I'm back!

It has been a very long time since I wrote something for my blog. I've been busy--stitching, traveling, writing, speaking. I guess I am thoroughly back to being myself--immersed in everything quilt-related. That's a good thing! :)

Last weekend was my annual quilt camp retreat. I did a bit of machine work, but the bulk of my time was spent quilting the first of the "Little Pink Houses" quilts. The first one I chose to work on was "Chance of Showers". I just have to quilt up the sides along the borders, and then it is ready for binding. The next one I'll tackle is "Hazy." I'm hoping both will be finished before Memorial Day so that they can be auctioned off at a Survivor's Event in mid-June. So far, everyone who has seen the quilts and heard their story has been moved. I hope that they will raise lots of $$ for the low-cost/no-cost mammogram program that my local hospital is starting.

To see all the quilts and close-ups of the blocks, go to:http://littlepinkhousesquilts.shutterfly.com/
I'll record my progress and the success of the quilts here in my blog.

Charity quilting

I just put the final stitches in the binding of a charity "kid" quilt. Feels good to have that done! This is the second one I have finished this week--both have been in my sewing room, waiting to be made (I won't tell you for how long...).
I've also been working on the "Little Pink Houses" quilts and have the quilt tops just about completed. They are turning out so neat! I received enough blocks to make two 12-block quilts and three 9-block quilts. Once I finish the final embellishing, I'll photograph all of them.
It really is a good feeling to work on charity quilts--giving of myself for a good cause! I hope you feel the same way when you work on charity quilts!

Scrap bag find

I finally went through a bag of scraps that I was given almost a year ago--lots of great scraps in there, in fabrics different from what I have. They will be fun to work into some of my future projects.
Tucked in amongst those scraps were these two pieced heart blocks. With the addition of only a few fabric strips (some of which came from that same scrap bag), I had a table runner! I chose to put no batting in it--just backed it with some homespun from my stash, and did a little bit of "in-the-ditch" quilting to hold it all together. Quick and easy because the hard work was already done. I love the way it came out!

Discovered: More Storage Space

The other day I was looking for a picture that I thought would look good in our newly painted half bath. I was sure it was stored under the bed in my sewing room, along with other pictures and art class projects in large flat boxes. It wasn't there. I later found it peeking out from behind the small bookcase next to the bed in that room.
But I did discover that the largest box under the bed contained my older daughter's art projects from high school. She's almost 37 years old! I certainly don't need to be keeping those projects any more. That box will travel to her house with me next month. In the meantime, I'm thinking about what I can store in that space under the bed!

What a difference!

All my bear making fabrics and tools are now in two 18 gallon plastic tubs in the basement. Packing that stuff away really freed up a lot of space in the closet in my sewing room. I'm now thinking about what should go in that space.
I also did something else that really makes a difference in that room. All my sample quilts were folded and stacked atop one another on the bed--they took up a lot of space that way, the quilts were getting permanent folds in them, and the stacks of quilts made the room seem crowded. I decided to open each quilt out flat on the bed and store one on top of the other in that way. (I thought that I could actually hear them saying "thank you" as I did this!) I then covered the entire bed with a sheet--much better for the quilts and definitely a much less cluttered look to the room! There is now space to "store" things (projects in progress, for example) on the bed, atop the quilts. The only time I'll have to be concerned about this storage method is when we have a house full of overnight company...but that doesn't happen very often, and I'll worry about it when it does!

Problem realized

I'm back to sewing a lot--guess I can't really stay away from it! I'm tackling some of those UFOs I discovered while sorting my sewing room. I'm finishing up some of them, and in so doing, I've finally discovered my biggest bad habit: When I am finished with something (tools, fabric scraps, pattern, thread, etc.) I just plop it in my sewing room and don't put it away. That is how my sewing room got in such a mess to begin with!
So now, whenever I take something back to my sewing room (yes, I'm still sewing downstairs on my dining room table...), I make a concentrated effort to put it back where I got it from.
I will try very hard to do this each and every time--another "new year's resolution"!

Good Suggestions

I'm still working on my sewing room, doing a little each day. It is getting less and less intimidating, which is a good thing!
When we moved to this house 14 years ago, many of my sewing things were left in boxes and put on shelves in the basement. Little by little over the years, those things have made their way into my sewing room, leaving empty space on the shelves.
One quilting friend suggested that the things I am not using right now, but don't want to get rid of, should go into plastic storage tubs and be put on the basement shelves. Why didn't I think of that?
All my bear-making supplies will (hopefully) fit into an 18-gallon tote so they can be stored on a basement shelf. That will free up lots of space in the closet in my sewing room! Hmm...what else can I put away in a storage tub in the basement?