A fresh start

December 31, 2015December 30, 20154 Comments

I’m in a minimalist mood as 2015 draws to an end. I’m looking at what I don’t need and getting rid of duplicates.

I’m also reflecting on this year as the year I created a lot more stuff — quilts, mostly, and I have mixed feelings. I NEED to create. But, that means more stuff. I love what I made this, and I have at least four quilts in my hand quilting basket beside my couch. I have quilt blocks on my design wall and a bucket full of projects in various stages of completion.

I want a fresh start. Perhaps that means making room for my creations and clearing my spaces of other stuff — too many pillows, towels, sheets, mugs, books, fabric scraps, old clothes, gifts I don’t like, . . . .

See you in 2016.

Wanda

Be still my paper-loving heart

December 21, 2015December 20, 20155 Comments

I’m a paper calendar type of person. Even though I work in a paperless work environment, I still keep my appointments on a paper calendar.

I was excited to receive the first edition of The Quilter’s Planner, created by Stephanie Palmer of The Late Night Quilter.

It arrived on Saturday, and it’s more than a calendar. And, that scares me. There’s space for Personal, Work, and Quilting To-Do Lists. There are daily appointment times. My life isn’t that hectic so I don’t think I will use those. I like looking at the month at a glance. I usually don’t have more than one appointment on any given day. As I write this, I think maybe I should schedule time for exercise and meditation and maybe sewing time. Maybe.

The weeks start on Monday, which is odd for me. I like calendars which start on Sunday. It’s just habit.

Each week does include a quilt block from some of my new quilting friends — 52 blocks in all are included. I like seeing everyone’s names. Plus, there are several patterns in the back of the planner from Amy Garro of 13 Spools, Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Designs, Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced, Yvonne Fuchsof of Quilting Jetgirl. Pat Sloan of The Voice of Quilting, and Kitty Wilkin of Night Quilter.

I like the tabs for each month and the corresponding graph paper.

As I consider my plans for 2016, I know I will love using paper for sketching my quilt design ideas, and I know I’ll keep using this paperless medium to share my quilt journey.

—Wanda

Recycled Storage

January 25, 2015April 27, 20153 Comments

Getting organized this month? I like using things I already have in new ways, particularly in my sewing space:

I. Glassware

I have zippers in a vase and in a glass jar:

I use bowls for yarn:

II. Ladders

I use a not-so-old wooden ladder as shelving for my scrap-made fabric bins:

I got the directions for the bins from the book, Sunday Morning Quilts. I made them all with scraps and used cardboard from cereal boxes for the sides and bottoms. If I made them again, I’d use heavier cardboard to give them more stability.

III. Crates

I have an old Coca-Cola crate for holding fat-eighths and fat quarters: