I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to report that I am BACK!!!! I had no naps on Sunday so got a good night's sleep. Then up and early on Monday morning. Off to the gym. OK - so I wasn't going to break any speed limits or weight barriers, but I was back and that's all that counts!!!!
Then off to Monday Motivators. Was great to catch up with everyone!!!!
So it's a new year! And I have BIG intentions (as usual) about what I am going to accomplish. I prepared my 2013 shelf, and then there is the shelf for all the $10 quilts AND then there is all the extra that I am not sure where to put. For some reason, I have become fixated on the stuff that I don't know where to put!!!!
I started with the shirtings. Remember the shirtings???? I started cutting these up last year. Initially they were off cuts from a factory or some place that made shirts. I initially cut these pieces up into 15 inch squares and serged them together to get a backdrop for a theatre production MANY years ago.
Anyway - I persevered and got ALL the big squares cut down into 6 1/2 squares by Sunday at lunch.
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| A BIG box of 6 1/2" squares of shirtings!!! |
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| Then I sorted them by colour/design |
I was planning on making some quilts for men from these so wanted to make the quilts a bit bigger - well I like my GENEROUS lap size (60 by 72) and so I needed 120 squares for each quilt.
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| I got SEVEN kits of 120 squares each and the two in the back - one has 80 and the other has 88. |
There were a few squares left over and a bag of scraps. I was just in one of those moods on Sunday so I kept going. I pulled all the BIGGER pieces that I could get 6 1/2" squares from - that went in one pile
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| Big scraps to cut into 6 1/2" squares (still to do) |
OK - NOW you can STOP laughing right now. But when I cut up those 15 inch squares (that were serged to each other), there were pieces left over. I kept those pieces - I know - I know - I am WORSE than a pack rat.
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| Pile of left over bits!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| The serger all set up (I LOVE LOVE LOVE my serger) and here was an excuse to use it |
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| Had to keep watching that I didn't run out of thread!!! I was using up the small spools that I had inherited |
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| BUT was very easy to get more from my well stocked, well organized and EASY to access serger thread cabinet |
And what did I end up with????? Well - have a look................
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| I was able to make NINETY blocks that are six inches. I know - who knew that I would get that much from those SCRAPS!!!!!! |
Then I took the rest of the bits and sorted them by shape
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| Starting to sort the rest of the scraps |
And here are the last of the leftovers...............
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| Left over bits - sorted and pressed |
Now I need to sew these together so I can cut out squares. I should be able to get quite a few squares and hopefully will end up with TWELVE quilts from this bag of scraps.
I know - who would have thought and who would have the patience to do that!!!!!!!!!!!! Somewhere along the line, my patience level has increased!!!! I am happy to make something - especially from NOTHING. I don't even care what - and if I can help out others less fortunate than myself - well so be it. What do I really need another quilt for????? OK - so I like them, but I don't need them.
That does NOT mean that I want your stuff - I am thrilled to be working my way through what I have accumulated. But what is making me happier is that I am cleaning up messes that have been there for years and the best part - I am NOT making new messes. I am really trying to deal with stuff as it happens.
Don't ask about the magazines - I did not read any yesterday!!!!
BUT - I have something to add to my completed projects list. I finished the binding on a quilt for a customer (and my audio book). So that is ready to go out the door. YIPPPEEEEEE and I just picked up TWO more audio books from the library. This binding thing isn't so bad and I still have a "couple" that need binding - I shall just continue right on with them. I am also back to quilting on the long arm today. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!
Before I go, I thought I would share this project with you. As you know - on Mondays, I like to take hand work and in the cleaning up process, I came across this project. I don't even know how it ended up in the Monday bucket. A number of years ago - a long number of years ago, I won block of the month at a guild. The blocks were HAND QUILTED on muslin. Yeah - the only blocks I ever won with that guild and it is a "quilt as you go" project which is NOT my style. Well those blocks kicked around for a LONG time, then they got partially put together and well - that project ended up in the Monday bucket and I stitched down the one row of hand stitching.
When I got home, I machine stitched the front part together of the LAST TWO seams. Then I laid it out and realized that the order of the rows was WRONG. I didn't check - I just continued the seam as it was. I guess that is why it was only partially sewn because it was supposed to be ripped out!!!!!!!!!!!! CRAP!!!!!! The seams were already pinned and ready for hand stitching. ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!! What to do - what to do?????
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| Now it is VERY HARD to see the problem in this picture, but two of the blocks were hearts. And YES - the hearts were not going in the same direction!!!!! Otherwise I would not have cared. |
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| Then I repinned the seams that require hand stitching |
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| Here are the seams pinned and ready for stitching on Monday |
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| Again - hard to tell - but NOW the hearts are both going in the same direction!!!!!!!!!!!! |
I even chose the fabric that I am going to add as the border. This entire quilt is just a big old experiment in quilt as you go since it is NOT my thing. But it should be a warm comfy quilt when it is complete. And I see the end in sight!!!!!!!
Well - this blog is late because we had internet issues, so now that it is after lunch - well i need to get back to the quilting machine. Yes - BACK to work.
Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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