Lakeside Picnic - Better Late Than Never

You never know what you'll find when you start cleaning out a closet, especially in a sewing room. Maybe treasures, maybe trash, usually both. My normal responses vary from “Oh wow!” and “I remember that fabric” to “Why did I even keep that?” or “What the hell was I thinking?”

This little quilt is one of two pretty unfinished quilt tops I found stashed in an unlabeled box. Looking back at my quilt diary, I worked on it in the summer of 2013. I'm not sure why I laid it aside, but the pieced backing and the border fabric was stored with it. I probably had several projects going at once and it got lost in the shuffle. But here it is now, all finished.

A simple rail fence block is arranged using blue prints alternating with a green & white check. Borders are a lovely solid green and a blue floral. I think it has a 1930's vibe going. The back is pieced with wide and narrow stacked strips. I quilted the center section using a straight stitch in green thread, following the rails. On the borders, I changed to a multi zig-zag utility stitch.

Lakeside Picnic is 45” square and ready to use now that it rested for 11 years. The other top with backing has been added to the To Be Quilted shelf in my decluttered and organized closet. You'll see it soon, I hope.

Better late than never!

Down Time

I've been a busy woman lately, and honestly, I needed a break! I couldn't get motivated to write, so I took a Sunday drive with my sweetie, then spent Monday puttering around the house. It was just what I needed. I do this blog for fun, so if I want to skip a post, I can.

I didn't stop sewing, though. This little quilt is a quickie table mat made using Blue Wren's Pine Bark die (also known as Japanese Puzzle or Japanese Jigsaw). I chose remnants to cut these puzzle pieces to test the die after it arrived last week. I used dark gray thread to quilt crossing serpentine lines. Down Time is 22” x 30” size. I'm planning a larger throw version later, probably using bright batiks.

👕 👗 👚

It's time to pull out my spring wardrobe, so a closet reboot is in progress. I'm assessing everything. A lot of unworn and unused stuff has been boxed for donation. Worn out, used up stuff is in the trash. It feels good to let go of things and gain space.

Paring down is hard work but satisfying. From now on, only the best will do. Not the most expensive but what suits me. My favorite colors. The most flattering fit. Comfort. Simple, basic, and a bit quirky. Cute shoes. I'm sticking to what reflects our lifestyle and makes me happy. And that includes clothing, household goods, and life in general.

I'm glad I listened to myself and enjoyed some down time. I intend to do that more often. Right now I'm headed back into the deep recesses of the closet to arrange what's left.

Blue Wren dies used:
6815 Pine Bark 6” finished sides

Taking time to recharge

is productive too 

 ~unknown

Quilting Frame and Reorganization Update

Here's my new toy: the Flynn Multi-Frame Quilting System. It's a lightweight three rail frame to hold quilt layers taut while free motion stitching on a regular sewing machine. It is easy to set up once you watch the demonstration video. It's portable and stores in the original box. 

The Amazon price of $136 is very reasonable compared to other home machine frames costing $1,100 and up. Those are really big too, and I don't have enough space for that.

I made a test quilt first, which I've cut into sleeping mats for Callie cat. She won't care that my stitching is cattywampus. There will be a learning curve: most skills improve with practice. Yesterday I quilted my first quilt on it, and while there are a few mistakes, I chalk them up to experience. I won't use the frame for every quilt.  Larger ones won't fit unless I get longer rails, and some designs need more precise stitching with a walking foot. 

Follow up: If you read last week's blog, you know this purchase created the opportunity to make more space around my machine by rearranging my furniture. I did order two new under table cabinets to hold thread, accessories, and tools. They arrived on Friday, and we put them together right away. Don't they look so much nicer than the plastic containers?

I cleaned out my tall white cabinets, arranging supplies closer to where they are needed and moving seldom used ones to high closet shelves. Efficiency rules! I even tossed some things into my donation box. The room is not minimalist by any means, but I am hoping to keep my space neater and organized. Callie supervised the action, and I think she approves.

Last week was busy, now on to practice on a few UFO's that I never got around to quilting. And as always, I need to use up some fabric from my stash so I can buy more.

Honey, I Broke The Closet!

I knew I owned lots of clothes...but I never realized how many until one of my closet rods broke!

One night we heard a crash and couldn't find anything that fell until later when I opened my closet door. WOW. A two inch hardwood rod had split in the center and pulled down the bracket that held it. Good grief, do ya think I need to get rid of some things? There were more than a few laughs about just how many outfits a retired woman needs.

When we got back from the beach last week, I started purging clothes based on what I wear now. I did this several years ago at retirement, but  I bought more and apparently don't get rid of much. To be fair, some of the extra clothes were my mom's. This time I have four huge bags for donation. I also sorted the guest room closet, which stores my off season things.

My sweet husband and I have installed a new closet system with a few custom modifications (stronger this time!). I love the look. Hopefully now I can keep organized and contain my addicting clothing habits. A photo of the broken rod might be all I need to stay on track. 

 

And, yes, I was too embarrassed to shop for clothing on Black Friday.