View from my window

 Yes winter is in full swing here on the Great Lakes.  I know this has become an annual rant but LORD I hate the snow and the havoc it brings.  Storms are so destructive to the routine of everyday life.  It makes me want to hibernate rather than my goal of resetting.  

Let's face it.  Saying you're going to reset and actually doing it are two different things.  This week, I set out to walk the walk to go along with all that talk last week.  To that extent I had to start digging out my studio. 

Right now, I can easily say my studio is going through an identity crisis. It's a small space to begin with and to bring another art form into it is going to take some ingenuity.  But first things, first it needs digging out....

Right now it looks like this....

I believe in showing it all

Not just the pretty pictures  'cause the struggle is real  And if you know you know..

I took a little time each day getting things put back, cleaned up and thrown out.  I was doing good actually...until I came to the elephant in the room.  Well - rather - the sheep.  What was I going to do with the small stash of wool I had accumulated?  Storing it in bins was not ideal...its hard to see what you own and find what you're looking for.  Not to mention, it's best to store wool in a well-ventilated area.  That really meant I needed to get more shelves.  But where to put them?  

Luckily, I took the problem to my husband and he said why don't you buy them with wheels and they could slide back into an under utilize corner.  That way you can slide them out when you need them and tuck them back when you don't.  Oh he's smart...no wonder I married him!

The trick to buying good shelving is to figure out what you want to store, how you want to store it and how much space you have.  THEN take all that information and head to Amazon which has a ridiculously huge variety of sturdy, inexpensive metal shelving.  I decided that I wanted 6 tiers, about 30" long by 15" deep on wheels...for under $75.  It took a while I found buy what I was looking for. 

I sorted and folded the wool and it easily fit.  I took all the smaller pieces and put them in a bin that fit on the bottom tier.  

It went from this....

To this....a perfect solution for $61...I'm all happy.

You'll have to wait to see the final reveal of the whole room because I'm not quite done yet.  I've been working steadily but I don't want to get all crazy.  

Speaking of crazy...here's what's new on this week's Rug Watch! Little by little, he's shaping up.   I'm getting the hang of hooking yarn.  It gives a more nubbly texture that is appropriate for the trim of his vest.  But it's harder to control that's for sure....

That's it for me...What Have You've Been Up to Creatively?

Okay, show of hands, who out there gives a small groan when you get the supply list for a big quilting class?  25 years later and many, many 5-day quilting classes and I still get intiminadated when I first read the list.  You think to yourself, "Self!  Does she really want us to bring all this stuff?  Are we really going to use all of it? And how much fabric is actually enough?"  I mean nobody wants to get to class and think, "Gosh I wish I had  "insert the most perfect fabric here" with me."  But also you don't want to be THAT gal who brings her whole stash.

Now in all honesty, Veronica Hofman-Ortega, did a very good job with her supply list for my upcoming class in Improv Piecing.  Here is our mission ... if we chose to complete it...

Fabric

• Choose solids, textured and tonal blenders (fabrics that read as solid), hand-dyed fabrics (only if you have hand-dyed).

• Bring a good variety of fabrics in light, medium, and dark values. 

•  a minimum of a 1/2 yard piece of each fabric (cut selvedge to selvedge from the bolt).
• Try to have colors in values of at least a 5-step range from light to dark: lights, light mediums, mediums, dark mediums, darks.

• bring more yardage (2-4 yards) of fabrics you’ll use as a dominant color or background.

• 3-4 total yards of “zinger” fabrics: brights, saturated or neon-like colors (neon yellow, lime, turquoise, bright  red, bright orange, pink, etc.). Stripes, plaids, checks, and geometrics can be considered zingers and will add interest. Some of these zinger fabrics can be fat quarters or large scraps.

• 1-2 yards each of white, black, cool neutrals (greys) and warm neutrals (cream, beige, taupe)

• Optional, if time permits and you want to experiment: a larger scale print, orphan quilt blocks, or a UFO (unfinished project) you’re willing to cut up.

 Now when I first read the requirements, all I saw was the "a minimum of a 1/2 yard piece of each fabric (cut selvedge to selvedge from the bolt" part and thought  - Oh! Oh! - I mean I hardly EVER have half yard cuts.  I mean they might have been a half yard cut at one time but who knows if they are now.  Then I thought - well the class is Improv Piecing so if I really need a bigger cut I can always just sew a few quick seams and I'll have a bigger cut.  Right? 

Then after 2 weeks - yes 14 days  - hemmming and hawwwing  - I still couldn't make up my mind for a palette.  I originally was just going to pick an abstract quilt or painting I like and pull the colors from that or even go to my pinterest color board and pull from that.  But nope...couldn't make up mind.  The fabric supply list seems to imply that I will know what dominant color will be - sigh - it's like they haven't met me, ya know?  Sooooo I pulled all the colors!

Pulling from my stash by Hue and Value .... this is what I got

Now how to get it all to class.  I have two containers (I actually have 3 but that is truly an obnoxious amount of fabric!) I bought years ago just for that task...they fit nicely into the car and under your table.  And this is what I ended up with!

After getting it all done, ya know what I thought?  OMGoodness this is going to be a pain to get back into the right bins when I get home!  (PS...now that I'm looking at the picture - I have a lot of dark navy - that would make a nice dominant or background fabric! Gotta pull some more - 'cause ya know I got more)

I'll pack the rest of my supplies and I'll give my stash one good look through - that fabric goes into a smaller tub labeled .. "Just in Case".  Also, I like the idea of bringing UFO that I'm willing to cut up.  That sounds theraputic in the very least!

So How Do You Pack for Class?

My Pegboard, white, cut to fit the space, painted stripes, electric orange tape. Baskets, cups used for additional space, labeled

So today I read an interesting post on my Sewing/Quilting Organization list on Facebook.  A member was looking for ideas for the use of a pegboard in her sewing space and asked for pictures.  My first thought was lots of people must have pegboards and they all must use them the same way.  

Apparently, I was wrong.  As goes it with a list of 110K (yes you read that right 110,000!) quilters/sewers, you get many opinions and ideas on how a pegboard can be used.  With the permission of the owners, I thought I would share some and why I think they are great!

             Beth R decided to paint hers individually and place them near her work tables
                                           (notice - another  Janome 7700 owner - yay!)

 So this week, it was brought to my attention, how much social media has changed over the short life of the internet.   In the late 90's, it wasn't unusual to connect with other quilters on different sites including www.quilt.com.  There were also forums (Reddit type)  where you could ask questions and form groups.  I joined a quilt guild that was active but just virtually.  At the time,  it was all very new and

interesting.  I also belonged to two email groups (one traditional - one art quilt-based) where you would start a topic and people would chime in with their answers or two cents.  These would get very active and it wasn't unusual to come home to 500+ emails.  In the early 2000s, blogging took off.  Here was another way to connect with like-minded people.  EVERYONE and their mother started a blog.  Next popped up Facebook and then Instagram and then TikTok.  Each platform offered something new and shiny to the user.  Sites come and go...apps come and go...(do you remember the first time someone explained to you what an app was?)  I'm sure you, like I , have found it a bit much.  Plus as the years go on, we have members aging out of the platforms where they find they have other ways to enjoy their retirement.  It seems as if the new penny has lost some of its shine.

Or so I thought.

In the last couple of months, I've joined two VERY active maker's groups on Facebook.  Honestly, at this point, I really thought that Facebook groups were a thing of the past.  I apparently was wrong. 

The first is Loose Ends Project Finishers.  Loose Ends are matchmakers.  They match the families of
either passed loved ones or disabled makers who have left behind projects with makers who can finish the projects for them.  It reaches out to knitters, crocheters, embroiders, quilters etc who volunteer their talents to help out.  There are 22,000 finishers (me included) in 64 countries.  The idea has gotten so popular that JoAnn's is an official sponsor and running a current "Round Up " campaign through the month of February to help. You can join in at their site but they also have an active FB group that shows off work that is completed.

Funny Story of the Day:

So my husband comes home from JoAnn's and says - hey I rounded up my change to this pretty cool group - it's a group that will finish projects when you die. I suggest you start finishing up some of these quilts so you don't keep them busy! I said - Ohhh I'm part of that group! He said - well you are a "Finisher" not a "Starter", right?! LOL I told him we don't accept suggestions from the peanut gallery in this studio. Sent him back to his woodshop.

The Second group I've joined is the Quilting/Sewing Room Organization Facebook Group.  It has 91K members (and counting).  This is a very active group that is dedicated to exactly what the name states organizing your sewing space.  As long-time readers know, peeping on other's sewing rooms is a guilty pleasure of mine and this really has fed into this big time!  It's amazing where people from all over the world choose to create.  Some spaces are exactly as you expect...big, no expense-spared kind of dream rooms.  Others are sewers just starting out and asking for ideas on how to use their tiny space the best. Lots, like me fall in the middle.  For the most part, the group is encouraging and very helpful.  I really have had fun reading how people problem-solve their organizational problems and also encouraging those who have gone through life changes and need help getting their space put together. 

To tell you the truth, I have to really watch my screen time on this last group or I could lose hours - reading and answering!

P.S.  Since it's come up in the comments - here is the scoop about why my husband was at JoAnn's - So he went himself as I happened to be out of town that day.  He had to buy some velvet that I did assure him they sell and yes you just bring the bolt up to the counter and they will cut the yardage you need.  He needed the velvet because he was finishing up his "Wedding Time Capsule Boxes" for the upcoming season.  The boxes are made big enough to hold a bottle of wine and any other mementos the couple wants to keep for future anniversaries.  He is currently selling these on his website and they are customizable. 

Do you have any new social media outlets you like to use?

 Okay, it's guilty pleasure confession time....One of my favorite things to do when I'm avoiding working in my studio is to look at videos and TikTok of other artists' sketchbooks.  It all started with me looking at my daughter's best friend's TikTok page.  Brittany is a trained artist and it's been fun to watch her develop into this amazing professional.  Here is the one that started it all.  She spent the year doing a lot of figure studies.  That led to one of my favorite hashtags #sketchbooktour | TikTok where there are a ton of them to look at!  I started to get sketchbook envy and wonder why I didn't take up painting and drawing instead of sewing.  (oh yeah I hate dislike painting immensely).   Then I got the big idea why do I need to do a sketchbook with ink and paint?  Why not use fabric - some glued - some stitched....it should work, right?

Audra Auclair

So I got on the phone with Brittany and we started brainstorming ideas of how an art quilter's sketchbook to go.  Luckily I happen to have a nice new mixed-media sketchbook just hanging out on my shelf.  Some ideas we came up with were....

• 
  composition studies
• palette studies
• creative quote prompts
  
• value studies
• Element of art exercises
• cropped compositions from master paintings
• line and negative space studies
• texture and stitch ideas
• 3D and shading studies

 So is anybody else doing their spring cleaning?  Since this is my 30th year of quilting, I thought it would be a good time to downsize the stash that I've been collecting all this time.  Recently we did over our dressing room/fabric closet and this is as far as we've gotten.

The Before

Notice what great shelves the upcycled church pews made?

 Why is it that an organizational project always looks worse before it gets better?  I knew this would be a big job but WoW it's a really big job.  I had no idea how much stuff I had stashed in that room over the years. I am taking it seriously though and as promised I'm documenting as I go.  I decided that I'm going to have three piles....fabric that is organized by color.....fabric that is organized by collection .... fabric that is going to be donated to the sewing programs at the Erie City Mission. The nice thing about sewing for 30 years is that you now realize what fabric you will use and what you won't use!  I'm blessed to find it a good home since the last time I sold it off it was a ton of work!

The first thing was emptying out the dressing room on the third floor....

Then stage it all down my 2nd floor hallway until it can be sorted ...

 This blog has been a lot of things over the years.  It's been a creative journal.  It's been a way to connect with other quilters.  It's been a way to give back to the quilting community who have shared so much free knowledge online.  Through it all, I've tried to stay transparent.  I mean it's so easy to go to big quilt shows or read magazines and say "WoW!  They are so talented.  I could never do that!"  What we don't see are all the trials and failures that led to those masterpieces.  So I thought here would be one place where you see it all ...the good, the bad, and the ugly.