Storing Quilts Under Construction

When you have almost 40 quilts on the go you have to find a way to store them before they become quilts. And my sewing room is far too small to let them take over. And I am not one to thrive in a messy work space. So here are my storage solutions.

 

My cutting table was purchased with all the storage in mind. The top shelf contains bins with active projects. If I need to grab something or only have a few minutes to play this is where I go.

The bottom shelf contains all my scraps, colour sorted in bins - the pattern is the quilted storage box from Sunday Morning Quilts.

On the floor (usually tucked under the shelf) are plastic bins with class samples and other projects. I recently labelled them and this was an awesome move on my part. No more guessing!

In front there, but usually tucked to the side are some straw bag my mom once picked up on a trip to Acapulco. They are perfect for storing projects. Plus, they look cool and can be moved around the room as necessary.

I am lucky enough to have two full size closets in the room. One has my stash. The other has batting (all those messy scraps on the bottom right), garment sewing stash, my patterns (not visible) and then projects. On the top shelf there are the quilt tops (with their backs or fabric for backs) folded. I have no hanging space otherwise I would hang them. Then it is all projects sorted into piles - for bigger and more active ones, bags, and bins. I recently sorted through them all and this is actually quite neat and organized, even if it may not appear so.

One little spot in the closet holds some particularly small scraps and a stack of Liberty circles. I keep them front and centre just because they are pretty. And hopefully will motivate me to play with them a bit more.

It's a small room, but it is all mine! I've had to get disciplined about storage or else I would never actually get anything done. And now, no matter the mood nor the time, I have easy access to anything I could want to work on.

Sewing on the Dining Room Table, Again

We are back in the Dining Room Empire these days. I haven't really been in my sewing room for a couple of weeks. Why? Well, if you only follow me here and not on Instagram or you don't read my newsletter, here's the news: there is a wasps' nest in the wall of my sewing room.

The exterminator has been here and the wasps are pretty much gone, save for a drugged up one that emerges every day or two to die on my cutting table. We need to cut the nest out of our spray foam insulation and repair it. I could have been kinder to myself, my family, and the environment and gone for less pesticides, but I wanted a full on assault to deal with the nasty yellowjackets. As a result, however, the smell is quite bad in there. I have windows and doors open to air things out. And Hubby and I are trying to muster the desire to face the clean-up and repair.

In the meantime, I'm sewing on the dining room table.

In truth, that means I'm not sewing that much. Until two days ago there were no lamps in there, me having taken them in to get new shades and wiring. We're still fine at dinner, but it is now dark by the time the kids go to bed and I can sew. So I have light again. But I lose the energy to make a mess then clean it up again most nights. I've worked really hard the past few months to get rid of crap and keep our house tidy. I feel like we are finally not living under a mountain of stuff, that most things have a home to go to after being used. So having the sewing stuff in the dining room again is annoying me to no end. (At least it isn't this anymore.)

Thank goodness I keep most of my projects in bins or otherwise contained. So I only take out what I want. In truth, that has only been 2 projects to play with. I can tuck the ironing board into a corner, same with my smaller machine. And every night that I do sew I pack it all up so we can eat breakfast without the worry of milk and honey on a quilt block.

I will say, it is nice to be living up to the blog name again!

All the Doilies

These doilies were made by the most surprising of people. My Dad. My big, Eastern European, house building dad. He had meaty hands, ones I never would have guessed were capable of such delicate work.

I have the ones he made and gifted when he was going through chemo five years ago. And recently, while cleaning out my Mom's house in anticipation of a move, we came across a whole pile of much more delicate ones. They graced our living room furniture when that was the style, but they'd sat in a closet for years since. So we split them among the family and I have this collection.

It will be time to do something with these because I don't exactly have a doily on the sofa back kind of a style.



In the meantime, I wrote about my Dad's doilies in the latest issue of Uppercase Magazine. This particular issue has postage and lace as a theme. It truly is a pretty issue. Well, they all are! But this one feels nostalgic and cozy while still being visually invigorating.

If you have any links or suggestions on reusing/upcycling the doilies, please post and share.

Honest Craft Room

Lest you think everything is sunshine, rainbows, and all projects put away, let me share my Honest Craft Room photo. Full disclosure though, this was taken a month ago just before the mess really, really got to me and I cleaned up.

In this photo you have:
- A broken ironing board
- A taped together pattern draped on a bag full of charity quilts needing binding
- A roll of batting for the charity quilts that doesn't fit in the closet because my own batting is in there
- Fabric pieces for a dress under construction
- Scraps and books and other ephemera simply shoved on to shelves
- Quilts under construction in block form, in bins, toppled over
- Handmade Christmas decorations from the kids, from Christmas 2013
- Tea mug that was probably from the day before
- Piles of fabric here, there, and everywhere
- A million pieces of paper, holding who knows what secrets

My room is small, but it is dedicated to my work and creativity. The entire family is welcome, but where are they supposed to sit when it looks like this?! It always gets cleaned before guests come over because it is the guest room, but I no longer think that is enough. I am incredibly grateful to have a space of my own, but I am clearly not showing it the respect it deserves.

Today, the room looks marginally better, but not great. I'm in the middle of a purge and organizational kick. My awesome quilt hangers helped, but there is so much more work to do! I'm reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up right now and it is rather inspiring, if not a bit hokey at times. Coming to this room during the process will be tough, but absolutely worth it. One of her first questions is asking you what your goal is for the space.

I want a clear space to let my creativity flow - whether that is for sewing, designing, writing, or sharing.

What about you?

Quilts in the Wild - Of My Home

While I was cleaning up and sorting quilts to put them on my awesome new racks, I decided to take inventory of the quilts at home. These are the quilts being used, abused, loved, cuddled, and slept with in our home. I did not style any of those photos. Just making that clear.

This guy lives for the kids. Needless to say we can't keep him off either of the girls' beds. All day, all night, when he isn't following them around. We rotate the quilts on the bed a lot.

My other daughter's bed. With two quilts, one ostensibly to keep the dog from dirtying the other one, but I usually find it on the floor.

My son's bed. The neatest of the bunch, but when you only weigh 35 pounds and have a full size bed only a small portion gets messy. This particular quilt is from A Month of Sundays.

Two quilts for two people. I've been quite chilly at night lately, so I have my voile quilt layered on top of my QuiltCon quilt.

And, just for the record, the beds usually get made in this house. One of the morning chores for everyone. But the day I took these pictures it was The Evil Genius' birthday and all rules went out the window. She may have had a bowl of whipped cream for breakfast too.

Books and quilts, a perfect combination. My little guy was snuggling with his gift from Amanda Jean and reading this particular morning, when not running around like a maniac screaming.

On the basement couch. Full on TV watching and family snuggles happen here. A baby quilt gifted when the Monster was born coordinates perfectly with one of the quilts from You Inspire Me To Quilt. Photograph by Christy Swanberg.

And upstairs in the living room. The only somewhat neat spot, but I have a habit of straightening it up after I do the dishes every night. Good old Missing U hanging out there, from Sunday Morning Quilts. Shh, but it is covering up a rip in the upholstery.

Between the quilts on the racks, this collection, and various quilts hanging in stores as class samples and promotions, as well as those out for publication, I have 51 quilts in my possession. Woah.

Quilt Storage Solution

Forgive me for being cocky, but I have too many quilts. My husband has been saying that for years, but I'm finally cluing in. There are only so many beds in the house, so many forts to be built, so many little legs to cover. I do give away quite a few quilts too, but the supply at home continues to grow. There is just no stopping the compulsion to create.

Over the winter the spot to store the quilts became the table in the family room. It is supposed to be a table for playing games, doing puzzles, and gathering around as an alternative to the TV. We've used it as a fort or secret TV watching space as well. In truth, it's main function was to hold the precarious stack of quilts.



Nothing was functional - including the quilts themselves.

Then I discovered these racks. Long story short, I found myself with unexpected free time and a case of the grumps. So I went to Home Sense, which is a discount home wares store along the lines of TJ Maxx or Marshalls for my US readers. I went in hoping to find a little table for my son's room, but found these racks instead. I picked up the two they had to test out at home.

(See, I thought I had a genius idea for quilt racks that my husband could make, but I also wanted the quilts off the table before 2017. His business builds cabinets so he has all the tools, but not the time. We are the cobbler's kids with no shoes.)

The racks are PERFECT. Each one easily holds 10-15 quilts. I was so pleased with them that I drove across the city (something I hate doing) to another HomeSense, fingers crossed, to get another one. I'm a firm believer that instead of getting more and more storage one should have less stuff, so three will be my maximum.

As for the brand, to direct you to get your own, if so inclined, I can be of no help. They simply have 'Organise' on the label. I've done a quick search on line and can find nothing. Maybe you will have better luck. For reference, they seem to be a painted or powder coated lightweight steel.



There are currently 32 quilts on these racks.

I should address the sheer volume of quilts. As soon as your write books, have trunk shows, and teach, the quilts pile up. And you can't give them away because you need them. Not always, but enough to need them readily accessible. There will come a time when I don't need to pull out every single quilt from Sunday Morning Quilts, but for now I still need all that scrappy goodness around.

Not to mention that I'm still making, still trying new things. And we won't mention what would happen if I actually finished the quilts on my Quilts Under Construction list!

Vintage Treats for Sale

A few years ago I was gifted with a random box of sewing things. Our of it came a wonderful quilt - well, a top that I finished and gave back to the original owner of the box. Otherwise, the contents of the box sat in my sewing room. Once I took out a zipper but that's it. It's time to move on. There are absolutely wonderful little treasures in the box, but they need to go to a more interested home.

Check out my Etsy shop for a complete listing of items for sale from the box. Listings include vintage quilting fabric scraps, dress making scraps, notions, patterns, and clothing. A few items of clothing are finished, most are not. The unfinished ones generally need waistbands or closures only. And the collection of materials in incredible.

I'll admit, I was tempted to keep some of the clothing and use them for fabric, but I just couldn't do it. So much work had already gone into them that I couldn't bear to cut them up. But if you want to after purchasing then go for it!

After shipping and handling I will be donating 50% of the proceeds to Little Warriors. My neighbours that passed on the box were supporters of that charity so it seemed appropriate.

Speaking of shipping. I know it is expensive. Thank you Canada Post. If you buy multiple items I will adjust shipping based on real cost after purchase (issuing refunds, if necessary). And if you are local and want to pick up, then there will be no shipping!

Now, just a tease of what is available for purchase in the shop.

Oh Canada, Indeed

There are times when all deadlines, all to do lists, all sense of personal responsibility go out the window because something much bigger happens. Last Wednesday morning I sat with a friend. We watched CBC, scrolled Twitter, tried to distract ourselves and her son. Her Dad was in lockdown in Parliament. The whole country held hostage by what we now know to be a lone wolf gunman, a radicalized young man with a lot of anger and problems. We sat that morning, not knowing, almost not wanting to know.

Then we knew. We knew the stories of the victim that day, of the shooter, of the soldier killed two days earlier.

Over the next few days we knew more about ourselves, our country, and those who serve for us - whether that be in a uniform or a suit. We saw soldiers stand tall in bravery, political rivals embrace, veterans receive long lost respect, communities gather around those so wrongly targeted. The country responded well, in my opinion. We cherish the ideals and values that make us Canadian - freedom, multiculturalism, peace, openness. Those were not shot that day. In fact, they grow stronger.

I'm just a quilter, no one who works greatly in the service for others aside from my family and community. This little piece of the world I occupy is a space I love to share and hope to use to inspire others. At the end of the day last week, when I finally turned off the news, got the scoop on the Parliamentary lock down, and sat quietly with a beer - hey, I AM Canadian - I did what I know to do: I sewed. I sewed the only thing that made sense to me at the time.

In a week of ups and downs, sadness and laughter, family and country, this is the one thing that's made sense to me.

After a year of sales I'm happy to write a cheque for $500 to Quilts of Valour for a portion of pattern sales for my Oh Canada pattern, as promised. With a second printing of the pattern underway I expect to donate even more in the coming year. 

Friday Favourites - I'll Cut You Pillow

Isn't this an awesome pillow. So cheeky. (But also a deeply held sentiment by any a sewer who's had their scissors taken and, gasp! had paper cut with them.)

It was my first decorative purchase when I moved into my little basement studio. Frankly, it's one of the only decorative purchases. I think it was my sister-in-law who saw it first and sent me a link. I had to have it. Such a little treat!

Earth Cadets is the name of the Etsy store where I purchased the pillow. They have a lot of sweet items, but this is definitely my favourite. Did I mention it comes in other colours?

Sewing Room Injuries

No, things have not been that stressful in life that I felt the need for drastic action. It sure looks like it though. I just accidentally touched my arm on the iron last week. This latest burn is healing nicely. It criss crosses a previous burn. And goes nicely with the other two scars on my arm from the same type of injury. Quilting is a dangerous activity!

It is dangerous indeed. We use sharp tools all the time. Hot tools too. All while creating something soft, cuddly, and beautiful. Here are some of my quilting injuries:

... Burns, as described above.
... Dropped a ruler and caught it with the top of my hand, where it landed on the corner and dented my hand nicely.
... Sewn my fingertip to appliqué (just a flesh wound, but a dramatic look).
... Sliced off the tip of pointer finger with the rotary cutter. Pay attention when cutting and don't look away because someone called your name from the top of the stairs. Or else you might almost require a skin graft, if it wasn't for having a brother who is a doctor who can bandage you up properly. And it is nice to be able to keep cutting and do simple things like flick on a light switch with that finger.

What about you? What are your sewing room injuries?

Friday Favourites - Swobe

It isn't quite the end of February and people across North America are deep in the whine of winter. That is, there is a lot of whining about winter being so, so long. Now, if you live somewhere that doesn't normally get snow and there is still a storm or two on the way then I will concede to your whining. But if you live somewhere that does get snow, does get below freezing, then I have zero sympathy for you.

It was snowing the day I landed from Quilt Market - before Halloween. And the snow will not be off the ground until probably April here. If we're lucky. Now I realize that folks who grow up on the Canadian Prairies (or the North) are simply just used to this long, cold weather. It doesn't stop many from here whining either though.

Enough is enough. It's still winter. Embrace it. Cook a stew. Spend a day baking so that the oven warms the house. (Upgrade your furnace and insulation next summer). Put on a sweater and pour a cup of tea. In my case, I will cozy up in my Swobe.

Swobe is a completely made up word, much like swacket. Outside of my house they are likely never used.

Sweater + Robe = Swobe
Sweater + jacket = Swacket

And I love my Swobe. I picked up in November from Anthro (and it isn't available unless on sale in the stores). It is half sweatshirt (it has a jersey for a lining), half sweater, half robe. I don't think I would wear it outside of the house, but here at home it is the perfect thing to make a winter's day just a little bit warmer.

Thank You for Making it Special

My son gave me a cold for Christmas. It's been well over a year since I suffered the indignity of this much snot. Right when he was born, come to think of it. My already easy going holiday became much more low key because of it. I also got very reflective. Very, very reflective.

Not to throw him under the bus, but my husband wasn't much help. Super stressed at work and fighting a nagging injury that won't heal rendered him tired and grumpy and only up for a few things. So, despite my cold, it fell mostly to me to do the things like find the decorations, bake the bread for breakfast, buy all the groceries, and cook a turkey dinner. And change the diapers and make sure there was real food consumed among the sugar. I am as tired as the up-early and burnt out by noon child in all of our homes right now.

So, back to being reflective. This holiday, seven years into motherhood (eight if you could being pregnant), I've realized that if it wasn't for Mamas Christmas would really, really suck.

Yes, the fathers do a good job with what they do, and there are a few who adore Christmas and go all out with their ugly sweaters, hot wheels tracks, and light shows. There are also fathers who are alone and do it all themselves and turn out some very magical affairs. But it is the Mamas who make it special for the vast majority of us.

Mama is the only who buys or loads the advent calendar despite the fact that it drives us insane both that they beg for candy every day this way and that it forces an impatient countdown we have to live with for twenty five days. Mama is the one who bakes - with or without the kids along side - for countless teacher gifts, neighbours, Santa's plate, and all the leftovers we likely eat ourselves. Mama is also the one who usually remembers the teacher's gifts. Mama is the one that remembers the random statement about yet another useless toy and gives up her precious babysitter time to drive across town for it.

Mama is also the one that gets the stockings out and makes sure there are oranges in the house to stuff in their toes. Mama buys the candles to line the table so the meal feels extra fancy to a five year old. Mama makes sure the party dresses are clean just in case someone wants to dress up for dinner.

And then Mama is the one who has to say no to TV for the few days of holidays. And Mama makes sure everyone gets outside for sledding even though the new toys, and their wrappers, beckon. Or Mama is the one who gets up early when even though the kids stayed up late they awake wired and ready to go.

The traditions are the family's, but it is Mama who makes sure they happen each year. It is Mama who sacrifices her time on the beach to make pyrohy in a vacation beach rental because we always have pyrohy on Christmas Eve. It is Mama who makes a second batch of Christmas Tree Bun because your family devoured it before Hubby got any and it is his family's deal anyway. It is Mama who makes collects toilet paper rolls to make personal Christmas Crackers.

Making the holiday special is far from a thankless task for a Mama. It may the one time - whether it is Christmas or Yom Kippur or Eid or Festivus - where our work to do things for our family is truly noticed and appreciated. So much work, but worth every late night, every elbows up shopping trip, every flour covered nose, every sticky floor to see the light on their faces at something truly special, the giggles of a family treasure, the insistence on the tradition. I don't care that I didn't get a single thank you - other than the quiet one when she got to play without an audience. Actions speak louder than words and I know they had their moments of glee and I had something to do with them.

It was only this year, perhaps clouded by the whiskey I was using to kill the cold virus, that I realized just how much my Mom did to make our holidays special. And just why it hurts when that day comes when your kids don't show up and let the Mama do her job. When we grow up and move away we change the traditions, we take away the opportunity for Mama to make us feel special. We think we're doing her a favour, easing her burden. We don't understand her lamentations about how things just aren't the same anymore. We don't realize that we've taken away a chance for her to deliver without thanks, to make us feel special by doing the Mommiest of Mommy things.

So, to my Mom, thank you. Thank you for your endless baking of rogalki and whipped shortbread and Christmas Jewels, for spending a week in the kitchen to cook two meals that we practically inhaled, for doing the dishes while we played an old version of Trivial Pursuit or Life while Dad shouted out the answers, for making spinach dip every New Year's Eve, and for snuggling us when the party after midnight mass got to be too much. Thank you for letting me steal some of those traditions for my family. Thank you for letting me come to this realization myself. Thank you for bringing special to me.

Merry Christmas.

Glitter Bomb Greetings

 Our house is in constant flux. With the basement 95% finished the upstairs is evolving in its new uses. No more TV in the living room means that I keep rearranging the furniture to find the right energy. I think I have it now and it is both cozy and open. The space is a bit of hang-out/wrestling zone/reading area. Yes, all three.

No more TV in the room also means I have an unsightly mess on the wall from when the TV hung there. We have something on its way to hang on the wall, but with Christmas coming I felt the need to pretty it up a bit right now.

Armed with a coupon and my girls we hit the big box craft store for supplies. Lots of glitter, a canvas, some glue. That's it. If I already had the glitter this project would have cost us only $20. I stole a pencil from my Hubby and printed off letters in just the right size. A sharp pair of scissors cut them out just perfectly for me. I measured and laid out the letters, lightly traced around them with the pencil, filled them in one at a time with glue, and glitter bombed them.

This was a Mama only craft. Hubby was sick as a dog but he kept The Garbage Truck busy. The girls worked on their own craft. This was after a mini tantrum on my part about not needing a peanut gallery to do my own project. Did I mention there was glitter?

My glittering skills leave something to be desired, but the overall effect is what I wanted. And even though it is early for me to be decorating, I like knowing the mess on the wall is covered up. I pulled out all our Christmas and winter books so we can cozy up and wait for Santa.

Someone doesn't seem too impressed. What does he know? Or maybe he's just mad I put the glitter away with the one other thing we don't want the kids getting into - the booze?

Hugs and Kisses

Hugs and Kisses 

105'' x 90''

The Beast is finally done! I really should call it that instead of Hugs and Kisses. It doesn't seem quite appropriate for something that is supposed to be a romantic gift.

I actually finished it a few weeks ago, but it's taken me a bit to clean up our room and take photos.

For more on the progress of this quilt you can check out these posts.

The fabric stack
In Progress
Admitting Defeat 
Clear the Decks (committing to finishing this and only this quilt)
Been Quilting in progress
Picking Binding (you'll see I went with none of these)

Quilted with Wonderfil, a local thread company. It was a great variegated pink that worked nicely. And Aurifil white on the Xs. As usual, I used Quilter's Dream 100% cotton batting in Select weight.

And now we sleep under it. We can still keep the window open even though fall settled in to a night time chill. With all that quilting it is a heavy quilt that wraps around us.

All Voile Patchwork Top

I've been remiss in posting about my at-home retreat a few weeks ago. Those awesome slabs took over! But I did have a highly productive week with my sister-in-law and finished far more than I expected. Let me share some with you.

Up first, my all voile quilt top. I had everything cut, from a random collection of voiles, and ready to go. All my triangles went in a box and I sewed whatever I grabbed. For my first row I kept going and every few pieces I laid the strip on my bed. This quilt is intended for our bed, so I wanted to make sure I had the overhang. Turns out 28 7 1/2'' equilateral triangles is about perfect on our giant mattress.

The resulting quilt is more horizontal than vertical. That's totally fine for me. The finished quilt will be backed with voile (the new Koi from Rashida and Cloud 9) and I plan to use the lightest batting. This quilt is for those sultry, summer nights when it is too hot for the covers. But, if you are like me, no matter how hot it is, you still want a sheet or something on top. So the height of this isn't as important as being able to cover down the sides. 

Of course, by the time this is finished the sultry nights will be long gone for this year. Even if I will be sending this to Andrea. 

It's all good though, because this is so soft, so silky. I cannot wait to wrap myself in this. It is ridiculously girly and I'm sure my husband will hate it. I have no idea why I was drawn to making this. Yes, the fabrics are gorgeous. I usually go for more geometric than floral prints. 

Note to Fabric Designers and Manufacturers: Can you please make more geometric prints in voile?

The colours are rich and the whole thing has that patchwork chaos that somehow always works.

Been Quilting

All three seasons of Downton Abbey. Almost all the Ted Med lectures, plus a few others. About a dozen beers. And one very sore set of shoulders later and I am done quilting this beast! (Yes, that's a king sized bed up there with a deep mattress.)

No, that's not an earthquake, that's me jumping up and down.

Now, just to bury a million threads, square it up, bind and wash it. Thanks for all the cheerleading along the way!

That's our original wedding quilt underneath.