The DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!!!!!!

My name is Elaine and I have a disease
My name is Elaine and I have a disease
My name is Elaine and I have a disease


OK - so if you think I have a problem - the answer is YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I bet NONE of this would have happened if I had not been looking for those DAMN crayons which I still haven't found, but I caved and bought a NEW set with 150 crayons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

My NEW box of crayons

I bought them a couple of days ago and I was CERTAIN that the other boxes would have come out of hiding by now, but NO - they are staying hidden.

Well - I got to thinking about that bag of 1 1/2" strips for the log cabin that I found when I was looking for those crayons. I have a pattern in mind (can't let Ronda be the only one having fun with log cabin blocks), so I dug out some other stuff that I had.

THE bag of strips (1 1/2") for log cabin blocks

Well let's backtrack a bit. A while back I took advice from Bonnie Hunter (and I learned something which I will share in a minute). I had a bunch of UGLY fabrics that I would never use in a quilt and I cut them into strips - 4", 3 1/2", 3", 2 1/2", 2" and 1 1/2" or something like that. These strips have been languishing in a drawer upstairs because once they were cut - now what do I do with them?????

I ran upstairs and looked - hmmmmm - there were NO 1 1/2" left. I know I used them for something but I can't remember now. That seems to be the theme of the day here!!!!!   I left the 2 1/2" strips - they will get used another day. But I grabbed the 3" strips. The two inch strips were used or designated for the crocheted rugs. (There were also some 3 1/2" strips, some 4 inch and a few at 1 3/4"). Were being the key word here because they exist no longer.

These are the 3" strips (well I think they are). Anyway - I cut them in half!!!!!!!!!!

So now I have LOTS of 1 1/2" strips. 

Then I took the 3 1/2"  inch strips and cut them into 2" strips and 1 1/2" strips

The four inch strips got cut into 2 1/2" and 1 1/2" strips

Here are the TWO inch strips - ready to be put away

The lesson that I learned from this - even though the precutting strips works for some people - it may not work for you. In future - I would only cut 2 1/2" , 2" and 1 1/2". Mind you - I LOVE smaller things - just found no use for the bigger strips. And no odd sizes please - like 1 3/4" - what do you do with that????  And because it was harder to cut a strip in half - it took more time. No MORE cutting those big strip sizes.


Well as I was cutting - I got to thinking about a pattern series that we are getting through our guild. A local designer made (for a price) these patterns for us. We have guild meeting on Monday and I thought it would be neat if I could get ONE quilt done by Monday. OK - so I said I was SICK!!!!!   Don't blame me!!!!

I got a couple of blocks done and then all hell broke loose.

A few blocks on the NEW scrap quilt

I decided that I need to go through those strips that I just cut - the 1 1/2" ones and get myself really organized so I could sew this quilt. And that is how I spent the ENTIRE day yesterday.

And you know how one thing leads to another. After I got those strips cut down - I went through them and cut pieces for this new scrap quilt. I want LOTS of variety - so I cut one set of strips and then the remainder went in the bag for the log cabin.

Then I pulled out this shoe box from the stash room. See the lid is JUST starting to pop off. Perfect timing.............

The multi-coloured scrap box. The box that I put stuff that I don't know where else to put it. My fabric filing system must be working because this box isn't that big. 

And while I was digging that box out (OK - so I just pulled it from the shelf - Oh yes - I knew exactly where it was), BUT I also found THREE other bags/containers with more scraps that I had forgotten about.

Three bags of scraps - hmmmm - might as well deal with these today as well. 

Sorted through the shoe box to start with. The stuff in the box was REJECTED for this project. The stuff on the left needed more sorting. 

 Once I was done with that - I started on one of the other bags.............

And look - it is mostly STRIPS - a lot were already cut to 1 1/2"!!!!!!!!!!!!

Start on the second bag - again - a lot was already cut to 1 1/2" or 2".   PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made it through all  THREE of those containers as well as my shoe box AND the strips that were in the strip drawer!!!!!

This is what went back in the multi-coloured scrap box. Hmmmmmm - almost full again - I need to start making something from that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the leftovers!!!!!!!!   These went in the garbage!!!!!!   OK - I am sick, but I am not CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The strips in the bags for the log cabin

Second bag of strips for the log cabin

At the end of the day - I had this big stack of 1 1/2" strips -

I had to cut the pieces needed for the new quilt and the rest went into the bags for the log cabin

This is what remains to do. Shouldn't take a long time to finish this off

And so YES - I ignored the computer, I ignored the long arm, I ignored pretty much everything but those scraps. I mean what is WRONG with me. And you know the worse part - I was having fun and had no intention of quitting. That is so sad and pathetic!!!!!!   Now my mind is racing and thinking - I have to go through my stash baskets and pick out the UGLY fabric that I won't use and cut it into strips (just 2 1/2", 2" or 1 1/2" please) and then add it to the various containers. Hmmmmmmm - better get some of this stuff sewn first!!!!!!!!!!!   Not sure what I am going to do with the 2 1/2" strips (although there are scads of patterns out) and I sort of designed something for the 2" strips.

Yes - there is no doubt - this is a disease. Perhaps I better see a mental health expert. I mean I could let the house burn down around me - I was happy as a clam!!!!!!!!!!!!!




On that note - I now have to finish prepping for my class since I did NOT get it done yesterday!!!!!!!!



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



PS - in case you feel the need to donate your scraps to me - THINK AGAIN. I will NO LONGER accept scraps - I am so close to getting the scrap mess under control (more on that tomorrow) that I do NOT want to spend any more time on getting this stuff sorted out. I want to sew them up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!