After some cutting

    After some cutting I have empty containers to show for it!  Actually, I emptied 8 different boxes and bins, etc.  They each had leftover hunks and strips from finished projects that never got sorted or put away.....just stacked on the floor.
  Benefit is clear floor space and a couple of boxes to toss.

   New storage boxes hold my precut squares that I use for water color quilts.  They stay much neater this way and are easier to access being stored in the cutting table.  Found in the fishing tackle department at big box stores.   Thanks to Elizabeth for the idea!

 
    With that switch, the stackable drawer sets were empty.  I simply added some dividers---taped in place for now.   I labeled the drawers with sizes.....ala Bonnie Hunter's scrap users system.    Easy to sort, fill and then use!

  One thing I discovered was I had tons of 3'' strips and 4'' strips in the leftover from projects.  Why?  It ddawned on me that is usually the size I cut for border pieces.....and the leftovers were rarely used.  (Those sizes are not in Bonnie's system as they don't often play well with the usual sizes in blocks.)
So note to self-----Cut border strips at 3 1/2'' or 4 1/2'' from now on!

    This is a giggle.......remember that I mentioned Bonnie was eyeing my husband's shirt for a quilt.
I found this 4 '' square in one of the bins.   It is almost identical to his shirt!  I have no idea where I got it, but rest assured I did not touch his shirt.  But I think I will turn it into a circle.

  More circles this week.  I was surprised by the variety of 4 1/2'' background squares that I found in the sorting process......as well as some cuts to make into circles.
   I really do like the different sizes mixed together.  I am not even trying to center the smaller ones, so the off set positions are intentional :)

   Next week's calendar is extremely full, so I am glad I made some headway this week.  I pieced backing and batting for a Habitat quilt that I volunteered to quilt.  So pinning is on my afternoon agenda.  Btw....did anyone win the lottery?  Think of all the fabric you could stash away....lol.
Happy stitchin.

Quilter's favorites

  Geta is hosting this week of Sharing and Learning.  She posted a long list of great questions that we could chose to answer  for our sharing.  I had a terrible time deciding on a question, so in my usual  mixed up style,  I decided to wing it and cover a couple of things that  might be of interest.

 My Favorite Quilting tool:

Ruby Beholder from Martingale and That Patchwork Place

    Beyond the usual quilting notions and  favorite tools of  snips, glue sticks, and seam ripper  there is my Ruby Beholder.   It is a value finder  that is designed to help you sort  and select fabrics by value.  It's a piece of  transparent red plastic  that  removes  the color  and leaves the  gray value.  It is like turning the fabric or block into a black and white photo.    It is invaluable when I am working on a watercolor or color wash quilt and a great help when doing  scrap quilt layouts.   There are several types and brands on the market.

My favorite Technique:

     If you have been here before, you know  that is doing water color quilts.  I have explained my design process in many posts. So gathering them together,  I put  up a tutorial page (see list under the banner at the top)  that will walk you through 2 methods:  using the gridded interfacing technique and a strip-pieced technique for watercolor quilts.
  This technique begins and ends with value and fabric selection.  I use busy multi-colored prints, mainly florals, but also paisleys work great.  You need lots of choices, but only a small amount of each.  So fat quarters fit the bill.   

    It's hard to pick a favorite watercolor quilt, but this one with the thread painted cardinal is quite special to me.  Even though I designed it for the winter season, it hangs somewhere in the house all the time.  

  

Tip for storing fabric:

  My large collection of floral fabrics are usually folded and stored in bins on  shelves in my stash closet.  Mainly those fabric cuts are small and less than a yard.  But what about the larger yardage cuts for borders and backings especially?   

Mini-bolts!

  About 4 years ago, I began using the mini-bolts for storage.  When I first  began this, I was using a thin plastic insert.  Later I switched  to using  foam core board.  The foam core  can be purchased at the Dollar Store in the 2 foot by 3 foot size usually.  I cut the size-- that works best for me-- 11" to 12" high by 8" wide.    It's easy to cut with a craft knife.  I often end up with smaller sections of the boards and they work great for shorter cuts--- those under a yard.

  Today, I am even more frugal.....I use old  yard campaign signs or yard signs of any kind that I find....like house for sale, or other advertising.  They get knocked down or the wires rust out.  I collect them, wash them up, and cut  to the size I like.    I'm saving the land fill (if they would ever make it there) and keeping my dollars for fabric and thread.  

   Fabric is folded just like it comes off the bolt.  Then one more fold---bringing the folded side over to match the selvedge edge.  Roll it up and pin the end.  

     The mini-bolts make it easy to see what I have to work with.  I am  known to be pretty messy and scattered, so this really helps me neater.   And what fun to shop your own fabric store in your stash closet.
 
  Finally.......Got questions.....please ask.   I love to share and  welcome all questions.  Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the other great links.
Happy stitching.

Bits and pieces

   This luscious haul of fabric has been waiting for me to enjoy.   The beige  and  neutrals are to restock my greatly reduced stash for backgrounds and the blues and purple just jumped into my cart.   I wonder how they would work in that delectable mountain quilt I saw today?
 
  Today's class was full---absolutely twice what I expected.  It was fun, I was exhausted, and the gals  have lots of homework to do for the next 2 weeks. That should give me time to rest up for round 2.

 
Interested in a quilt  along?  Over at Impera magna's blog---aka Freda ---there is a Disappearing 9 Patch starting up.   She's been talking colors and making plans, so check it out soon.  Things will start rolling soon as her machine comes back home from the " hospital."    Do drop by and offer get well wishes, too.  

I haven't forgotten the endless feather instructions.....I hope to get some step by step info posted in the next couple of days.   One more day of life interfering and I should be able to get to it.

     I got the table runner bound....so I have a finish this month.  So no excuses....I will be piecing at least 2 more blocks tomorrow for the Easy Street mystery.  I made the mistakes (or not) of dropping by Quiltville and saw how many tops were completed already.  I mean  some people have not slept or eaten to finish this one up!   It is great to see all the color variations, and  get motivated to finish this top this month.    Then, and only then can I start something new and dig / cut  into that luscious new fabric.  That's my plan and I hope I can stick to it.  Happy stitching.  
   

Saved by the stash

      With all the purple flying geese we made for the Easy Street mystery quilt, I thought for sure the last color---that lime green---was just going to be an accent color.  So I was going to use red.  Oh, no!   Halt! Stop!  No can do.....all the alarms went off in my head when I downloaded the last 2 clues from Bonnie.  Red would not work after all.

   To the closet....the stash closet.  Close the red drawer.  Pull down the yellow bin.  Dig through the 6 or 7 scrap boxes.  Look  in the stack of  backing fabrics.  Go  though the box of unsorted scraps under the table.  Check high.  Check low.     Now, cut squares.  Cut more squares and then cut into triangles.  Oops, cut a few more squares.

Right now, every piece of yellow fabric that I own  is scattered across the work table or floor....and I am too embarrassed to even take a photo to show the mess.    The corner units are sewn, and most of the setting triangle units are done, and a block is laid out.    Disaster averted....the ship of mystery  did not sink after all.  It was saved by the stash!     What would we do without that stash of fabric?
    So feeling a bit giddy or maybe just light-headed from panic, I went ahead and re-supplied the stash closet with a little fabric shopping.  I mean, I saved a lot because it was on sale, and I did have that extra coupon.   You know, just  in case the fiscal cliff devours all the fabric reserves, or if a blizzard hits, a quilter must be prepared with an adequate stash of lovely cotton to work with.   So the next time  someone asks, "What's in your closet  wallet?", tell them...... fabric!
    This is my project to finish for January, or at least get it to the quilting stage.   Happy stitching on New Years!

One thing leads to another

     It all began when I  realized that the overhead light was causing too many shadows when I sewed.  Wait...no, it was my head that was causing the shadows as I sewed.  So I wanted to change around the sewing / cutting  tables.  This was discussed with Sir Old Man, who kindly agreed to move things.  I mean did he really have a choice?  He also suggested I go ahead and order the light kit for the LED lights that go under the machine neck....sounded good to me!

    Moving the tables sounds easy, but it is what resides/hides/lives and breeds under the table that causes nightmares!  At least for me.  I am sure no one else is guilty of "stuffing" things the way I do.  I decided to wait a while before we tackled the issue.  So instead I asked Sir Old Man if he had any empty parts bins in the shop that I could use to corral my strings into color families for the string quilt.  He kindly shared 4 from the shop....but wait, I have more colors with which to  work.   OK....off to Northern Tool---one of his favorite haunts---for parts bins.   Luckily the bins were on sale, and he added a few more for the shop.

Looking in to the closet  

   I needed to move a shelf---out of the closet, it was too cramped anyway---- to hold the bins.....and to move the shelf,   I had to unload the fabric from it.  Now, the picture should be much clearer......first find a place for the fabric, then move the shelf, then load the bins, then load the bins with strings and strips!  Please note that these are after photos.....no way was I showing the before or during!!

  Note:    I store my fabric of a yard or more  on mini-bolts with  foam core board as the center.    I collect the yard signs after elections, wash them off, and cut to the size  I want!   I realize I lose some space with the foam core, but I fold fabric once, roll it onto the board, and it is done.
I also use it as a base under the bolts so they do not slip through the wire grid shelf.   Some bolts are in milk crate bins.

Closet inside view from the doorway.

   The closet had to be re-arranged once again.  But 98% of my fabric is in there.     This part of the redo was needed, as it had been at least 2 years since I straightened things up.   The flat bins and drawers hold smaller cuts and I sort them by color family mainly.  
    I am so grateful / fortunate to have a separate sewing room and closet that is still full of fabric.  I need to quit "hoarding" so much and  use up more!



The sewing space: 

          

From the door into sewing space.  

 The sewing and cutting tables were shifted  in the center of the room.  The sewing machine had been where the cutting table is now.
    And sacrifices had to be made.....4 bags worth of old fabrics from garment making days  went to donation center this morning.   It was time to free up some space and I feel better for it.

   Right behind my chair is the ironing board....and those bins that helped start all this are right there too.  I also stacked all the thread containers there too.  So nice to have things together and in one place.


    When I need more support by the machine when I am machine quilting a "biggie",  I can easily swing the ironing board around and use it for support.
   The bookcases have been dusted, and books sorted and put back in some semblance of order.
   Two full days and I believe I need some stitching time.....maybe tomorrow.  I need to try out the new light set that just arrived.
  Hope you enjoyed the peek into my stitching realm......happy stitching.

Location, location

  Yesterday we cleaned, and cleaned, and then I tackled the sewing room.  Disarray is not a strong enough word, it was a disaster zone.  Books and fabric, batting scraps and fusing scraps......enough already. I want to start off the new year with an organized area, so I don't spend --make that waste---time looking for something I need.  I need the energy for creativity.

Now all the books, magazines, sketch books, and printed patterns and ideas are in one location.  That means you won't be tripping over a stack of  books on the way to the stash closet.

I moved the small stand with the thread drawers.....now all the thread is in one location, and by the machine where it is used.  That makes more sense than having to trip over the stack of books to find the right bin on a shelf.
I am sensing a pattern here.....location, location, location.  Works in real estate, I think it's a good idea for the sewing room.


    Then there was the stash closet that I re-did last spring.  It really just needed a bit of straightening up.    I tried the "push on the walls" to break free---like in the TV commercial.  Take my word, it doesn't work like that in the real world, so I used a crowbar to wedge in the new fabric I bought. 

   But there was a serendipity.....I found a really neat piece of  fabric that I had acquired for free.  Not cotton, but a challis print.  I love the swirly, loopy print.  It is a great inspiration print for quilting.  I think I will keep a piece handy and practice sketching it.
  Anyway, I had another sort of inspiration too.   I turned it into a 15 minute project for a "me" gift.  A long drapey scarf with bias ends.  I cut a piece about 72" long and 18" wide, folded it in half, cut the ends on an angle, stitched, turned, pressed and stitched the edges.  Done!
  My family begins to arrive tomorrow, and I will be baking apple pie and pumpkin cheesecake.  I am right on schedule.....happy stitching.

Stash or Collection?

 
  Our speaker at guild last night commented that she had a stash---fabric to be used--- not a collection---fabric to be passed on--- and  that struck me as a good one to remember.   Especially since I had get DH or Sir Old Man to drag in more shelves for the stash closet.  I promptly filled them up with mini bolts that had been stacked on the floor and those pesky boxes of strips.  The stacks are off the floor for now, but it does make tight quarters in the closet.  I need to put the needle down and get to sewing!   

 
    As I started quilting on  String Me Along---photo before quilting,  I kept thinking that it would be a good design for a table runner.    Very adaptable for size and length by just adding a block and some pieced strips.  And maybe featuring just thread painted motifs from a fabric I "re-discovered" in the stack on the floor.  Guess I've just added a future project to the list!
  I've got to clean house today as Ryan, step-son, is coming to visit a few days and we are heading to Charlotte on Friday;  deliver snacks to church for camp; catch up on laundry; and maybe get a few minutes to quilt, I hope. 
   Happy stitching.....do you have a stash or collection?  Just asking.

Ergonomic tip....

Here's what I added to my sewing set up recently.  An over-turned crate---about 5 inches high---to elevate my machine foot pedal.   Plus, it is  large enough  as a support for my other foot when stitching.  I can now sit back in the chair rather than perch on the edge.  The overall result is better posture, reduced back pain, and I feel I have better control over the fabric, and machine.   Why didn't I think of this sooner?

  The rest of the salvaged crates---saved from the dumpster by my husband---are used to hold fabric in the stash closet.  I did a do-over on the closet this past Spring.  This is a today photo, so you can see that I have not reverted back to the "cram it in anywhere" method of storing fabric.  Actually, Saturday I sorted the big bin of scraps and leftovers  from projects  I completed in the last few months.  I set aside a shoe box of pieces for Emily and her lessons, and the rest was cut into strips and squares and put in the correct bins.   I pulled a few pieces out and set aside for use in the small landscapes. 
I  now have 3 boxes of 2 1/2" strips.....so I will be starting a project soon to put a big dent in those.  I am debating on a scrappy braid, or a log cabin.  Right now, I am leaning towards a braid.....because I get a couple of questions  every week about the braid pattern.   It's very easy, just requires a bit of planning for the layout. 

Happy Stitching....Debbie

Quilting is big in Alaska

Everything is big in Alaska...including quilting.  Why?  Long winter nights---that is day and night are dark, I hear, with only 4 to 5 hours of twilight for daytime. 

The Quilted Raven is a really neat shop in downtown  Anchorage that Deana found listed in the phonebook.  So off we went.  I never expected to find such a cute shop there, and very friendly  staff to top it off.  We talked quilting and guilds and she cleared off the table for me to sort through what I liked.  They had a wonderful selection of scenic and Alaskan prints.  And wildflower prints that were just great.  My mind began to picture 2 or 3 things I could do with these fabrics. 

And then my wonderful husband said, "There's another rack you haven't looked at."  Boy, were we in trouble.....prints of glaciers, and the northern lights, mountains, and totem poles.  And it was buy 5 and get 1 free....so I did.  I know I blew my stash busting diet, but what a great way to do it.   

Just a bit about the raven and the totems.  I thought that totem poles would be a common sight.  I  only found a few--mainly at the museum and rail depot.  So I picked up a small book on the history of totems.  Totems are ceremonial pieces many times.  The celebrate an event or a person.  The chief of the clan might have several outside his home, or as a door support.  Totems tell a story and are usually read top to bottom.  The raven is a common figure used on totems, and he represents a trickster/creator---the duality of his nature.  The legend says he stole the sun from his master and hung it in the sky.   So often the raven has a flat disk in his beak.   

 The photo to the right is a more common sight in Anchorage.  The symbols are very stylized and colorful.  This one is over the window at the gift shop.
Tomorrow we head to see the glaciers....

Floral stash and picking fabrics

And here is the sorted floral and watercolor stash.  I realized I had not shown a photo of this side of the closet.  The before shot was so bad I deleted it!   I have so many florals, I had to purchase 3 more bins to get this finished off.   And there is space on the bottom for the small bins of sorted scraps----when they get sorted, that is.   





          While sorting the floral fabrics in the stash closet, I picked out fabrics for another french braid quilt.  This is how I lined them up to see if they blend.  I had intended to use only blues and purples but decided  on this run of fabrics instead.  The accent will be a very dark malachite green.  I didn't pay a lot of attention to scale or color, just value. 

 This second set is for a blooming 9 patch.  The pattern is shaded to blend from light in the center to dark on the outside.  More attention to scale or size of print is needed with this pattern to create the blended effect.  There needs to be a mix of large, medium and small scale prints to make it work.  Just  hope I got it right, as I am ready to begin cutting. 

  I am quilting on the batik french braid and it is about half done.  Probably 2 more afternoons and I will get finished.  Then to make the label and decide who gets it....or not! 

Stash....the after!

Lots more progress made on the stash closet.   The mini-bolts sure make it neater, and they fill an entire row of the shelf.  There is still a small stack of fabric yardage to be rolled into mini-bolts, but it is off the floor!  Small pieces and FQ's are in the bins (on the shelf and also the ones on the floor)  according to basic color family.   Now there is actually breathing space. 

So next on the agenda is to sort the huge pile of bits and pieces--scraps--into sizes like Bonnie Hunter suggests.  That will probably take a while as it is huge.    I also made special bins for landscape fabrics and sky and water fabrics.  While I was sorting the watercolor fabrics, I went ahead and pulled fabrics that I intend to use for 2 floral quilts.  One will be a blooming 9 patch and the second a french braid.  I put these fabrics and the books/ instructions into separate project boxes.  They now occupy the bare spot on the stacking bins in the second photo. 

So now the big question....how long will it stay this way?   Who knows but I hope I can be neater and more productive for a little while.

Contrasts and disorganization!

The tiny grape hyacinths are blooming along the back walk.  From a distance it looks like  a lovely sea of blue-purple.  I like the  color contrast with the gray of the lavender in the background.
  Since returning from Florida last week, I have felt very scattered -- lack of focus, and have not gotten a lot accomplished.    I cleaned the cutting table off and picked up the items and books off the floor.  Project boxes were stacked under a side table and batting stored away.   Still I hard a difficult time getting to work.
Well now, I think I diagnosed my problem, and it is not just allergies and pollen.  I am embarrassed to say it is  being messy and  disorganized.....check out this photo to see what I mean.

I have been pulling out fabric for small projects and such and just stuffing it back wherever.  This is only one side of the closet and then there is the floor--where a lot of the overflow resides!  No wonder I can't think straight, it is too overwhelming to hunt for what I think I could use.   So, getting this mess in shape is a priority before I begin anything new.  
I ran across the mini-bolt idea from http://polarnotions.com/  and I think I will use their folding technique for getting some of this arranged.  I have a huge stack of plastic type cover sheets that I am going to experiment with before I make an investment in their mini-bolts. 
Any and all storage ideas are welcomed....please share them.