Too Hot to Quilt? Am I the Only One?
 

I am itching to finish the quilt top I am working on so I can start my next project. Problem is...it is just too hot to quilt! It has been in the low to mid 90's up here in New Hampshire and my home is not air conditioned. I do have large fans, but I am still too sticky and hot. It seems that it has been an extremely hot and dry summer so far.

I know I am not the only one facing this...how do you deal? Do you just grin and bear it and quilt anyway? Not quilt and miss it? Do hand projects? Go to the mall or fabric stores and enjoy their a/c?

Would love it if DH would replace the a/c he removed when he installed our pellet stove. Better to be warm during the winter, I guess...:) (P.S. He works outside the home in an air conditioned office....oh well.)

Anita, I'm in New Hampshire too. It has been warm and my sewing room is not air conditioned. My last two houses have had central air (NC & Ohio). My house here is a salt-box cape and we have window air conditioners on both floors. I need to buy one for my sewing room. Until now it has been a non-issue, because I've been so busy with other things that I haven't had time to sew. But next week, my grandson starts pre-school, so I'll have more free time. I already have two projects planned, but I'll most likely take my work in a cooler room temporarily. Do you have a basement you could go to? Mine is very cool this time of year.

SewingSew...unfinished, disgusting basement (think creepy crawly). I have to work on the DH to buy an a/c (maybe one of the roll around kinds that can be moved from room to room) this week.

I am in extreme southern NH (mid state) on the Massachusetts border. Where are you?

We have had over a hundred degrees this whole week and even with the air conditioning it is too hot by late morning to sew in my room upstairs. I do go up while it is somewhat cool, but that is all. I also have had a problem with my hand/arm and been wearing a brace, so that doesn't help either.
I know how you feel. When it is too hot who can stand to sew? I am thinking of trying to sew downstairs, but, I hate to clean up every time I quit for the day. So, I am not so sure that is the answer.

Come on fall!

For years I have resisted buying an air conditioner because the electricity in our area is sky high. But I may need to re-think this because this heat is driving me crazy. I keep threatening my daughter that I will go sit in her house and run her air while she is at work. The other day she said she may want me to do it because her place was so hot when she got home she couldn't cool it down by the time she went to bed. The day isn't so horrible to me it is the night time.

Anita, I'm at the base of the Monadnock mountains, near the border of Vermont. You really should think about a window unit. You can pick one up for about $100. I hope you find relief. Red Garnet, I know what you mean about not wanting another mess to clean up. That's the downside to sewing in another room. I'm sorry about your hand/arm problem. I'm going to need an operation on my hand, and then I'll be out of commission for 6 to 8 weeks. I have trigger finger on the middle finger of my left hand. I hope your situation is better soon, or at least that you're able to work around it. Stay cool my friends.

Window AC is very Energy Star friendly....buy them. It is better for your health and wellbeing to be comfortable. The Energy Star rating label will tell you what the annual cost is to run the unit.

Sandy

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*** In upstate South Carolina today we are 95 degrees with heat index of 103.
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*** And still climbing.
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*** A/C has not turned off since 10 AM - running non-stop.
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It's 102 here in north central Texas. You can't live here without AC, so I am able to quilt quite comfortably. We just got out of a 5 year drought a year ago, which started with over 100 days in a row of over 100 degrees. We would have all dried up and blown away without the AC.

But, I feel your pain. I wish I could send some of our AC your way. I am quilting a Log Cabin right now, and even with the AC, it felt very heavy on my lap as I removed 80 inches of stitching. (I was off by one inch. I am trying to cross stitch every four inches and went with 5 when I wasn't paying attention.)

Stay as cool as you can. I am sending cool thoughts your way.

Dina

I can't quilt in hot weather either. Or at least with throw size or larger. I stick with small quick projects like placemats, fold n stitch wreaths and potholders. Even with AC going full blast. It's just too hot.

Another NH quilter here! Rochester area...I have been quilting, and sweating, and quilting some more. But I QAYG, so it's not like I am under any of it. I keep telling myself that it will be winter soon enough, and we will all be complaining about how cold it is.

I do feel badly for the youngest two of my three cats...they are October babies and they have never lived through hot weather before. They both have heavy coats and generally they are just sprawled on the sort-of-cool tile in a center hall of my house. They look stunned sometimes.

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I have to work on the DH to buy an a/c

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Goodness, buy one yourself. All big home improvement store will deliver and install a window unit. I can't imagine your DH would want you to feel discomfort in your own home. Let him know it is a problem for you.

Have your daughter install a timer thermostat. We did that and it's great not only for air, but heat. We let the house get warm, then have the air turn on about 15 minutes prior to me getting home. That's also what we do for heat.

It's been hotter than anything in Houston lately but we replaced both a/c units a few years ago. It was expensive but so worth it. The house stays nice and cool now. Because I'm still working, I do most of my sewing on weekends. I used to have to go up to the sewing room in the afternoon because it's east facing and the morning sun would make it way to hot to sew.

It will "only" be 106 today in our neck of the woods and I can't wait to get to my sewing room tonight. For some unknown reason, I get very active in the summer. LOVE the quilting when everyone else is outside doing summer things.

We've had hot, humid days here in Michigan. Luckily, we have central air but I remember one house that did not have central air. It was horrid and what took the cake is DH, at that time, was gm of a heating, ac & Hvac company. We lived there several years without ac. He was home (he'd pulled a muscle and couldn't really walk) and it was 95 by 9:30 in the morning. Moisture was wicking up the dinning room chairs from the carpet because the humidity was so high. He checked at work & there was a lull - we had central ac running by 5 that evening.

I have not accomplished much in the past two weeks. And, it's been hot here. I need to get busy as UFO's are piling up!

We've had hot, humid days here in Michigan for the past while. Luckily, we have central air but I remember one house that did not have central air. It was horrid and what took the cake is DH, at that time, was gm of a heating, ac & Hvac company. We lived there several years without ac. He was home (he'd pulled a muscle and couldn't really walk) and it was 95 by 9:30 in the morning. Moisture was wicking up the legs of the dinning room chairs from the carpet because the humidity was so high. He checked at work & there was a lull - we had central ac running by 5 that evening. I wouldn't be quilting here without ac.

Phew, it's too hot for anything. I got out yesterday in the (LOL) cool of the morning and broke a sweat just pulling the trigger on a bottle of poison ivy killer.

I will do it in the coolest parts of the day either in the morning or in the evening. When its hot I don't quilt. I wish we had low to mid 90's Its been over a hundred for a few weeks now so I am miserable just like you

I live in central CA and expecting 108 today...Our last electricity bill was close to $300. We live in the country so the water pump and everything else runs on electricity.. We are on a "time of use" schedule least expensive, median cost and most expensive..So what is out schedule get up at 5-6am do what we can, 10 am. shut down most 220 power usage until 9pm. I take a long nap in front of a fan, then I am able to quilt from 9pm until 1-2 am. We do what we can..We have a pool so taking a dip really cools you down.

I hope you get your AC. At this stage of my life I have no intention to 'bear with' any discomfort in my home.

Here in central Alabama it's always hot and very high humidity. I don't have central air but do have window units in 4 rooms, one being my sewing room, another my bedroom, and ceiling fans in all rooms. Lived in south 50+ years so guess I am used to it. I hate being the least little bit cold so I would rather have the heat.

It hit 112 here today (just outside Death Valley). We have A/C, which I won't run as it costs $400+ per month and we also have evaporative (swamp) cooling which runs 24/7. Even with the swamp cooler and the ceiling fan, if the sewing machine is on, plus the overhead lights, plus the iron, the room becomes unbearable. I can sew in the mornings, but it is now 7:20 pm and it is still 106 degrees. Let's hope for an early Fall (and prey for rain).

The heat is relentless. Hubby wants to turn off the ac in the afternoon so it wont blow up in this weather....a/c unit is over 35 years old. So I got out the window quilts. In the winter, they keep out the cold....and in this heat, it keeps out the sun and the heat. House is so comfy, even without afternoon a/c, in consecutive 99 degree days.

It's in mid-90s where I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. My quilting room has no window A/C so I just bring my machine, iron, portable cutting board and project and take over the kitchen table where there is a great window AC. Although it cools down nicely at night through early morning, I've already got everything set up in the kitchen and besides, I often don't feel well in am. Luckily, our heat spells don't last too many days. During the hot daytime, it also helps to cool off in the pool (at our senior mobile home park's clubhouse). I get some exercise and just leave my hair wet and, since nobody ever visits without calling me first, I sometimes just leave my damp bathing suit on when I start sewing! If you do not have a pool to walk to, try the shower, dress cool and leave your hair wet. Now, if I had no A/C, no fans, no pool, no sprinkler or outside hose, and no shower (poor me!), I would not be doing anything except reading, with wet cloths all over me.

It's hot here in western Massachusetts. No quilting but I did make a little pouch for my Granddaughter's gift card for her birthday. It's a triangle one that was on Crafty Gemini Creates on You tube.

That's all I do in the summer months here in NC. It's not fit to do anything outside.

It's always the same temperature in my sewing studio. A cool 73 degrees.

My sewing room was up on the top floor, and I couldn't keep it cool enough with everything running. But this summer I am in the basement in our remodeled space. I am in heaven. I spend the whole day in there.

SVAL

I don't usually get time to quilt in the summer months because of several summer businesses...but I did visit my sewing room for about an hour last night and I had to retrieve a fan from storage to cool my sewing room while I pieced.

We should start construction this fall on my sewing room over the garage so I can move out of the guest room of our late 1700 home...maybe I'll consider a window AC.

We are getting temperatures in the mid-90s and with humidity it is closer to 100+ in the south-eastern part of Ontario. I try to get some quilting done early in the morning but my latest mantra has become "don't drip on the quilt".

no AC here, I just forget the heat, turn off the overhead lights and sew. Was working on getting a batting ready to send with my latest flimsy- that was a bit of a challenge with heat. When I get tired because of being warm, I just go take a nap!

I get up early in the morning to get a little quilting done! RedGarnett is so correct. Winter for me can't come soon enough for me. I don't even know where all the fires are burning in CA.

Good point, Sandy. We had one that rolled from room to room when we lived in the PNW. It was wonderful!!

AMEN, to that.

[QUOTE=Jane Quilter;7612831] So I got out the window quilts. In the winter, they keep out the cold....and in this heat, it keeps out the sun and the heat. [Quote]

Something on the windows is a huge help. I have solar curtains. They are a panel of what looks like aluminum foil, but is plastic. A little light comes through them and you can see through them just a little. But what a difference they make on the east side of the house in the morning! I have them on some door windows that face the sun, too.

My basement is a creepy crawly one, too. But we have geothermal heat. It costs quite a bit to install, but then is much much cheaper to run. And A.C. comes with it automatically. We keep it at 70º for heat and 76º for cooling and are very comfortable.

This house is very well insulated and we have trees on the south east and south west corners, so that helps a lot, too.

It's your choice to keep your house cool or not. When its becomes not your choice is when there is a problem.

I sat out on the deck the other night binding a humongous quilt for this winter (combination quilt/bedspread) and it was 97 degrees here and this was later afternoon. I poured me a glass of icy cold Chardonnay from Trader Joe's, dog at my feet, needle in hand and draped from chest to toe in the quilt. Finished the quilt on July 25 and it was wonderful. Now I am starting on cutting out squares for 15 different blocks for a coverlet. Will start that this afternoon - on the deck - with my collapsible table and my tools and, of course, my glass of Chardonnay - just one!!!

I love working outside - only if it isn't windy - I have been known to run into the neighbors yards and pick up a 1/2 square triangle, a 1-1/2" strip. Don't cut out a Log Cabin on a windy day outside! Forewarned is forearmed, you know. Then, of course, I'll never learn. Enjoy the warmth. There is a special place in Heaven for the guy that invented the air conditioner, I am sure. Enjoy the day! Edie

I am in southern/central Maine and I cannot quilt in the summer months at all. Where I sew is not air conditioned. I tend to sew in the cooler months as there are more of them than summer here. I thought I was in the minority!

Amen, Sister! Testify!!