I've been quilting for 45 years!! OMG! I consider myself an 'advanced beginner'! I don't take my skill seriously. I mainly follow the "Squirrel!!" method of learning!
"Squirrel!" is from the Disney movie UP! The dogs would be seriously training and then ... you guessed it - they saw a squirrel and everything changed! And all of a sudden, everything on the To Do List was forgotten and off they all went in a totally different direction. Sound familiar?? It's rampant here!
Once a year we have carpets cleaned. It's this month! DH likes to make it easy for the company to clean every inch so everything comes off the floor. Furniture is set in the bathrooms, brick hearth and kitchen space. Closets emptied onto the beds.
The problem - as always - is my sewing room. I'm always 'rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic' in there. There is always lots of things on the flat surfaces; sewing desk, single bed top, under bed, ironing board ... and the floor.
I had an epiphany - I don't have enough storage space. Perhaps I should "Marie Condo" everything! If you're not familiar - she only keeps things that sparks joy. Bad news, when you're a quilter ... everything sparks joy!
I was doing fine until I started helping my friend P fit everything back into her sewing space. Yep, some things started coming home with me.
I have several UFOs - Unfinished Objects - some are even from the 90s!! I have revised the list year after year ... but some projects still spark joy! And trying to tide up does encourage me to revisit those languishing UFOs - seeing if they are worth working on again.
Here is Bonnie Hunter's Pineapple Blossom in Christmas colors. Bonnie was here teaching 3 years ago. I'm happy to say that the top is finished. I made a few more blocks for the back - I really love seeing that row of blocks on the back when I make my bed! It cheers my soul!
And a very old Courthouse steps with 54-40 or Fight Stars combo. It's hanging on P's design board. We did take breaks!! This pattern is definitely from the '90s. One of my favorite pattern companies, that I cannot remember the name of!! Any guesses??
I'm still playing with what size I'd like - the next task is to cut and sew a bunch of the stars. Then I can see ... but it's one of those that I can picture KING-SIZE. Gasp! We'll see.
The quilts above have a wide variety of fabrics in them. From batiks to plaids.
I love plaids! And I have several UFOs and current projects that look really good in plaids. So, I took out my basket of plaids and the Bear Paws UFO - started around 2000. It must be the Mary Poppins basket of plaids, I'm not joking!
This is basically a 41 x 53 kitchen counter. My appointed cutting station. Covered and stacked with the basket contents!! After ironing!!! Someone call the science police, please!! Two long days of recutting into the pieces required for the 3 patterns. Oye Vay! But wait there's more ... I found another box, so another day of cutting up pieces tomorrow!
Luckily, it's work I love - petting and reshaping beloved fabric. We always say - shop the stash first, it's filled with fabrics you love!
The plaid projects I'm currently recutting for are:
Double Slice - see the tute on Jenny Doan's Missouri stars. I've made this several times with different types of fabrics. It looks good in everything! Especially cute - in a manly way - in homespuns. Voila!
Plaid Bear's Paw blocks - I was hoping to just make a 60 x 80ish quilt - my new resolution. I can quilt that size myself with my domestic sewing machine. But, alas - it's way too cute!!! Pay no attention to the bedspread under the blocks! That striped checkboard is not part of the quilt.!
And a new project found in an old publication - 6.5" squares with 2.5" squares making up a sashing.
Must go and start getting thing done ... oh, oh!! Squirrel!!
