CONTROLLED CHAOS -- THE STUDIO

 Since returning from Houston 3 weeks ago, my studio has been a mess. I have several projects going at once, things are heaped up everywhere. So it is not a pleasant place to work. Take a look:

The Cutting Table

The Q20 flat surface perfect for dumping stuff

Ironing Station and boxes I might need for shipping sales

Rocking Chair, another dumping spot

Right side of sewing machine

Left side of sewing machine

Cozy chair/dump site

The Design wall at the moment

Before I go any farther, I must make some order from all this chaos!

Several hours later... (because I used the time to cut up all the fabric needed for 20 blocks used in Pick A Petal and design a Baby quilt)

From the doorway

Cutting Surface ready to go, Disappearing Patchwork on the Design Wall 

Two more blocks for Pick A Petal ready to sew on the left side of the machine

Ironing Station all set, no more boxes on the floor

Wow!

Now I am ready to get to work. 

Pick A Petal, the 2024 FREE Block of the Month for Star Members of The Quilt Show has its' own tote, everything all together:

The Fabric Kit and optional Template Set--essential in my opinion

All together in their own tote

Another "MUST DO" Project is a baby quilt for my next grandchild. An alphabet quilt with a Winnie the Pooh back--my son loves Pooh so I bought this fabric more than 25 years ago. I dug it out today to find it is 60" wide decorator fabric, designed as panels. It will be the back and I won't be hand quilting this one:

The design I worked up in EQ8--the letters will be LOTS of colors

I will create a pieced back with these panels and Confetti will be the background fabric on the front of the quilt

Another quilt I have to get made right away is Antelope Canyon--Dit Dot Evolution.  I am teaching it locally at Southern Charm Quilting Huntsville AL March 19 and April 2, 2024. So this top is first priority:

There is one other project I am eager to make, the only fabric/pattern I bought in Houston--actually, I bought it at The Quilted Skein on my day trip to La Grange, TX. It was just so beautiful, easy, and on sale:

So there you have it.  My studio space is once again my refuge and I smile when I come in and see it looking like this. Chaos will return in time but for now, it's neat, tidy and ready to welcome me in.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Controlled Chaos

 With Houston around the corner, and classes in full swing, my studio space is in a state of semi-controlled chaos.

I have two major quilts in active construction mode. Three classes in the next 6 days. A surprise extra bonus fabric for yet another garment, if I get time to make it. And all the usual house stuff, like paying bills, planning and preparing meals, etc.

Lest you think my studio is always neat and tidy, here you go:

I really should spend an hour putting something away but that hour hasn't materialized yet. So I just move things around when I am creating things.

Before I go to Houston I will make some order out of this chaos so I don't come home to this mess. 

The good news is the two major quilts are coming together nicely and I like what I am seeing. I'll be able to share those projects with you soon.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

So Much Stuff

 The "abundance of riches" that is my quilt Studio has begun to overwhelm me, again, so I have begun to do a deep purge again. So far, all I've been able to do is sort through some of the furniture that is storage and I have found plenty of things I didn't know I had. And since I didn't miss it, it can go.

First, I started with a large container of Batik fabrics, mostly fat quarters and half yards. A friend who loves Batiks asked me to keep her in mind if I had any I was going to part with. 

A quick count showed it came to at least 40 yards, and it filled a large tote bag to the brim:

An email to her got a quick response: $200 SOLD!

I also knew it was time to sell one of the 3 Featherweights I  have. Not the one I had painted Ruby Red, to celebrate my Ruby Jubilee quilt, that one stays in the family and I hope Stella will want it some day. A 1951 in great condition was the choice. The Sunday Sew and Sews were offered it first by email, and in moments it had found a new home, $400 SOLD!

With those items taken care of, I just started going through every drawer, every shelf, every flat surface that accumulates STUFF and have filled a few boxes with discards that will go to students visiting this weekend and the Sunday Sew and Sews in November. 

The very best stuff will be available for my next "invitation only" sale, that will happen sometime before this year is over--if COVID permits.  First, I need time to sort the 20' x 9' x 3' deep closets. Having done that a few times before, I know how much time it will take. But I am always so glad when it's done. Stuff I don't need can go to others who will be happy to get it. 

Just seeing how much neater and cleaner this small table is, makes me happy. And every shelf on the bookcase has been cleaned up and sorted out:

I would much rather spend my time creating quilts and there are quite a few waiting to be quilted. But this task has to take priority now. 

Soon, there will be Facebook Live presentations to make, showing the 2021 Block of the Month quilt for The Quilt Show. That's what determined this space needs some "tidying up"--boy, is that putting it mildly. The closets can wait--no one can see into them at the moment.

So, while my design wall waits, I'll be cleaning up.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Tidying Up

I did spend a little time clearing away the clutter in my studio and found:

The comfy chair

The rocking chair--and the top of this old table

 Now I will make a few more masks:

And quilt these 3 little quilts I unearthed:

I am still searching for the perfect idea for a Quilt of Valor, using the red, white and blue fabrics from Patriotic Pineapples. It might be a string quilt:

From Pinterest

 It might be Standing Strong, a design created for Quilts of Valor--instructions can be found at shabbyfabrics.com:

Or it might be this string quilt, Blended Scraps Block, in red, white and blue, from She Can Quilt.:

Making this decision is holding me up so I will decide and start before the next blog post. Stay tuned...

Let's quilt.

Barbara

What's A Quilter To Do?

We have lots of time. Most of us have lots of fabric, ideas, plans. So, what do we DO with all that?  If you are like most quilters being safe at home right now, you are spending LOTS of time on the Internet.

Having recently finished several projects, it's time to figure out what comes next for me.

I could keep quilting the Foothills Quilt:

 I could make more masks--since I am still trying out different patterns:

I could work on this project--BUT since it's a Leader/Ender, what's the rush?

I could START one of the NEW quilts I want to make:

1. Pieces of the Past in Purple
2. Western Sun
3. A Modern Quilt with Repro Fabrics
4. Another Quilt of Valor
5. An old block made fresh
6. One BIG Pineapple block
7. Or any one of several more I'm thinking about

Maybe, what I SHOULD DO IS--clean up this mess:

Pressing surface, mostly

Stuff that doesn't fit in the closet

There is a comfy chair under there somewhere

Cutting Surface, supposedly

Without the monthly meeting of the Sunday Sew and Sews, the studio has gotten really messy. Knowing they were coming once a month meant I put stuff away most of the time. They will start coming again, and I look forward to that day. Probably ought to clean up a bit starting today.

We won't even talk about the closets--it's past time to dig through those again. My friends call it an "intervention". It looks good for a bit then, sewing happens and it gets messy again.  See what I mean:

Studio Neat and Tidy

Closet Before and After

So, what did I do? First, I wrote this blog. Then I wrote the May 1 blog--I prefer to be ahead on the posts about Afternoon Delight.

Then: I started the clean-up process--one surface at a time. When the studio is neat and tidy once again, I will decide which quilt is up next, pull fabrics for it, and get started.

It is easy to get lost down the rabbit hole that is the Internet--we have SO MUCH to read and watch in the comfort of our homes. I want to spend this time making something.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Studio Clean Up--Before and After

While working so hard on quilts like Ruffled Roses, my studio gets cluttered,  plain and simple. It tends to stay that way until I have a reason to clean up. With two groups of students coming to visit this weekend, that time was NOW.

BEFORE:

Primary cutting and work surface and dumping ground 

Overflow work surface--the Q20 table

Chair rarely available for seating

What is under that practice quilt sandwich?

View from just inside the doorway

Miscellaneous stuff--and Garth

AFTER, this took less than 45 minutes:

View from the doorway

Another view from the doorway

View from the desk

View from the ironing station

Rare view of the cutting table with NO fabric or other stuff on it

Ruby lives under the practice quilt sandwich, a Featherweight I had painted Ruby Red

View from my sewing machine

I love having the design wall opposite the machine--I can often see things from that far away I would miss closer up. Ruffled Roses will remain up for a few more days then she needs to come down so I can put up two quilts I am working on. Ruffled Roses will head off to a great long arm quilter in a few months for the royal treatment. I have plenty of tops to work on and this quilt deserves the best.

It would be nice to say I'll keep the studio this neat indefinitely but I know that won't happen. This is my happy place, and when I'm being creative stuff just piles up. That's OK with me. All I have to do is invite a group over and the place gets a clean-up. There is still way too much stuff in all those boxes and the closets are full. A purge isn't likely anytime soon, however...

For photos of the wonderful closets see Closets 1 and 2, Closets 3 and 4, and Closets 5 and 6. Those photos were taken two and a half years ago--they are reasonably the same today, though there is more stuff in them now.

Let's quilt!

Barbara