A Day in Paducah

Since I am spending the week with my husband while he is working out of town, I need to keep busy. Along with the scraps that I processed, I had packed my EPP kit. What I didn't realize is that I didn't have enough 3/4 inch hexagon pieces to fill in my time here. A quick visit to the local quilt store, The Cotton Mill Quilt Company, left me with some great fabric but not the hexagon pieces I needed. Rebecca Moore, the owner, did try calling the other two quilt stores in the area, but they didn't have any either. I was going to have to take a trip to Paducah. 

Paper Pieces Pop-up Shop

Paducah, Kentucky is where Paper Pieces is headquartered. They are my go to for paper piecing shapes. They have a little pop-up shop that is open by appointment. I called and arranged with Jess to meet her at the shop on Wednesday morning. The drive took me about an hour and 45 minutes. The transaction took about 20 minutes. The shop is adorable and Jess is super friendly and an awesome resource. No hard sell but more than happy to give you ideas and recommend videos that are available to help you improve.

Not ready to return to the hotel just yet, I decided to visit The National Quilt Museum. My husband and I had visited it back in 2009. We really didn't know much about the museum back then and we were expecting the exhibits to be along the lines of a History in Quilting. It was definitely not that. Honestly, I was very disappointed in it. There were very few pieced quilts, there was a lot of thread painting type of quilts and everything was very modern. There weren't any quilts that could be considered functional. The quilts we liked the most were actually wooden carvings of quilts. That visit left me disillusioned and I never planned to go back. I later learned that the exhibits are changed frequently so I decided to check them out again. 

This time I knew more of what to expect. Yes, there were a lot of modern quilts. (I tend to be more of a traditional quilter.) Aside from the Virginia Findlay Wolfe Exhibit (which was interesting but I am not a fan), I really enjoyed the quilts. I especially enjoyed the Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry exhibit which focused on vibrant uses of color. I also learned that they offer classes and camps during the year. I might be interested in going to one of those sometime.

Even better that the exhibit hall was the gift shop. Because in the gift shop were other quilters. I met a few women from Knoxville who had come up together. We were browsing the discounted fabric and sharing stories. Talking about our lives and families as well as projects. One woman asked if I needed her to talk me into a purchase or out of it. She truly understood the need to minimize your stash and the need to buy all the fabric. Then while checking out, I mentioned to the salesperson that I was up from Georgia. Two women came around the corner and asked where in Georgia. Turns out they are from Cairo. We hugged and exchanged numbers. Hopefully we will get together, when we get back home. I could use some new friends now that I don't work anymore.

The last place I visited was Hancock's of Paducah. Every quilter I know talks about how awesome this place is and yet, I am unimpressed. This was my second visit there. Yeah, there's a lot of fabric and  it's organized by manufacturers, which is cool. But I am not loyal to any one brand. There are a lot of kits and pre-cuts available too. But is wasn't as much fun as I would have liked. It just lacks the warmth of the smaller quilt shops. It may be different during quilt week when there are tons of quilters around.

Don't get me wrong, I will visit it every time I go to Paducah. I will probably spend way too much every time as well. But I would much rather shop at a smaller quilt shop. I guess I was spoiled by Mom's Crafts and Fabrics in Delta, Utah. It was the first real quilt shop I ever frequented and it will always be my favorite.

All in all it was a very good day filled with a lot of camaraderie with fellow quilters. I had a great time and definitely would do it again. Only maybe start out sooner so I can visit some of the other small shops in the area.

Scraps, Scraps, and More Scraps

Scraps 

Anyone who works with fabric, is well aware that scraps are inevitable.  No project using fabric uses all the fabric the pattern calls for simply because fabric is either sold off the bolt or in pre-cut sizes. It is rare you can buy the exact amount you need. Then there are those of us who buy extra fabric in case we make a mistake. Or better yet buy fabric without a project in mind. This means we almost always have more fabric than we need for the project. So there are scraps.

There are differing views on how to deal with scraps. Some people simply discard the leftover fabric by either giving it away or throwing it out. There are those who put it aside and thinking they will find another project for it someday. Personally, I fall in the later category. In fact, I am more than happy to take scraps from other people. 

I tend to hold onto all of the scraps. I have been stashing them into bins for years. At least I was until a couple of years ago. I was doing a declutter challenge and realized how many scraps I had. Then, I watched a Video on managing scraps by Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts. (She has a website as well as a YouTube channel.) In it she talks about cutting "Mount Scrapmore" down to size. Literally! She suggested you take time once a month to process scraps into some standard sizes. For me, anything under 1/2 yd is cut down into; Fat Quarters, 5 inch squares, 2-1/2 inch squares, 2 inch squares and 2-1/2 inch strips. This works well for me since I love to make scrap quilts. 

Another trick is to pick a pattern that you want to make scrappy and cut the scraps into the sizes needed for the quilt. This means you have to keep in mind what pattern you are cutting for. I personally have a basket with the pre-cut scraps and pattern in it. I try to keep rack of how many more I need with a post it note.

Another reason I keep and process scraps is because I love cutting fabric. It is very cathartic to me. Especially turning scraps into usable pieces. It just soothes my soul in a way that is difficult to explain. Stress seems to dissipate when I am cutting fabric. I would often process scraps in the morning before work because it helped put me in the right frame of mind to deal with difficult people.

Scraps I've processed.

In the last two years I have gone from 2 huge storage totes to one 24 liter bin. This week I am traveling with my husband. To keep busy while he is working, I brought 3 yards of fabric that had been stained, 2 - gallon size zip lock bags of scraps, a rotary cutter, an 12"x18"cutting mat, and my favorite rulers for processing scraps. I didn't have to pack an iron since there is one in the hotel room. My plan is to get some of the scraps processed. That way I feel like I am making some progress on decluttering the studio even though I am on the road. 

My day starts with getting out the iron and ironing board and pressing all of the scraps. I did buy a spray bottle and some spray starch. some of these scraps have been in storage for years. I start cutting the scraps and stack them by size. at the end of the day I put them in zip lock
bags by size. It will make organizing them at home easier.  

The problem I have run into this week is that I am here for a total of 8 days. I am 3 days in and I have already gotten through most of the scraps. I should have brought the whole bin with me. I would have gotten it all done this week. Oh well, I am sure I will have more opportunities to do this in the coming months. I may just get my scraps all caught up before I get my studio into working shape.

Enablers - How Much I am Blessed

We visited my daughter this past weekend. We planned on going into Reno to do some shopping and my daughter wanted to go to Joanne's since everything was on clearance due to them closing down. Of course I was on board with that plan. But with the three little girls and long days, my husband and I ended up taking off with the girls to have fun. 

When we got back to their house my daughter, who had hit up Joanne's, was showing me her treasures. I loved the fact that a lot of the treasures were things to do with her girls. Basically starting them young on learning the skills she has.

my daughter's gift to me

One of her finds was for me though. She bought me 3 jelly rolls. She knows I love them (I really do). They were batik fabrics in rainbow colors. Do I need more jelly rolls? No, but I want them. Plus I love that my daughter knows me so well. And I appreciate that she didn't want me to miss out.

Last night, my husband and I went to the Joanne's here in Bakersfield, CA. My husband asked if I wanted him to come in with me. I said he could come with me or stay in the car and take a nap. He chose to come in. I should have just told him to stay in the car. Taking him into Joanne's was a mistake.

Why was it a mistake? It is not for the reasons you might imagine. My husband is an enabler. I will spend two to three times more money if I take my husband into a quilt or craft store. 

When walking in, I stated that we want to focus on supplies and tools for crafts I already do. My husband, on the other hand, "heard let's fill the cart." He found 2 different fleece fabrics that go together for a quilt. He found 6 different flannel fabrics that would either make great quilts or pajamas.  He put the bolts in the cart and said just buy all of it. (Which I did end up doing.)

Some of my treasures

I was actually shopping for bargains. I found a black layer cake for $10. I got a jelly roll for $3. I got 3 fat quarter bundles for $4 each. All in colors that I need. I also bought a bolt of white quilting cotton at 40% off. All of which I will use in quilts I have planned. 

I picked up some Yo-Yo makers at 50% off. I need them for an RS activity I have coming up. Then I was able to find Alcohol Inks for 50% off. Since we will be doing alcohol ink art in RS this month, I needed that as well. 

While shopping my husband made comments like; "Oh, look beads!" I have way too many beads already. "And Honey, letter stamps." They were for stamping metal which I haven't delved into as of yet. I told him that we should really not be looking for another craft for me to start. (Okay, I am kind of sorry I didn't get them but it would have required buying the blanks to use them on as well. Trying to be responsible here)

My trip to Joanne's ended costing us almost $500 dollars. Sixty percent were his picks. But I love his enthusiasm for my hobbies and happiness. He really does encourage me in all of my hobbies. He always has.

The thing is he is not my only enabler. I have 8 children and for the most part all of them (and their spouses) are enablers for me. Those who don't live nearby are happy to send links to patterns and ideas. Which are not always for things I do, hence starting new crafts.

Two of my granddaughters
learning to sew

Two years ago we were visiting my oldest in Cheyenne, when I spotted a quilt show. My husband suggested I take the girls to the quilt show and the boys do something else. But my son stated that it would be good for the boys to go to the quilt show as well. 

I was impressed with how 2 teenage boys got so interested in the quilts and how they were made. They even spent several minutes talking to the featured quilter about her work. All of the grandkids were very focused on the quilts and the quilters. 

They then accompanied me to a quilt store and helped me pick out fabric for quilts. My son also had me teach the girls to sew on their mother's sewing machine. It hadn't gotten much use.

While in Hawaii, my youngest daughter went into the quilt shop with me. (She is always willing to go to quit shops with me.) She helped me pick out patterns and fabric. When I joked about bringing my enabler in the store with me, she pointed out it was better her than my husband. Which is true, I would have spent a whole lot more. I spent plenty without his help.

My #3 son, will just randomly bring me home fabric that he likes. He also is one that will accompany me into quilt and craft stores. When visiting a quilt store, he will buy fabric if I don't. So yeah, he's a big time enabler. But he told me once that I am at my happiest when I am quilting, sewing, or crafting. He also swears that it gets better if I am teaching it as well.

Another daughter brings her kids over to craft with grandma. She is not a crafter per-se but wants her children to learn.

And still another will have me come to help her with sewing projects. Mostly, I think it's so we can do it together. It was always something we shared.

All my children will give me fabric or tools for gifts. Or they give things that represent my hobbies. Such as a vinyl clock in the shape of a sewing machine for my studio.

While I know of women who hide their fabric purchases from their husbands. I have mine proudly on display all throughout my studio. (Okay it's just laying out because I haven't put it up yet.) I never catch grief about how much I spend. In fact, my family wants me to do the things I love and they make sure I have what I need to do the things I love. 

I am truly blessed. Still, I need to figure out how to get all of this stuff I just bought home. I think I will be doing some creative packing. We already bought 2 small suit cases at Goodwill.

Getting My SewJo Back

Nineteen months ago was the last time I felt like working on anything. My quilting came to a stand still. The last thing I did was load the back of a quilt on the long arm. The top just needed pressed. Then life happened. Actually work happened. My job became more stressful, I was working very long hours and everything else fell by the wayside.

How bad was it? After a while I didn't even want to buy fabric. What quilter doesn't want to buy fabric?  I had dropped my morning routine because I was having to go into work so early. So I wasn't even doing any mindless stitching (chain piecing 2 inch squares into 4 patches) It was not good. Without my morning routine of stitching or cutting scraps and spiritual broadcasts, things spiraled.

I was overly stressed but didn't realize it. I was depressed but not recognizing it. I was exhausted but pushing myself to keep going. I was sick but minimized it and didn't get the rest I needed. I was not taking time off and my weekends were filled with errands and chores that were left undone during the week.  A lot of those were done by my kids because I was too exhausted or sick to do anything.

Now I did do some other creative things during this time. I played with UV resin and made some jewelry. I made lip balm and hand cream. I even did some candles. All of these were done to teach at Relief Society. I can thank my calling for at least making me do a little creative activity every month.

What finally broke the drought? I quit my job. I finally recognized that I wasn't valued or appreciated. My career was stalled and I wasn't going to break through the glass ceiling. It was time to move on. And I did.

While on a much needed vacation in Hawaii, I realized that I wanted to buy fabric. I wanted to find a quilt shop and see what they had. We were buying souvenirs at the little boutiques, when we found Quilt Passions in Kailua Kona.  I bought 3 kits, 3 more patterns, a couple of gadgets, and some yardage. I felt excited about quilting for the first time in a long time.

When we got home, it took forever to get over the jet lag. But I needed to get somethings together for my trip to California with my husband. I knew I couldn't bring a sewing machine so that meant slow stitching. I decided to grab my scrap box and start cutting up some 2 inch squares for my EPP project. 

my work station in the hotel room

I started cutting and boy did it feel wonderful. I love cutting fabric. I have a bin and a half of fabric scraps I need to process. When I get back from California I really should get that bin processed since I need it for yardage.

I am currently in California. I spend the day in the hotel room while my husband is at work. I am spending my time reading, working on blogs, listening to broadcasts, and doing EPP. I am totally relaxed and excited about getting my studio in shape. I will be reviewing the video on servicing my long arm. I just need to come up with some space solutions but that is doable.

It is amazing what removing negative energy can do for your creative spirit. 

Forty Nine Days of Down Time

It has been forty nine days sine I last posted. That is seven weeks.  My last post was about a UFO I had finished. Since then there has been very little progress on any project.

I have come to the realization that I was overwhelmed by the state of my studio. I am feeling very crowded and can't seem to focus. I have 3 quilts that need borders and backing. It should be a quick finish for each one and I haven't been able to get myself to do it.

I have come up with a few excuses as to why I am procrastinating.

    * I don't have room to set my ironing board and I need to press the fabric before I cut it.

    * My cutting surface is covered with clutter from the house and other projects

    * The tension is off on my sewing machine and I need to open it up and work on it

    * I am too tired after work

    * I am having to work too many hours

The pure simple truth is I am stressed and a little bit depressed.  My belongings have taken over my Home and Studio. I need to get things cleaned up and declutter. In this house hold we have gotten in the bad habit of stashing things in bins to take care of later. In my dining room there were two big bins and a huge box of things taken out of vehicles that we no longer own. They have been sitting there for about 4 plus months now. There are also things still sitting out from canning and meat processing. They need to go back to their storage places.

My dining room table is a work surface for me.  I cut fabric there. I work on non sewing projects there. I plan to work on sewing machines there. So I need to get that area cleared out.

Then there are the sewing machines. I have now have 5 old machines in cabinets (not counting the 3 treadles). 4 old machines not in cabinets, one of them being a dead head. That doesn't even include the machines I have had for years. I need to get working on them and get them in shape. Killian and I need to build up our experience so we can start doing sewing machine service/repair as a side hustle.

So space is a problem. But it is something I can fix if I will just start doing it. And today I started. I emptied the 2 bins and most of the huge box. I can actually get to my dining room table now. Tomorrow, I will start clearing off that table. Then maybe clear out under it.

As for my problematic sewing machine, Killian reminded me that I have brand new machine(the one I bought last March). Plus I know that my very first machine is running fine because I used it while I had my usual machine in for service last fall. Starting tomorrow one of them gets pulled out.

But rest assured I did not let the entire 49 days go by without doing something productive/creative. I did make 13 more hexagon flowers. And I did get most of the basket of scraps cut up. In fact I only have 3 fairly large pieces left to cut. I just need to press them first. 

I also got to visit 3 quilt stores at the beginning of July. I spent way too much money and I don't even care. I gave me such a lift and some much needed inspiration. I am feeling motivated to get to work.

What have you been up to this past 7 weeks?

One UFO Down (who knows how many more left)

I finally finished the Cobblestones and Pinwheels quilt. This quilt is 80" x 80", so it actually fits my bed. As much as I love this quilt, it will most likely will not reside on my bed. It is a very bright and busy quilt.  I am not sure my husband could sleep under it and frankly I don't need the stimulation right before bed time.  This quilt has been put in the linen cupboard until it is needed. I think I need to get some quilt ladders or quilt racks so I can have these quilts out. It seems such a waste to put them in the cupboard.  

This quilt took forever to get done. I got the backing made for it and I even put it on the long arm. Then it sat for 2 weeks. I finally got the batting cut and the quilting design figured out. I even got it quilted and off the machine and trimmed 2 weeks ago. I even made the binding 2 weeks ago. But the quilt hung over the long arm and waited for me to get the energy to stitch it on. Last Sunday I stitched the binding on and turned it. Then in the evenings this week,  I sat and stitched down the binding. I finished binding it last night. 

The label was made so I started stitching the label on before stopping to work on my talk for church. This morning before church, I worked on finishing the label. I was 2/3 of the way in getting the label stitched down, when I happened to turn the corner of the quilt over. That was when I discovered this tiny blue dot in the yellow square. That little dot is where I had stitched all the way through the quilt when adding the label. I had to take out almost all of the stitching that I had just put in. Just goes to show, you should never be in a hurry when working on a project. Especially when you are coming up to the finish line. That is when you will make mistakes. I did finish sewing the label on after church. and I am very pleased to have this project done.

Now I am down to 3 quilts that need borders and backings before I can put the next one on the long arm. Hopefully this week will not be so busy at work and I will be able to work on those quilts. I also have one quilt that needs reworked. And 3 more that need started. I have the done the fabric pull and have the pattern all figured out. I just haven't started cutting them yet. Actually I have a whole bunch more than 3 quilts that have the fabric has been pulled for. But let's not go down that rabbit hole today.

In the meantime, I think I will start on Emerson's quilt. I've finally decided to just do a piano key border around the center fabric of his quilt. I think I am going to need some more of the solid color fabrics I bought for the borders though. I will try and get some more tomorrow after work.

What are you working on?

 

Forward Momentum

This week has been another stressful one at work. My morning routine was interrupted more than once. Although I still managed to get some EPP done. Eight more flowers to add to the stash. To do the quilt I have in mind I will need about 250 flowers. I am currently at 55. I am a little over 20% there. There's no hurry because I still need to find the fabric I want to use for the other blocks.

I had been putting off stitching the binding on the Pinwheel and Cobblestones quilt because my shoulder hurt. Wrangling any quilt through the domestic machine can put stress on person's shoulders. This is why I am grateful that I have a long arm. I have quilted a few quilts using my domestic machine and I wasn't completely happy with them. My machine doesn't have a stitch regulator, and I couldn't get my stitches even. Also the machine has a rather small throat making it difficult to maneuver a medium size quilt through. I couldn't get the results that I really wanted. With the long arm I guide the machine instead of the quilt. Much easier to get I the look I want. And it has a stitch regulator, so the stitches are even. If I use the computer, I don't have to guide it at all. Plus I can get it done in a day or two instead of weeks and months.

Anyway, my shoulders have been achy (most likely from stress) and I kept putting off sewing the binding on the quilt.  Today I got the binding on and I got it turned to it the back. I even started stitching it back down. But I my hands and shoulders started hurting too much so I decided to take a break. I will work on it a little each night until it is done. 

In the meantime there are scraps to process and two more quilts to work on. As well as get Emerson's quilt pass the planning stage. Not sure which I am going to work on first. I am itching to start another project. But Emerson is getting pretty anxious for his quilt. And I need to make some room in the Studio. So working on WIP is the better choice.

Decisions, Decisions, I just can't make up my mind. Oh well, time for a break. I need to let my hands rest.

 

Progress and a Successful Save

I finally got the Cobblestones and Pinwheels quilt quilted. I am loving it. Since the top was so busy and colorful I went with a neutral thread color and a curvy meander.  It was the right choice. I am sitting here looking at it hanging on my long arm and I can't tell you how pleased I am with how it is turning out.  

I am especially pleased as I had a major scare.  I had finished quilting it and had taken it off the backing bar. I was rolling it up on the take up bar and realized that the last row and a quarter was messed up. The tension was all wrong. It was all eye-lashed to death. Not one good stitch. My daughter and I realized it started at the last bobbin change. Together we picked out the stitches. Then I unrolled it and reattached the backing to the backing bar. I called up the pattern went to the last zone. I changed my bobbin again and tested the stitches and they were fine. I then positioned my needle where the last bobbin ended. I hit closest stitch and the machine moved up about an inch. I then undid the break and moved the quilt to the position the needle was. I had to do a little tracing to get it to the exact place. I crossed my fingers and said a little prayer. The quilting angels were with me. It stitched out the rest of the quilt perfectly. 

This was a first for me and I am really grateful that I could get it figured out. While I have not had tension issues like this before. i have had to try and reset the pattern. Usually I end up with things off and I end up leaving it rather than picking out all the stitches again. I am sure Heavenly Father knew I needed a win.

I have the quilt off the long arm and trimmed up. I was going to bind it in brown but my daughters and I agreed that the brown dulled down the quilt. I didn't have any black that wasn't set aside for another quilt. But I did find some navy blue fabric that pulls it all together and makes it pop.  The binding is made. I just need to get it sewn on. But that will be tomorrow's project. The day is slipping away and I have scripture study to do.

Have you had a successful save recently? 

Still Slow Stitching

Here it is the end of May already. I have not completed a quilt. I have not cleaned up the studio. I have put in a lot of hours at work and not had enough down time for myself. I totally forgot my youngest daughter's birthday.  Fortunately she has forgiven me. It has been such a whirlwind of a month.

What I have gotten done is 17 more EPP flowers. That's not quite a flower a day. But then I had some really long days with no stitching at all.  I am finding that I can just about do a flower a day if I will put down the social media. I've gotten bad about social media again.

What I am really pleased about is my pairing of fabrics for the flowers.  I was blessed with a very good eye for color. It is definitely a God given gift.  It is one thing to know that colors go together, it is another to be able to put them together and have them pop.  That has been the case with some of the flowers I did this week.  I was very pleasantly surprised by some of them.

The tan and brown ones turned out a lot prettier than I realized they would. I was so pleased with them. The dark blue with the bright blue center is much prettier in person. I tried pink and yellow for centers but the bright blue makes them pop so much better. The black with the red center was a surprise. I was going to use green but it just didn't do anything for the black print. I tried red, thinking it would bring out the red hearts, it did but it also brought out the green ribbons. It looked so much better than green or white would have. The light blue with the dark blue center ia also prettier in person. The dark blue was really the only choice for that one. 

Hopefully, my hours will start to be shorter again (shorter as in 8 hours) and I will get back on track with my quilting. I still have the cobblestones and pin wheels quilt to finish. Then there are 3 quilts that need borders and backs before I can put them on the machine. Plus Emerson is rather impatient to have his quilt done. Then there's Dorian's quilt and Wren's Quilt to make.  I am struggling with too many planned/obligation quilts and not enough spontaneous quilting. I need more time in my day. 

Any suggestions for adding hours to the day? Preferably ones that don't cut into my sleep. 

EPP & Needles

 I have made 30 EPP flowers so far. I didn't realize how many I had made until I was emptying out my EPP kit. I am quite pleased with them. These are all from scraps. Frankly I have lots more scraps to use. I am not sure how many of these I am going to need for the quilt that I have in mind. I just know that I will probably make not stop when I get enough. This is a good way to use small scraps. I am sure I will find other uses for them as well. My daughter suggested turning them into pockets on tee shirt or child's apron.

As for the quilt, I am going to applique the flowers onto white 5 inch squares. Then mix them with a black and white four patch squares. Sort of a checkerboard style quilt. I plan to use different colors of thread to stitch the flowers down. I would really like the black and white squares to be made from a black with white pin dots print and a white tone on tone print.  I just need to find the fabric I like first.

Another realization of just how much hand stitching I have been doing lately,  is the needle that I am using. I don't know how many people realize that needles are not as rigid as they seem. Just the warmth and pressure from your fingers will cause them to bend. If you look at the needle in on the blue square of fabric, it is definitely curved.  I don't grip the needle tight and I didn't have to struggle to pull it through the fabric. But it is definitely bent.

I have been using this same needle for months now and it has actually formed to the way I am using it. I am doing a lot of overcast stitches and the basting stitches are more of a back stitch. So the bend in the needle actually makes it easier. I can't help but I think that it is kind of neat. 

Despite using it for months, the needle is still sharp. I know because I got distracted and stitched through a layer of skin on my index finger. I didn't feel it until the thread started to drag.  No blood, it was just the upper layer of skin. I did cut the thread and not my skin though. I don't need the open spot with all the hand washing and sanitizing I do at work.

Have you ever used a needle until it has bent from use?

Not Much in the Way of Stitching

I just didn't get much done this week. I was not feeling well at the start of the week. Then I worked late that last few days of the week. Add to that my husband was home. Since he sleeps in later than I do, stitching in the morning is not an option. Plus, I tend to sit with him in the evening instead of blogging and scripture study. So I switched the scripture study and blogging to the morning.

I had every intention of stitching in the afternoon/evening. That did not happen. What I did get accomplished was, I made the back to the cobblestones and pinwheels quilt. The backing and the top are loaded on the machine. I have not decided on a quilting design, but am leading towards a meander. I have not done a meander before so it should be a good experience.

I am thinking of getting the borders done for the next three quilt tops done this week. Then possibly quilting the cobblestones and pinwheels quilt next weekend. I am probably being a little unrealistic but I am going to try tp do it anyway. It doesn't hurt to set goals and not reach them. But you will never get anything done if you don't set goals. 

How are you doing with your quilting goals?

A Finish At Last

Well, I did it, I finished that quilt despite the stumbling blocks. I call it Sails on the Horizon. Because it reminds me of the sails I could see out on Lake Ontario from the college library study room. Of course there weren't that many sails out on the lake it's just what the blocks looked like to me.

This is a house quilt. The top was pieced really well but I struggled with the quilting and with Quilt Path. I was a little discouraged by how it turned out. My son told me to knock it off because it is a beautiful quilt that has character.  I am sure the grandkids won't mind sleeping under a less than perfect quilt.

Since I wasn't going to give this one away I decided to try machine binding. I think it could be a very handy way of getting a quilt over the finish line. But I don't think my walmart machine is the one to use for it. Plus I need to get better at attaching the binding in the first place. I also think I could have picked a better decorative stitch. I may do machine binding again sometime. I just need to practice it and use a better machine. But I think I prefer the look of the hand stitched binding.

Do you ever machine bind?

Hiccups

This week most of my morning stitching was EPP. Which I am loving more and more. I even splurged on a few little blossom kits/bundles that were on sale this week. Of course they are a different size but that's okay. I have plans for them.

Since I am currently the "Queen of UFOs" in my facebook group, I have just a little bit of time to get a quilt finished. In fact I need to have one done by Friday or pay the penalty. So I grabbed a flimsy that was ready to be quilted. I made the back and got it pressed. I cut the batting and got it prepped. Then I started pressing the quilt top. I got to the very end and discovered a snip in one of the sashing pieces. I have only myself to blame. I allow my grandkids to use scissors and I even supply them with their own scissors.

It was a good reminder of why to always press your quilt top even if it isn't wrinkled. This is a practice I have done for a while, but to be honest, my flimsies are usually in need of a pressing.  Fortunately there is another practice I do that kept this from being a tragedy. I keep all the left over fabric and parts of the quilt until it is totally completed. As a result, I have extra sashing strips and cornerstones. I got out the seam ripper, took out, the damaged piece, and replaced it with a new sashing and cornerstone unit. Tragedy avoided.

I finally got the quilt on the long arm and set up my quilting design in the computer. But I tried to start too close to the take up leader. The thread cutter shield kept catching on the leader grip clip. Then I had a thread break about 2/3 of the way across the first row. I was going to live with the messed up top of the first row until the thread break. But after getting the machine re-threaded, I could not get it to line up again. I had only been quilting for about 5 minutes. I spent the next several hours taking out all of that 5 minutes of quilting. This particular design has a lot of back stitching.

This morning, I reset the quilt and got started again. the first row quilted out the wrong size. Rows 2 & 3 quilted out great. Rows 4 & 5 were a bit of a nightmare. I am using a variegated thread. One I have never used before. I like how it looks but I am not sure the machine likes it. Honestly it is probably operator error.

A good deal of my problem is that I go way too long between quilts. That is between putting quilts on the long arm. I forget what I learn in between the quilts. I need to get better at scheduling time to long arm. Since I have figured out zone quilting, I no longer need to do it all in one session. I am hoping to finish up tomorrow night so I can make the binding and get it on before Friday. But I am not very optimistic. 

I will say this though, I am very grateful for the women in the "Queen of UFOs" facebook group. They keep me motivated to get things done. Even when I am not the Queen, I am more likely to feel inspired to get things done. While I most likely will have to pay a fat quarter penalty to the winner of the 3rd quarter, I have plenty of fat quarters to spare. In fact I would gladly send one to each member. Being part of the group keeps me motivated to get things finished without making me feel guilty or lazy. It's a no pressure group with lots of encouragement and ideas. 

How do you stay motivated to finish up your UFOs?

Un-Motivated (looking for solutions/plans)

 I had so many plans for the weekend. I was going to come home from work early and make a back for one of the quilt tops I have sitting around.  I left work late and then napped when I got home.  I was going to get the sails on the horizon quilt on the long arm Saturday morning. I just cut up scraps. I also cleaned up a little bit. 

Try as I might I just couldn't get my mind on doing the quilt. the thing is I know what size to make the back. I know what size to cut the batt. I know the quilting design I want to use. But all I want to do is either cut scraps or EPP. 

I think this is partly because of the clutter in my house. I need to get things organized. I am beginning to see that the piles of clutter are indeed sapping my creative energy.  I also think that there are projects I want to do but am putting them off until I finish other projects. 

I need to start the 30-30-30 again. 30 minutes on house work. 30 minutes on organizing the studio. 30 minutes on a project. I may need to make a plan to alternate between a new project and an old project. Podcasts that I listen to have suggested that setting aside a day ot a time to work on old projects help you to get them done. Still haven't figured that out.

How do you get motivated to finish projects? 

How do you manage your old and new projects?

Scrap Processing

 Well, I managed to finish processing the 1/2# of scraps that I bought. Now I am back to processing the scraps that I have created. While doing this, I've come to realize that my stash is lacking in solids. At least colored solids. I tend to have white and black. I even have a little bit of gray. So going forward if I must buy fabric I will try to buy solid colors. That way I will have some solids to go with all of my prints.

I've cut up scraps the past 3 days and I have to say it hasn't put much of a dent in my scrap basket. But I am going to keep working on it. Eventually I will get it back to where I was 2 years ago. Only this time there won't be a bunch of scraps hiding in my yardage. I have a basket for scraps now and as I generate them they go into the basket. I am trying to process them on a regular basis. But after going through my yardage and making/finishing a bunch of quilts, I have gotten behind.

Not having started anything new or even finishing anything has meant, I've not generated more scraps. But that should be coming to an end this weekend. I am going to try and get a quilt on the machine and quilt it. I know it is Easter weekend but I have Friday off so my plan is to quilt. Of course my husband will be home so the husband factor my interfere with my plans.

What do you do with your scraps?

Where Did March Go?

I can't believe I missed blogging about quilting for 40 days. I have been so busy trying to blog for 31 days straight that I was only focused on my wellness blog. I have not made 31 days straight of blogging even after 3 months of trying. Still I am not giving up. However I am going to try and do better when it comes to blogging about quilting. I will shoot for at least every other week.

So a quick recap of what I did do the last month. I finished piecing the center part of Izora's quilt. I just need to add the borders and find fabric for the back. I have not managed to finish any UFOs. But I am planning on putting a quilt on this week. Of course I have been planning on putting a quilt on for a month and a half.

I did visit a cute quilt shop in Douglas, GA. It is called And Sew She Did. It was everything a quilt shop should be. Friendly staff that let you browse. Notions, patterns, and plenty of quilting fabric. Lots of pre-cuts as well as yardage. Collections were grouped together. It was a pleasant browsing experience. I ended up buying 4 layer cakes. All from Moda Designers.

I never paid attention to Designers or fabric manufacturers before I started listening to quilting podcasts. Now I am finding out that there are designers that I love everything they put out. Plus when I hear about a designer, I look for one of their collections. I want to see if I like their work.

I have done a lot of EPP this past month. It has been my go to stitching project for the past several weeks. Mostly because I don't have to think when doing it. I am afraid that I am in a bit of a rut when it come to quilting right now. I want to start new projects but and resisting util I get some of these others done. the EPP is a long term project so it is not expected to be finished any time soon.

I also have been working on Mt. Scrapmore. It didn't help that I bought someone else's scraps to add to my own. But that's okay. I am going to make that my morning quilting exercise for the next week or so and see if I can't make a dent in it. Not starting new projects is actually helping with that. Plus I have been using the scraps in my EPP project.

Last month Killian and I traveled to Temple, TX and learned how to repair sewing machines. We are now both certified sewing machine repair technicians. We are waiting for our lubricants to come in and then we will dig into the machines we have sitting around the house. Then a trip to Tatianna's to get her machines in order. we are also going to be looking at buying old machines at flea markets, thrift stores, and yard sales. We will fix them up and try to sell them.

It has been a busy month. even if I didn't get much done in the way of quilting. What have you been up to?

Rotary Cutters

I know that I am not alone in having more than one rotary cutter. I have six maybe seven rotary cutters. I am not completely sure of the total. I have both a Fiskars 45mm and a 28mm. I do have a couple of Olfa 45mm rotary cutters that I got when I first started quilting seriously and at least one 28mm Olfa as well. I also have an OmniGrid 45mm.

The 28mm rotary cutters are best for cutting curves and small tight cuts. I don't use them as much as I do the 45mm cutters. Out of the four 45mm rotary cutters, I use the Fiskars and the OmniGrid more often than the Olfas. 

I was trying to figure out why I gravitate towards these two in particular. At first, I think it was because they were newer. I am a gadget person and I love to try different things. Add to that I have carpal tunnel so anything that helps keep the pressure off my wrists is a good thing.

I bought the Fiskars because I liked the shape of the handle. I thought the handle would be more ergonomic and therefore better for my wrist. It does put less stress on my wrists. 

The OmniGrid cutter I got on sale. In fact I only bought it because it was such a great deal. One day when I couldn't put my hands on my Fiskars cutter, I opened it and tried it out. The OmniGrid is a self-closing cutter. The blade is only exposed when you apply pressure to cut. Which for me is a good thing because I forget to close the blade sometimes. I have gotten nicks on my hands from bumping into an open blade.  But let me tell you, it did take some getting use to.

I keep my Fiskars cutter by my sewing desk and the OmniGrid cutter by my cutting surface. I tend to cut up small scraps sitting down at my sewing desk on a smaller cutting mat. Large scraps, project cutting or any other type of cuts, I tend to do standing at my cutting surface which is about counter height. 

In the past few weeks, my sewing desk has not been an available surface due to "The Husband Factor" I was too tired to stand while cutting up scraps so I pulled a tall chair up to my cutting surface. I proceeded to cut sitting down with the OmniGrid cutter. After all it was the one close at hand. 

It just felt awkward. I could not get comfortable using it, it just did not feel right. I switched to the Fiskars cutter and it was perfect. But when I stood up to cut, the Fiskars cutter, just wasn't working out as well as the OmniGrid cutter. 

What it boils down to is this, when sitting I hold the cutter at a different angle than I do when standing. The sitting posture requires a different positioning of your shoulder and arm. The Fiskars cutter's handle works better for me sitting down. The OmniGrid handle works better for me standing up. I also notice it in the pressure on my wrists when cutting. You know what else I noticed I noticed that I make better cuts using the right shaped handle for the particular position I am employing at the time (standing vs sitting). 

Do you have a favorite cutter? Do you have more than one?

To De-stash or Not to De-stash

 I have been part of Just Get It Done Declutter Challenge for the past 3 years. I admit that this year, I didn't do a whole lot of the decluttering. Mostly because there wasn't a whole lot to declutter after the past two years. Mostly I needed to getting things organized and straightened up. 

Now one of the things encouraged during the declutter challenge is to reduce your stash.  You are supposed go through your stash and what no longer appeals to you get rid of.  Only keep what you have space for and/or will use. Over the past 3 years, I have gone through my Stash. I definitely have more fabric than I can use at the current rate that I am sewing. 

There are many ideas out there for ways to reduce it. Donate and Sell are the biggest ones.

One suggestion is to donate it to charity quilt groups. Another was to donate to Home-Ec departments at underprivileged schools. I often suggest the 4-H programs. Someone else suggested Boys and Girls Clubs. Yet another suggestion was senior centers. All worthy causes.

There are suggestions of taking it to the local guild for the give away table. I don't belong to a guild yet, but I would probably bring home just as much as I donated.  The other guild suggestion was to donate to a fund raiser. I guess they have yard sales to help raise funds for the program. Again I would probably buy more than I donated.

The last suggestion was to sell it. This suggestion gives you a chance to recoup some of your investment. There are many places/ways to sell fabric. E-bay was a site I used often when I first started getting serious about quilting. Facebook Market place is another popular sales site. You could always do your own yard sale. A big suggestion that I hear from podcasters and bloggers is the different De-Stach sites. Web sites specifically for selling you left over fabric.

I have only visited one De-stash site. Feel Good Fibers. Both times I had been given a gift certificate to the site. Interestingly, both time I bought from a podcaster I followed. Both times I bought some nice solids that filled a niche in my stash. But this last time, I also bought two 1/4 #  bags of scraps.  Why on earth would I buy someone else's scraps?  I don't think I would buy just anyone's scraps. Like I said I follow this person. Their color and print choices in fabrics appeal to me. I also wanted some good print fabrics for small hexies. What I had seen her use for prints would work for the hexies. So I gambled on a 1/4# of liberty prints. The 1/4# of scraps was Art Gallery solids. I am pleased with both.

So would I ever use a de-stash site? Yes, to buy prints I can't get anywhere else. To sell, probably not. I am not ready to get rid of my stash. That's not to say I won't share it. I am happy to share with other quilters and or crafters. But to get rid of my precious fabric for the sake of space. Not going to happen. 

I guess I just need to increase the amount of time I spend sewing. That or find more space to store it.

Have you considered De-stashing?

Finished a UFO

 This week I finished a UFO. It only needed binding and that's all it needed for the past month. But it is finally finished and the label is on. I don't consider it finished if the label is not on it. Unfortunately I finish it one day after my two week reign as Queen of UFOs ended. So I will need to send a Fat Quarter to the winner of the next quarter. (or this quarter) I guess I better find that out. 

The fabric is from a set of charm packs that felt rather manly. It is for a man after all and I didn't want any thing flowery.  I found a pine cone and pine needle E2E pattern from Wild Flower quilting and used that quilt it with. The backing is hunter green and this time I matched the bobbin thread to the back. I then used a neural thread color for the top.  I hadn't used mismatched color before. I bound it with a dark brown solid fabric using a slightly wider binding.

This throw quilt is for a friend of the family. Sort of a surrogate grandfather to my kids. I wish I had finished it last week. That way I could have given it to him at church. He is in a wheel chair, after having his leg amputated a little while back. He has just started coming back to church. Last Sunday, the Chapel was really cold. This made it so he needed to leave early. This Sunday I will have the quilt for him. 

This has me thinking about making throw quilts to keep in the chapel at church. Most of our congregation are older. If there were a few throw size quilts on the back pew where you enter, they could grab one and hopefully be comfortable. It would be easy enough to zip up some simple patchwork from all of the 5" charm packs I have. The backing and batting would be the bigger issue. I am not made of money after all.

I will have to think on this a little bit.

What are you working on?

Fabric Hoarding (from the perspective of the dragon)

 I am a Fabric Dragon. My hoard consists of mounds of fabric in all shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. All of which I adore and treasure. Doesn't that sound so much better that a fabric hoarder. 

I fully admit that I am addicted to color, patterns, and textures. I don't part with fabric simply because I have too much of it or that I finished the project that I got it for. I don't throw away scraps until they are too small for me to use. I am even finding uses for smaller bits these days as I venture into more EPP. I am eager and happy to take on anyone's discards even if they are only scraps. 

My hoard has definitely reached the classification - STABLE. Stable sounds pretty good doesn't it. But when you know what it stands for, it's not as positive as it seems. Stable = Stash Total Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy.

My whole family knows that I have too much fabric. Yet they encourage it, enable me to have it and actually contribute to it. As addictions go, this one isn't so bad. Part of my addiction goes back to harder times early on in my marriage. If I was working, I didn't have time to craft. (I had small children) If I wasn't working, I didn't have the money to craft. As I am approaching retirement age, I am well aware that I won't have the funds to do all the things I want to once I retire. So I am accumulating it now. At least that is how I justify it.

Do you have a stash?  Is it STABLE?  Do you want to De-Stash? (let me know if you do)