A sequence of events...............................

Once upon a time, in a land far far away.................


HOLD IT!!!!!!!!!!!


Let's STOP this fairy tale - this is NO fairy tale. It's reality and SOMEONE is to blame!!!

Yep - it all started at a Sit n Sew a mere 10 days ago.
And YES - there is a villain - OK - no villain, but someone is at fault. I know - you want to know.

Well - if I must name names - it is RONDA!!!!!!!!!!!   (and she doesn't even know it!!!)

You see at the last Sit n Sew - we had the discussion about the tables. You remember - I posted that. Ronda bought the only 6 foot table that I had because the rest of mine are 5 feet and the 6 foot was causing configuration issues.

The table went and I ordered TWO brand new 5 foot tables. So far so good!   Yep - the tables got delivered and they got brought downstairs to the studio. Now I like having fewer tables up (less area for me to put stuff on and more room to DANCE - just kidding on that!!!) but where to put those two tables?  They were living quite nicely at the bottom of the stairs, but really - it wasn't a permanent spot.

Sharron was coming over to work on the long-arm and now I had to move the tables because it is one thing for me to dance around them, but I can't have guests do that. Hmmmmmm - where to put them. AHA - I could put them just behind the scrapbook table. That is a perfect spot - handy, but not far away.

I did NOT take a picture of the area before I started, but there was a bit of stuff behind that table that needed to be dealt with.   Hmmmm - a HUGE basket of quilts that were designated for community projects. They needed to have backs prepared and then need to be quilted. Hmmmmmm - I could work on that today while Sharron is busy on the long arm.  So I dug out that laundry basket that was HEAPING.

Well - I got curious about TWO more big Rubbermaid tubs in the stash room that were part of this community projects project. I might as well dig them out too and see what I have.

Have TWO tubs FULL of stuff - what is in them????

The rest they say is history - have a peak at what happened yesterday.............   (and remember it is all Ronda's fault!)

A baby quilt (made with squares that were pieced from my leftover baby flannel). It just needed borders which I got from my stash - had JUST enough yellow for that small border (and another fabric bites the dust)

Made a backing for the baby quilt. This came from my stash and I think I used up TWO pieces of fabric. The binding will be made from the leftover of the backing. 

Another baby quilt

The backing (the excess will become the binding)

This is ONE QUARTER of a quilt top made with poly cotton - 6 inch squares (the quilt is just folded - that is why you are seeing just one quarter of it)

Another quilt top made with poly cotton squares (again - this is one quarter of it)

Both will have this as the backing!!!!   Yep - a bit bright!!!!   This is a bit heavier than normal, but was in the backing box so I used it!

Another quarter of a quilt top

The backing

Yet ANOTHER quarter of a quilt top

Found ONE piece of fabric that fit perfectly for the backing - yeah - I love when that happens

And ANOTHER quarter of a quilt

The backing

OK - here is the backing on the left and quilt on the right

Yet again - backing on the left - quilt on the right

Seriously?   That many quilts?????   Yep - that stack sure looks impressive and all ready to be quilted. (I will make the bindings as they get quilted - I have a big chunk of solid blue for that and I'll pull from my stash)

By my count - there are NINE quilts with backing ready to be quilted!!!!!!!!

And in case you thought that was a LOT - look - I am NOT done!!!!!!!!!!

I think there are TEN more that need the backing made

Well it was getting later in the afternoon by that point and I needed a change of scenery. So I dug out those two tubs to see what was in them and at one point - the room looked like this!!!!!!!!!   AN EXPLOSION!!!!

Yep - so much for tidiness - HEY - I was dealing with the mess!!!!

And what did I find in the boxes??????


I found TWO kits of squares already cut and ready to sew. I found a partially pieced VELVETEEN quilt.

This bag of fabric which is NOT quilting fabric but would be great for bags.

Weird fabric - already designated to Heather at John Fraser High School for her sewing class

Loads and loads of basting tape - what am I going to do with it?????   Anyone have any ideas????

A nice chunk of denim (or ticking) that I put with my denim - will make a cool quilt with blue denim

 You think that is it?????   Think again!!!!!!    DAMN YOU RONDA!!!!!!!!    This is all your fault!!!!


There was SCADS and SCADS of SOLID poly/cotton

SCADS and SCADS of poly/cotton (or is that cotton?) - anyway - I sorted it into colour families. 

I find that I have to sort things - so much easier to deal with a FAMILY of things at a time - instead of lots of individual stuff.


So now the thing was - what is poly/cotton and what is not.   Oh first - I bet you are wondering why I have so much????   This is left over from the costume making days when M was at school.   Yes - I was the unofficial seamstress and fabric buyer. I just hung onto the leftovers.


OK - so how to tell if it poly/cotton or 100% cotton????    A couple of ways.  First - look at it - feel it. Cotton feel soft - poly/cotton feels different - more slippery and shiny. BUT many times - it is not enough to look at it. You have to go one step further.

I will IRON part of it - and then apply the SMELL test. Does it smell like chemical? Then it is poly/cotton. Otherwise - might be cotton.

Check the tag that comes with the fabric - look at this one.

See the date (04/07/05) and the price - $3 per meter?   Most likely poly/cotton!!!! (because of the price - not the date!!!) 

But when all else fails - do the BURN test.  I use my BBQ lighter and burn a corner of the fabric. If there is NO ASH and the burnt edge is HARD - then it is MAN MADE.

Hard burnt edge - no ash - just sticky mess. This is poly/cotton

This burnt clearn with ash. This is cotton. 

Then I sorted them - poly/cotton in one bucket and cotton in another.

This is the tub of poly/cotton

YEP -- that is a LOT of poly/cotton

WAIT - there's more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The red and blue were cut - I have a partial bolt of grey - Will make a couple of nice quilts. I'll make kits!!!!

And let's not forget the black!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD - what am I going to do with all that??????   My intention (and the reason I kept if after making the costumes) was to make quilts that could be donated.  Well - there is SO MUCH!!!!!!!!    Any ideas?????   Someone suggested that I could make fabric bowls - well that doesn't use much fabric. BUT someone else suggested I make crocheted rugs. NOW that uses a LOT of fabric.

Remember my crocheted rug???

Well - I wonder what it would be like for cat mats?????   Anyone have a cat who would like to test one. I will make the rug - (about 12 inches square) but I need to see if the cat would like to sleep on it.


OK - so back to the bins - what else what in there????

Laundry basket of cotton - this will be sorted and cut and made into quilt kits

A couple of bags of weird fabric that I am not ready to deal with yet. Mostly scraps. May end up in the garbage????

And let's not forget the SEVEN bolts of fabric that I bought (on sale) that I was going to use as backings for all these quilts. Well - with all the fabric I found - I have enough and MORE to back the ones that are made WITHOUT touching these. OK - I did use one of these for a backing yesterday. These will go into my stash for backings for MY quilts. See - it does NOT pay to buy on sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I didn't need to buy these!!!!

Now isn't that insane!!!!!!!!!!


I have to say that I was as happy as a clam yesterday. (OK - I didn't mean to pick on Ronda!!!!  - Actually I love doing something like that when I am in the mood, otherwise it is a real drag!!!! - so THANKS Ronda!!!! - thanks for the push even though we didn't realize what was going to happen when you took that table!!!!!)   I was so tired last night, but so excited to get up and start again today, although after the gym, breakfast and the blog - it is almost 11 AM!!!!!   So much for an early start.


My goal now is to get those backings completed for the ten quilts.  Going to get the rest of that cotton organized into kits and then I will make a sample of the cat mat (already got a tester - Heather's cat - I wonder what the cat's name is???   And does it have a favourite colour?????)  Of course if the cat is gay, I could make a rainbow coloured mat. OK - I'm getting silly now!!!!!!!!


Anyway - hope you enjoyed that post as much as I enjoyed putting it together.


Have an AWESOME PRODUCTIVE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!


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