Red Carpet Ready

The Oscars start in an hour and I'm ready for my close-up.

Oh my!

I'm still here. I've been getting concerned emails...
Life is just a little hectic at the moment but I have 4 days off work and I'm hoping to sew a little.
In the mean time, I just saw this on Facebook:

Read more about it over here. I want to go!!!

Inspired

In anticipation of empty project boxes, I started thinking about new projects last night.

I was playing around in EQ7 and managed to whip up something I loved.
But I used EQ7's block designs and I REALLY want to be able to share this project with you, so...

...I'm going to have to redesign every block.

This could take a while, but stick around and it may eventually come to "fruit"-ion.

Today's project

I'm doing the last bit of machine applique on my little Tea Party quilt. It's tiny, so I'm hoping to get the quilting done today too. That will mean another empty box...

Chain Reaction

The completion of the "That Quilt" top (yes, she's done, exept for the scallops) set in motion a small chain reaction.

She will move over to the "unquilted quilt tops" box.
Rainbow Jane moved into her old box because it's bigger and she's next on the "Jane List".

Geese in the Forest moved out of two shoe boxes into Rainbow's old box.

And I now have two empty shoe boxes.

In the House of a Quilter

I'm in the final throes of the assembly of my Dear Jane quilt top.
It's huge, so I'm doing the ironing downstairs on the big ironing board with the "real" iron as opposed to the mini iron in the sewing room.

At one point I left the room and when I returned I was struck by this.
Seriously. No staging.
Poetic, isn't it?

How many quilty projects do you spy?

Phew!

Only parents who have sent kids off to college will understand how much relief this brings.

Jane in progress

If you're following my other blog, you know that I've been working on this giant project since March 2007.
225 different 4.5" blocks.

The end is in sight!
Today my hope is to complete the center of the quilt top.

(If you'd like to learn more, check out the blog or visit my Flickr set or the Flickr group.)

Now you see it...

Now you don't.

I apologize if I'm boring you with this but I just can't get enough of my newly organized quilting life.
This is the project that will soon vacate a box, meaning I can start something new:

(The fabric is Hideaway from Moda)

Very, very slow progress

Gee! The last time I posted a photo of this quilt was June 2009!
The first time was June 2007!
She's definitely a golden oldie.
Maybe I'll complete her this year, now that she's out in the open in her own little box.

Books Read in 2010

Every January I do a post with all the books I read the previous year.
If you can recommend any for this year, please leave a comment. I'm always on the lookout for new reading matter.

Split Second - David Baldacci
Until I find you - John Irving
The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood
Simple Genius - David Baldacci
The Summons - John Grisham
The Colour of Water - Angela Green
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder - Rebecca Wells
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
Scarpetta - Patricia Cornwell
The Pact - Jodi Picoult
The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
Hour Game - David Baldacci

My favorites:
The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
The Lovely Bones
The Pact

My Least Favorites:
The Colour of Water
Until I find you
The Year of the Flood

I bought myself a nook for my birthday in October.

Our library is rapidly expanding its ebook selection and it really helps not having to fit library visits into my hectic schedule as well.

WIP-ing

I've been trying out my newly organized sewing room this weekend.

I worked on three different projects. Having each WIP in its own box is amazing! When I tire of one I can put it away in mere seconds and grab something else. And everything stays neat.

I predict a productive week. Fingers crossed.

Quick, take a photo!

Before the perfection disappears.
(Warning! This is a photo-heavy post.)

It took 40 days and 40 nights...well, more like 3 days and 3 nights, but still.

Before:

After:


Before:

After:


Before:

After:


Each WIP has its own box. Thanks Jodi! (UFOs are combined in other boxes until I feel like working on them.) I have 10 actual WIPs.  Ones I'm working on. My new unwritten rule is that I can't start a new project until I finish one. So, no more than 10 at a time.  Doable, right?

Scraps are in their own boxes too. By color.


I didn't get a before photo of the closet but, trust me, it was just as bad as the rest. As in, the doors couldn't close!

To the left is stationery and stuff. On the floor to the right is my new baby.
And then there's fabric organization.

It doesn't look like a lot but, using the method I did, you can stuff a LOT of fabric in a box!

Blue & Aqua


Red & Pink


Purple, Yellow, Green


The rest


I'm SO excited about all this! I feel like I can now move mountains.

(Edited to add: I used these tips to organize the fabric.)

It's gonna get worse...

...before it gets better.

Slow progress


If you're following the Facebook Page, you've already seen this, but here's a little hint as to the identity of the new "person" in the sewing room:

Organize - Step 1a

I don't make New Year's resolutions. I think you can make a "right now" resolution any time you want.

That being said, the office/sewing room has become a space I cannot function in any more.
Cluttered with all kinds of stuff I don't use on a regular basis.

Art supplies
scrapbook supplies
old software
old computer cables
books that don't inspire me
recipes I'll never try
etc.

Not to mention assorted piles of fabric and unfinished projects.

To ensure a productive year, I HAVE to tackle this.

Step 1.
The shelving - before


Stay tuned for the "after".

(Yesterday someone new arrived in the sewing room. I will reveal her soon.)

2010 Completed Projects

Rather pathetic, but here they are:

1. Perfectly Pink Runner
2. Fall Inspired Mini Quilt
3. Spice Market Quilt
4. Pinwheel Party Quilt
5. Soul Mates Mini Quilt

Happy New Year!

I only finished 5 measly little projects in 2010. Five!
This year I'm doing better. Yes, I am. I said this last year too and I did even worse than in 2009. Crossing my fingers for 2011.

This morning I started Project #1.
I've been collecting 30's fabrics for the new fabric clubs and BOM in the store and itching to use them for something.

Aren't they pretty?

Last minute Santa Hat tree topper

This year Christmas is a little befuddled in our house.  I won't bore you with the details.

Anyway, we didn't have a tree.  And I was OK with that, I thought.

Yesterday afternoon the Christmas Spirit visited Mrs. Scrooge and I decided we needed a tree after all.  Where would Santa put the gifts if we didn't?

A mad rush to the nearest craft store ensued.  The good thing is about being a procrastinator is that you get REALLY good deals on trees.
The down side is that decorations are in short supply.

Since our cute new little 4 ft tree is too small for our giant tree topper, I had a problem.

I internet surfed a little looking for quick tree toppers to make but had no luck.  I really didn't want an angel made out of paper plates.

On some decorating web site  - can't remember which one - I saw a Santa hat topper. C-U-T-E!
But no time to order one, I'm afraid.

My brain sprang into action.
I know we had a couple of old hats somewhere.

Here's what I did:
1. Measured how tall I'd need the topper to be.
2. Cut the hat to size - chopped off the bottom.
3. Trimmed off the white trim and reattached it to the new smaller hat.
4. I had to reinforce the top of the tree a little, since artificial trees have really flimsy tops.  I just stuck two wooden skewers in there.
5. I also had to wrap the top bit in ribbon to allow the hat to slide down and not get stuck on the pine needles.
6. I stuffed some of the fabric remnants into the hat to help the pom-pom stay up because it was flopping over.

I'm happy!

Fabric Overload!

I took this photo of all the overflow this morning. These are mostly 30's reproduction fabric, which has grown that collection significantly.

Since then 33 more bolts of fabric have arrived and I'm expecting 24 more today.
It's like Christmas!
Ive been waiting a long time for these.
It's Hideaway by Lauren + Jessie Jung for Moda.
Won't this make a lovely, lovely Spring quilt?
So many ideas, so little time...

A Glimpse

Of something in the works