I feel I have, for a number of reasons, not been as productive
as I should have liked over this past year with my quilt making, I am
determined that this year will be different, hence the title
of my post.
I do have a finished top now for Matt
measuring 78" x 84" I don't intend to attempt to quilt this myself.
Because of the size I couldn't photograph on my design wall so here it is under
the Japanese Maple tree in the garden.
This can count as the beginning of my dedicated quilting year.
A long awaited task has been to make a start on sorting all
my small scrap containers, fabric leftovers have been thrown into these
without any organisation whatsoever.
I have sorted one only right now
measuring 10" x 8" with 4 and 1/2" depth
so pulled and sorted neatly I have
an assortment of small and large pieces and the same for wide and narrow strips.
whether to have a container for each colour, that's going to be tricky
with only six containers although I do have a few oblong large boxes
but they're not very deep. I'm tempted to take the easy way out
and go with the size of the piece, small medium or large.
There were some very small pieces and I have those in what I call
my Smidgy Bits box
Apart from the above all I have had the energy to do is a stitch a few hexagons
a little colouring
from this book
and photograph hibiscus
I have a busy week with dental and hospital appointments but I'll be setting
time aside to plan new quilts.
See you soon
Maureen
17 comments:
Sorting scraps is a lot harder than large pieces. I have mine in colours, , your colouring is lovely and I'm sure quite relaxing. Watching the race today, looked a tad choppy then race abandoned with the huge wind shift. So glad I am on dry land.
I find sorting scraps and fabrics totally exhausting--mentally!! Especially multi colored prints as they could go almost anywhere...
Your finished quilt is just beautiful...good luck with the sorting hugs, Julierose
A truly colourful post: finished quilt top, sorting delightful scraps, a gorgeous donkey coloured beautifully (psychedelic?) and beautiful flowers in your garden. Carry on sorting!
Look at you...great quilt top finish. Yes, send the biggie out to be quilted. I gave up sorting by color because most of my scraps are too colorful to separate. I do sort by size when possible.
Beautiful quilt top, Maureen! Matt is going to love his quilt so much. So bold and vibrant! And "Smidgy bits" makes me smile! Not a word you'd ever hear in the States. I love to see that you're surrounding yourself with flowers and animals and fabric.
Good for you to set yourself some objectives for 2021! Personally, I can't stop making quilts, so my objective is to slow down... spend more time on a quilt rather than knocking them out, one after another, as I seemed to do in 2020. It seems that January is THE month to spend with scraps, as I know of at least a dozen quilters who are currently working with them. I've found that in making scrap quilts, as I'm working on two of them now, I'm not only cutting them up (and adding to a quickly-filling pillowcase that will be sewn closed for a pet bed), but I'm simultaneously sorting through and reorganizing them. Mostly, I'm seeing a reduction in the depth of the pile in each canvas bin. Yay! Have fun taming your scraps, and making and making!
Well,three cheers for the Year of the Quilt, it sounds like a great idea and you are off to a flying start. Matt's quilt is stunning.
I'm with you on trying to make 2021 more productive on the quilt front. I was a real slacker last year and the only excuse I have is a total lack of motivation. But the UFOs aren't going to finish themselves and the fabrics aren't going to magically turn into quilts, so I must be more dedicated in moving projects along this year.
Pat
Yes, coming up with a plan for the scrap sorting takes time. I sort my batik chunks by size because I will be able to get to cutting quicker for a project. My smaller scraps (down to tiny) get sorted and bagged by size in the container. I tend to sort strings and strips by color. I'm not sure there is one method for all scraps.
I think you are wise to send out all big quilts for quilting and just do the most manageable ones yourself.
I find scrap sorting is good cheap and relaxing fun! So many surprizes and memories! Great striped quilt and I love that line of coloring books! You must have a very steady hand to do one of those detailed drawings. I just look at them in wonder...
Wishing you a very healthy and productive quilty new year Maureen.
Time spent scrappy sorting is lots of fun, and very sidetracking I find :) Looking forward to seeing your colourful 'makes' this year, so inspiring!
Year of the quilt!!!! I am with you...I did some organizing too...but it is slow...Sending hugs to you
Your fabrics are always beautiful. I never sort scraps unless or until I need certain colors or values for a project. But I do have a large container of 2.5" squares. Good for you for getting these under control this year.
That donkey is drop dead gorgeous, just love it. Sorting scraps is usually hard work but worth it once complete. Love all the stripes in Matt's quilt, good idea to send it out for quilting, let someone else do that and you can enjoy stitching the binding on.
Hi Maureen, hope all goes well at dentist and doctors!
Matt's quilt is gorgeous! Clever design and use of contrast.
And yes, organizing scraps is a good thing, helps refresh my memory of exactly what I have to work with.
What a wonderful plan! So positive to start out with a bit of organization too. That usually motivates me on some level or another.:) Great quilt top finish! Very striking looking! I am such a fan of striped fabric, can't help but love it already.
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