It doesn't get any better than this...................

Well, things could be totally organized and stay that way!  That would be best, but in the meantime, I can't complain. Both studios are in very good shape. Things are put away. I spent some time very early this morning going through some bags and boxes and taking out things and putting them in their home. You know - those little boxes that seemed like a good idea at the time. The little box of sewing supplies that you carry around in your Monday sewing bag but never use. The box is empty now and if I start to take my sewing machine to Monday sewing again, I'll restock it.

Spools of thread are back where they belong, pins are in the pincushion, needles in the needle box and so on. It feels amazing to have this stuff taken care of. I'm obsessive and what I'm afraid of is that the pendulum is swinging into that organized mode and you won't be able to leave a glass on the counter without me whisking it away. I'm not quite there, but I see that happening!

The laundry basket is currently sitting in Studio U and needs to be brought down to Studio B and stuff put away. This is mostly because the homes of some things have been unearthed and time to put stuff away.

Anyway - it'll all happen. I'm happy with the progress. I'm tackling a stack of boxes and trying to empty three to four boxes of books a day. Remember, these are NOT full boxes. I can see a dent in the pile so that's the good news.

OH NO --- I just went to upload today's photos and I ran out of room!!!!!! CRUD!!!!!!

I bit the bullet and bought more! It wasn't expensive, but I do need to get into that e-mail and delete, delete, delete!!!!

This is some of the stuff that I'm unearthing. I found this little bag. It came from a Dutch store. I do believe I bought it at the Dutch store in Chatham when I passed through there on my bike a couple of years ago. What's in the bag????

Something bought at the Dutch store

A cute little pair of orange wooden shoes!!!!  I know that I don't need more of this kind of stuff, but these are kind of cute. I just need to find a nice spot to display some of these small items. OH MY GOD - I'm turning into my mother. I swore I'd never have little knick-knack things that require dusting! A few are OK - my mom had hundreds.

Mini orange wooden shoes

What are your thoughts on making do? Instead of buying something new - why not make do with what you already have? Have you thought of buying second hand? God forbid that we wear hand me downs. Here's an article about making do that Judi posted on her Facebook page a couple of days ago. I really think that we need to start doing more of this. We've got to make do with what we have. Whether that's dishes, clothes, kitchen gadgets, fabric! We've got to STOP buying stuff.

There 's so much about decluttering and refolding your closets, but why are we buying so much in the first place??  Are we buying to impress others? Are we buying to impress ourselves? Are we buying because we're bored?? Think about that the next time you go out to buy something. For the last little while, I've started to shop with my eyes. I go out and I browse and I look. I might come home with one thing or many times now I walk out of a shop and have bought nothing.

OK - speaking of buying stuff, here's two items that I recently purchased. For years, I've been scouring the thrift stores for a denim jacket and Scrabble games. I've not found either in all the years I've been searching. Then earlier this month, I found a nice denim jacket.

On a whim, I stopped at my local thrift store and guess what? I found another denim jacket AND a Scrabble game. This is AWESOME. I have plans for the denim jacket next month and if I screw up, I have a backup and if things go well, I can do two different looks. Technically, I don't need that Scrabble board but after looking for one for years, I had to buy it!!!

Denim jacket found at the thrift store

Scrabble board found at the thrift store

Speaking of getting rid of things, I still have TWO of these label panels. They are $11 each. I believe there are 24 labels on each panel. E-mail me if you want one. They are super easy to run through the inkjet printer so you can gorgeous labels. Here's the link to the tutorial.

Label panels for sale

Here's a couple of giveaways today. These are two identical picture frames. They have World's Greatest Quilter's Grandchildren written on the top. I don't need them. They are up for grabs.

Picture frames up for grabs

I also have a brand new (still in the cellophane) deck of playing cards. Does anyone still use cards these days? Well - they are up for grabs for free as well. Let me know if you want them.

Playing cards - up for grabs

I did get a quilt done yesterday and it's trimmed and ready for binding. I also got some work done on my gingerbread block. I'll post those pictures tomorrow.

My studios are super neat and clean. Which one will I work in today? And what will I do? Well, there's loads to be done, but I'd better keep my butt at the computer as there's a bit of computer work to do this morning.

Don't forget that you can read QUILTsocial today. I'm playing with the Husqvarna Viking Opal 690Q.

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Sit n Sew Day

Fun Fun FUN!!!!!!  That's what a Sit n Sew day is!!!

There were 6 of us and we had a blast. Before I show you what some of us worked on, here's a snapshot of last week when I was trying to get ready for the sew days. I'm not sure how I'm going to make this happen, but NOTHING is to go into the stash room or the storage room unless it's sorted and organized and obviously has a home. I look at the pile of boxes that remain to be unpacked and wonder how it's all going to fit!!!  But it will or it goes. That's said with so much bravado!!!  Wait until the day when I run out of space. I will be STRONG!!!

I'll openly admit that I'm my parent's daughter. Both of them have issues with hoarding (mostly my Mom) and both are obsessive. Both like to be busy and have "stuff" to tinker with. I'm just like them in that respect. They also like to collect things - mostly my Mom. So I like to collect stuff as well. I like to collect fabric. Oh just shoot me. Not only fabric but certain types of fabric.

So I unearthed this basket a while back.

Basket of fabric

Hmm - I must fess up. That isn't just a basket of fabric - it's a fabric of CYCLING fabric. Yep - all the prints have something to do with cycling. Pictures of bikes mostly. I know - how much cycling fabric does one person need???  That laundry basket is so impractical. You can't stack anything on top of it and it takes up loads of space.

After I got rid of all the Christmas wrapping paper, I had these two empty boxes. So I put the cycling fabric in them. Ooops - one huge piece of flannel that won't fit.

Two big tubs of cycling fabric

But wait - there's MORE!!!!!  As I was digging somewhere else, I found MORE cycling fabric. So that got added to the top of the boxes. 

More cycling fabric

BUT I found more. Yep - just poke me in the eye now!!!  This was all that I found and I think that's all there is. I found a cardboard box and put all that extra cycling fabric in the box. It's labeled and stored nicely in the storage room. Believe it or not, I do have a plan for that fabric. OK - granted, I don't need that much fabric, but I know how it can be used up. Don't ask for any - it's not up for grabs. 

The last of the cycling fabric

I also found this which I know I won't use so all this is up for grabs for free. There's a ton of crochet cotton. It's various weights, but mostly 8 with some 20. The 20 is good for tatting and any of it would be great to do bobbin work in your sewing machine. I did hold back a couple of balls for me. But I don't need all this. If you're interested, let me know.

Crochet cotton

Crochet cotton

And even more crochet cotton!!!!

OK - so what happened at Sit n Sew????  Pat was working on this quilt that she had hand embroidered. She stayed late and got the outer border on, but I didn't get a picture of it completely finished. It's very cute and the dark brown border helps to pull out the brown bunnies in the embroidery.

Hand embroidered quilt

Claudette got put in the corner so she could work on her rug. The set up wasn't perfect, but it worked. She did an amazing job on the rug - it's perfectly flat!!!!!  I love the colors which I think she said came from some scrappy strips rather than a jelly roll.

Claudette's rug

 Diane got these two community projects finished from Thursday so they joined the "to be quilted" list. Then she worked on her own project. I was so focused I don't even know what she was doing!!!

Two more community project quilts

Lynn spent some time finishing up her community project quilt from Thursday. She still has the backing to do and then that will add one more to the pile. Yikes!!!!  Then she focused on her own stuff for the rest of the day and Sharon is still working on her Border Creek Mystery.

I was super productive. I had cut the squares/rectangles that were needed for this quilt the day before. I still had to cut all the curves and then sew the pieces together. I never thought I would get this far, but the top is DONE!!!!!!  And it's super cute!!!

Posh Santa wall hanging

Granted, it's not huge (28" by 38") but all those curves had to be sewn, pressed and then trimmed. It's really a fast wall hanging. It's from Sew Kind of Wonderful called Posh Santa. It uses the Mini Quick Curve Ruler and even better - it's going to be a class at The Hobby Horse in September. September 21 to be exact. Call the store to sign up - if you're not comfortable with curved seams, you will be by the end of the class. I hope to get it quilted this week.

I went through the backings in the stash room and found one that's perfect for it. You do NOT know how much of a relief it is to have easy access to my stash. I walk in that room and I'm still in shock. It's not done, but major progress has been made!!!!  I'm so thrilled to have space to work in.

After everyone left, I fired up the long arm and got this customer quilt done. It's all trimmed - yes - even those funky edges and ready for pickup.

Customer quilt - DONE

Remember how I said that I'm going to need duplicates of some things for the two Studios? Well, guess what I found on the ruler peg board???  Yep - a brand new 6" by 12" ruler which is one of my MUST HAVE rulers. So it's going to Studio U, along with the brand new cutting mat. That leaves just an 8 ½" by 24" ruler and I should have duplicates of my favorite things in both places. A sewing machine set up in both Studios and all the essential tools. I do need to find my extra measuring tapes. I have one near the long arm and one upstirs, but I really need one in the main part of Studio B. I have them - it's just a question of where.

A duplicate ruler - no need to buy a new one

OH -- I did unearth the box of irons yesterday so no longer will I have to shuffle the one I was using up and down the stairs.

I also found two bags of plastic bags. All the biodegradable ones have been removed and this is going to be donated to the local Sally Ann. I think they use recycled plastic bags in their store.

Two bags of bags

I unpacked more boxes of books. I have a plan and I hope to have another area cleaned up by the end of this week. Actually, I'd like all the books on the shelf by the end of the week. It's just a question of which boxes have books in them.

On that note, it's time to get ready for Monday sewing. This is the last "fun" day of the week. I've got some paperwork to do and serious quilting/sewing so that's going to be the focus for the rest of the week.

Oh - I should say that the next quilt is loaded on the long arm and ready to go. That's my goal - one comes off and the next one goes right on. No excuses! One quilt a day. Even with customer quilts in the queue, I could do some serious damage to the pile if I could manage one quilt a day. Goal setting!!! 

Before I closed down the Studio last night, it was cleaned up from the day. Everything was put away, the stuff for the next day was organized. Oh yes - I'm on a roll. I just need to remember this feeling of the spaciousness and keep it that way!!!

And it's my week to blog on QUILTsocial. Check it out. There are some great time-saving tips for sewing.


Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

This is heaven

I'm a wee bit spoiled. I had a Sit n Sew day on Thursday at my house. Friday was a "work" day spending time on community project quilts. Saturday was the make up class for our Ultimate Block book at The Hobby Horse and the afternoon was spent sewing. Today is a Sit n Sew and tomorrow is Monday sewing! FIVE decadent days of sewing and prepping! It's been loads of fun, but I'll be glad when Tuesday rolls around because I had TWO things that I should be working on! They involve paperwork and that's hard to do when you're sewing.

Yesterday didn't start well when I made a small demo for the class and then forgot it on the cutting table. GRR!! Fortunately, I had enough supplies with me to make it up.

I decided not to take my sewing machine to the sewing day yesterday. I took some fabric that had been bundled into kits for the community projects and I worked on that.

The first one started off with gorgeous blues and tans. There was enough fabric to make TWO Hopscotch kits. We'll have to find something for the inner border and binding, but that's OK. I got all the initial strips cut for TWO quilts.

The initial strip cutting for TWO Hopscotch quilts

The third grouping, in golds and browns, is totally cut and ready to go. It also needs fabric for an inner border and binding. We'll find something later. I want to have these kits totally cut and ready to be picked up by someone at our next community projects day. It just makes it way easier and I know that there's enough fabric to complete the kit. And how fun for our participants to just come and sew!

Hopscotch kit is ready to sew!

This is a class that I'll be teaching at The Hobby Horse on Saturday, September 21. The main cutting is done. It's made with the MINI Sew Kind of Wonderful ruler so there's lots of curved piecing. If you've never learned curved piecing, you'll know how by the end of this wall hanging. It's not huge so shouldn't take long to assemble. That's on my agenda for today.

POSH Santa sample CUT and ready to sew

When I got home, it was time to hit the studios and get some of my own work done. I had to clear the tables for the Sit n Sew today. I had two choices - pack it up and bring it out to finish another day or suck it up and get done what needed to be done. Knowing that I wouldn't have to bring them out for this project again. I sucked it up and finished what I was doing.

Here's my gingerbread block. It's all ready to stitch. The red bits on the candy canes are already stitched to the white fabric. All the pieces are glued in place. Normally I turn under all the edges with starch, but the bottom edge of that roof is going to be needle turned. So this is the 12th and LAST block to be completed. Now that this part is done, it should go quickly. Then I'll have to find another project to work on for Monday sewing. I don't think that'll be hard at all. I might have to take a sewing machine and sew something in addition to handwork. Even with all the chitchat, I find it boring to work on a hand project all day.

Gingerbread block is ready for stitching

I struggled to find a fabric for the door which I had forgotten! Looks a wee bit crooked - I'm not going to worry about that small detail. The crooked little man lives there with the Gingerbread boy.

Here are the hearts for the windows. They are fused to the fabric and I may or may not use them depending on how I feel when I get there. If I could only find that Ultrasuede. Now that the stash room is so much easier to assess, I might try digging around in there to see what I can unearth.

The hearts for the windows are fused

Before I went to bed last night, I had cleaned the tables so they are ready to go this morning. Two of the people coming today were here on Friday so they left their machines. My machine is also set up.

Main sewing space is ready to go

One person wants to work on a jelly roll rug. This worked well on my big sewing cabinet which is no longer in this space. So I rigged this up for her.

Space to sew a jelly roll rug

Yep - she's in the corner, but she can see all of us!

I also got the next quilt quilted. It's for a customer.

Customer quilt - DONE

The next one is already loaded on the long arm and ready to go when the ladies leave today. There haven't been any more incidents of the long arm taking things into its own hands since I first turned it on after the renovation. That doesn't mean the problem is fixed and I must take some time to get that fixed once and for all. Hopefully this coming week.

You can tell that I've been working. Here's my upstairs/downstairs basket. It's full and currently sitting in Studio B. Time to bring it up and put things away. Some of the stuff goes into the recycling, some into the kitchen and some will go upstairs to Studio U.

Upstairs/downstairs basket

I have a bit of work ahead of me. This is my trimming/binding pile. I need to process all of that in the next couple of days. There's not enough room to do with everyone around today, but perhaps when they leave, I'll get to it.

The trimming/binding pile of quilts

One thing I'm having to find workarounds for is the fact that having two studios means that you either carry stuff back and forth or you buy duplicates. Not a lot, but I did buy a new cutting mat yesterday. That one will go to Studio U and the one from Studio U comes to Studio B. So now there's a very good cutting mat in each studio and also a crappier one in each studio. That's for ME, not for the people coming. I think the only other thing I need to buy is an 8 ½" by 24" ruler. I have a 6" by 24" and I hate it. I like the wider one. That's for my next shopping excursion.

When we started to cut the community projects quilts the other day, I realized we had no place to put the scraps on the cutting table. An empty project box served the purpose quite nicely. No need to buy something new. It's now empty and waiting for more scraps.

Plastic project box is great for scraps

I had to move a few things to make room for that extra sewing spot and I thought while I'm there, I might as well empty a couple more boxes of books. Two more boxes of books and magazines are now on the shelves. I really need to get at that and locate all the books. That'll allow me to start moving the rest of the furniture back to its proper place and I can then unpack the boxes that go into those units. I was thinking so much about that that I couldn't get to sleep. I did NOT get up and empty more boxes, but I should have! I'd have been more productive.

And I did NOT wing anything into the stash or the storage rooms. That's only for stuff that has been processed, sorted and packed. Nope - I hid everything in an empty corner of the basement.

I found a few more things. I doubt that anyone will want these items, but you never know. There's a bunch of little goodie/gift boxes for the Christmas season. Anything I mention today is free.

Little treat boxes with Christmas/winter theme

I have a ton of containers and I LOVE to have my stuff organized into its own containers. But I think I've reached the stage where I don't need all the containers that I have. So these are all going to be donated if no one wants them. The one on the left is a set of three nesting tins with a sewing theme. A big clear glass container with a screw lid - great for buttons. A plastic container with a lid and a round tin with a winter theme.

Containers up for grabs

Oh - that darn plastic one with the handle photo bombed this photo. Pretty cheeky I think! Anyway, this time, there are twelve small plastic containers with lids. Great for snacks or beads or buttons. And then two plastic containers with dividers. Great for sewing machine feet or small sewing tools.

More containers up for grabs

There's more stuff - I just didn't want to bore you with it all this morning. Somehow, I think the same thing is going to happen in my Studios as happened on that shelf of community projects stuff. I will take out loads of stuff and still won't look like anything has been removed. But the area is going to be super neat and the goal is to keep it that way.

Case in point, it was a snap to get ready for the group today because there was hardly anything on the table except that gingerbread block which I had spread from one end to the other - oh and those containers!

On that note, I'm out of here. The group will start arriving in an hour.

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

With a little help from your friends

So a while back, I asked the members of our Sit n Sew group if anyone would be interested in a community projects sewing day. This was to get rid of several boxes of fabric/scraps that had been given to me. I personally didn't want the stuff, although a good part of two of the boxes was brand new untouched and very good quality fabric. Even a couple of brand new kits. HUNDREDS of dollars worth of fabric in those boxes.

In my mind, I had earmarked that those boxes of fabric needed to be made into community project quilts. The boxes have been sitting near the long arm and totally neglected. I had also received kits from a couple of other people and quilt tops that some people no longer wanted. Needless to say, it was getting to be a mess and I needed to deal with it.

Hence, the e-mail to the Sit n Sew group. I had four people respond but only three were able to make it and myself, making four.

Here's what happened. OH -- I should say that the door to the large storage area and the stash room were wide open all day as we dug through boxes of fabric and what we couldn't find in the boxes, I dug out of the stash room. There was NOTHING (well pretty much nothing sacred) yesterday. We were four ladies on a mission.

Door to the large storage room - wide open

Door to the stash room - wide open

This is the shelf in the large storage room that is designated as the community projects shelf. All the fabric on those shelves is scheduled to be made into quilts and out the door. Actually, there's one more tub with three quilts in it that I added after the group left yesterday. I added another container filled with cut strips that I found and I know there's at least one, if not two laundry baskets filled with strips for string pieced quilts.  I must dig it all out and get it all in one spot. Just getting this much done was HUGE.

Fabric for community projects quilts

I didn't really know what to expect so before anyone came, I dug out all the quilt tops and some larger pieces of backing. I thought if we could get through that, it would be awesome.

Quilt tops to be processed

Then Helen Anne arrived and took charge!  She started off by measuring the tops, finding an appropriate backing and binding, and calculating how many binding strips each one would need. Each was labeled with a meticulously detailed note.

As she called out for a particular fabric, I dug through the boxes and in most cases found something that was appropriate. If not, I dug into my personal stash to find something that would work.

Well, it didn't seem to take too long to tame that pile. We eventually dumped the contents of the boxes on the left of that shelf onto the tables and before they left, Helen Anne had the fabrics sorted by color and style.  I found the pattern for a couple of quick patterns and she was making kits.

Diane and Helen Anne shopping in the fabric pile

While Helen Anne was measuring, sorting, and labeling, Lynn and Diane were each working on finishing the projects. Some of the quilt tops were a bit small and needed borders. We followed the same process - we looked in those boxes first and if nothing, I pulled from my stash. I FREELY pulled from my stash. There was no hesitation. Let's get this done!!!!

They were awesome! I can't say enough about the three of them - A HUGE THANK YOU TO Helen Anne, Diane, and Lynn. We worked well together and it was super, super fun and a very productive day.

Diane and Lynn were so keen that they left their projects that they were working on as they'll be back on Sunday for the Sit n Sew and they're going to finish their projects then. Never mind that Diane took a quilt kit home and is going to come up with something different as there was too much work in the pattern that came with the kit. A different Diane has a kit that she's working on at home.

Machines and projects all set up for Sit n Sew on Sunday

So what did we accomplish???  There are six quilts of varying sizes in this box. All of them have binding and backing and are ready to be quilted. It seemed that I made miles of binding yesterday, but I think that's a bit of an exaggeration.

A box of quilt tops (with their binding and backing) ready to be quilted

There was also a stack of quilt tops with their backing and binding fabric that still need work. It could be the binding has to be made, or the backing needs to be pieced. I think there was an entire box of that as well as some bundles of fabrics that need to be cut to make kits.

However, if you take into consideration that Diane took a big kit home and four projects are sitting on the table waiting for Sunday, and we removed six quilts, those darn boxes appear to be as full at the end of the day as when we started. Now, what's going on here????   Seriously????  OK - maybe one of those tubs (or hopefully several) aren't full. They all look full! I was hoping we would have emptied at least one tub.

Looks like we did absolutely nothing

First thing in the morning, I was running between the long arm and the sewing machine as I was quilting my third Quilts of Valour quilt for the week. It's now off the long arm and needs to be trimmed and bound. I made the binding for all three and just waiting to be put on the binding machine. OK - that's just a regular sewing machine.

Quilts of Valour quilt

Again, I can't thank Diane, Helen Anne and Lynn enough for the amazing day (even though I got stuck on a conference call for a bit). It was so much fun and so rewarding.

While most of the fabric that we touched yesterday did NOT belong to me, some of it was and I'm happy to see the fabric being put to good use. I spent years accumulating that stash and now it's time to play with it. I'd much rather do this with the stash than give it away. I can thank the fabric while we're assembling and quilting these quilts and then it's gone! What's left after 10 years (or whatever time frame I have before it's time to downsize) will be given away. But I think I can use a LOT in 10 years if not much new is coming in.

In case you're wondering, NO - we don't need donations unless you have batting. I have three rolls of batting already designated for these quilts - I'm sure that'll go fast once I get started. The ladies were invited to add to the donated pile if they had unwanted tops, kits, and fabrics at home. This is not about us using YOUR stash to make quilts, this is about us using OUR stashes to make quilts. If you want to help, let me know. But we found the small group worked perfectly in that large space.

Doing this with my fabric feels so right. I would feel guilty if I were to just donate this mess to someone else. While I'm happy to give stuff away, I do NOT want it to go into someone else's stash. I want it to be used! Speaking of which, I have more stuff slated to go out the door today. Happy, happy, happy!!!   So, if you're in the same mess as myself, why not organize a sewing day with a couple of friends and make community project quilts. Pick EASY quilts to make or get those tops that you no longer want and make them up and quilt them. Then donate them!

It was a super day and I'm so excited about our progress. I already have another 15 community quilts that I put together a while back that need to be quilted. They are at the long arm. My goal is to get one quilt done a day. Some are big, most are small, so I don't see why that should can't happen. The next quilt is on the long arm and it belongs to a customer! I do have to get those in as well. I seem to be much better at getting to the long arm if I load the quilt in the evening and then I just have to turn on the long arm in the morning and start quilting. Whatever works - do it!!!!

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

What you put inside counts!

Oh my - it was so much fun to get back into the swing of the Sit n Sew days. And yes - all that stuff that is still waiting to be put away? It didn't bother us at all. Except I'll have to move a wee bit of it as we will be eight on Sunday so going to need more space.

I got a lot done yesterday. I trimmed a couple of quilts and they are now ready to have the binding attached. I prepped a bunch of zippered pouches and a bag. By prepping, I got the fronts and backs completed for five zippered pouches. I found some lining fabric for four of them. Oops - was going to find the lining for the fifth, but forgot. I cut the Decor-Bond (heavy interfacing) for the linings and cut the Fusible Fleece for the outer. Both products are by Pellon. I love the stuff and buy it by the bolt!

I still need to find zippers but just didn't get that far. Yes - I'm going to start by searching through my huge box of zippers. Then I'll buy some if I can't find anything.

Here's a couple of pictures of what happened yesterday. I got out my lightbox and glued most of the pieces onto the background for the last gingerbread block. I realize that I didn't finish turning the edges under on the roof. So I'll get around to that later today. I also forgot to make a door. Then there are a bunch of hearts for the windows. I have the pieces traced for those hearts, but if I could find some red Ultrasuede that would save turning under all those curves and points of the small hearts. I have Ultrasuede, but where? Doesn't matter for the moment - a good part of the block is glued down and I can start stitching. Last block!!!!

Last block for the gingerbread quilt

I missed getting pictures of what Diane, Linda, and Helen Anne were working on. But they all made great progress!!

Tish was working on a paper pieced block of a book cover. I didn't get a closeup, but she was using selvages for the spine and had clever "sayings" for the title that in most cases went with the cover of the book. I love those blocks!!!! Very artsy!!

Tish's book blocks

Pauline was making half-square triangles. After she made and trimmed all the half-square triangles, she put them on the wall. We helped her move the blocks around until we felt that we had evenly distributed the colors. Great - she was off sewing like crazy. You see, Pauline has NO UFOs. None. This is the ONLY project that she has that is not finished and she was working on it so of course, it couldn't be finished. Can you imagine? I can't. I worked on three or four projects in the day!!!

But do you see what I see? It was only when I went to take a picture of her quilt and looked at it through the camera lens that I noticed that BIG half-square triangle that was formed on the left in the middle. It's just how the value of the squares got arranged. She was going to rip it out. NO - I think it happened for a reason and adds a lot of interest to the piece.

The center of Pauline's quilt top

One of the other things I worked on was my bucket made from the denim pant leg. When I originally made it, I didn't put any interfacing inside as I thought the denim would be stiff enough to provide enough support. I should know better. Well, that bucket was slouchy and I didn't loke it. So I ripped it apart. I fused Decor-Bond onto the lining and sewed it back together. VOILA - It's perfect!!!!  I'm going to find a use for it and I have a HUGE basket of denim fabric that I unearthed. I might just make a few more. I love the pop of color provided by that dotty fabric (ColorsWorks Concepts by Northcott). Yeah - it really does matter what you put inside. USE stabilizers or you'll regret it.

Without Decor-Bond

Fabric bucket made from denim WITH Decor-Bond

When I was new to quilting, I didn't know that some things need to be stabilized (interfaced). I have bag handles that are made with COTTON only. They are the limpest things around. I'm in the process of fixing them. NO ONE will want to use them the way they are. So - if you're new to sewing/quilting - make sure that things are stabilized. There are many products on the market - my preference is Decor-Bond and Fusible Fleece, but others like the foam. I like using two products - one for the outer part and one for the lining, but we all have our preferences.

After everyone left, it was over to the long arm to get another quilt done. I love how the pattern worked perfectly on this one. This is along the bottom edge. How did I do that? Just guessing. I wish I knew the trick to get this consistent every time!!!

The pattern ended right at the bottom of the quilt

Here's the quilt. It's a quilt for Quilts of Valour and it's one of the things on my list of things to get done this month. The binding is made so I hope to trim it today and will get to work on the bindings soon. This is going to be written up into a pattern for Quilts of Valour. I didn't design the pattern, nor did I make the top, but I promised to quilt it. And I promised to make the instructions into a full-blown pattern. Both are due by the end of the month.

Quilts of Valour quilt - done!!!!

I finished this little block the other day and didn't show you yet. This is the 9th block from that mini Block of the Month. I've started the 10th block. Yep - I can see getting this quilt done soon. It's not on any list. I know - I shouldn't sneak those in, but it's my ender/leader project so it's allowed.

Mini quilt block - DONE

Here's my laundry basket. It's not in very good shape as it was damaged by supporting huge amounts of fabric for years. Now I use it to transport stuff between the studios. So it goes up and downstairs about once a day, sometimes twice depending on what I'm doing. I love the system. Once I empty another laundry basket (there are a few), this one will be retired to the garbage since it's a bit damaged, but it's working for the purpose I'm using it for now.

Laundry basket to transfer stuff between the studios

Except for yesterday morning when I was trying to find the cord for my iPad. Where the heck is it? I couldn't find it. Then when I unpacked the laundry basket, there it was! So I need to get in the habit of checking that basket for things.

Now if I could only find the two missing library books that are somewhere in the house. I had even forgotten that I had them. They could be anywhere.

Today, we'll be sewing on some community projects stuff. I have unearthed quite a bit of stuff and I've got it stored in a specific place in the large storage room. I need to get it used up so I can put my own stuff in there! I found quilt tops and all kinds of other things. That's for us to sort out today.

Have a great day!!!!


Ciao!!!