paneling. The problem was, I didn't like anything I was able to find - it all looked like - well, wood paneling. And I am NOT in love with that look.

Then, I found this paneling from DPI - it's their Earthstones Brick Bianco

It looks grey in the photo, but it's actually a bright white, and comes in 4'x8' sheets; it's made in the US, is 100% green meaning doesn't contain anything harmful (no formaldehyde! it's just pressed wood) and is mold resistant.

SOLD. Sign me up!

What I like the most is that it actually looks like real brick. The bricks align well on seams (I think on 8 seams I had 2 bricks not align perfectly), it's paintable, and it's textured to look like the grout is imperfect (which worked well for my purposes as I screwed and brad-nailed the hardboard in place and applied filler sloppily to match the rustic look of the brick - so the screws blend right in! (It should be noted here - in a typical installation you would glue the boards up - but because I want to be able to remove them easily, it's screws and brad nails in my case for the install!)

I love the 3D texture on this stuff!

My next tasks are to trim back the wood ledging all the way around the room so it sits flush with the brick (I plan to cap it flush with some trim) and to fill the grooves of the wood paneling which sits above the masonry wall. I have started plugging away on the groove-filling task using my favorite wood filler* - love how it changes color when it's dry!) -

Okay, so I may be a bit nuts to spend the time filling all of these grooves, BUT, it's easier (and cheaper!) than replacing all of that paneling with drywall... I'm using Elmer's Wood Fill* for this - it's my favorite wood filler.

...and had hoped to be a bit further along in the process but sick kids and hubby's work deadlines have meant I haven't been able to work in the basement as much as I would like (he shares the other half of the basement with me as his office space). But! I plan to make some major progress on the finishing touches today -

Then, we paint.

*this post contains affiliate links to Amazon at no additional cost to you. For more information, please visit my Disclosure Statement and Advertising Policies page. 

In the last few weeks I have been working my tail off trying to get my wet, cold and disorganized basement sewing space dry, warm and at the very least at a level of organized chaos.

I'm embarrassed to show you all this...but it's progressing, right??

When we first moved in our basement had been used as a media room - the wood paneling had been painted a dark, dark grey, the windows and trim black; the floors covered in peel-n-stick dark grey tile. It was really, really dark. My husband painted the walls white in an attempt to brighten the space, which it did a bit.

My corner of the basement - up against the basement wall to the front of the house. That concrete wall was pretty cold to sew against last winter...

Then last year the rains came - and came, and came, and came - and we had water - cracks in the foundation and water pouring in up over the sill plate (that's where the foundation wall meets the framing of the house).  The wood paneling on the bottom part of the wall (the knee wall or masonry wall) had to come off so that we could properly investigate where the water was coming from -

you can see here the staining from water coming over and down the foundation wall over the years.

We spent most of last year doing what we could on the outside of the house (regrading, re-landscaping, digging swells (shallow ditches to catch runoff), digging 4 ft holes down to the footing up against the foundation wall to seal cracks, extended and moved downspouts, installed rain barrels, you name it. We did it.

Hubby removing stumps and roots as part of our regrading process.

I'm pretty sure our neighbors think we're nuts - every rain storm we would be out there watching where the rain was coming from and where the resulting water was going, modifying our plans and pitches and landscaping accordingly.

The kids help me to finish off a water-redirecting swell which runs down our front walk and to the road (we like to share - why not give our runoff to the storm sewers instead of my basement?)

We had great sun tans by the end of last year!

Now it was time to start working on the inside of the basement - to start overhauling and fixing all of the damage that years of water and neglect from previous owners had created. First the masonry knee walls were removed, and we then sealed the sill plate as best we could with water resistant spray foam and cement/masonry caulking. Not as ideal as a sill plate gasket, but that wasn't possible, so work with what you have, right?


We used this* and this* spray foam, and this* caulking. Cracks were caulked as well as the gap/seam where the foundation wall meets the floor/footing.

It should be noted that I spent a year with the cement walls exposed like this before we could afford to get around to insulating, sealing and finishing the wall. It was a matter of money but also I wanted to leave the wall open for several months, over the rainy seasons, so that we could verify that we had dealt with all of the entry points sufficiently and minimize the chance of having an issue again in the future.

We filled all of the cracks in the foundation wall from the outside with an aggregate compound used in waterproofing wells and cisterns - it expands when it comes into contact with water and pushes its way into the crack from the outside, sealing it in the process.

Then we got to work sealing the cement wall in an attempt to limit the potential amount of seepage and effervescence we might have in the future. It's not ideal, as this type of sealant is better placed on the exterior of the wall during construction, but, we're working with what we've got. I'll write a bit of a how-to and semi-review on this stuff soon -  but we used Ames Blue Max Rubber Liquid*

Ames Blue Max Liquid Rubber basement wall sealer, on Amazon*

2 coats of Ames Blue Max * on the wall, the 2nd coat in the process of drying.

Once we had a few coats of the blue paint on and it was dry, we were on to insulation. I wanted to go with an insulation that was not going to mold if it got wet (that eliminated fibreglass) and would give us the highest R value possible. I looked into foam board insulation (EPS) but I didn't really love that:

1. it was going to be tough to get home;
2. the thickness we could realistically fit behind the existing framing was only going to give us an R value of 1-2;
3. it off-gases like crazy;
4. it's super flammable
5. it had to be glued to the concrete wall - which meant it would be difficult to remove if I ever had to get back at the wall if the wall wasn't completely sealed.

*this post contains affiliate links to Amazon at no additional cost to you. For more information, please visit my Disclosure Statement and Advertising Policies page.

My daily search of the Internet for DIY and quilty inspiration often finds me dreaming about the day when I can replace my super-child-friendly living room furniture with stuff that's a little - cooler? and a little less - practical? (you know, the type of furniture you had when you got out of college, got your first real job, didn't have kids yet and had a bit more money to drop on 'frivolous' things...)

Ultimately I'd love to have all original 1950s and 1960s pieces, but these tend to be expensive when and if you can find them (although I belong to a few online mid century modern enthusiast groups online and I seem to be a little unlucky in my ability to find such gold-mine finds for next to nothing at the Goodwill like so many others manage to do...)


So - here are MCM inspired furniture options that won't break the bank, and, if ruined by my children I wouldn't be absolutely devastated at the item's demise! I included the item's affiliate links* just under the moodboard for your couch-surfing pajammy-shopping pleasure -

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

My absolute favorites on the moodboard would have to be the couch, the lamps, grey angular chair (#13) and the clock. Oh! The clock!

I have a lot of fun 'window shopping' and searching for wishlist items, daydreaming. I have quite a few more retro-themed living room furniture items on my wishlist here - check it out!

I love creating these boards - really addictive. And - they give me something to work towards, to look forward to the day when the renovations are over and we can treat ourselves to a few nice things.

What do you think about the recent resurgence over the last few years of the mid century style?