In Trouble Now!

More Archeological Treasures

The good news is I've cleared off over half of the dining room table!

AND I have managed to keep my newly organized shelves neat for over two weeks! My cutting table has been cleared after every cutting session and the scraps have gone directly into their appropriate container -- well, the big chunks have been piling up but I do try to get those put away every day or two.

The Trouble:  Back in the purple month -- March, it was -- I mentioned that I found quite a few 1-1/2" strips I had cut for an ill-fated sweatshirt jacket. Those were transformed into 16-patches which went into this still-to-be-finished project.

Guess what I unearthed today?

More Sweatshirt Strips !!!

Continuing my BRP/archeological dig, I uncovered the basket that contained ALL the strips I had cut for the sweatshirt project. Holy Cow! What am I going to do?

This fabric was the inspiration for the fabrics I pulled for the jacket.



Inspiration fabric

I still have over a yard of it left so I'm thinking about cutting large squares, either 6 or 8 inches, to alternate with 36- or 64-patch squares. Not the most creative solution, but it doesn't require a lot of thought. If any of my readers has a better solution, chime in 'cause I won't get to this till later this month.

I really don't want to just add this treasure trove to the 1-1/2" strip bin ...

Linking up with Esther for WIPs on Wednesday.

Not Exactly Scraps

But Scrappy, Nevertheless

Early in the week I set about assessing and addressing a 2-year-old UFO that had taken residence in a pile on my sewing table -- a new version of Wink & a Smile

Wink & a Smile

In my assessment I determined that I had WAY over-estimated how many strips I would need to make the 9-patches for W&aS.  My solution to this plethora of patches was to make a second quilt that I'm calling Chex Mix

Chex Mix

The blocks will alternate between various light and dark backgrounds. I can see from the photo that my dark sample lacks contrast so I need to check on the blocks I have kitted up to make sure the effort will be worth the outcome. As for this lonely dark block, if I can't balance him out with others, he'll probably go on the back.

Leftover leftovers

While I didn't start with scraps to make W&aS, I'm utilizing the leftovers in not one, but two bonus quilts! I have about 20 9-patches left and this pile of remnant pieces that may go into a border.  I can guarantee that they are NOT going into a pile or a box.

Linking up with Angela at soscrappy for Scrap Happy Saturday.

A Room With A View

Rewind

Those who follow me may remember that a little over a year ago the Main Man and I thought we had found this perfect lot to build our retirement dream home just south of Knoxville, TN on Tellico Lake.

Imagine our disappointment (that's definitely a G-rated spin on the situation) when the architectural guidelines changed in the middle of our planning. We could probably have argued our case that we purchased with a different set of guidelines in place, but our enthusiasm was definitely squelched.

So I set out on a quest for another piece of heaven, this time a little further east, further into the mountains, and closer to our favorite destinations in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. We found it east of Kingsport, about 15 miles from the TN/VA line.



Though we have yet to make a commitment, Alex has spent the last 6 months making sure that our plans will fit on the site. We're in Kingsport today and tomorrow to finalize some of the details. The building pad is the level portion at the top of the hill with a minimum rise on the driveway (left side).

Let's get to the important stuff first:  The north view from my quilting studio.

 North

OK, so it's not so glamorous. Actually, in addition to a view of the driveway I'll have views east and west, including this east view from the kitchen terrace ...

East from kitchen

... and this view west from the living room.

West from living room

That's my van down on the road to give you an idea of the scale of the site.  From our bedroom we will be able to see this view to the south.

South view from master bedroom

I was excited to see masses of blackberries in bloom and I hope construction won't destroy too many of them.

Blackberry brambles

I would love to be able to make blackberry pies like my grandmother did. Or maybe blackberry cobbler. Or how about blackberry jam? Blackberry wine? Maybe we should name our home Blackberry Hill ....

The developer knows we're serious, but we need to make a commitment soon. Stay tuned.

Archeological Treasures

BRP Continues

Sunday I began an all-out assault on the sewing table.



There's a machine in there somewhere!

That pile on the end of the left return has been there since October 2014!! I swear it was just last week ... nevertheless ... you can read the backstory here and here. Just know that it started innocently with a quick but necessary stop at Whittle's on my way to Fall Quilt Camp 2014.

I had left my step-out samples on the design wall at home so I selected some sweet "country" prints to whip up a quick demo once I got to camp where I was teaching Wink & a Smile. Trouble is, I fell in love with the fabrics and started a new quilt.

Wink & a Smile

In my assault I made the faulty assumption that most everything was cut and all I would need to do is assess my progress and put away any excess fabric. NOT!

I was apparently overzealous in cutting strips for the 9-patch centers; I probably had enough for 3 quilts! Plus I had about a dozen additional FQs that had not been cut. What to do with the plethora of patches?

This cover quilt is my solution.

That's what's on my design wall this week. Not on my OMG list, not even much RSC16 green. But I can now see that end of the left desk extension!

30 Days Hath ...

Hey, wait, where did April go?

Heidi at Red Letter Quilts issued a challenge at the beginning of the year to limit oneself to just

One Monthly Goal (OMG) and then report at the end of the month.

It's time to set my OMG (One Monthly Goal) for May. I normally try to find a UFO that features the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC16) color of the month, but I couldn't find anything that had much more than a touch of green. So, Like Charlene at Geema's Wonderings, I'm going to count May as a catch-up month.

January - Finish Pineapple Sun-Day (yellow/gray exploding pineapple), make back, take to LAQ. DONE!

February - Finish Smith Mountain Morning - still needs borders.

March - Finish Summer Heat - still needs borders.

April - Reorganize sewing room and put stuff away - more than half-way there!

May - Catch up on OMGs and complete modern mini swap quilt, including the quilting.

Double Star

There is some travel on the agenda this week -- can't wait to show pictures -- and a guild retreat later in the month. -- new project in the works. Plus, I am hosting the church women's breakfast (not here, thank goodness) one Saturday this month.

All-in-all a pretty full plate.

Check the link at Red Letter Quilts for other OMGs.



Fondly Fondling Fat Quarters

15+ Years of Collecting

Nann at With Strings Attached  likened my Big Reorganization Project (BRP) to an archeological dig. I think that's a very apt description. I've come across things accumulated in days long past and things I have no recollection of ever purchasing, receiving as a gift, or using in a project.

Yet, there they sit among the detritus of my quilting life!

The BRP continued today with refolding, sorting, and storing fat quarters in ArtBin Super Satchels.

Fat Quarters in Art Bin Super Satchels

You may remember that in June 2014 I got some cabinets at Habitat Re-Store that included a tall segmented unit which I planned to use for fat quarter storage.

Well, it turned out the cubbies, with painted black interior, were deep and things just got lost in the darkness. That case has been relegated to the garage.

Over the course of 15+ years I have used various methods of folding and storing FQs, none of which has been entirely satisfactory. My intention today was to standardize to a size that would fit in the subdivisions of the satchels. 

As I opened, smoothed, and refolded each piece, I was sensitive to the variety of textures -- some smooth as silk, some coarse and common -- and to the changing color palette over the years. I was also surprised that my eye frequently chose "modern" motifs, long before I knew what modern quilting was.

I filled three and a half satchels and added them to the short shelf just to the right of my cutting table.

My thought -- and please don't laugh -- is that if the strips and fat quarters are close at hand and visible, I will be more inclined to use them.

AND, more importantly, I should be more inclined to put them away!

We'll see how that goes.

Friday Un-Finish

OMG Update

My One Monthly Goal (OMG) for April has been to clean up the quilting mess that has taken over the house. It had gotten so bad that I was embarrassed to post a "before" photo.

This is the view I get today as I enter my "studio" in the basement.

Still looks pretty bad until you step further into the room. I have wrangled 100+ gallons of scraps into squares, triangles, and strips -- 1-1/2", 2', and 2-1/2" -- that are separated into bins.



Strip bins

 The stash fabric has all been folded and sorted into color groups.

Left end

Right end

These pictures were taken a few days earlier; I have filled the gaps since then.

The work table has been cleared to the point that I can press larger pieces of fabric.

Work table

The storage room contents have been condensed and reorganized.

The large chunks (smaller than a FQ) of scrap fabrics have found a new home in bigger bins.

Scrap chunks

And the fat quarters will find a new home in some Art Bin Super Satchels.

Fat Quarter Storage

Yet, another month passes with my OMG goal not quite met. Honestly, this was not the best month to pick this goal as I lost the better part of two weeks to travel and social obligations. I feel good about what I did accomplish and will continue the process until I can again work at my sewing table and can clear off the dining room table.

There's a machine in there somewhere!

Thanks to Heidi at Red Letter Quilts for hosting the One Monthly Goal (OMG). Participating has really helped me stay focused.