Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Stash

The Final Countdown – Task One

December 30, 2016 12:27 pm ⋅

Shelly over at Prairie Moon Quilts is again hosting the Final Countdown — a set of tasks to clear the deck so to speak to get us ready to quilt in the new year.

Task One – Get your fabric stash under control

My first thought is I’d have to find my flat surfaces to get my stash under control. I haven’t done a whole lot of quilting this year — as evidenced by this being only the 40th post of the year. But mid summer I did pull out some fabric to make a bag and accessories and that fabric has not been put back up. Then I unpacked the projects I took to retreat in June to work on them, but they got buried as well.

So here are Shelly’s questions.

  • Do you have a plan for your stash? – It’s sorted by color and/or theme. Last year I started refolding it so I didn’t have to dig in my boxes and stopped after posting the picture of my floral box. Actually, I must have sorted a bit more as when I was digging in it earlier this month, there were two columns of fabric. I must say it made it easier to grab what I was looking for.florals
  • Are you working your plan? – The sorting has been kept up, but the new folding didn’t get very far. I think if I refold the fabric it will fit better in my boxes and it definitely will be easier to find what I’m looking for. I think the next box I’ll fold/sort is the red/green box as that’s the fabric which will need to be put up next.
  • Do you need a new plan? – I think I’ll reduce the number of ‘theme’ boxes – at least move floral into the color boxes. I also have a novelty, black & white,  red & white, Kansas Troubles, 30’s reproductions, Halloween, Christmas, music and yardage boxes. As I fold, I expect some of my combo boxes to shift around.
  • Is your stash almost under control, but it just got a little out of hand because you’ve been using from it and adding to it all year? -I hesitate to say it’s under control — but that’s primarily because I’ve not dealt the two huge boxes of scraps I was given last year — or was it the year before.  Well, that and not getting the fabric put up from this summer.
  • Did it all used to fit where you had it, but now it’s sort of spilling out into other spaces and areas and making a bit of a mess? – It’s all contained in the sewing room, but I need sort it and put it away. But I don’t guess that’s really the question. Some of my boxes are overflowing — the red/green, the purple/pink, and neutral. The lids are on those boxes just barely and I moved some neutral over to the music drawers. I suspect with the refolding everything will fit better, although there may be some shifting of fabric into new boxes.
  • What are your plans for your stash going forward? – I really would like to get all the fabric back on the two main shelves so I can get one of the smaller shelves out of the room — alas there’s more than fabric on those smaller shelves.
  • Are you setting any stash-related goals for yourself for 2017? – Get the scraps sorted and dealt with, get the lids on the boxes to close easily, use it, and only buy if absolutely necessary to finish something in progress.

 

Posted in: Challenges, Final Countdown, Stash

2015 Final Countdown Task Three

December 31, 2015 12:14 pm ⋅

Shelly, over at PrairieMoonQuilts is hosting the 7th annual Final Countdown. It’s a chance to do a few things in your quilting space to get you ready for the new year. I’m not sure how long I’ve been participating, but whatever the challenge, it’s usually something which needs to be done in my space.

Task Three:

Get out of your quilt box!

Several ideas were thrown out as possibilities:

  • Learn a new technique
  • Use a different color palate than you normally do
  • Take a leap and challenge yourself
  • Join in on something you haven’t done before

I don’t like to think of myself as a naysayer or negative person (who does), but as I read this challenge all sorts of reasons popped into my head as to why I wasn’t going to be able to do this one.

  • Learning a new technique would mean starting a new project and I’m doing my best to not start anything new.
  • Using a different color palate would mean buying new fabric and I’m doing my best to now buy any new fabric except for what is needed to finish my UFOs.
  • Take a leap and challenge yourself – if finishing 12 quilts (most twin size or larger) in 4 months is not a challenge, I don’t know what is.
  • Join in BOM, Quilt-alongs means new projects and that’s in part how I ended up with as many UFOs as I have. I’m not currently part of a guild, but haven’t found one which works with my schedule, although I’m in several on-line groups.

Well, now that we know all the reasons why I “can’t” do this, lets see what I CAN do.

  • I bought a Squedge Ruler a while back and haven’t taken it out of the package. I need want a weird size table runner for my table (12″ x 30″), so this should be quick to make and FINISH. squedge 001
  • I’m going to call using a different color palate done. Although nearly everything I make is scrappy,  I seldom use a single line/designer in my quilts. I did however recently finish a quilt in all Kansas Troubles fabrics. But keeping in the spirit of things, I’ve dug around in my stash and found the following:
    • The Night Before Christmas – I bought these fabrics in 2009. I fell in love with the sample quilt, but haven’t worked on the quilt. Is it because of the limited # of fabrics or the fear that I won’t remember which fabric goes where?Christmas
    • MayPole fabrics from 2009 – Originally bought to make bags and wallets, I didn’t get it done, and now I’m concerned it’s “out of style”. The fabric as a group seems to be brighter than what’s in my stash.MayPole
    • Tuscan Sun BOM from Jo-Ann’s who knows when. – My mom collected all of the blocks and setting kit for this quilt, but did not get it made. This is not a color palate I would put together myself. Maybe it’s time to make the quilt.joannkit
  • Take a leap and challenge yourself – a few years ago I  had several patterns published in an on-line magazine and the copyright has reverted back to me. I think this is the year I’ll see about getting them published for sale.
  • Join in — for this one, I’m going to count going to a new retreat. I’ve gone to a few different retreats in the past, usually with my same group of friends. My sister and I are going to a new-to-me retreat in May.

Although I’m still trying to knock out my UFOs, a girl has to occasionally start something new. The key is to FINISH it so it doesn’t become a UFO. I’ll take some of these “kits” to the retreat this spring and summer (there’s another one in June) and combine a couple of things to get myself out of my quilt box!

Now back to Task One. Progress is being made. The stack on the left are those pieces which are really to big to fold like the ones on the right. I’ve also culled some fabric to chop up into my stash user’s system (no, I’ve not cut them, I’ve tossed them into one of the drawers of my ironing station — baby steps). Next I’m going to find the other box of florals and ultimately may decide to put these fabrics in the ‘color’ box instead of the floral theme box.

florals

 

Posted in: Challenges, kits, Stash

2015 Final Countdown Task One

December 29, 2015 1:40 pm ⋅

Shelly, over at PrairieMoonQuilts is hosting the 7th annual Final Countdown. It’s a chance to do a few things in your quilting space to get you ready for the new year. I’m not sure how long I’ve been participating, but whatever the challenge, it’s usually something which needs to be done in my space.

Task One:

Take a good hard look at your fabric stash

To be honest, my stash is what it is. I can’t remember the last time I bought fabric just because. For the past couple of years, any fabric I’ve purchased has been for a specific use — not that it always gets used as expected. Case in point – just a week ago I purchased fabric to use for the cuff of a couple of pillowcases. When it came time to make the cases I opted for a different fabric from my stash.

My storage system is by color/theme in bins on the left set of shelves. The right set holds my Scrap User’s System and recycled shirts.

mainshelves

The music fabric is in the chest of drawers with overflow neutrals.

music

Oh, and then there are the “scraps” in various boxes/bins stacked on the floor on the other side of the room and the auxiliary shelves which is holding the overflow.

auxliaryshelves

Not to mention under the cutting table.

cuttingtable

Generally, for the type of quilting I do, the main storage works for me. The issue is that between the scraps I’ve accumulated and have not appropriately dealt with and my stirring in the boxes the fabric is getting piled up. Also, over the past couple of years, what once took a whole box/drawer no longer does (music, blue) and other colors are now taking more than a half a box (green/floral).

So, what is my plan? At the moment it’s only half-baked.

ironingstation

For Christmas my husband made me this ironing station with lots of storage.  Those drawers are 7-1/2 inches tall, 18″ wide and 40″ long.  These drawers will play a part of the organization, I’m just not sure how yet.  Possibly possibly part of the Stash User’s System.

But I think the #1 thing I need to do is refold and sort the fabric in my ‘theme’ boxes. Right now, to find anything, I have to pull everything out. Although there are other boxes which are overflowing, I think I’m going to start with the floral box. It has morphed into two boxes and I think it will all fix in a single box.

floral

Clearly working through the stash is going to take a while. It will be interesting to see what I get done by January 4th.

 

 

Posted in: Challenges, goals, Stash

Still Goofing Off

March 12, 2015 11:49 pm ⋅

star-a-dayfabric selection

This mess can only mean one thing.  I’m digging for fabrics for my Star-A-Day quilt — the one that’s apparently going to take at least 2 years to piece if I don’t get a move on it.  I’m digging through the scraps I got off Craigslist for the prints and my stash for the neutrals. fortunately I’m finding some neutrals in the scraps as well.

Posted in: scraps, Star-A-Day, Stash

New Fabric

January 13, 2015 12:25 am ⋅

raid

 

My sister offered to let me raid her stash.  So, I did.  6 yards of the pinky-purple to use as the backing and maybe pillowcase for Jared Takes a Wife and a yard each of the gold and green. The gold is for binding Scrappy Trips and a cuff for a pillowcase and I was thinking the green for the accent color in a two color binding.

I want to do the two color binding not necessarily because I think the quilt needs it, but because it will make stitching the binding down via the treadle much easier.  But now that I have it home, I think the bright gold would be the better accent color — but the green won’t look good with the backing. Needless to say, I’m still pondering the binding.

But many thanks to my sister for letting me raid her stash.  I suspect at some point in the future she’ll be raiding mine.

Posted in: Stash

Found in my Stash…

February 8, 2011 5:15 pm ⋅

…a length of gold Dimples (Judy would be so proud). Although, can you call less than a yard “a length”?

Anyway, there’s enough to make the inner gold border and all of the centers for my Colorworks Dresden Plate, which is this month’s UFO Challenge.

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate, Stash, UFO Challenge 2011

Shopping the Stash

October 7, 2010 9:39 pm ⋅

I have a new project in the works which needs to be finished by next summer. Due to circumstances, there will be a mad rush to finish it.  Since it is going to require appliqué, I thought I’d start working on it sooner than later.  Tonight I remembered a length of light fabric I bought based on a tiny swatch. It’s perfect for my project.  Then I spotted some black fabric in one of my bins.  Turns out it a big hunk as well.  I need less than a yard for the appliqué, so if it turns out I need this fabric to set my Black & Bright Swap blocks I should still have plenty.

In addition to the fabric, I need freezer paper and fusible webbing.  It turns out I have both in my stash, along with a spool of black thread.  So, I think this quilt top will come completely from stash.  Check back with me next summer to see if the backing comes from stash.

Posted in: applique, crossword, Stash

Backing Decisions

October 7, 2010 5:39 am ⋅

Yesterday I said I needed to put together a backing for this quilt.  It’s a big quilt top – 100 x 100, so I either need 3 yards of wide backing or 9 yards of 45″ wide fabric and seam it twice.

In October 2007 I bought 10 yards of this yellow floral fabric, plus a couple of tone-on-tone coordinates (that I keep reaching for when looking for a peach or green fabric).

The fabric was on sale for not more than $4 a yard and I took the rest of the bolt thinking I would make  a 4-patch Stacked Posies quilt — and apparently a dust ruffle, curtains, pillows and other accessories.    This was pre-stash report days.

I really don’t want to make another 4-patch Stack Posies quilt (well, maybe one more from some Kansas Troubles fabric) — I’ve already made 3.  The only issue is the Row Quilt (need to find a new name for this quilt as well) has absolutely no yellow in the top.  The blue on the left of the picture is the border and binding fabric.

Now that I’ve written this post, I think I’ve talked myself into using this fabric.  If anyone can think of a reason for me not to this fabric let me know.

Posted in: RowQuilt, Stash

The Stash

September 26, 2009 10:04 am ⋅


Judy has done it again. She’s challenging us to show our stash and then to make a dent in it by the end of 2010. Between now and January 1 the idea is to get it organized.

Well, mine is organized, so I just need to see about making a dent in it.

Here’s the tour:

Top left – Kits. There are 2 or 3 that I bought already kitted up, the rest I’ve pulled together, but haven’t gotten to. I’m doing my best to stay focused on the UFOs and working on a kit would generate a new UFO — or at least a new top needing to be quilted.

Top Right – Scrap Basket. I have not generated any new scraps from stuff I’ve worked on since I made such progress this past summer. It’s piled high again from my friends’ generosity — and I threw the back of a quilt in on top.

Middle – Music Stash. I started collecting music themed fabric the summer of 2003 to make a quilt for my DH. The quilt top is complete and this is what I have left over. I’m going to piece the quilt back from some of this, but there is more than enough to make several music themed quilts.

Bottom – The Shelves. This is the rest of the stash. On the top of the left shelf are UFOs, the next three shelves is my primary stash — anything smaller than a yard. The bottom shelf contains the yardage. On the right tops shelf are finished quilt tops and birthday FQs, the next shelf down is thread, stabilizers, some batting and a couple of small finished quilts. The bottom visible shelf contains the precut pieces, baby and Christmas fabrics, panels and the vintage fabric. The bottom shelf holds magazines and books.

So what would I like to see happen in my stash? Reduction of UFOs – preferably into finished quilts and not just tops. Some of the kits worked up and a dent in the music fabric drawers.

We’ll have to wait and see what the next 15 months bring.

Posted in: Stash