Sunday, August 12, 2007

Déja vu?

Hmmm . . . it seems like I've been here once before. These pictures seem VERY familiar. I think this is the view of my sewing room just before the redo. Nope - these aren't new Crumb Chaos blocks. These are the same ones - blocks that are almost finished but not quite. And remember my joy at getting through all those 1 1/4" and 1 3/4" strips? Short lived joy indeed. During the redo I discovered I'd grabbed a few handfuls of each and stuck them in one tub to work from, as I didn't have room for two tubs. Here is the glaring reality - still a large drawer of each size strip. At least now I have room to put both drawers next to the machine while I work, along with the basket of partially finished blocks. These won't get done today - in fact need to stop working on these for awhile and get to the two customer quilts that need completing. One for sure needs to be finished today, and the other one sometime this week. I had a sneaking suspicion all along that longarming for others probably wouldn't really be my bag - I have too many of my own things that I want to do. Even though I've never advertised at all, however, the customer quilts wander into the studio at the rate of a couple a month. At least I can use that to justify the machine purchase - to me anyway. Fred doesn't need me to justify it at all - what a sweetheart!
All my fabric is now put away. I've washed and ironed all the pieces from the splurge shopping of the last few months. Shopping I justified by telling myself I was spending my bonus, which was just like a gift. You may have noticed, however, that the fabric diet badge is gone - I just couldn't keep it in good conscience when I'd bought so much. Now the buying must come to a halt however. I have a small amount of room in two places on the shelves - the 19th century reproduction section and the Jo Morton section. That is it! And when I put away the fabric that currently resides in baskets under the island - fabric for my two Eileen Trestain reproduction classes - there will be no room whatsoever left on the shelves. I think this is a good thing. It's going to force me to use up fabric before I can buy more. And at the rate I'm going that will be just this side of forever, since sewing up all my scraps doesn't make a bit more room on my shelves!

Guess I'd better get busy now as I have several goals for today. I want to get a pedicure - it's so hard to bend over these days to cut my toenails and they really need it. I told Fred to leave me the truck as I want to continue the garage clean out, so I guess I'd better have at least a few things tossed by the time he gets home from golf. I have that customer quilt to do, I need to run to the post office, get to B&N to look at the newest Quiltmaker, as it has an article about Jo Morton, and I need to find something for dinner. Two things I can say with confidence - I'll never, ever run out of things to do in my life, and I'm never, ever bored!

************
Gratitudes:
1. Continued cooler weather for us - highs in the very high 70's and low 80's
2. A riot of colored blossoms in my front yard
3. Space to move around my sewing room
4. Exactly 200 more working days before retirement!
5. Fat free hot dogs and whole wheat high fiber hot dog buns - it's been so long since I've had a hot dog!

25 comments:

Pam said...

Your fabric is folded so beautifully!!

I will have to find your mile-a-minute tutorial and give it a good look over again, I think that I should do that as well will all those strips I have. Do you iron the strips before sewing them together?

KC Quilter said...

I wish my fabric looked as nice as yours does! I think it's time for a redo of my own--in my tee-tiny sewing room!

Fiona said...

I love looking at all your fabric! Thanks so much for your mile a minute tutorial - I made up a top out of odd-shaped strings and I so enjoyed it. Without your tutorial I wouldn't even have thought about doing it this way - now I'm having serious withdrawal symptoms because all my strings are used up.

Michele Bilyeu said...

We love seeing your piles and piles of quilting to do...then we don't feel quite so jealous of your absolutely amazing new sewing room and all of those totally gorgeous stacks of fabric ;) ;)

loulee said...

Your stash amazes me! I love to see it arranged by colour and designer groups. I hope you achieve everything you set out to do today.

Carol said...

Your shelves are beautiful...that is one of the first things I'm going to do when the shop closes...I'm going to organize my stash. You have motivated me! 200 days...that is so exciting.

SusanB said...

Now you know exactly what you have and it is wonderfully organized and accessible. Most of us wish we could say that. It sounds like you use up the fabric you have at about the same rate I do.

When I retired 2 years ago, one goal was to reduce the fabric I have stashed for charity projects. I've bought very little, but to look at the closet, I've not shrunk the stash by much. Oh well, it doesn't spoil.

Quilter Kathy said...

I sure could have a fun day playing in that pile of blocks!
ENJOY!

Lily Mulholland said...

Oh my goodness Patti! How can there be more? LOL.

And this: "200 more working days before retirement!" wowowowow! That must be such a great feeling! Congratulations.

Debi said...

Great looking stash. Everything looks for oragnized.

Judy said...

Yummy looking repro fabrics!! Gotta love Jo Morton too!

Nan said...

It's so good to see you hard at work again, Patti! LOL! Your folded fabric is a thing of beauty! I think I would just stare at it every day! It does give you a complete picture of what you do have to work with, doesn't it?
Glad you're back blogging again, too! I've missed you, and obviously, so has everyone else!!

Carole said...

Ya know, I need to come over and mess things up a bit so it looks like it's being used! lol ;o) I just love your new sewing room! Have fun playing with scraps! It certainly keeps the stash looking neat! lol

swooze said...

Our stashes are sobering arent they?

Melinda said...

I love your stash and the pictures of it. When my husband gets twitchy about my (comparatively very small) fabric stash, I like to show him your pictures.

Lynda (Granny K) said...

Fantastic quilt! Just my kind of thing, I'm saving my scraps in readiness of making one myself, one day!
Glad all went well for your son, third time lucky.

Nicole & Phil said...

It's been awhile since I popped in to see you! I love seeing all those chains! YOur sewing room/studio, look divine!

Mrs. Goodneedle said...

Those MAM blocks are addictive, aren't they? Your folded fabric is oh, so pretty... I'd take lots of pictures if mine looked that neat and tidy! :) Happy pedicure!

The Chicken Lady said...

I want my room to look like yours! Too bad I can't just run over the bridge to the Ikea! Darn Portland, waiting til I leave, THEN opening one of my favorite stores. Oh well. It'll be there when we come back HOME! :)

Quilts And Pieces said...

I need to do some serious stash busting too. Maybe I should work on some of these blocks at my retreat in a few weeks! Hmmm, now you have me thinking!

Libby said...

I think I really need to take a good stab at the Mile A Minute blocks - I have some bins of strips and scraps that are just begging to become a quilt *s*

Hanne said...

Hi Patti
I have nominated you to Rockin' Girl Blogger and Nice Matters Award.
I do enjoy your blog a lot.

Jeanne said...

Those strips will soon be beautiful quilt blocks and then turn into great quilts. Your fabric piles are so neat looking it's almost a shame to disturb them. VBG

Hanne said...

I forgot to tell you that I like your new fabric arrangement very much. I do not need more fabric for the rest of the year, so if it is a comfort I will be fabric dieting too :-)

Susan @ Blackberry Creek said...

Patti, I just found your blog. I love it! Your sewing room is to die for. And all that fabric! What fun!