Lone Star

This is my Lone Star. It's been in the wings for a few years. Now I've found it, I'm set on finishing it. It was a 'nice suprise' finding it cut out and bundled.

I was going for an autumnal color feel and I still like the tones I chose, it will all come together when it's finished. I will definitely be posting that proud moment as soon as I get to it.

Another week, another quilt (hopefully)

I'm hopeful. I have the Quilts That Must Be Finished draped over the ledge awaiting action. There's 4 there on the ready right now - so I have no excuses.

Those shirts you see on the side - they are what I should be doing with my time ( some ironing!). Unfortunately, I am not a shining example of applied house husbandry!

Although I have plenty to do, I have to admit that I am feeling totally uninspired today! So far I have been meandering and doing everything and anything except what I planned on doing...so...I am going to just sit down and do it. Get through the boring bits so I can move on. Soonish. Probably.

Getting it together for the week ahead

As a rule, I don't usually sew on the weekends. But sometimes, if it's just that kind of day, I potter around and line things up for the week ahead.

That's what I am doing today. I have fiddly things to do...and outstanding bits that I am stitching together so that during the week I can zip through my projects in chunks, rather than having to stop and work over those important but time consuming details. I can't believe it, I sound almost organised!

Rain!

Finally, it's raining. It's been quite heavy this morning, which is nice, I can practically hear my shrubs and neglected flower beds sighing with relief - it's been a very dry season. Even during drought, you can't help but expect rain and renewal, even if you should know better. Singed grass and heat struck gardens are such a sad sight.

I'm having a productive day in my room. There's suprisingly good sunlight and I have a heap of quilts on my sewing table to be finished. This is the kind of day that brings out the knitter in me... but I have managed to resist. I don't need TWO hobbies, my house isn't big enough!

Although, Last week when I was looking for some thread, I came across and purchased some lovely bitsy netted yarn and enlisted my DD to whip me up a scarf. The yarn refused to work with her crochet hook so she started with the needles, but has lost interest after two rows! I'm afraid she may have a bit too much of my own work ethic already! The whole lot is back in the yarn bag. She says she can't 'muster enthusiasm' for needles, which is a very interesting excuse. I say, knitting is knitting, isn't it? She says no - you're either a crocheter or a knitter...what do YOU think?

Busy

I'm flat out at the moment. Finishing off some designs. I have a few that I just had to pull out and complete as they are great 'stash users' and anything to lighten my shelves is getting a high priority mark.

My quilt to do list has also just increased with a wedding quilt added (family friend) so I will be starting a 'new thing' however that will be my exception this month. I will post details as they take shape.

My DD's have started collecting the 'nests' of journals and sketchbooks that I leave around the house (OK, guilty) and depositing them in my sewing room at the end of each day, so there is no chance of me lapsing into my former bad habits. There simply aren't enough surfaces in the house.

I will yet be a well organised, efficient quilter with finished quilts to show for my labors...rather than a keeper of bundles of projects on the go...

New Habits

In the morning, my sewing room is a beautiful place to be - light floods in and it's very inspiring ( I blame the position of this room for my desire to 'start' so many things...). When my cat hears me making my morning coffee, she gallops across the house and leaps onto the ironing board with a gusto. This is one of her favourite past times.

She likes to take position there because she knows that -I- will need the ironing board and she likes to wrestle me for it. If there are fiddly bits of fabric that need to be stuck down - that is even better, she really enjoys pushing bits off the board, or re-positioning herself and sitting on them and looking innocent while I hunt around and convince myself I forgot to cut them in the first place.

In the last few weeks though, she has been a bit disappointed, as I have been clearing up, organising myself and generally 'tidying' or finally finishing work on my sewing machine, so she is a bit miffed with me and has started making sure I know she is ignoring me.

How is my studio looking? Ah, still a work in progress. However, I am getting there slowly. I feel a sense of urgency in getting all these projects under control ASAP as my daughter's are starting to take a keen interest in quilting themselves and I would like to instill in them a sense of ONE PROJECT AT A TIME. However it's hard to take the high ground when you have to beat a way to your own design table.

Thank You Westalee Design

2 weeks ago, Bill from Westalee Design delivered my prize to my home. Obviously, I'm thrilled and can't wait to get started using these great products.

I had been meaning to purchase quite a few of these items prior to winning this award for Sunshine & Shadow, so it was great timing.

Thank you to Bill and Leonie from Westalee Design for generously supporting the Original Design category. I am brimming with new ideas...

For those of you who follow my blog, you won't be suprised that it took me 2 weeks to get around to posting this quilting update. And you'll notice that the items above are still in their original wrapping - that's because I have decided that I will not use them, or start playing around with them until there is room enough on my design table. I know that if I unwrap them, I will have to try them and that will lead to starting a new project... and I am in 'finishing mode' at the moment so I've had to get strict with myself.

Yes, serious. UFO is going to become a past tense in my studio.

Cherry Basket is launched

Block 11, Cherry Basket, is launched

What does a quilter do with her evenings?

You have to love mondays!

My organisation skills are SECOND TO NONE!

Well, if you're anything like me, after giving the house a quick tidy and lovingly serving up dinner for your DH and two adult DD's, you settle down with your obedient mewing cat and enjoy some light reading...

OR

you realise that it's the 14th of the month....and that favourite block you've been talking about isn't done...and you grab your most unglamerous cosy cardy and sit down and get working in your still (slightly less so, but nonetheless) messy sewing room. As you can see, I've resorted to completed this block on my sewing machine because my extra large studio design table is otherwise 'engaged' with all those great ideas I was blogging about last week. To add a touch of elegance to this scene, you may opt to throw on your favourite strand of pearls...

it's all in an evening's work....

Sorting Through Inspirations ...update

Having read the comments to the post below has got me thinking two things....1, that I need an assistant as it just isn't likely I'll get through all my ideas in my quilting lifespan...and 2, why do we quilters always have so many projects on the go? I would love to be a quilter who starts a project, buys just enough fabric to complete it and doesn't start anything new until the quilt is finished. Are there ANY quilters out there who actually do this? if yes, PLEASE ADVISE on the secret! Until then, I'm still sorting and re-sorting my quilting and stash busting priorities.

Sorting Through Inspirations

The year is not yet over (although I do keep asking myself, where is it racing to so quickly??)...and that means my New Year's Resolution to quilt my way through my stash is also not over.

I have made some headway through my mountains of fabric and I have been very good (except for the very odd occassion!) and tried not to add anything AT ALL to the shelf...my rule has been - it can be purchased if it is going to be used immediately - which is not the same as the 'immediate' or 'near immediate' future. I have had to get quite tough on myself as I really do have a weakness for collecting beautiful fabric and convincing myself that I am going to use it....and then convincing my husband to install another shelf.

As stash busting years go, I think I've done OK so far, but I could definitely improve. So with just a few months left of the year, another round of birthdays coming up (have I completed last years birthday batch of quilts? No they are all still UFOs!) I took out this years batch of journals ( I have filled 8 so far) crammed with ideas and have spent the morning writing up a list of what has to be done and picking over my designs and opting for ideas that would best suit my stash shelf.

Naturally, I was attracted to the designs that required lots of lovely new fabrics but they will have to go on the backburner. I am still commited to seeing my shelf lighten to 4 rows of neatly folded fabric and 1 or 2 tubs of colour assorted fat quarters. This is my goal and I am still working towards it.

At the moment my shelves are groaning with fabric - just going through it is an event as you have to remove so many layers to get to what you want. When I feel like some fabric shopping would be 'just the thing' to kickstart a quilting session, I only need go through a single shelf - every time I do, I find fabric I forgot I had, it's really quite amazing how much a quilter can collect.

Another afternoon of organising ahead, I'm hoping this will be one of the last as it's really time I got into some serious near year's end busting.