The Urge to Purge (or controlling the stash part one)

When I was growing up, my father had a big old metal desk.  It was like the ones they used in the military.  For the longest time that desk sat in a corner of the dining room. And as often happens with flat surfaces, it became a catch all for paper, mail, etc.  Every once in a while Dad would get fed up with the clutter and clean it off. This was not a simple sort & put away. It was a Declaration of War on the clutter.  Trash bags were filled and taken out.  Unfortunately, Dad didn't always pay attention to what he was throwing away.  Eventually my mom learned to go through the trash bags that he generated to make sure important documents such as birth certificates weren't in them.  One of my brothers named my father's temporary but reoccurring affliction as the "Urge to Purge".  It became the stuff of legends in the tales told about my father.

Lately, I have begun to wonder if that affliction is hereditary.  I find myself feeling like I am drowning in my belongings.  This has led me to contemplate backing up the truck to the door and shoveling out the house on more than one occasion.   I admit I can be a bit of a hoarder.  To make matters worse, so is my husband as well as both of the adult children still living at home. If they aren't hording, they most definitely enable the rest of us.

So here I am feeling a little claustrophobic in my own space because of my own habits.  My studio has become cluttered once again and I don't even want to discuss the closets in the various bedrooms.   My affinity with crafting has generated numerous supplies that I don't really use that often. Not to mention tools and books. 

I am definitely feeling the Urge to Purge.  That being said, I have decided to get started before I get to the frantic mindless tossing of everything into trash bags stage.  I want to be more selective about what I purge.  I am proud to say that I actually started this week. I had 5 magazine holders and 2 storage boxes of magazines.  It was time to purge some of them.

Part of controlling massive stashes is to limit what comes in. I used to have subscriptions to 3 quilting magazines. This past month I decided not to renew one of those subscriptions because I didn't really care for the patterns/articles.  That leaves 2 magazines coming in every other month, not 3. I used pick up a random quilting magazine from time to time.  Lately, I don't buy it unless there are several patterns in it that I like. 

With the influx of magazines cut back, it was time to purge. Now I didn't just haphazardly toss anything. First, I sorted the magazines by title.  Any of the magazines from the canceled subscription were tossed. I already knew they didn't appeal to me so there was no sense in keeping them. Besides even if there was a pattern I liked in them, I wasn't likely to make it after all this time.

Next I determined, did I really want to keep all of the magazines that I was still subscribed to? That answer was an easy Yes. Both of these magazines have interesting articles as well as multiple patterns that I like. Not to mention the how to techniques. With that choice made, I sorted the magazines by month and year. 

Funny thing is, I had more than one copy for several of them.  The copy that was in the best shape was saved and the other discarded.  I think I must have picked up the duplicate copies when I thought I had let the subscription lapse. The duplicates were all several months to a year apart.

Lastly the random magazines that I picked up here and there. These took more thought. I went through each magazine. I discovered that with many of them, I only really liked the quilt on the cover. One pattern is not enough to keep a whole magazine.  I decided that if I liked a pattern enough to keep it, I could tear it out and put it in a binder. Strangely enough, I didn't tear out one pattern.  

Now I did keep any magazine that had 3 or more patterns that I liked.  But as I was going through them I discovered that many of the quilts were in more than one magazine, at least the patterns were similar.  I don't need multiple magazines with the same pattern.

So to make the cut a magazine had to have at least 3 patterns that I liked and those patterns couldn't be in another magazine that I was keeping.  I am now down to one magazine holder and 2 storage boxes and the storage boxes are not full.  I feel a little lighter already.

Now onto one of those closets.  The trash run to the dump is going to be huge this week.

What do you do to curtail your massive stash?  

Auditioning Fabric for Borders

It's been a rather unproductive week for me.  Lots going on at work and home. The biggest issue for me this week has been my shoulder.  I hurt it a few months back and am on an anti-inflammatory for it.  I should have gone back to the doctor this week and asked about cortisone shots. But my doctor was killed in a farming accident and I don't have another one yet. So I really don't feel like doing much when I get home. But I did finally get the borders cut and on Scrappy Joy.  It took me months  to decide but I finally got it done. 

Using fabric from my stash has a down side.  I don't necessarily have enough yardage to make borders and backs. Especially if I am doing a scrappy quilt such as Scrappy Joy and Pretty in Pink.  That means finding a fabric that will fit with the pieced part of the quilt.  The best way I have found to do this is to audition the fabric.  I lay the quilt top across the rails of my long arm.  Then I lay the fabric that I think I want to use as borders next to it.  I leave it for a day or two to see if I like it. Sometimes it takes a week or more to decide if it works.  Sometimes it fits right away.  But as I am sure you all remember, I've been auditioning fabric for both Scrappy Joy and Pretty in Pink for months now while I worked on other projects. 

Several months back I pulled some fabric from my stash for the borders of Scrappy Joy  It has been lying next to the quilt top all of this time. Something just wasn't working for me.  The color was good.  Not too dark, not too bright, but it was just wrong for this quilt.  I finally decided it is the print that is wrong.  The print is too contemporary. The print fabrics in the pieced part are much older.  They just didn't harmonize enough for me. 

I had a similar problem with this cute pink bandanna print.  I came across this fabric on clearance and thought that it would be cute on the Pretty in Pink quilt.  The price was right and I bought enough for the borders and backing.  But when I got it home it didn't work, at least not for the borders. Aurora loves the fabric so we are still going to use it for the back.  It's her quilt after all.

So I went diving into my stash and found this bright blue print that seemed more in line with the other prints. I laid it out against the quilt for a few days. But it still didn't work.  It was just too bright.  It was washing out the other colors in the quilt and I really wanted the piecing to take front and center.  So that one was out.

Also in my stash was this light pink solid.  Aurora liked the pink but didn't think it was pink enough.  I felt that it didn't do anything for the quilt.  It didn't scream look at me which was good but it didn't draw your eye into the quilt either.  You want the border to frame the quilt or at least contribute to the appearance. Not just lay there. That was all the light pink was doing.



Next from the stash was this dark blue print. The print was an even better match. It didn't scream look at me but it did make a nice frame for the pieced part. But it gave the whole quilt a darker feel.  Not quite as cheerful as it seemed to be without the border. I wanted it to be more cheerful.

For the pretty in pink quilt I found this bright pink solid in the stash.  Aurora was sold right away. She kind of takes after her grandmother when it comes to colors. Any way she loved it and even told me how big to make the borders.  She went with a wide 5 inch border which made the quilt big enough for her to sleep under even if it's not a twin size.  She's pretty anxious for me to get this one done.  She asks about it ever time she visits.

 I still needed the right fabric for the Scrappy Joy quilt.  I wasn't finding anything in my stash but I did come across this pretty fabric in the store. It's bright enough to keep the quilt cheerful. It doesn't draw attention away from the piecing.  It does draw your eye to the center. It frames the quilt nicely.  I went with a 4 inch border to keep the focus on the pieced part.  It is going to be a large throw size when it is finished.

So I finally have those two quilt tops ready to put on the machine.  That makes five tops that are ready to quilt. I just need to make the backs.

I haven't done any long arming in over a year.  Simply because I haven't had a quilt ready to put on the machine. Since I last quilted, there has been an update to Quilt Path. That's the computerized system that's on my long arm machine. So I need to do some studying on the new program.  There are five you-tube videos as well I need to watch. I want to watch them over and over until they are completely familiar to me. I also need to do a deep clean and oiling of the long arm.  All of which I plan to do by the end of September.  In the meantime, I will keep getting quilt tops ready.  Hopefully I will get enough done that I can really get using the long arm down.  I feel like I am starting at square one again because it has been so long. But that is okay, I am going to do it.

What are you getting accomplished?  How do you decide on fabric for borders?

Finally Some Stitching

Until yesterday it had been more than 2 weeks since I did any sewing/quilting.  Not for lack of projects mind you.  Mostly it was lack of time.  We have been busy canning and well we finally just got all of the jars put away.  The house is still in chaos and I need to focus on getting things cleaned and organized.  I did straighten up the family room today. I spent an hour and half straightening up the studio yesterday.  I did two loads of laundry and folded them and put them away.  I cleaned my toilet and did some general picking up.  There is a lot more to do but I definitely made some progress.

So I rewarded myself with sewing. I spent a good part of yesterday and today just sewing.  I got all of my HST four patch blocks done! Yay!!! And they look really cute! Double Yay!!! I am really excited to start putting the sashing and corner stone on and get it laid out.

I plan to use Mary Anne Fons' method of pre-sashing.  I've done it that way a few times now. I find it easier to do it that way.  What you do is cut your sashing pieces to length. Sew a sashing strip to the left side of the block. Sew a corner stone to a sashing strip and then sew it to the bottom of the block that has the sashing strip.  Then sew your blocks together.

I get my blocks all situated with the sashing and corner stone, then lay out the quilt and make adjustments. Then I sew sashing and corner stones to the top blocks and to the right side of the last column of blocks.  Then I just sew everything together by rows. I am excited to see this top completed as I think it is going to be adorable.

I also got the borders on the Pretty in Pink quilt. I went with a wide 5" border and it really looks good. I went wide with the borders to get it closer to a standard throw size quilt. Aurora will be using it for a TV quilt. I took the time to figure out how big I need to make the backing and how many strips I need to cut for the binding.  I made a note of that information and pinned it to the top. Hope to get that done this week.

I was tempted to cut the borders for the Scrappy Joy quilt. But I finally decided that I didn't like the fabric I had out for the borders.  I had been going back and forth about it for a while now. The print was just too modern compared to the prints in the quilt.  I did see some fabric in the stash that I think will work better.  I will be getting that out of the bins this week as well.

I am going to try doing a task oriented calendar.  I guess it would be similar to a bullet journal.  What I need is to decide what needs to be worked on the next day. That way when I get home and am ready to start 30-30-30, I just start without having to decide what to work on and where to start.  One thing I know for sure is that I won't be going over two weeks without sewing any time soon. It just feels so much better to get things done.

Oh and I did some scrap management while I was at it.  So big thumbs up to me.  It felt so good. I just really don't want to go back to work tomorrow.  So much more I want to do.

What have you been up to? How do you stay on top of projects?

Heritage - How much does it define who you are?

About 4 years ago I wrote a post about having a quilting heritage. I quilt partly because my forebears quilted. But I have much more than a quilting heritage. So this weeks blog isn't about quilting.

I come from a long line of strong women. I know that because how they handled the things they faced, I can face whatever comes into my life.  That doesn't mean I have to like it. that doesn't mean it will be easy.  It does mean I am capable of dealing with hard things. The tumultus time we are currently living in has me thinking about a lot of things.  One of which is how my heritage defines me.   It's about who I am.

This past couple of weeks, my family and I have been canning food.  Both my husband and I grew up in homes where canning took place.  In the first half our marriage, we canned a lot.  We had big gardens and canned what we grew. As well as taking advantage of relatives who were willing to share their extra produce from their gardens and fruit trees. In our home it has always been a family project.  This doesn't surprise anyone that knows me.  People identify canning as being part of who I am. I have been sought out for advice on canning by people older and more experienced than I.

Crafting is another part of my heritage. Growing up, there were always supplies available to me, even if it was just crayons and paper. Mom made us salt clay to play with. My mother was creative. She didn't think so but she was. She sewed our halloween costumes even when my brother wanted to be a T-Rex.  In fact Mom made a paper mache head for the costume. I think other members of the family even pitched in to help. Creativity was encouraged and fostered. We tried to pass that on to our children.  I have three children who draw quite well. The others dabble in other medias.

I come from readers as well. Reading was encouraged and there were lots of books in the house.  My husband's family not so much, but he is a reader. Our house if full of books from all genres. For the most part my children are readers. Again a heritage that has been passed on down.

Both my husband and I were taught to have good work ethic.  My husband more so than I.  I am proud to say that my children have that work ethic. Their bosses have even let us know that they really appreciate it.

We were taught right from wrong.  We were taught to stand up for ourselves and for what is right.  We were taught the violence didn't solve anything. We passed those lessons on to our children.

We were taught that the color of a person's skin is irrelevant. That all men and women are entitled to the same treatment as everyone else.  We were taught not to judge others. Quite simply judging is wrong.  We were taught that we had no idea what a person has gone through or may be going through so be kind. My mother had a gift for accepting people for who they are and loving them unconditionally. A lesson she tried to pass on to me.  I still struggle with it at times. My father had the gift of being calm.

I was taught to be a contributing member of society by learning to be a contributing member of my family. We taught our children that they were a part of the "unit" (family) and that as a member they had a responsibility to contribute to it.  That lesson transfers over to anything they belong to not the least of which is society.

I know I have been blessed in my life. But I work hard for what I have.  My heritage was a gift passed down to me by my ancestors.  But what I have done with that heritage is what makes me who I am.

Someone recently accused me of having "white privilege".  I dis-agreed with them. I work hard.  I've struggled financially and spiritually at times. I've been hurt by those I've trusted. I've been wrongly passed over for promotion based on idle gossip.  I've felt like I was failure at times. I've been judged on my appearance. I've been belittled because of my religion. I've been criticized for choices I made, Some of which were heartbreaking decisions.  I don't have any special privilege.

What I have is a great heritage.  It was the example that was set for me by my ancestors.  It is the skills that were given to me by family.  It is the morals and ethics that I was taught. It is the understanding that working for something makes it mean so much more. It is knowing that I am a member of the unit. It is understanding that I must contribute to that unit. So NO, I am not privileged.

What I am is a survivor, an achiever, a teacher, a mentor, a crafter, a quilter, and the descendant of wonderful strong people who persevered. But most importantly, I Am A Daughter of God! And He expects me to work hard, love everyone, forgive others whether they deserve it or not, and strive to come back to live with him.

Who are you?  What was your heritage? What have you done with it?

Planning Quilter or Evolution Quilter.

My children brag about me.  I have to admit I find it rather gratifying that they do.  But I am realistic enough to know, that my abilities are not quite what they believe they are, My children, however, just think I am being modest.

On Arianna's wedding day, I decorated the cake and then went to check on how the bridal party was doing getting ready.  Arianna asked how the cake turned out.  I replied something to the effect it's okay, it'll work.  Arianna told me I wasn't instilling confidence in her. But Chrissy piped in saying, "Arianna you know how modest Mom is about her work. I am sure it is amazing." The guests thought it was amazing. Arianna and Victor loved it, so all is good. But I wish I was more adept at decorating so I could have done a truly amazing job.  Maybe I am my own worse critic.

This past weekend, we had some acquaintances over for our Independence Day Celebrations.  They are friends with my daughter TaKayren and her husband as well as a co worker of my husband.  We were getting to know each other better and the topic of interests came up.  The wife commented something about me being a really talented quilter. (TaKayren nodded in agreement) I said I enjoy quilting but a talented quilter would plan out her quilts and would be very precise.  My quilts on the other hand just sort of evolve.

The old saying that "Failure to plan is a plan to fail" doesn't quite ring true for quilting and least not for me.  Oh I know that if I carefully planned out each quilt, made sure I had all the materials, and tools I needed, and picked out every mistake/flaw, that I would make competition worthy quilts. I am just not that kind of quilter. For me, most quilts evolve as I make them.

An example of a quilt evolving is the one I am working on now, the HST quilt. I just planned to do some quick HST blocks and sew them all together. The blocks are all sewn and I was pressing them open (trying to use good pressing techniques of course) when I realized that they would be much cuter as four patch blocks with sashing and cornerstones. The number of squares that I have is divisible by four so this was definitely doable.

Now I needed sashing and cornerstone fabric.  At first, I thought I would use white for the sashing but it just looked wrong next to the blocks. It was too white. Fortunately, I was able to get 2 mini-jelly rolls of the same solid fabric I used in the HST. Sashing using the solid fabric and then cornerstones from the print fabric would be really cute. But the print fabric I used has been discontinued so no print cornerstones. (consequence of sewing from your stash) I ended up buying a mini-charm pack of white fabric. With sashing and cornerstones taken care of it was back to pressing open of the squares.

Since the solid half of the HST are all the same color, I figured I would use four random prints per block. I am a big fan of randomness in any of my creations.  I think it gives it a more natural feel. But I also realized that this would make layout a little tricky.  The more I worked on pressing open the half square triangles, the more I realized that the print should be matching in all four patches of the block. 

This change of plans was going to be a little trickier. I had no idea if the number of each of the different prints were divisible by four.  So before I started trimming up the HSTs. I sorted them by print.  Fortunately for me each print has either 8 or 12 squares.  Both of which are divisible by four.  So far the evolution is really coming together.  I can see it in my mind quite clearly now.

I am about 2/3 of the way through trimming up the squares.  I was planning to be done trimming them by this weekend but as usually life got in the way. The sashing and cornerstones should be here tomorrow.  I am hoping that there will be enough of the sashing strips left over to do the binding. If not I am sure the plan will evolve once again.

I'm not saying this is the way I always make quilts.  A few have been straight forward, followed a pattern and turn out great.  But quite often the quilts evolve as I make them.  I like to think that the quilt is talking to me as I work with it. I like to believe I am putting a bit of myself into the quilt.

Now if I had started out with a plan, I would have everything on had before starting. There would not have been two trips to the MSQC website to buy what I need.  I would also know if I am going to have enough strips for binding or not. I defintely would know what size quilt it was going to be. (I am the queen of non standard sized quilts.) But I rather enjoy the creative evolution of each quilt. And the only problem with multiple visits to a website to buy supplies, is I end up buying more stuff than I need. But I will use it all eventually. (Or die trying)

How about you? Do you follow a plan to the letter? Do you have everything figured out in the beginning? Or do you sew by the seat of your pants?

One of Three

I was watching Love of Quilting a few weeks ago. It was an older episode and Maryanne Fons was actually on it. She made the comment that a quilting instructor once told her that if a quilt isn't working out it was one of three things; cutting, stitching or pressing/ironing.

All the tips and tricks that exist in the quilting world boil down to one of three things.  The accuracy of cutting out the pieces.  The precision in the stitching, And last but not least the pressing technique. 

Cutting - When cutting out fabric it is important to be accurate. The pieces must match up of the block is going to be square. Square is very important when it comes to finishing the quilt. A slightly larger or slightly smaller block makes a big difference.  On a more recent episode of Love of Quilting, they were talking about making the blocks slightly over size and trimming them down. Angela Huffman stated that is was perfectly acceptable to waste a little fabric to achieve accuracy. 

I often work with precuts. Largely because I bought a bunch of them.  For the most part they are great for a quick quilt top. But I when using charm packs from two different manufacturers, I run into size problems. This half square triangle project I am working on for example.  I am using 2 charm packs from Robert Kauffman and two charm packs from Moda.  The Robert Kauffman charms are bigger by 1/8th of an inch.  Which wouldn't be bad but the Moda charm pack were not square.  Their size was 5 - 1/8 by 5 inches.  I of course didn't notice this before starting the project.  Always check the size of your pre-cuts.

Sewing - I think most people who sew occasionally run into issues with sewing a straight even seam.  I know I do.  I have taken to using a sewing ledge to keep my seams even and straight.  I first learned this trick while teaching sewing in 4-H.  (I really miss the master sewing training workshops.) Of course I thought I didn't need to use it. After all I've been sewing for years. But I came to the realization that I did in fact need to use one after long arming some quilts with a little bit of extra fullness here and there. The flatter the quilt is the easier it is to quilt.  You can learn about sewing ledges from Karen Brown's Video on beginner quilting. Suffice it to say I now have painter's tape in my sewing drawer.

Another issue with sewing can and does arise in group projects.  A while back I worked with some women to make a quilt for a family who had helped out our congregation at church.  TAtianna and I worked with them to get the cutting as accurate as possible. But the stitching was another story. We had 1/4 inch feet on the sewing machine but no matter how often we explained how to line up the fabric with the feet, we got numerous different sized seams. In the future, when I sew with a group, I will be putting sewing ledges on the machines.

Pressing/Ironing - I once had a good friend explain the difference between pressing and Ironing.  Ironing uses movement, heat and pressure to get wrinkles out of clothing. The things is when we iron the fabric we can and often do pull it off grain.

Pressing uses heat but light pressure and no movement. Pressing involves placing the iron on the fabric then lifting it off the surface and placing it again. So when we are working with small pieces and it is fairly easy to just press. But when dealing with yardage it's a little harder. Pressing is a struggle for me. I always want to iron instead of press.  Karen Brown's video on ironing technique is really helpful.

The biggest thing about pressing/ironing is to not distort the fabric. So this will take practice and and patience. But I think it is very important to develop this technique. After all it would be really sad to have a perfect cut and seam only to mess it up with bad pressing.

In conclusion, if I am being honest, I am still struggling with all of the areas listed above. Sometimes it is one more than the other.  But I think I am getting better at them.  Practice Makes Perfect as the saying goes.

What is you downfall in making quilts? Where do you need to improve?

Will Power, Planning and Goals

This past week my friend, Tom Russell, posted a meme on Facebook that really hit home. It was a quote by Brian Tracy. Brian Tracy is a motivational speaker and self development author.  The Quote was;

"The one human quality that must be developed it the self discipline for success. The will power to force yourself to do what you know you should do when you should do it, whether you like it or not, whether you feel like it or not. Success is tons of discipline." 

Now I don't have any great desire to make millions or be famous.  But I do want to become proficient at quilting. I do want to develop the skill to longarm. I want to have a side business to supplement my retirement.  But I've had the long arm for 3 years now and all I have really accomplished is getting it paid off.  

So where am I falling short? SELF DISCIPLINE!  I get home from work and am too tired to do anything.  I don't feel like doing anything. This week was especially bad for me.  I was dealing with car issues and getting a rental while ti was in the shop.There were so many hiccups and snags that it was emotionally exhausting.   All the turmoil going on in the world has been getting to me as well. I did very little this week other than wallow in my discouragement and frustration.


I need to develop the will power to push through things like that. I did manage to shake off the melancholy a little bit on Friday and Saturday.  I got some sewing and cleaning done on my room. It wasn't a lot but I did feel better after doing it. That is what I need to focus on. the feeling of accomplishment when I get somethings done. It won't be easy to do. But I do believe the 30-30-30 plan is a start. But it's not quite enough. I think I need to define it more. Or at least set up goals in the 3 areas to work on during the 30-30-30 effort.  

So this week I am planning it out a little better. I am going to break areas down into bite size pieces.

Home - work on cleaning my room, starting with the window corner on my side of the bed. That will include going through the craft stuff in the drawer units and getting rid of stuff I won't use. If I get that done this week that will be good enough. Oh and wrap last years christmas presents and send them off.

Studio - Get the floor that is the path way swept, Get the space behind the long arm cleaned out, get the long arm cleared off.  Watch the videos on giving the long arm a deep clean.
then prepare to give it a deep clean.

Quilting - Finish the 168 HST that I've started.  Get the batik quilt put up until I can lay it out. Get borders on the Pretty in Pink quilt. Make the back to it quilt and the tan quilt. I found some fabric that will be perfect for the tan quilt. I broke the only buy what you need rule because it is an awesome neutral print and I think it will add depth to my stash. Plus I didn't know how much I would need at the time I found it. I wasn't shopping for fabric.  I also need to find different border fabric for Scrappy Joy quilt. I decided that the border fabric I had had out just isn't working for me.  Otherwise I would have made the borders already.  I think I have some that will work in my stash though. So while I am at it I will look for backs for the Church Ladies Aprons quilts.  It will require doing some organizing of my stash. Maybe do one bin at a time over the next few weeks.

That is a lot to do over the next few weeks but I am going to try and prioritize in each area. Plus I have a calendar that I can mark what I need to do each day. I am hoping that writing it done will help me to keep going.  I will also try to limit my caffeine so I am not hitting a rebound effect when I get home. 

I just need to do something different. I can't doing the same thing because we all know that leads to the same results.  I will plan to succeed not plan to fail. 

What are you struggling with?