Fabric Hoarder

Yes, that is me.  I have so much fabric that it was stacked up in the corner.  It was time for an intervention.  I shopped all the antique stores in the area looking for a bookshelf that would hold my stash.  I was unsuccessful, and since time was of the essence I went for handmade, of course.  M made me the awesome bookshelf that is perfect for the fabric.  We went to Lowe's and picked up 7 four foot boards that were 10 inches wide and 1 inch thick.  We got them home, and in less than half an hour my bookshelf was ready.  I slapped on a coat of brown paint, and let it dry overnight!  Measuring 4 feet wide, 4 feet tall, each shelf is about 11 inches tall.  It was a quick and easy project - Instant gratification! I transferred my quilting fabric to the new shelf, and the old shelf (which he also made) will be the new home for the fabric I use to make my shopping bags.  The fabric for the  reusable coffee sleeves will also have its own area on the shelf.  I am going to be more organized, and no more fabric piled in the corner!

Now if I can just keep the fabric folded on the shelf.  It looks so good, and it makes me want to make a few new projects!  I guess I should finish the 9 quilts that are in varies stages of completion before I start another!

Quilt Top Done

Here it is the quilt of scraps.  After cutting as many scraps as I could into 1.5 inch with strips, I started piecing this together.  The fabric is mostly randomly placed, however, the overall pattern of the giraffes was painstakingly drawn and measured.  So now the many many many 1 inch strips are positioned just so to make this lovely scene.  The overall dimensions are 36 across and 56 long.   There will be another one representing the night sky.  These two quilts each the same size will be a focal point on my living room wall.  It will be quite a statement at around 6 feet across.   I am happy with the way it turned out, and would you even guess that most of the seams actually match up!!!  Now I am not sure how I want to boarder this, if at all.  Any ideas, suggestions?  I can't wait to get started on the next one.

Beat the Heat! Quilt indoors.

Thank goodness for the air conditioner.  It is a hot one today.  I had a few spare minutes during Lincoln's naps, and after I finished making ricotta gnocchi.  I picked up my quilt that I have been working on.  I don't think I have shared it with you, so here it is!  I love the colors, and the contrast between the stark white and the black and red.  What a fun quilt.  It is way different than anything I have ever made before.  It is very fun.  I am aiming to have this one done by August.  I am in the home stretch now, hand quilting, then binding!

Folded Fabric

Here is my stash after many days of sorting, folding, and purging. It is a great way to get rid of those unwanted pieces. Just take all the fabric from the shelves, and re-fold it. I took advice from Turning Turning, when it comes to folding. I improvised on the way she organized and folded her fabrics. My shelf is 10 inches deep, so I went with 8 inch square folding.
With an 8 inch square of cardboard, I folded each colorful fabric selvage to selvage. Then rolled it like a mini- bolt on to the cardboard, slip the cardboard out and finished folding it into a square.
Time consuming? Yes. Organized and beautiful? Yes!

Now when I go looking for my fabrics they are separated by color, and the patterns are easy to see on the shelves. I recommend this folding technique to anyone looking to reorganize their fabric stash!

New Quilt Project

I purchased a jelly roll by Moda the blossom pack. I just love the fabric. I did not know what I was going to do with it, but I had to have it...and it was on sale. After a few weeks of just looking at it sitting on my table, I came up with a plan. With a few days off, I was able to bring it all together. Here is the first glimpse of the quilt top.

I have to back and quilt it still, but not bad progress for a few days. I still have more than half of the jelly roll to use for another project. I can't wait to get more of these, when they are on sale of course!

Quilt... for the Birds

The time that I spend with the sewing machine is usually dedicated to the production of bags for Threadbeaur, however, I was in the mood for a new quilt. I looked on the shelf to see if one of my quilting books would lend me a little inspiration. Usually I will pick out the fabric then the pattern, this time I only had one fabric that I wanted to use. I picked up a book that I got for Christmas called Making Antique Quilts by Rita Weiss. The book has great pictures, and easy to follow instructions. I rarely use a pattern, so it is very important that they are easy to follow. I found a quilt called King David's Crown, and it was perfect for me. The title of my quilt will be Quilt...For the Birds. I took my fabric which happened to be Alexander Henrys Bird seed in yellow, and matched it up to all the fabric in my stash. I would post a picture of my stash, but it is a little messy at the moment. I will reorganize it and post pictures later. I had a ton of fabric to choose from and this is what I came up with.



I like to make a tester block, and this one came out great. I will finish this into a 3x4 throw blanket. Off to cut more pieces!

Project Un-Named

My latest project, is still unnamed. I started it a few days ago, and was in such a sewing frenzy, I made the 4 large blocks, and 3 small blocks in two days time.
The idea came to me as I was chatting on the phone, drawing out quilt patterns on paper. Then suddenly it appeared, the blocks with shadows tumbling down the paper, and it was perfect. The conversation ended, and the process of trying to piece the quilt started. My mind was whizzing, my pencil hardly keeping up, "I got it!" I said aloud, as if talking to a crowd. The only one there now, was the dog. She looked at me with her sad eyes, then rolled over with a sigh.
I grabbed my first color fabric and started cutting, and sewing, and I had a block done in no time. It was perfect. My favorite square I had ever made. Then more were following, I did not want to stop. The quilt is coming together, now I will applique the squares on to the starry night batik fabric that I got today. If only I could come up with a name.