The Year of Not Buying Fabric

You guys.
Omg. You guys.

It's three quarters  through July


and


I HAVEN'T BOUGHT ANY NEW FABRIC.


(yet)

No really. I've made a sort of deal with myself that I need to clean up and get through my stash this year.
It's...too much. When I'm moving bins and bins of fabrics around (but I do know exactly what's in each bin, y'all... I really do) and still having to go buy more fabric....I think it's gone past the Stash phase and I'm teetering dangerously close to Hoarder status.

So.
I decided last year to Not Buy Any Fabric.

The exceptions:
Vintage sheets at thrift shops
Any extra pieces needed to finish a work in progress (meaning if I run out of yardage and I need the same thing)
Custom costume orders
Notions (which don't count anyway) like thread, bobbins, binding, etc

And guess what.
SO FAR:::: This year I've only bought thread.

Just.
Thread.

"OH, what self control" you must be thinking.
No...what it means is I had TOO MUCH CRAP IN MY SEWING ROOM.
I'mma be real here.
I even went BIN by BIN and discarded TWO GIANT garbage bags of fabric. Before you clutch your pearls...I donated it all. Except for tiny off cut scraps that let's face it, should have stuffed a pillow a long time ago.

So. Slowly but surely. I'm working my way thru WIPS and UFOs. I found my sewing mojo again and I finally finished my dufflebag. (Blog post on that to come).) I repurposed some shirts. I continue to get back into the groove and find inspiration from what I have.

Anyone else? What tips and tricks do you use when you've had fabric forever and can't remember what amazing project you bought it for???

Technology ate my blog posts!

I was working on set a lot this week; and had written several blog posts to upload later on my Ipad.

Nothing is more annoying than hitting "Save" and then.....it disappears.

(I realized later on why, which isn't important now. But...lesson learned!)

So this week, no quilting....but Lots and LOTS of costuming for some darling girls I happen to know.

Renaissance-themed little dresses and some skirts & wee bags for them. I get to visit them next week when I'm off to sunny southern Florida for a little winter break. Yay!

I always have good help when starting a project.

I'm not very good at following patterns, so I use them as a starting off point. I use select pieces and alter the rest of the design as I go with my sketchbook.

I used a few Simplicity Patterns as a starting off point; and as I don't usually sew kids' clothing, I use the bodice of a dress pattern for proper measurements.

 I love making costumes; you can really let your imagination go. Especially with little girl costumes....any colour, lots of trim...so exciting!

The inside is really messy ....but this is during the basting pinning stage.

 They come together so quickly; and they are so tiny and cute. I love making these; teeny tiny little dresses! SO darling.

This is the back; contrasting fabric. I've had this purple and green for years now; I keep finding lots of places to put it. I've been using some gorgeous rich blues and purples for this little dress.

They come together so quickly I have been working on a few:

This one got a little fancy schmancy. More photos to come when finished & trimmed.

I am continuing to work on these; more photos later on when these guys are all done and finished.

What're you working on this Friday? It's freezing outside.....great day to stay in & sew!

2015 Skillbuilding - January's Goal - To get Organized

**Warning. Terrible, terrible photos are at the bottom of this post.

 They may be disturbing to some readers!!!**

I will admit it. I make messes when I work.

And...I *really* need to get into the habit of cleaning as I go.

That is, putting things back where I got them when I use them. Not leaving things out, in piles. Everywhere.

Is this anyone else or is it just me? 

What are your surefire ways to stay organized?

So this is January's Skill to build, you may or may not  need to work on this. 

But Link up!

Let's encourage each other to stick with it!

 1. Go through all my tower shelves. Decide what stays and what goes.

2. Fold up neatly any fabric I pulled out and place in the correct colour bin.

3. Clean off my desk, put all notions back in the correct drawer.

4. Clean off the shelves and put things where they belong.

5. Place ALL UFO's into the proper wicker bin.

6. Continue the Closet Cleanse. Get some garbage bags and put stuff in it immediately.

7. All donatable goods to go INTO back of car immediately.

8. All trims, lace, notions back folded neatly into their drawer.

9. All thread back onto their hanger or in the box.

 ***

My sewing room is technically our guest room. And we had guests over Christmas.

So all my sewing stuff was crammed away. 

Now, in my New Year's Closet Cleanse, somehow it all got piled in there.

And sewing projects. And UFO projects. And knitting projects. 

And ...clothes to mend/alter.

So.

Here it is. I am putting it 'out there' and letting the world see.

(deep breath)

Yep. This is my creative space. I think I need to work on this.

I'm totally cringing right now. But I'm being honest, this is me. Although it doesn't ALWAYS or usually look like this. I swear.

So....yeah. You can see why Organization needs to be a focus for me this month!

What are your surefire ways to stay organized?

Tips?

 

Join the fun! Link up!

Our own special hashtag -   #skillbuilding2015  to IG/Tweet progress!

Know a great tutorial? Someone who nails these skills?

Post links in our comments & let's get sewing!

I love the start of a New Year. 

Possibilities are endless!

(Except....when you try to sew in a zipper, or do a fancy seam and realize, uh oh. 

This might be a little more challenging than I thought.)

So I am going to pick one skill a month or so and totally work through it, as much as I can.

Starting with small projects and setting goals for big projects, incorporating the skills learned as we go!

Who wants to join in? 

 

 Let's share what we learn & make!

Our own special hashtag -   #skillbuilding2015  to IG/Tweet progress!

Know a great tutorial? Someone who nails these skills?

Post links in our comments & let's get sewing!

Planning the Year

I'm an Aries.

So, I almost always bite off more than I can chew.

Usually, anyway.

I start out with grandiose plans and then have to scale back somewhat.

I like to make lists to help me keep focused, and I usually put easy stuff on there that I'm always going to accomplish...like............ "Pet Cats" ..."Make Coffee"....you get the picture.

So, this year is going to be the year that I slow down and focus a little more.

Focus on friends, in person, not always online.

Focus on building skills, one project at a time. (This one's gonna be hard)

Focus on FINISHING the many quilt tops/projects currently on the go.

So, here is my List for 2015. It is flexible, amendable, and hopefully, attainable!

1. Learn how to Cable Knit.

2. Knit a sweater using Cable Knit skills.

3. Pet Cats.

4. Clean out bathroom closet - any old toiletries/makeup/etcetc is going out!

5. Finish up all quilt tops.

5.1 Finish up all UFO projects.

6. Learn how to properly sew in zippers and make some zipper pouches.

7. Vaccuum.

8. Get back into hitting the gym thrice weekly.

9. Use more words like "thrice".

10.  Be a better person.

And because all things good to to Eleven:

11. PLAN MY WEDDING!!!!!!

(Oh...and work on my blog. And blogging audience. And photo skills. And clean out the basement. And get my car fixed up. And work on leaning OT stuff to help my Mama and keep her sharp. Get her back knitting again. Find a great therapist to help her relearn to walk. And tell Mr. J I love him each and every day a million times a million.)

Bring it on, 2015.

Cozy Cottage Quilt....in progress!

========================================================================

Last week Mr. J. brought up a very good point.

All my quilts are, well, girly.

So, maybe there IS a lot of...pink.

But what's wrong with that??

Well this week I have thought about what would make a quilt more

Should it be pine-scented?

Flannel?

Vintage Car themed?

 Sewn whilst wearing a white t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up covered in grease?

Ain't he a cutie!! But...I digress.

 So I did some research; and while I generally don't like gender-specific roles/colour palettes....I noticed that 'masculine' in the colour world means navy, burgundy, hunter green, etc etc. 

(Not my personal opinion I think PINK is for everyone and so are pastels. But I digress.)

 So I thought.... Aha! COTTAGE Themed!! 

For me that means rich browns, deep reds, and deep forest greens.

The basic square-in-a-square block; with a layout that is Vamp approved.

Editor's note: Whilst sewing the blocks together, I was experiencing serious tension issues.

 The machine. Not me. I'm pretty mellow. Anyway.

As you can see, the blocks are showing the exposed seams. I have had to RE-sew ALL the seams. Le sigh.

I will post updated photos as the week progresses!

 

 

 

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Fancy'in Up The House! Pillow Tutorial

 I've said it before and I'll say it again.

 I love to decorate and bake and give and sit in the sparkle.

 Decorating the house is a lot of fun....and I found the easiest, most funnest, super simplest tutorial that looks AMAZING when they're done..... SPROCKET PILLOWS!!!

I made a few for gifts last year, and when I pulled out mine to add to our festive decor, I *knew* I had to share the joy of making them. Even if you're not a strong in the sewing area; this is a super easy project to make.

This tutorial is courtesy of the AMAZING Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew.

Her photos and step by step instructions make everything easy and understandable.

Sprocket Pillow Tutorial HERE.

The bottom centre one is Mine. :)

Happy Sewing & Decorating!

Screeching Halt..........

I would like to say that I LOVE my Janome. I've had Precious for just about two years now; and she's been an absolute dream.

The more I learn the craft of sewing, the more I discover what she and I can do together.

Each discovery of 'foot' and 'plate' is super exciting to me.

Here she is. I love this machine.

Is it weird that I consider my machine (Precious) more than just a tool; more like a co-worker?

Well, sometimes co-workers get sick or just have an off day.

Precious is going to the doctor today - the tension has gone completely wonky. And now, the thread is catching on something and burrs up, and ...snaps.

I did all I could do. Cleaned, oiled, adjusted bobbin, thread, and needle.

Then last night I had a revelation....what has recently changed. What's the variable in the equation that is different....

A few weeks ago I had wrecked my 1/4 inch foot.

 (Don't ask.)

SO I went to my local sewing shop, where my Precious came from - to replace the foot. I was given what I thought was the same....but oh no. No it wasn't. The place where the needle goes in was NARROWER than the one I was using.  You can see how technical I am here.

The problem was; when sewing over seam intersections; the needle would sometimes 'move' to the right slightly and then BAM!! All sorts of sounds and sirens would go off - and my machine would freeze. The needle was hitting the foot. And jarring the whole system back up through the tension disks....le sigh. You can see where this is going.

So all day yesterday I was fighting with the tension on my machine. An entire

quilt top has had to be re-sewn together. I had to pick out half of the FMQ design on a custom order for Christmas.

The silverlining is: I went back to the Singer store, and the guy was like, NO problem. Bring your machine, bring the foot, we'll switch it out, tune up your machine, make it right. (There is a cost involved, but I figured, two years, I'm due for a tuneup.)

So .....no sewing today. Working on some scarves instead.

Gah. Tis the season!!!

On a happier note; I decorated the house for Christmas this week!

The annual "Which Damn Bulb is the Burnt Out One" game

All done! Pretty lights.

Night time shot.

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Strippin' in Black and White

Nope...it's not what you think.

Or...maybe it is!

It was recently brought to my attention that my Etsy shop is overloaded with (ahem) 'girly stuff'. 

Vintage sheet Pink Rail fence

I realized..... that's very true.  There's a lot of pinks and pastels and shall we say, more feminine quilts and things on there. Not so much for in the Manly Men department.

So I am working on that discrepancy this week!

Here's a sneak peek:

Strip Quilts come together quickly!

I cut some of my fav black and white fabrics into varied widths

 

 

I don't know...felt like someone was watching me....

So I have a few planned to work on this week, and a few more finished tops that just need to be quilted up.

Heading up to sew for awhile, get some work done!

OOOOH and I almost forgot...finally finally finally 'they' are printing ALL the superheroines onto fabric!!  When I cut into this darling, I will DEF let you all know what it's turning into!

Batgirl, Supergirl AND Wonderwoman, together at last!

 

 

My finished Wonderwoman Quilt; a gift for my bestie!!

Which comes first - fabric or pattern?

I have a question to pose to all the quilters out there.... what 

 comes first for you?

Do you find gorgeous fabrics INSPIRE you to create and then you grab the pattern?

Or do intricate design patterns INSPIRE you to pull fabrics and then you create?

I found this fabric and fell in love. I didn't want to cut it at first.

For me, I think that it's the fabric that inspires the pattern. But wait...sometimes when I peruse blogs online I see patterns that just yell at me to pull fabrics from my stash. I don't know....laugh.

I put it to the interwebs: What comes first??

The fabric, or the pattern?

And of course. Like all my quilts, Muffin Approved.