1. Quilt, bind and label "Peace on Earth"
2. Finish quilting, bind and label "Pink and Brown Four-Patch"
3. Finish weekly Farmer's Wife blocks
4. Baste small quilts for hand quilting
5. Complete "Sunflowers and Scarecrowns" quilt top
6. Complete two rows of "Civil War Diary"
7. Finish one pair of socks
8. Spin one skein if yarn
CURRENT LEADER-ENDER PROJECT
Split Nine Patch Camping Quilt (2013)
WORKS IN SLOW PROGRESS (WISP'S)
1. Civil War Diary Quilt (2008)
2. Afternoon Delight (2013)
3. 30's Basket blocks (2013)
4. Mid-century Album (2007)
5. Civil War Applique (2008)
6. Civil War Love Letters (2008)
7. Girl Gang Feathered Star Quilt(2003)
8. Sweet Memories (2013)
9. Turn of the Century Revisited (2013)
10. Farmer's Wife in 30's fabrics
1. Cabin in the Pines (2013)
2. Posies and Points (2006)
3. It's a Wonderful Life (2005)
4. Jan Patek Mystery Sampler (2005)
5. Primitive Primer (2004)
6. Liberty Garden (2003)
7. Holiday Inn (2008)
8. Dulcinea (2013)
9. Summer in a Basket (2013)
10. Frosty and Friends (2013)
11. Where Liberty Dwells (2013)
12. Jack at the Gate (2013)
13. Dash of Spring (2013)
14. Love Is!(2009)
15. Donder and Blitzen(2013)
16. Sunflowers and Scarecrow (2013)
FLIMSIES BASTED FOR QUILTING
1. The Gentle Art (2013)
2. Contrary Wife (2013)
3. Blue and White Pinwheel Table Topper (2013)
4. Peace on Earth (2009)
5. Pink and Brown Four Patch (2013)
6. Butterscotch Stars (2013)
QUILTS FINISHED THIS YEAR (2013)
1. Emily's Quilt (2013)
2. Emma's Quilt (2002)
3. Gaggle of Geese (2001)
4. Oriental Feathered Star (1994)
5. Pink and Green Feathered Star (1995)
6. Friendship Garden (2004)
7. Hat Trick (2013)
8. Bunny Hop (2009)
9. Peter Cottontail (2013)
10. Five Hearts (2013)
11. Plaid Stretched Stars (2009)
12. Flag and Chickens (2009)
13. Dance of Angels (2009)
HAVEN'T STARTED YETS (HSY'S)
1. America
2. Anniversary Stars
3. Autumn Leaves
4. Birthday Rose
5. Brian's Quilt
6. Buds in a Basket
7. Chicken Little
8. Christmas Goose
9. Cottage Rose
10. Double Sawtooth Star
11. Elegant Garden
12. Fall
13. Flower Pots
14. Hearts, Flowers and Chocolate
15. Hippity Hop Penny Rug
16. Ho Ho Ho Penny Rug
17. Ho Ho Ho Santa Penny Rug
18. Hospitality
19. Journey of a Quilter
20. Let It Snow Penny Rug
21. Liberty Eagle
22. New Century Garden
23. New England Sampler
24. November's Song
25. Pineapple Tidbits
26. Plaid Flowers
27. Prairie Star
28. Rainy's Quilt
29. Samples of the Past
30. Scrappy Baskets
31. Spiced Pumpkin
32. Spring Blooms
33. Star Party
34. Sweet and Sassy Sunflowers and Scarecrows
35. Triple Four Patch
36. Warm Hearts Christmas Quilt
37. Wild Goose Chase
38. Window Box Quilt
39. Winter
40. Winter Folk Sampler
41. Winter Wonderland
42. Rotherfield Greys
43. Flower Box
44. Celebrate January
45. Celebrate February
46. Celebrate March
47. Celebrate April
48. Celebrate May
49. Celebrate June
50. Celebrate July
51. Celebrate August
52. Celebrate September
53. Celebrate October
54. Celebrate November
55. Celebrate December
56. Dresden Turkeys
57. Jan Patek Mystery Quilt 2010
58. Twirly Balls and Pinwheels
Many people have asked me how I keep my fabric looking so neat on my shelves, and how do I fold it so it fits so well. I developed my own method of folding my fabric long before someone came out with the idea of folding it around a ruler. Mine works very well for me and is very easy to do. For those of you who are interested, here is how I do it.
The first thing to do is figure out the width and depth of your shelves. Most shelves are a standard size - mine are 30" wide. The narrow shelves are just over 14" wide. The depth is 10 1/2". You will want to fold your fabric so you can get the maximum amount of fabric on one shelf with little or no room left over. A little math, or some trial and error if you prefer, will tell you how to fold your fabric. I fold large pieces - 1/2 yard and more - one way, and fat quarters and smaller pieces another way. I almost always buy fabric in increments of 1/4 yard rather than eights or thirds, as these increments fold the best using my system. You can certainly modify it if you buy fabric in other increments.
Half yard and larger pieces:
Fold the fabric as it came off the bolt. I prewash and iron first - I find that ironing each piece helps set the colors and patterns in my memory - so I iron it folded as if it just came off the bolt.
Now bring the folded edge to the selvage edge for a second fold parallel to the first. I do this for 3 yard and shorter pieces. If the piece is longer than 3 yards I fold crosswise once, twice or more first.
Now, if you have an even number of yards fold the piece in half crosswise, and then in half again। If you have 3, 6 or 9 yards fold in thirds and then in half. If you have a different number of yards you will need to adjust your crosswise folds at some point.
The object is to finish with a rectangle that measures about 10" or 11" wide - or 1/4 the width of the fabric, and a depth of 9" (1/4 yard).
Fat quarters:
There are two possible ways to fold fat quarters. Choose which works best for you by measuring the depth of your shelves. If they are 12" deep you can choose the narrower, deeper way of folding - this is how I folded them before my sewing room redo. If they are less than 12" you will need to choose the wider, less deep way of folding so they don't hang off the front of the shelves. I show both methods in the pictures.
Lay your fabric in front of you. For deeper shelves the 21"-22" side should be facing you. For narrower shelves the shorter side should be facing you. Fold the closest and the farthest edged to the middle, thus enclosing the raw edge in the fold.
Fold again in half.
Now fold in half crosswise once. Your piece will now measure approximately 5" x 9" or 4 1/2" x 11", depending on how you have folded it. The second is preferable if your shelves are deep enough as you can get more fabric on the shelf.
Now arrange your folded fabric on your shelf, with the single fold of each piece facing toward you. ( I fold my towels and wash cloths so single folds face front also - I know, I'm an incurable neat freak!) I can fit two stacks of the larger pieces and one stack of the smaller pieces on each wide shelf - or one large and four small stacks - or six small stacks. I can fit two fat quarter stacks or one larger stack on the narrower shelves, with a few inches remaining for books, patterns, or whatever.
Since I do mostly scrap piecing and appliqué, I usually cut only a small amount from each piece. As long as I can refold the piece on the fold lines so it fits neatly back on the shelf I do so. Once the piece is chopped up enough that I can no longer fold it neatly on the fold lines, I call it scrap, and cut it into strips, squares, triangles and bricks, with the smallest parts going into a basket of crumbs to give away to a friend.
I hope this helps at least one or two of you with your fabric storage! I've done it this way for so long that I can fold fabric VERY quickly for storage on the shelves.
That's amazing! Well, I guess I need to go measure shelves... or in my case drawers but I can see how shelves would be better. Hmm. Now you've got me wanting to go out and buy shelves... Where will I put those? Maybe I'll get out all my fat quarters and start playing around with those first...Thank you!
Hi Patti, thanks for this little tute. I haven't found a folding technique yet.. - I love it to be neatly stacked & until now I never was satisfied. I think I'll try your method...
Thanks Patti for the folding lesson; I need to wash, iron and re-fold ALL my stuff--too much sneezing and kleenexes used today! I plan to do it by color so I'll know what's been washed....
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Projects Finished in 2013
January - Hand in cast, Emily's quilt top
February - Heirloom Stitches quilt top, "Cabin in the Pines" quilt top, 31 applique blocks prepared for the "Civil War Applique" quilt, "Five Hearts" and "Peter Cottontail" finished tops, dressed a doll, cleaned out a bookcase. Holiday Inn quilt top
March - Friendship Garden, Pink and Green Feathered Star, Gaggle of Geese, and Asian Star quilts are finished. Finished two knitted hats and a pair of socks for me.
April - Fabric reorganized, quilt backing fabric made, singles spun, four little quilt tops finished, socks finished, Emily's quilt finished, UFO (Emma's Quitl) finished
May - Hand quilted and bound "Hat Trick", basted 14 little quilts for hand quilting, finished two little quilts, socks finished, Gentle Art pieced, 45 shoo fly blocks pieced, 22 basket blocks pieced, several Civil War Diary blocks pieced
June - 52 shoo fly blocks, Dulcinea quilt top, two rows of Civil War Diary completed, 9-patch 30's swap blocks completed, five small quilts quilted, some applique preparation completed
July - Many scraps cut into triangles and squares, applique preparation, 3 quilt tops finished
10 comments:
That's amazing! Well, I guess I need to go measure shelves... or in my case drawers but I can see how shelves would be better. Hmm. Now you've got me wanting to go out and buy shelves... Where will I put those? Maybe I'll get out all my fat quarters and start playing around with those first...Thank you!
Thanks Patti...redoing my shelves in on my To Do List.
Thanks for the folding tip. I think it will make my fabric much neater.
Thanks for the visual! My stash is such a mess after a new project. Time for a re-fold!
Hi Patti,
thanks for this little tute. I haven't found a folding technique yet.. - I love it to be neatly stacked & until now I never was satisfied. I think I'll try your method...
Great tutorial, Patti! Thanks for taking time to share it.
Brilliant! I've scheduled a link to this post to go live on my blog later this evening (Central USA time). I hope it brings you a few extra visitors.
Denise
http://needlework.craftgossip.com
Great tutorial, thanks! My fat quarters are all folded differently, so this will be especially helpful for those.
Thanks Patti for the link to your blog post about how you fold your fabric~ Amy R
Thanks Patti for the folding lesson; I need to wash, iron and re-fold ALL my stuff--too much sneezing and kleenexes used today! I plan to do it by color so I'll know what's been washed....
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