31 December 2010

Quilty Things

I have a tendency to collect things. I have books, Tinkerbell, dolphins, fabric, thread, embroidery designs, music and well the list could go on. I can say that my dolphin collection is not to my liking anymore and I want to get rid of it, but I have a hard time just saying take to goodwill, so I figure that will be here until I can figure out what to do with it.

Anyway, I love all things quilty. I love pincushions and little things that remind me of sewing.  I thought today I would share some eye candy of my newest collection.  I haven't been collecting for very long, and honestly finding these things can be challenging.  I do love when they are gifted to me that is for sure. I also find it ironic that I am not a collector of sewing machines.  I do have 2 Berninas (mine), 1 Pfaff (mine but gifted to my mother), White (mom's) and  2 Kenmore's (moms) floating around my house. I do want 2.... well... 3 more machines ( Brother embroidery machine, long arm, and either the new Bernina or the new Brother) but I know that will have to wait. 













How about you? Do you collect quilty things or are there other things you would rather get.

Enjoy the day and take time to sew, it restores your inner peace.

Michelle

30 December 2010

My Name is Michelle and I'm a Fabriholic!!!!!!!!!

I had decided that since I would be reorganizing and painting the quilt room that I would also take the time and measure my fabric, as I was refolding it to fit in the shelves anyway.  Well....I don't know if that was a good idea.  After three days and countless time standing (which isn't always good with a broken foot) I think I finally finished. If I'm not and some more appears please put me in a round rubber room post haste.

I started by just doing the fabric on the shelves........988.5 Yards




The fabric on the right is 2 yards and up, everything else is over a FQ but less than 2 yards.  I did put some 1/4 yard cuts up here as well and I did try to put it all by color. There are also jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm squares up there as well. I did not include the denim up there in my final count.

All of those square plastic bins have my UFO's in them.  The shoebox bins have my block swaps, string blocks, 4 patch squares and my binding for specified quilts.

I then found more fabric when opening drawers.   30.5 yards

I then counted the fat quarters.


I then decided to count the kits.....I should have stopped before this step.   1043 yards




Ryan McKenna Kits (there are 5 series seen here)

My pile of quilt Kits and the cat Zeus.

My BOM, there are 3 different ones in there and they are all paper piecing. 
 I also figured in about 200 yards in strings and strips and such. I came up with by looking at my rolling carts and I am honestly figuring this is a low amount, I have 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3.5, 5"squares and 10" squares, and almost all of the drawers for each are stuffed full.


So my grand total is.............2267 yards. 


Is that a lot of fabric or what.  I am totally amazed, and the ironic thing is I am always wanting to buy more fabric. 

As my mom always tell me fabric is my "crack" addiction. I am starting to believe her more and more.  Will I tell her that, probably not.

I also thing that it is weird that with this much fabric I don't really think it takes up much of the house.  I guess I am really good at organizing.....

Now was this a good thing, honestly I can say I think it was.  It just lets me know that I do have plenty to work on and that I can use this up and shop my stash first.  I don't always have to run to the LQS and buy what I need. I think now that I can see the fabric it will also allow me to find what I need quickly.

I am now going to take a break and sew for awhile before I decide to take the time and tackle my patterns. That is another monster on it's own.

So if you ever get the desire to clean, organize and measure your stash you might enjoy it.  It is an eye opening experience.


Michelle

Sewing Room Done

I finally finished the sewing room. I still have to paint the ceiling and put a few things up but for all intensive purposes, it is finished or as they say Good Enough For me. I have to move my cutting table but that is it. I also still have to find all of my nick knacks to put on my shelf but that is just a minor detail.  I am so glad that I am now ready to get back to the machine and put the pedal to the medal.  Yeah buddy.


Buttons and Scraps and RRCB Fabric (for now)

Go Cutting Stations, and Ruler Central (until I can find a contraption to hold the rulers better)


More Sewing Supplies,

Pattern Cabinet and Reading Material


Rolling Cars with Strips ala Quiltville Style
More Rolling Carts

And More Rolling Carts

View From Behind Sewing Machine

Pink Bucket full of Stings, Quilt Books, and Embroidery Binders




Quilts under the Table - Waiting to be Quilted...arrgghhhh


It still looks kind of messy but to me that is the working messy and I can live with that. The best thing about this right now is you can still see the carpet and it is not covered in strings and pieces and parts....but that will change shortly.

Oh yeah....I need curtains too...when that sun comes shining through its a killer.

Michelle

Like I Needed Something New

I always wanted to learn how to knit. I just am not coordinated enough..I can crochet but that is with one needle, add two and I am all thumbs. Maybe my patience level isn't what it should be but oh well. Anyway, I was at Joann's the other day and found these.



They were on sale so of course I couldn't pass them up.  I figured it would be something quick and simple to do in between everything else on my plate.  Well, it comes with a DVD instruction and that should have been my first clue that it wouldn't be as easy at it appears. I watched the DVD which took forever in between pausing, rewinding, practicing, pausing, talking to myself, doing, pausing, etc...... I have now decided that this isn't as EZ PZ as I thought it would be.  I guess it is because you actually have to remember the stitches and whether to KS, or PS or whatever other stitches they have and then while remembering those you also have to remember whether to start from the top or the bottom and oh my.......I think this will be a project that will take me some time to figure out. I am sure once I start and get the hang of it, it won't be as big of a deal as I thought it would be, until then I may not have any hair left. So for now I am going back to the quilt room and will work on something I know how to do....and save my few brains cells, once they rejuvenate I will try it again.

With eternal optimism I hope to show you some type of headway in the next week or so...keep your fingers crossed.

Michelle

29 December 2010

The hardest week of the year

It always seems the hardest week of the year for me is between Christmas and New Year's.  I always suffer from a sense of let down. Maybe it is because all of the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas. I'm running around like crazy getting presents, hoping the kids and family will like them, baking, wrapping, cooking, cleaning, and of course this year add the painting and the breaking of the foot incident and it seems like a never ending cycle. All of the weeks and months preparing end in a matter of minutes after all of the presents are opened, which of course takes just a nano second to do.

I of course then want to get everything organized and ready for the new year, kind of like spring cleaning, so that I may start the year fresh and organized. Does this always happen? No, I then I feel rather let down when it doesn't.  I guess it is just the cycle of my life.

I have New Year's resolutions to make, which of course many don't last past Jan 2. So why do I do it? Who knows.  This year though I decided not to make anything "concrete" just a bunch of generalizations in my mind, kind of like those WHIMM that we so love to have whirring around up there like a major freeway somewhere.





I have been working all week on my quilt room, trying to get some semblance of order after moving everything to the spare bedroom to paint. I am glad to say I am almost done, most of the stuff I have left is all of the little stuff you don't know where to put and takes up most of the room. I have organized the magazines, the books and the fabric. I have my list of UFO's ready for the year. I have all of my swaps packed up and ready for the mail. I am working on RRCB part 6 and yet I still don't feel like I have done a whole lot.

So my "goals" for the rest of this week.....

Finish the quilt room
Organize my embroidery CD's
Work on my Blog
Prepare for my sailor to return to Chicago (this one sucks no matter how you look it)
Get my Birthday Blocks Swaps Completed
and the list goes on, but that is all I can think of this cold and overcast morning.

I hope everyone gets a chance to sew today.

Keep coming back and tell your pals. I have some neat things planned for this year here and I hope you continue to enjoy the ramblings of this crazy quilter in Colorado.

Michelle

24 December 2010

Finished In The Nick of Time

I finally got it done, yes....I have my first finish since June. It is embroidered, quilted, and bound, with a handwritten note on the back and it even has a sleeve.  I didn't think I was going to get it done in time but I will pat my self on the back and say YES!!!!

I worked on it on and off, well more off, over the last few months, but just couldn't seem to get the mojojojojo to keep going.  Why? I don't know. It was a simple quilt and the embroidery was really simple as well. 


I can now go into the New Year with only a million projects to do vs. a million an one. I am on a roll.
I am off now to celebrate the wonderful Christmas season with my family. I will be back and raring to go some time next week. I am also hoping to get some more of my RRCB done. I am caught up so I just have to work on Clue number 6, only 2 more to go.  I can't wait to see what it looks like.

Hope everyone has a wonderful blessed Christmas.

Michelle

21 December 2010

Nature at its best

I live in the city.  I live 2 blocks away from a busy street with stores and restaurants galore. I have the back of a Safeway one block behind me.  My family has lived in this house for 33 years and we consider ourselves city folk.

 I venture outside this morning and what do I see walking up the street....


We have seen them on and off in the past and it sill amazes me.  I don't know where they venture off to because really there is not a lot of "natural area" around here.  We usually see them in groups of 3 or 4, but today it was just one. They love to jump the neighbors fence and eat and lay down and rest.  I was told last year that one of the mothers decided to have the babies in the backyard of a neighbors house, they were then stuck back there until the family returned home from vacation.  The little ones couldn't jump the fence so the family had to open the gate for them.

I think this is a wonderful and sad sight at the same time.  They have no open areas that are safe to roam anymore and they have to come farther and farther in town, but at the same time it sure is awesome to see mother nature at its best.

Find something to inspire you today, it's worth it.

Michelle

RollRoll Cotton Boll - Update

I have finally started Step 5. I have stayed with the clues but really thought I was going to fall behind this week, between the broken foot and the 600 HST's I thought I was doomed.  Well I finally found a little routine for me.... I cut up enough pairs to fill up the top of my 6.5 x 24 ruler, carry it over to the sewing machine - chain piece the units, iron the units, and then as I am cutting of the dog ears I count and place them in piles of 25.  I then line up the piles on the edge of my ironing board and put in rows of 4, which of course I know 4 piles=100.  I ended up sewing 211 already..which really isn't that bad...especially since I am sewing left footed and I really am not that coordinated----I tend to leave my foot on the pedal a little longer than necessary, but that is OK.. I am going to have to deal with it for the next couple of months until my foot heals, but at least I am able to sew.

Part 1

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5 - The first 114


At the rate I am going I may be done before the next clue comes out, if not, well I have a week to catch up on both clues.

Take a few minutes to sew everyday, it helps maintain your sanity.

Michelle

20 December 2010

Quilting Room Chaos

I finally downloaded the pictures that I took of my quilt room chaos.  I have moved everything out and put it in the spare bedroom. It is all repainted, I just have a few touch ups and the ceiling left to do, but for now I am content with how it is.  I will show some after pictures later but for now here is some eye candy on the before "mess".

My buckets of strips labeled ala Quiltville style.

My sewing area, doesn't look to bad for a change, but of course you're not close enough to see the dust.

My dining room area is actually my mom's craft area, she does mosaic so there are hundreds of containers with  cut glass and paints, and wood , and glitter, and beads, and well...the list could go on and on and on.


My cutting table. The large pink tote actually has all of my strings in it.  I am really thinking it is time to get some string blocks done before the tote is over flowing it is about 1/3 full right now.

More of my strip carts and tons of embroidery supplies. Oh and a very full laundry basket of shirts that I have to cut up and store, I just haven't "gotten" to it yet.


Another view of way to much stuff and nowhere to put it. My TV space keeps getting smaller and smaller.

This filing cabinet hold patterns that I have saved. Will I get around to all of them I seriously doubt it. Maybe I will sort through them one of these days.  The totes on top hold patterns that I haven't even filed yet.  I think I need about 10 lifetimes to get through all of this.

Fabric and thread and stuff......main reason I decided to rearrange.  Not really good to see this the minute you walk in the door. Really a little to cluttered for me. Not saying it won't look like this again once I bring everything down but these shelves are on the other side of the room so they won't be as noticeable right away.

Well that is all for now. I am hoping to get some stuff done and pictures taken soon.  Hope everyone has an uneventful and productive week.

Michelle