Organizing those colorwash squares

     I have been cutting and saving 2 1/2" squares for colorwash quilts. I have made a couple small ones, but want to make a larger one. I tried using the aluminum trays from the Dollar store like Wanda, but every time I moved the tray, the squares slid off and the trays bent.
     

     Next, I used the cardboard boxes from cat food cans and although the boxes were not slippery, they took up an inordinate amount of room in my studio and were, well, ugly.

      I kept searching for ideas, and found some cafeteria trays on Amazon that have a grippy texture and are light and low profile. I took a chance and ordered the set of 24 and have all the batik squares on them and it takes up no room at all. I have to move my floral ones now and I don't know if I have enough trays. I will put these trays in a plastic box to protect them from Tugger, the trouble cat and from me spilling them.

See how wonderful they stack- they all have fabric on them

Transferring to plastic

S-l-o-w Organizing

     I am making the best attempt I can to organize my sewing space. I moved the Accuquilt cutter to another room, off my cutting counter. I bought some wire shelves at Target and got all my over-a-yard boxes off the floor. I am trying to get all boxes off the floor in my sewing room. The boxes are all the fabric I precut into set sizes. This long headache is wearing and I can't come up with solutions right now, so I am stalled.

Diecutter moved next to printers and papercutter

List of my fabrics I am collecting for projects in my cupboard

Project Fabrics collected along with Accuquilt dies.
Some yarn remains.

Sewing room not organized and clean enough, stalled.

New shelving, boxes off floor

List on wall of all the quilts I would like to make.
Better here than all jumbled in my head.

Pushing through Chaos

     Although I always try to be organized, have set places, and put things away, the sheer amount of projects and all the attended steps make me feel like I am walking in hardening concrete. When I did my goals at the beginning of the year, I decide to cut out the yarn. I am going to concentrate on quilts and watercolor painting.
     I used to make funky scarves and necklaces with yarn and beads. I gave all the beads away to a friend who makes jewelry. I pulled all the yarn out of my cupboards and sorted them by types and put them on the counter in my room. I asked my daughter in law and a fiber artist friend to help themselves to what they liked. All I was left with was 4 baskets that I need to find homes for. I feel lighter after that even though it took all day.

All set out in the daylight

What is left, now it is dark. Gotta find someone for those last bins.

      When I was done with the yarn chaos, I turned my attention to finding/piecing backings for all my waiting quilt tops. I had to pull out all kinds of fabric and puzzle the choices and how to piece them together. Halfway through, I went and ordered some backing on sale at Connecting Threads so I did not have to piece everything. Here is some of last quilts searching for backing. More chaos. I need to get it all picked up so I can roll out batting and get it all cut for all the quilts I made the backings for. More walking in concrete.

On the wall and another year begins!

     Today marks the beginning of another year for me. I don't know whether to cry or laugh. I will just be thankful for another day. So many ideas, so many quilts, it is overwhelming. Life just gets busier. 
     Thank you to everyone who is a follower and reader. You are my birthday present!
     So what is on the wall? I have been using 2.5" squares of kid prints for leader/enders and slowly putting Fading Charms together, so here is where I am now. Long way to go.

Center and two sides done

     Also, Sarah Craig of Confessons of a Fabric Addict blog, has been doing a Sweet Sixteen series. See side button. I looked through my squares and found 3 mini charm packs that I got free from the Fat Quarter Shop in Houston and sewed them into 16 patches. I will put this together with some denim squares. I will set these blocks slightly off center with gray background. I am figuring it out on graph paper.

Three of the 8 blocks

With denim added

     I have tried to improve my techniques and organization bit by bit. I finally learned how to pin going from left to right. This enables me to use my guides attached to the machine bed, to remove pins with my left hand and put them in the pincushion without letting go of feeding the fabric with my right, and the pins stay in the fabric much better especially like when two opposite borders are pinned at the same time. Maybe every one else knew this, but not me.

Border pinned at top and also at side makes sure the short side does not shift while the long side is sewn. I put the pin through twice on these long pieces.

Another side

Pin put in left to right as seam would be sewn.
The pin heads do not lie outside the fabric.

     I have put a plastic crate I used to use for markers in my graphic design days next to my machine and put every tool back into it instead of laying it on the table, having it fall or get covered up. I have the iron set right behind me with an ironing pad. Makes sewing small stuff so much easier and pleasant.

Crate to right, leader-ender squares to right.

Revamping, cleaning and so on

     I finished some projects and sold the Bailey Home Quilter in preparation for the addition of a longarm coming in March. I cannot fit it anywhere in my sewing area or anywhere as a matter of fact except the basement. I have run a tape measure everywhere in the house and can come up with no other alternative.
     I divided my 2 1/2" squares into light, medium, and dark in baskets right next to my sewing machines for ease of making leader enders. I used to have them light and dark, but really, the mediums need to be figured differently.
     You can actually see the beautiful table my husband made and all the thread dribbles and lint are cleaned off now. I think this is a good use of my space as I work on multiple machines depending on what projects are flying.

Darks to left, mediums right

Just can't squeeze the treadles in the photo!

Cutting and cutting and have to stop!

      One of my goals is to tame the pile of fabric that is smaller than a fat quarter in the corner of my counter. It is sorted by batiks, childrens, and everything else. It makes me crazy. I use Bonnie Hunter's scrap saving system. The best thing is to cut the scraps right after you are done cutting out whatever. However, people give me a lot of scraps (Yay!) and they go into the piles. I hate taking the time from a project to cut. 

     For the past couple of days, I set up the ironing board in the kitchen and took my scrap strip bins that had random sizes and started to make set sizes. All of the 2 1/2" strips go in the flatter plastic boxes by color and stacked. The 3 1/2" strips go into a drawer in the Iris cabinet. The 2 1/2", 5", 3.5", and 2" squares each get a drawer in the cabinet. I started a bin for 1 1/2" and one for 2" strips, but not sorted by color. I actually filled 4 of those plastic bags from the grocery store with trimmings for this, so I must have done something. The pile looks a little smaller. I did not even get to the batiks. I think I can make scrap quilts now. Need more blades. I use the June Tailor shape cutter and the new Stripology ruter. I cut some on my counter and some in the kitchen. Anything to keep going.

All 2 1/2" strip boxes done by color

3 1/2" strips by light, medium and dark piles

Overflowing box of 5" squares by light, medium and dark.
Need a bigger box or more sewing.

The last cutting- leftovers from the backing of Circle Dance.
Hate cutting these, but it's fabric, right?

Blue, purple and green 2 1/2" strips

Neutrals, blacks, whites 2 1/2" strips

2" bin on left, 1 1/2" bin on right

     I was sewing Grand Illusion in between cutting to keep my sanity and I have all 25 blocks sewn and am working on connecting the green square strips now. I don't think I can cut scraps for a while joyfully.

More organizing, it goes on and on...

    Well, as I work, I mess things up. All those scraps, threads, detritus of making stuff just accumulates and then begins to interfere with working. I have to stop and reassess. I put all the surface stuff in a big box to clear and then sorted things out and put them away. I am trying to think about how to put stuff away and how I use it. For example, I make leader and enders as I sew and they end up in a heap. So, I put them in a small plastic crate near the iron so when I press my piecing, I can press them also. When I cut out pieces, I try to cut the scraps into sizes that I store in plastic trays. Instead of sorting them out as I cut them, I am stacking them in a small box near the cutting mats. When I have just a few minutes to work on something, I will take the basket to the bins and sort them into the right place. I keep thinking of few minute jobs when I am waiting on something else and making a basket for them. Bigger fabric pieces I keep stacked in a plastic tray so that I can cut bigger squares, 5", 6", or bigger when have more than 5 minutes to do something. I cut and save- 2", 2 1/2", 3, 4, 4 1/2, 5, 6, and bigger squares for my exploding squares quilts. I use the 2 1/2" pieces as leader/enders by my piecing machine and they are sorted by light and dark so I can piece 4 patches which I will use later in scrap quilt.

Cutting/Pressing area all better for now

Top surface ok, pieces for a circle quilt stacked under
on paper according to value (photo below). Not a great solution.