Where to start !... I have spent the last two days purging and cleaning out ALL of the quilting stuff I seem to have collected over the last twenty years of my quilting lifetime.
Why? My Son is moving home for a while, which I am really happy about, BUT all my quilting stuff is in his bedroom cupboards so............... I have had to move it all. After taking a good look through all that was in his cupboards I decided it had all been there for a very long time and I had not even given it a second thought, never needing to go and get something that I could not live without...... the reality being I actually could live without most of it.
Also I have repainted my sewing room, it's so nice and fresh and well organized. I have decided that what does not fit in my sewing room and the cupboard I have for storage does not need to be here. The reality is I have a small space and storage is a minimum so I have to learn to be realistic. The other reality is that I am not getting any younger, so the quilts I make and fabric I use will be what I really love..........
I can hear you all nodding and realating to what I am doing. I bet many of you have been doing the purging and cleaning out too. Do you have any storage tips to share ? My best tips I have discoverd while doing all of this is NOT to tuck fabrics and projects away in seperate little bags lol You would not believe the gorgeous fabrics I discoverd tucked away with UFO projects that will never be finished...... If I had not gone through everything I may of never discovered the fabric. That's the other thing, my taste has changed over time, and some of the projects were from classes and things I wanted to learn at the time. I know I will never finish them, so I have no guilt in passing them on or even (heaven forbid) putting them in the rubbish. That's a real monkey off my back I tell you.
Now that I have a clean and organized space with only the projects I want to work on and the tools and fabrics I need I am so excited about getting into sewing someting fresh. I have made a pact with myself to purge regularly, and not to hoard things.
Here's a picture of my room after painting, I have my sewing machines and cutting table back in place. I have a peg board ready to go on the wall above the cutting table where I can hang all my rulers and cutters etc.
One of the treasures I found while going through everything were a pile of freindship star blocks, which were made by freinds in the Reproduction Fabrics Yahoo Group in 2012. I was only new to the group but decided to participate in my first and only block swap, I had no idea how it all worked but so glad I did. Reading the names on the blocks, I now realize that most of these ladies are freinds with me on facebook. I can now put a face and person to the name, such a treat. These blocks will be the first project I am going to work on now that I have a lovely clean and unclutterd space to work in.
I have sorted through them and I have twenty blocks altogether. I have decided to set them with a plain alternate block.
Then this happend !
Benny has claimed the cutting table, he loves to sleep here everyday and keep a watchful eye on my progress.
I have'nt got the heart to move him, so I work around him.
I am loving working on this quilt, I feel like I am being cheer on by all the freinds who made the blocks.
I have more painting to finish this coming week, but between coats I will be happily working on the Freindship Star quilt.
Happy Stitching
Sharon
What a lovely spot to sew (complete with Benny).
The friendship stars are beautiful, I’m glad you are using them. They have a wonderful story to tell.
Your tip about not stashing fabrics in little groups is one I really need to follow. It’s one of my worst habits and like you I find lovely fabrics hidden away that I could have been using x
Great job on decluttering! I enjoyed your writing style and your cute little cat!
What a great result finding those blocks. They look great and what a wonderful way to keep your friends with you. Thank you for linking up to #scraptatictuesday
Hey Sharon…I can’t believe you have my star block…all tucked under the kitty..
How long ago was that when we traded Star blocks…?
I was in NZ two years ago traveling with my friend Margaret Mew..
Love NZ…
Warm regards, Patty
Your sewing space looks great! Nice work on taming the stash. Those signature star blocks are fun, and it looks like your cute assistant has given them the seal of approval. ;)
I always love going through my fabrics and only keeping the bits and pieces I know I still love and will use. I’m lucky I can donate my extra fabric to my quilt guild where wonderful members will make charity quilts for Davids House in NH.
I love how your kitty is helping you make some room for your son’s happy homecoming:)
I’m starting this process this weekend!
First a big declutter and also cull those fabrics I know I’ll never use.
I have 10 years to sort through and hope I’ll find some treasures like you did too.
Nice job on your sewing room. Pegboards make use of spaces to hang all your tools. You will be so productive knowing where everything is … including Benny! He’s adorable and I’m glad to hear that you don’t move him. After all, he’s where he loves to be — with you!
Yes! Decluttering is a process. I have sorted my fabric into the patterns I still want to make. Each project is in a plastic craft box, with everything in the box to make the completed top. My other rule, the project can only be started once I had everything I needed in the box: pattern, fabric thread.
I give quilts away, to make room to create more. Shop the stash I have first, only buy what I need. Anything else got donated to the thrift shop. This way none of the fabric ends up in a landfill, somebody else will see it and create something special with it. Over the last couple of years my stash is now so well used, l have a small walk in closet, with my project boxes stacked on a small shelving unit. Rotating the boxes one can work on all of them. They all get completed one after the other. This is. Journey, which has a great outcome!
Because your work area is so spotlessly clean & new looking now you won’t want to work on your quilting incase you mess it up…. haha sure that won’t happen though xxxx
How to press a Flying Geese Border ? This is the question I was asked so I have done my best to answer as it is not exactly what you might be expecting to see. Read more to see how I pressed the seams to get nice flat intersections.
Making four Flying Geese units at a time is a great time saver, and a wonderful method. I love to oversize the units and trim them down to the correct size for perfect blocks. Read how I go about making these versatile units that I use in almost every quilt I make.
Chris Brannigan
March 22, 2017
Funny how our cats seem to know which project is the new or current project.
My cat Eddie is just the same. He only sleeps on the cleanest, just to be ironed washing or the very latest quilt under construction. You have inspired me to go through my “little bags” too! Thanks Chris