Don't touch that iron!
What happens when you have four computer systems, a studio lighting system, several streaming cameras, and they're all on the same circuit....and then you decide to turn on you iron? Things go POP! That's what!
The month of February has been a fantastic month, but also one of the most stressful! As mentioned, we discovered all too well how poorly our studio space is wired. To be clear, we're not in a rented office space, or have a dedicated building to use as our sewing and production studio. We've currently established home base in our home's basement. At the time when we made that decision there was no indication the wiring was so flawed. We bought our home last year and the basement was completely finished. We had no idea that behind the drywall lay an electrical nightmare waiting to happen.
The Game Plan
Where do we go from here? Well, forward of course! But seriously, this is just a small bump in the road for us. We had already planned a major remodel of the sewing/production studio this year. With all the new equipment and computer stations, the studio is a hot mess of wires being tacked along walls and ceilings to connect cameras and lights to where they need to be.
What needs to be done in the studio remodel
All walls need to be removed
cement floors need to be fixed/releveled
at minimum two new circuit breakers need to be added along with new outlets
Wire management, i.e. HDMI cables/ internet cables/ power cables need to be organized and outfitted into the walls (I'm so tired of seeing cords all over my studio!)
one wall needs reframing
Server room installation (for future storage and community projects planned down the road)
Lighting! (current lighting lifted and made flush with ceiling)
Basement Bathroom remodel (optional and possible upgrade down the road)
Reinstallation of basement walls, insulation & painting
Timeline wise, with the severity of the electrical issue we are currently dealing with, This project is being rushed from a "in the next year or two" kind of project, to a "we need to start this within the next several months".
The Implications
What does all this mean for Art Quilts by Design? Not much on the surface to be honest.
We'll still be working on pattern production behind the scenes for our planned launch come June. What it does mean, is the live streams on twitch.tv/sondrasa have to scale back in a manner of speaking. To be more exact, it means that we won't be able to create art quilts live, what with the lack of being able to use an iron at the same time as the pc. However, we will still be streaming, it'll just be more focused on handsewn projects such as needle turned applique & English paper piecing projects. Don't worry though, we'll still be creating art quilts, such as our "Year of Eevee", it just means that those projects will be shifted to video recordings and time lapse videos only for the time being.
Part of the Ship, part of the Crew
February has had it's ups and downs, that's to be certain. But with challenge, we've have risen up to meet it head on. The Quilty Crew is growing everyday, patterns are being produced and tested, and our excitement is growing exponentially. We even brought on a new member this month! (perhaps you noticed a new face on the homepage?)
We are so excited to have Oshemie joining our AQD team. He has over 12 years in the audio visual industry, specializing in large live events and conventions. He'll be working behind the scenes making sure live streams are running smoothly, and that our audio is on point. He's also coming onboard to assist in video editing so we can get video tutorials out sooner for all the amazing Quilty Crew members; so keep an eye out on our YouTube channel!! Make sure to let us know in the comments what tutorial you'd like to see first!
Best of Stitches Quilty Crew
Sondrasa
