Binding quilts!

Things are under control at my house, and it feels great! I'm not sure why every once in a while, there is this mad kerfuffle - I guess it's all a question of having to prep too much stuff for the weekend or something like that. It is UFO weekend and I still have two quilts of my own to quilt and bind, so it's not like I'm out of the woods, but I like being under control. 

It was Monday sewing and I decided it was time to get some quilts bound! OH first I should mention that two of the QOV quilts that Diane and I made were gifted to two veterans on the weekend. Both of them were overwhelmed and wanted to pass along their thanks! Yep -- that's why we make quilts! I am so enjoying this process even though it's time consuming -- the rewards are so much more than just making quilts. 

So if you have time and you have a stash - you may want to pick a charity and consider making quilts that can be donated! I would offer to quilt them, but I really can't take on more. Not with something like 200 quilts that need to be quilted before they can be donated. Yes -- Diane is still in full swing with piecing so I'll have to do a marathon quilting session at some point. But first, the bindings need to be put on those that are already quilted. 

I love how I have reorganized my sewing thread. When I need to choose a color, I bring the thread to the quilt and it's easy to find one that works! 

Choosing a thread color for the binding

And so one of the quilts got bound. 

Binding on quilt number one

Then a second one got bound. 

Binding on Quilt number two

And finally a third one got bound. That makes five of the eleven that I quilted for Quilts of Valour is done. There are six that remain and I hope to get them done this week, so I can make a delivery and get them out of my house! These are larger than the Project Linus quilts so hopefully the Project Linus ones will go faster! Hey -- I'm pretty fast once I get going on the bindings, but it's all the chatter with the Monday ladies. I'm not too fast, but that's OK. That's my weekly social time. 

Binding on Quilt number three

And the next customer quilt is done! This was made from a block swap from several years ago. Hey -- I participated in this swap. Now which block is mine? 

Customer quilt - DONE

Oh yes -- I remember. I made the starfish blocks, but more was added to the bottom of them. What fun!!! I should do something with my blocks - I think my topic for this swap was Books. 

My starfish block for the swap

Then I unpacked a box of thread that someone sent to me. They swapped thread for services and I love that kind of transaction. This thread will work just fine on the long arm! So yes -- it's all sorted by color in the appropriate box. 

New threads added to the collection

Here's the table with the quilts yet to be bound. Good grief -- the heap is smaller, but still seems to be a lot. And there are a couple of quilts that need sleeves attached. I'd better keep plugging away at it. And oh shoot -- I need to order a fabric for one of my quilts in that pile. I'd better order it before she doesn't have any left. 

Quilts yet to be bound

I managed to clear some stuff off the cutting table. In that bucket with the rolls of paper, I found enlarged photos of outhouses from a calendar. Why did I have those photos? 

Enlarged photocopies of an outhouse

Becaue I made a wall hanging of an outhouse many years ago. The cool thing about this is that it's made from paper. The border is fabric, but I made the fabric on my printer. 

My outhouse quilt

I probably will never make another outhouse quilt so I got rid of the photocopies! It will be time to dig back into the bins of rolled paper to see what else I can dispose of! 

And so the cutting table is looking not bad. There's still more stuff to unpack from my trip, a couple of quilts that need border fabric, and a few things that I want to work on today. Hopefully by the weekend, this will be completely clear and the goal is to keep it that way with ONLY one or possibly two CURRENT projects on it. And that would be things I need to sew that day or things I need to put away. The table is the right height to work at, so I don't mind it being used as a staging area. It just can't become a storage area! 

The cutting table is looking pretty neat

Now -- do NOT yell at me for this as I know it's bad to keep things on the stairs. But this is all the stuff that I've dealt with in Studio B and that needs to be moved upstairs to be thrown out, recycled or put away. I bring a bit up at a time. I am NOT one for bouncing up or down the stairs with my hands full. I USE the railing religiously. Hopefully by the end of today, the stairs will once again be clear. 

Stuff to be transported upstairs

When I took the warehouse tour last month, that was a big deal - safety on the stairs. Big signs -- THREE points of contact on the stairs at all times! I agree -- I've heard too many stories of broken legs, ankles or whatever. I don't have time for that, so I ALWAYS use the handrail!

Well, that's it for me. I've got one class this morning and then the rest of the day is mine! The next quilt is loaded on the long arm and the sewing machine is ready to attach bindings. I've got almost 6 hours of that Jack Reacher book to finish so I'll be heads down and happy! 

Have a user day!!!

Ciao!!