Today I am on the road . . actually, on the road, in the sky, waiting in the airport, and now in the hotel. I am on a job for CQL in Jackson Mississippi. I got into town early enough to make a quick trip to Bernina Sewing Etc. The ladies were so nice and the shop is wonderful.
Angela really liked Atkinson's Design's Popsicle Sticks pattern - I had not seen it before and love the twist on the rail fence.
I have been working for CQL for a little over 5 years and wherever I go I buy a FQ in either blue or brown. I'm not sure what pattern I'll make yet, but I am gathering a nice selection of FQs. Here is what I added today.
Of course I also picked up a few very cool B&Ws.
While watching Cupcake Wars and Chopped on the TV (no network TV at home, so I soak up cooking shows when on the road), I am working on GMFG. What bliss! The only thing missing is my DH!
From Jackson Mississippi,
D
OK, so I am also a knitter and have quite an impressive yarn stash. I love collecting yarn especially as souvenirs when I travel. But enough is enough! We will be moving sometime in the next year and I really won't have the space for a yarn stash and a fabric stash of monolithic proportions. We are having a garage sale in a few weeks and I thought it might be a great opportunity to sell some of my yarn.
It was sooooo hard to let go of my yarn. Each one was pretty, unique and was begging to be made into something cool. But if I knitted from now until the day I die, I would never use all the yarn I have. So, I have to set some criteria and get rid of some of it. I decided to start with sock yarn - probably the largest category of yarn and the hardest for me to part with. I recruited youngest son and DH to help and encourage me.
By the time I was done I had identified over half my sock yarn to sell. This was really tough but I also felt lighter and more free after letting go of this stuff (beautiful stuff) that I was hanging on to. Someone will buy it at the garage sale, feel great at bringing such beautiful yarn home, and I will make a little bit of money and my home will have less stuff in it. Its a WIN-WIN!
Til later,
D
It's been a quiet day so far in terms of my quilting. I did some yard work this morning, then headed down to Mass Street (Lawrence's premier cool downtown) to teach a beginning knitting class at Yarn Barn.
Then this afternoon I've been working on the coolest survey for the quilt guild. When its done I'll post it somewhere so people can take it if they want. It's all about the quilting experience, habits, preferences and needs of our members.
I may get to do some hexagons for GMFG tonight while watching on movie on the tube. I love doing handout while watching - it helps me feel much less guilty for watching TV.
Stay cool and curious!
D
The call came - the book I ordered is in. WOoHOo . . . I jump in the car and drive 30 minutes to Stitching Traditions in Topeka.. The book I've been waiting for is the 3-D Block book for the class I've signed up for later in August - more about that class in another post.
Since I've driven all the way there, I guess I should do a little shopping. I get some fabric for the class - surprise -- they have a sale going - buy the book and fabric for a project and get the book at 50% off!
But what I really wanted to shop for was some 30's reproduction fabric for the Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt I am working on. To fit on my double guest room bed I will need 54 flowers and I want each one of them to use unique fabric. I've got 29 done so far and have fabric for about 5 more. So, I need some more 30's reproduction fabrics! After choosing a few FQ of the 30's stuff I hear that if I buy 12 FQ I can get one free. So I pick out some black and white for the someday B&W quilt. For my free FQ I choose a Stonehenge Skins by Linda Ludovico for Northcott fabrics to add to my collection of that line (another someday quilt).
It's always a great day when I buy fabric!
D
Stash - the secret joy or pain for all quilters. How to store it, when and how to use it, how to keep it from morphing from a "cherished loved one, have to buy it" into a "time to dump it, no longer in style, space thief".
I don't keep a lot of yardage stash. I usually buy fabric meant for a specific project, keep it together with that project and then when the project is done I turn leftovers into scraps for scrap quilts. But I have occasionally not played by my own rules and bought yards of fabric that I loved and just had to bring home. It now resides in a large tub that doesn't see daylight except for 2 or 3 times a year.
So I decided to copy the fabric and print it out on an 8x11 sheet of paper. I'll keep these in a notebook to remember what yardage I have. Maybe one of my next year's challenges will be use use at least one piece from this yardage stash. Some of these would be great backings, others great for a stack'n'whack. I honestly don't remember now why I bought them.
Til next time.
Stay Curious, Keep Quilting!
D
It is sooooo hot, all I want to do is stay inside and suck up the AC. But today I went to another quilter's studio to check out her space. It was sooooo cool - literally and creatively speaking. Jerrye and I are doing the program for the January 2013 KVQG meeting - its all about studio spaces, organizing stash and projects, and the cool places we create. Carol's studio was once a detached garage and is now a 23x14 foot cool, calm yet colorful creative destination. We took some pics and will talk about all her great ideas in the January program. Here are some hints: She describes her studio as a repurposed or "Craig's List kind of place". Lots of her storage, sewing and cutting tables as well as her design wall are made from repurposed materials. Her lighting is fantastic and it should be because in addition to all the windows, she has lots of special overhead lights that provide full spectrum natural lighting.
So I get back home and walk into my studio . . .
Carol and her studio inspired me. I gotta go to work on my somewhat cramped, dark, only partially functional, uninspiring and sad little (ok not so little) bedroom that I use as a studio. Did I mention messy? Scraps and thread all over the floor? Ah well, everyone has to start somewhere.
~D~
Just as I ponder projects, preview fabric and wonder whether or not now is the right time to start a quilt, I have been pondering starting a blog. I've decided I'm jumping in, ready or not.
I am a member of the Kaw Valley Quilters Guild in Lawrence Kansas, work at MEA Bernina, and love taking classes and going to shows and workshops. I am a curious quilter - I want to know how, why, who and what and I don't have nearly enough "when".
So, here is to a new project - one that hopefully will not become one of the many in my UFO stack!
Denise
P.S. Here is one of my most recent quilts. This one was made for my youngest son. I call it Tumbling Out of the Jungle
I have been working for CQL for a little over 5 years and wherever I go I buy a FQ in either blue or brown. I'm not sure what pattern I'll make yet, but I am gathering a nice selection of FQs. Here is what I added today.
