Year of the PIGS - 6/29

This week, we will look at the After of Regina's big renovation. You will remember that 2 weeks ago, we looked at an in depth post by Regina of her attic sewing space.

Here is her After post! What a change!!


What is behind curtain #3??
Time for the ribbon cutting ceremony???

I feel like I should be doing a great unveling of a studio all redone - with everything in it's place, no clutter, nothing on the table, and all my intended revamps completed.


That isn't quite the case -but as I can't wait any longer, I will show you the highlights of what IS done.

The Table(s):

Thanks to an angel on the internet and the generosity of ReUseIt members (a yahoo group for repurposing similar to Freecycle) I was able to swap out tables for a new one. It is a bit smaller - but the benefits are tremendous! Lighter in color, compatible space wise with the cutting table, and straight leg construction allows for some under table bins to be utilized.

Not only was I able to completely open up my cutting table, I was able to tuck some things under the cutting table, too (like a dresser, cabinet, bookcase, and rolling cart - plus some flat storage!!!!) Overall the two tables together take up just a smidge more space lengthwise than the old table but it opens up the area where the cutting table had been stored... AND I have this wonderful cutting space with a full size cutting mat to cover the whole thing!

I am using the table for a while intact to get a feel for the new space, and will have Hubby go back in later and make the modifications to drop the machine in. No sense rushing and then not being happy with it.

The Storage:

I moved the taller mismatched dresser to another wall - and plan to have hubby run a shelf most of the length side wall the same height as the low dresser.  Tucked underneath, all those mismatched bookcases will easily accessible but hidden by a curtain, which will add a bit of brightness to the room, keeps down on the dust, and yet be removable for easy washing (I have a cat...'nuff said).  The plan is to eventually repaint the big low dresser to match the shelf color and add drawer pulls to it - but that is a ways down the line.

You can see here during the painting process what it looked like with those shelves stacked, and what it looks like after with them unstacked.  I am still working on where the easel will find it's final spot, but now that the yard sale stuff is cleared out of the storage end, I have a bit more wiggle room.



The Walls:

I started with an inexpensive primer -prepared to add a few coats of necessary.  Emptying the room to paint was not an option, so I worked section by section... shifting things around as I went along.  I pretty much went by the 4 foot wide sections of paneling, and could double prime one section in an evening.  Needless to say this was a LOONG project.

I used leftover yellow from the Munchkin's bedroom and it really brightened things without turning the room into an "institutional white" situation (plus it used up the surplus paint - we had bought two cans for his room when he was an infant -and used just over one).

The area that is still being used for storage was not painted, and here you can see side by side the primed and painted color versus the old color. I opted to cover with 2 coats of primer and one of the yellow so I would not have to purchase paint, and there is still a wee bit of paint left in the can.




The Floor:

A rug moved from the bedroom to the attic helped to brighten and unify the floor under my sewing chair and table (although the overall room is still a patchwork of exposed wood in the storage area, two different area rugs and interlocking colored foam tiles)  Dropping the stacked bookcases also really helped to open up the room.  Wire shelving runs along the side of the table and helps to create a barrier over the top of the opening to the stairs, while providing storage at the same time.

And I still have room for the Munchkin to join me to play or watch movies.

There is still more work to do - a few yard sales this month will remove some of the storage boxes (I hope) and continued stash busting should help open up space to store fabric that is now in bins.   A few more things need to be put away - and I have my fingers crossed for a window replacement contractor to come in later this summer.

All in all a MUCH more pleasant place to play.

(next post I will let you know how much this project cost...)


And again, there really isn't any question to go along with Regina's post, but if you leave a comment on this post, you will be entered into this month's drawing. And definitely go to Regina's blog to let her know how awesome her space is!

Thanks for helping me out with a post, Regina! If anyone else has something they would like to guest blog about for the PIGS, just let me know. :) 

Year of the PIGS - 6/15

For this week's PIGS post, we have a guest blogger. Regina!

Regina has been working on a sewing room revamp and is just about ready to reveal the after and how she managed it all on a shoestring budget. Below is her before post with more in depth pictures than she showed of her sewing space earlier this year.

So I have posted before that my 'studio' is our attic.
An attic that once sported green shag rug and gold/yellow "Greg Brady" curtains and slipcovers.

An attic with slanted ceilings, painted plank flooring, and old dark dry plywood paneling.

(and a big old mess!!!)

An attic that I willingly share with our household storage and a play space for the Munchkin.
An attic that needed some serious help....

So I set off to re-do my studio - on a very very tight budget.
Repaneling - not an option.
Redoing the floor -not an option.
Buying matching furniture -not an option.

My goal was to increase brightness, clear/hide the clutter, and make the entire space more visually pleasing to work in... not necessarily in that order.

Other considerations were keeping the area near the opening to the stairwell safe, maintaining air flow across the attic (it gets HOT up there), and CLEAN UP MY MESS!!!

I started with the desk/table.

I loved this table when I first made it - it was a combination of legs salvaged from our family dining room table (made by the father of an old school classmate of mine), a door salvaged from the renovation of our kitchen, and a large piece of glass given to me by a former co-worker.

It was big - it was sturdy - and it did the job.

Unfortunately it also sucked up all the light - created glare off the glass top - and created strange storage challenges underneath due to the angles of the legs.

Plus it was so huge that my gate leg cutting table was not able to be opened up and used - so I was cutting on a lower surface than I liked - and this piece of furniture was taking up space being stored but never used, and that just made no sense.  (Other than being a narrow flat surface where things tended to collect.)

I also wanted hubby to cut a table to create a drop-in for my sewing machine - and with the glass top and panel door construction, that was not possible.


Next I tackled the storage... well, the craft storage.  Family storage is uniform in the bins and runs all along the narrow walkway.  Not much is going to change there.

My craft storage consisted of a few dressers and a bunch of bookcases and cabinets, none of which were the same in height.  I liked the shelving options from the cabinets/bookcases, but did not like the cluttered look of them.  Two of the shelves were stacked -creating this high space where stuff got stashed and STAYED - sometimes for YEARS - without being moved.

The bookcases also set up some strange "dead space" corners where things would fall down and I could not get at them.  And things were always being stacked in front of them... one was even providing the barrier at the top of the stairwell - and therefore the shelves themselves were UNDER my desk and pretty much inaccessible.

The next thing was to tackle the wall color.  I knew this paneling was so dry that it would suck down paint in nothing flat - so priming was a must.  Moving all the furniture away from the walls was also going to be an issue.

tune in next week for the results... and the approximate cost of this "design on a dime".

Now, there really isn't any question to go along with Regina's post, but if you leave a comment on this post, you will be entered into this month's drawing. And definitely go to Regina's blog to let her know that you are anxiously awaiting the AFTER pics!

Thanks for helping me out with a post, Regina! If anyone else has something they would like to guest blog about for the PIGS, just let me know. :)

Year of the PIGS - delay

I was going to write up something tonight, but I left my flash drive with my questions at work. I will work on something for tomorrow.

Right now, I am so sleepy! I have my purple and teal blocks up on the design wall and ready to be squared up and sewn together, but I am just so sleepy. It's been like this for the past few nights and I have pretty much given in and hit the sack around 10 as well. I think that tonight, I am going to shut everything down and just read for a while. The blocks can wait for a couple more days. :)

Year of the PIGS - 6/1

Another week goes by and I haven't been quilting. I haven't actually sewn anything since my last Midget Block on May 17!! But since we have already answered the question of how to get back to sewing when there is no desire, I can't take the easy way out and pick that question again. I can only hope that as soon as my bathroom is painted that I will get back to my sewing area for a time.

Someone graciously suggested a question for me to ask this week (Thank you!!!) and it sounds pretty good so I am going with it. It also sort of goes along with doing the work on the house that I have been doing. Not something that I necessarily want to be spending my time on, but it needs to be done eventually and now is as good a time as any.

"Your guild has challenged you to complete the PIGS that you least want to work on. What project would it be and why?"

This is an easy question for me. It's the hexagon rag quilt! Who wants to spend their time constantly locking stitches?

For my flimsie, I would have to say that it's a toss up. I have a quilt that had pieced borders that turned out a little waffle-y and I should really take the borders off and try again. I love this quilt and it would be awesome to have it done for my bedroom when I get the room swap finished!

I also have the 2008 BOM that I am scared to load onto the frame because I have no idea how to quilt it and I am scared that it will turn out to be A LOT of thread changes and rolling forward and back on the rails. I really love how the top turned out and I don't want to ruin it! lol



So what about you? Post your answer on your blog and then link back to your post here. I will draw a winner at the end of the month. If you don't have a blog, leave your answer as a comment on this post and enter your name in Mr Linky as "You Name - COMMENT."

Year of the PIGS - 5/18

I'm a little late in getting the question up this week. And I am going to do something a little different this week. This post will only be the question and I will answer the question here in a new post in a few days.

Since I have been learning how to coupon and save money, I'd like to know how you save time and money while quilting. Share any and every way that you can. Nothing will be considered silly if it saves either time or money! And you may be doing something that the rest of us have not thought of.

Post your answer on your blog and then link back to your post here. I will draw a winner at the end of the month. If you don't have a blog, leave your answer as a comment on this post and enter your name in Mr Linky as "You Name - COMMENT."

Year of the PIGS - April winner

Better late than never! I've been in a bit of a slump the last few days and haven't been doing much online. I have a ton of emails to reply to and I just cleaned up my blog reader without leaving many comments.

I finally got around to picking a name for the April PIGS post and it is Deb!

I believe that the prizes will be another set of these goodies - a take along bag and a tool caddy.






Since I have 2 sets to make, it will get me to get Tracy's done at the same time. :)

Congrats, Deb!!

Year of the PIGS - 5/4

Let me start off by saying that I am being a bad hostess! I still haven't made Tracy's February prize and I still haven't picked the April winner. I promise that I will pick a prize for April and post it and the winner by Friday! I've been sewing and online so I have no excuse for slacking. I think it's the weather... too much rain here!

This week, we will be discussing Leaders and Enders and whether you multitask when quilting. Do you work on one project at a time or are you better when you are juggling 2 or more?

I used to be the type of quilter who only worked on one project at a time. I would get everything cut out and start piecing the blocks. If it was an interesting block and design, I could usually get the blocks done fairly quickly and then I would inevitably stall out on the borders. Then, everything would be packed up and it would be stuck back in the stash room and something new would be started.

When I was working this way, I rarely finished anything, but was always starting something new. The only way that anything would get done is if there was a challenge going on or something had a due date since it was going to 'live' somewhere other than with me.

Last summer, I started reading Amy S.'s blog. I was amazed that she seemed to get so much done - in one week, she got like 5 quilt tops assembled! I started paying attention and realized that she works on like 3 or 5 projects at a time and it was like a light bulb went off...

Why couldn't I do that? Just work on what strikes my fancy? Have 3 projects "In Progress" and work on whichever is in the place that I want to work... A little piecing for a couple of nights, pressing and then more piecing... Sounded like a great plan!

At that time, I pulled out a few things that I wanted to work on and I cut a new project to use as a Leader/Ender (L/E) project and I got to work. My first L/E was the Split Decision. Unfortunately, once I got all of the first part of those blocks sewn together, I couldn't wait to get them all pieced so there went my L/E project!

I have been working in this fashion (3-5 projects going at once) since mid or late summer 2010 and it seems to be working out for me. I am not finding myself getting bored with anything and I think that I am having enough of a variety that I am constantly wanting to sew now. Considering all of my UFOs, this is a great thing!

Now, it's getting a little out of control though... Here's a picture I took last night of my 'Staging Area,' the space that is behind me when I am at my sewing table that holds the projects that are In Progress.



As I have been emptying ArtBins, I have left them on the Staging Area and then just been putting new projects in them. And here is what I mean by out of control...

The stack on the left side of the picture, from top to bottom, is: a couple of finished mug rugs, a Project Linus quilt that needs binding, my Midgets binder with blocks, the May UFO, the fabric for the 2011 SIS swap, and the 2010 Mystery quilt block binder.

In the middle, some miscellaneous items, rice for rice bags, the blocks and fabric from my Gayle Bong workshop, pieces for the second Poinsettia table runner, and the flannel hexagon quilt.

On the right, fabric for the Organic Challenge, dog fabric for a 5 yard quilt, Fresh Flowers fabric for a quilt and runner, the Which Witch wall hangings, and the Super Secret Quilt leftover fabric.

And not shown is the April UFO which was the Paris in the Fall BOM that I finished cutting on Saturday. Also not shown is the Star Struck that just needs borders and binding made to be moved into the To Be Quilted stack.

I think there is a method to my madness! I'm going to figure out which of these projects I want to get serious about and then move the rest back to the stash room. This part will be easier once I make my bedroom the current stash room and then all of my stash is in the new sewing room. :)

As it is, I think that my answer to the question for the week is, "Variety is the spice of life!" It's what is working for me right now. :)

Anyone can participate in the answering, just make a post on your blog and leave a link to your post below. I will draw a winner at the end of the month. If you don't have a blog, leave your answer as a comment on this post and enter your name in Mr Linky as "You Name - COMMENT."

Year of the PIGS - 4/20

Everyone gave such great answers and ideas on the last PIGS post and we got Libby moving out of her slump! Hooray! She even took our advice and treated herself to new fabric once she got a couple of things accomplished - go see what she bought!

The questions for today stem from the last questions in a way.

What part (or parts) of the process of making a quilt are your least favorite? The part (or parts) that you just dread and that make you throw your projects back into the dark recesses of your stash closet? Have you found any tricks to break the cycle of being held up on the parts that aren't your favorite?

For me, I used to dislike the bindings. I could get a quilt quilted and ready for binding, but then it would sit for a while until I had nothing else to do or until I ran out of room where the quilts were. I think that the process of making the long binding strip is what got to me. To counteract this, I have been cutting the binding out and making the strip before I even start sewing the blocks. Now, the only problem is the hand stitching of the binding to finish the quilt. lol

I have quite a few UFO's that involve applique and I keep moving those to the back of the pack/bottom of the list. Now that I have some applique experience, I think that I can make the projects, but they are still at the bottom of the list! lol

I never used to think that borders were my least favorite part of quilting, but apparently they are. Why else would it have taken me so long to get the borders on the Split Decision quilt? It took me 2 weeks to get the borders on and the strips were already cut! I guess that I need to start getting them prepped when I make the binding strip?

Anyone can participate in the answering, just make a post on your blog and leave a link to your post below. I will draw a winner at the end of the month. If you don't have a blog, leave your answer as a comment on this post and enter your name in Mr Linky as "You Name - COMMENT."

The pups say, "Come on! Help a quilter out!"

Year of the PIGS - 4/6

Our question this week is brought to use by Libby. Libby is having a tough time getting motivated to sew and asked, "What do you do when you have no desire to sew? Do you ever get bored with your fabric and look for a different direction?" on this post last week.

I thought that this was a pretty good question and figured that if we could answer the question for Libby, it would be very timely for her as well.

For me, if my sewing area is messy and I have no desire to sit at my table, cleaning and putting things in order is what usually helps me to snap out of it. It also helps me make sure that everything is in order for whatever projects are out. And if I have finished a project, whatever was being used for it goes back into the stash room so it gets out of my way. For some reason, having things organized tends to really help!

Another thing that I do it write lists. Heck, I wrote ginormous lists and post them here so that I can be held accountable for the things that I need to do. I even break projects down into separate tasks so that I can feel like I am accomplishing something even if all I have done is sewn a row on. Usually, when I want to finish a quilt, I will break it down into the following tasks - cut, make blocks, sew blocks, final press of blocks, lay out quilt, assemble center, attach borders, quilt, trim quilt, attach binding and stitch down binding. It may sound silly, but when you are in a time crunch to finish something, it makes me feel a little better to know that I have crosed 3 or 5 or 6 things off the list.

Mix my projects up! What I mean by this is work on several things at once. I used to just have one quilt or project out and that was generally the only thing that I worked on until I put it away or finished it. Now, I have several things going at once so I can mix things up by setting one thing aside to work on another that is holding my interest a little more. Here's an example - I worked on the dang Star Struck blocks for a lot of February and all of March and if I had just put them aside and gotten to something that I really wanted to work on, I probably would have the Split Decision quilt done by now!

Reward myself! If there is something that I really have very little desire to work on, I will do one of a few things. I could reward myself at the end of a productive evening with a bowl of ice cream (YUM!!). If I really want to get something done by a certain date, I will let myself buy a little something or some fabric if I make the deadline. If I something awesome to look forward to at the end of a tedious night or project, it always helps me to keep my focus just a little longer.

Libby, I hope that some of these suggestions or those that others have will help you get through your lack of sewing mojo and get you right back in your sewing room stitching up a storm!!

Anyone can participate in the answering, just make a post on your blog and leave a link to your post below. I will draw a winner at the end of the month.

Come on quilters!! Help Libby out!!

Year of the PIGS - March winner

Again, I am a little late on picking the winner for March, but I have been busy cleaning and decluttering the house for the guests this week and for the room change. I feel like I am almost done with the cleaning, but I am so ready to spend some time cutting fabric or piecing or pressing or anything crafty!

In the meantime, I have been writing my book reviews and scheduling a couple of posts for when the guests are here so that I don't have to worry about blogging and taking time away from them.

This month's prize is Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space. I have looked through the book already to get some ideas for when I change my rooms around. The pictures in the book are great!



And this month's winner .... Regina! Now, since Regina will be here on Wednesday, I won't have to worry about shipping it to her!

The pups say.... Hooray! (Well, they may not look like it, but they are tired from all of the cleaning! :) )

Year of the PIGS - 3/23

At the beginning of the month, I thought I had a good idea about what questions I was going to ask this month. Unfortunately, I didn't write down my second question and I am fumbling a little for what was up for today. :(  I think that I just didn't expect some sewing areas to be as well organized as they are. lol

Here is today's question - Is there anything that you can do for or change in your sewing area to encourage your creativity? Something that you saw on someone else's post that you think would work for you? Inspiration that you got from somewhere else?

For me, I know that I need to keep my bedroom side of the room straightened up. When there are clothes and clutter all over the place, I need to get all of that in order before I can really get busy at the ironing board or the sewing machine. Sometimes, there is just too much fabric on my sewing table as well and it really gets in the way and prevents sewing or productivity.

In addition to the cleaning, there area couple of things that I have added that have helped keep things organized. I had no idea that I needed this little 'tool caddy' as much as I have used it and taken to it. Regina sent it to me for Christmas and she must know me too well! lol It has really helped keep all my tools in order and kept that side of my machine clean.



I am now on the lookout for more containers that will help keep things organized with the room change. I have some baskets that will come in handy once they are cleaned out.

The other thing that helps keep me organized is the portable design wall. I couldn't imagine not having it available to me. It keeps blocks that I am working on out of my way and reduces the clutter on my sewing table.



I can't wait to have a full design wall after the room change. I already know which wall it is going to go on!

And once I get the rooms in order, I am going to have to work on the basement where the quilt frame is set up. It definitely needs some order!

Leave your link to your blog post here. You can still go back and answer the last question that is posted here. I will draw a name for the March prize at the end of the month.

Year of the PIGS - 3/9

Here is this week's post. Remember that anyone can join in at any time by answering the question on their blog and posting their link at the bottom of this post.

And this week's questions are - Up until now, we have pondered storage and some obstacles, but this week's question is going to be about sewing space and how you use it. Do you have a separate room all to yourself? Are you a little (or a lot) messy or Princess of Tidy? Are there things that you find a hindrance to your sewing mojo like no place to put an iron but on the other side of the room from your machine or a lack of storage of tools that just create more clutter to trip over? Share your frustrations and maybe we can supply a suggestion or two.

This week, my sewing area is relatively clean, but this is not the norm. When I have a deadline, there is usually fabric, trimmings, patterns, etc. everywhere! But since I have been back from Florida, things are still relatively calm where the sewing area is concerned.

I share my sewing area with my bed. My table was a custom one that my brother-in-law made for me to use while stamping and it has worked out very well at a sewing table. The only thing that I wish I could change is for it to have a space to drop the machine down so it would be flush with the top of the table, but I can made do. I have 2 shelves on each side of table, but I haven't figured out the best way to store things on the bottom shelves. Right now, they hold a hodge podge of things and dust. :(



Behind my table and to the left, there is a pile of fabrics. These are my scraps that need to be sorted and cut down and put into my scraps bins. The bookcase holds my quilting books, my printer, some fiction books and a small part of my Marvin the Martian collection. I probably should reorganize the bookcase because the bottom shelf isn't holding much.

You can also see the Hope Chest that I use as my Staging Area. This is where my current projects are held. Leaning against the hope chest is an 8" by 24" ruler and a square portable ironing board which has been coming in very handy with the Midget Blocks and paper piecing.

Here is a picture of my sewing machine from the front and sitting in my chair. I think that my little workspace here really works for me. The brown box is one of the things that Regina sent me for Christmas and it is the best box. It's one of those things that I never knew I always needed! I haven't lost any tools since I threw them all in it and I know where everything is. It really keeps that side of my machine in order and everything within an arm's reach!



I also have my thread catcher and pin cushions right there and off to the right, you can see a Creative Memories cup holder that keeps all cups out of danger's way. I even take it with me to retreats!

Here is a better look of my staging area. (Jennifer - I think there are only 10 projects out right now. lol) If it weren't for the Art Bins, it would be a disaster area!



A disaster area like this! The pile on the left is the scraps that I have to go through. I do not have a good system for keeping a handle on those. It seems like it works for a while and then just explodes into something that is in danger of falling over and getting wrapped around the wheels on my chair. It could be that all the extra fabric that is cut off when trimming up a quilt needs to be handled immediately rather than being put into the pile to be handled another day. Any ideas?



And my design wall has become a permanent fixture in the doorway to the closet. A great place when laying out a quilt and sewing the pieces together, but not so great when I need to walk into the closet and pieces fall off in my wake. And there is the GO. I haven't figured out a better place to store that either.



Here is the other part of my room and part of my 'dilemma.' I have been pondering for some time moving all of my 'master bedroom' items into the spare room to make that my bedroom and in turn moving all of my stash and sewing items into the master bedroom to have one big sewing room. I keep picturing how my sewing room could look, but I haven't given much thought to how the spare bedroom would end up looking.



I've known other people who have had their rooms set up differently like this to give more room to their sewing. It just seems to make sense, but I think that it would take a lot of work and I would need some help in moving the bed to the smaller room. I think that I could get a better night's sleep in that room since it is at the back of the house and there wouldn't be any lights shining in the windows. And the pups could have their own bed in the sewing room that would sit directly under a window some how. That could make them happy!



Oh I just can't decide! :-\  Any thoughts or suggestions? I may have to wait until the quilting gals are here for Festival in April to see what they think, too.

OK so leave a link to your blog post here. And share some pictures! :)

Year of the PIGS - February winner

Gals, I have to admit something... Not only am I a little late on pulling the name, but I also didn't get around to reading everyone's blog posts this month about their PIGS questions. It's on my list of things to do, I promise! I also still have over 90 emails to reply to from vacation and I have been whittling away at those slowly, but surely.

Tonight, I pulled a name for the February winner and then realized that I had no idea what the prize should be. I went back and read her blog post and I think that I have a pretty good idea of what to do, but obviously, it's  not ready yet so it won't be mailed out until I can get it done.

I also have a 'theme' for this month's questions. Up until now, we have pondered storage and some obstacles, but this week's question is going to be about sewing space and how you use it. Do you have a separate room all to yourself? Are you a little (or a lot) messy or Princess of Tidy? Are there things that you find a hindrance to your sewing mojo like no place to put an iron but on the other side of the room from your machine or a lack of storage of tools that just create more clutter to trip over? Share your frustrations and maybe we can supply a suggestion or two.

And I already have the prize for March picked out! Woo hoo!

All right, enough stalling... The winner for February is .... Tracy! It sounds like she puts some of her projects aside when it comes to futzy parts like applique so I have decided to make a Take Along bag and a Tool Caddy. I use my Take Along bag to hold my binding supplies and my Tool Caddy is awesome for taking to work and squaring up HSTs or using the pieces while I do paper piecing - definitely a futzy task there!

Here are pictures of the sock monkey bag and caddy that I made last summer just to give you an idea of what you can expect.





Congrats, Tracy!

Year of the PIGS - 2/23

Oh my goodness! I just realized that this was a post that should have been done LAST week! Why didn't someone remind me then??? Oh well!

This week, we are going to do an easy post. What is your last finish and what UFO are you working on now?

I have a few finishes this week since I am on vacation. It's amazing what you can get done with work not getting in the way! lol

A mini quilt just needs to have my info written on the back.



A couple of continuous line table runners in dog fabric.



With dog fabric on the back! And thanks to Granma for stitching the binding down for me!



And the binding on the poinsettia table runner is finished, too.



Now that all of this is done and out of the way, I am starting to decide what to do with my February UFO so it is next on my list to work on.



The project is a quilt using the Star Struck pattern from Bonnie Hunter. I'm hoping to get the blocks put together before leaving Florida. I have lots of choices of fabrics to use for both the darks and the neutrals, but I'm afraid that I am going to run out of the darks and that is what is holding me up.

So what have you finished and what are you starting on?

Share your thoughts here! In order to be entered for the February drawing, answer the question on your blog and post your link to the post here. (For example, this link was for my post on the PIGS - http://jillquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/year-of-pigs-15.html and this link is for my blog - http://jillquilts.blogspot.com. Please post to your link and not just your blog.)For non bloggers, answer in the comments on this post and identify yourself as "Your Name - COMMENT" in Mr Linky.

I will draw a name on March 1st and we will follow the new every other week schedule from here. Sorry about my mix up!!

Year of the PIGS - 2/2

Our objective this week is to share the main reason(s) why you put PIGS and UFOs to the side. Now be honest! If you can't be honest about why things don't get done, then how can you help prevent them from being pushed aside? :)

This question is a little more complex for me to answer than to just state Reasons A, B and C. In order to do it justice, I am going to break my answer down into 2 parts – PIGS and UFOs. I think there are different reasons why I put each aside and, with twice as many PIGS (65) as UFOs (32), they really should be considered separate animals.

When I first started quilting, I was very unsure about my abilities to match colors and fabrics for quilts. When I signed up for classes to learn techniques, I signed up for the kit as well. When I went on shop hops or shopping with pals, I shopped the sale tables and when there was a kit all put together with a pattern and a bow on top, that usually came home with me. Almost anything that might catch my eye was a goner! Eventually, I settled down on taking classes and my confidence in my color and fabric selections grew stronger and I was able to chill out on the need to buy kits… unless it’s a great sale and a fantastic price! Lol

Reason A – PIGS were put aside for me to work on once I learned techniques.

There were several times that I bought sale kits without having a clue about what I was buying. I think the first 2 kits of this nature were for paper pieced pot holders for Christmas. They still haven’t been opened even though I know how to paper piece now. Various other techniques that I couldn’t handle when the kits were acquired include appliqué, bags and more specifically bags involving zippers and wool. I’m sure there are a couple more, but this is enough, right?

Reason B – PIGS were tossed aside until more time became available to work on them.

In more recent months, I would browse fabric shops with more specific projects in mind to help prevent random buys. Of course, there was always fabric that would leap off the shelves and into my hands or cart to be brought home. And when that happens, you really can’t expect the fabric to be left behind, right? But usually, this is also a time when there are several other projects already in the works and whatever I bring home has to be relegated to PIGS status and stuck in a bag or a tote in the Stash Room. Then, they are usually forgotten about until something becomes urgent.

Now, once I started really getting into learning everything I could about making my own quilts, I signed up for quite a few classes at a local quilt shop. There were a couple of quarters where I took 3 classes each quarter and since life happens, I ended up with a lot of projects in the works - UFOs. 

Reason C - UFOs were packed up and moved aside due to more urgent deadlines.

I did my best to keep up with the work for each class, but when each class is usually for a twin sized quilt and you are taking occasionally taking two classes in a month, something is bound to take a hit. And that something just happened to be the project for the class that was just finished. Similarly, when a pressing deadline loomed for other reasons - birthdays, Christmas, sicknesses, births, etc - current projects were placed indefinitely on hold and more often than not relegated to UFO status.

The only exception to all these reasons is the Hexagon Rag Quilt. And that was put aside because it was pissing me off!!

Share your thoughts here! In order to be entered for the February drawing, answer the question on your blog and post your link to the post here. (For example, this link was for my post on the PIGS - http://jillquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/year-of-pigs-15.html and this link is for my blog - http://jillquilts.blogspot.com. Please post to your link and not just your blog.)

For non bloggers, answer in the comments on this post and identify yourself as "Your Name - COMMENT" in Mr Linky. If you don't link to your blog and you don't identify yourself as a comment answer, I will delete your entry. People can't find your non-existent blog. Don't make them try to.

Monthly Accomplishments - January 2011

Time to list my finishes, half starts and semi-serious attempts at crafting and sewing!

1. Came up with Crafting Goals for 2011
2. Started the Year of the PIGS. By the way, feel free to join in at any time!
3. Signed up for a class at the April International Quilt Festival with Regina and made plans for the rest of the weekend while she is here.
4. Worked on the Bear cross stitch for a good while
5. Finished block 3 and block 4 of the Midget blocks
6. Made 1 mug rug
7. Made a mini quilt top
8. Quilted a poinsettia table runner
9. Listed a ton of Stampin' Up items on Craigslist - part of my Goals for the year
10. Finished the binding on the One Good SIS Deserves Another quilt
11. Quilted and bound the Sibling Reverly Quilt
12. Got to the heel turn on my two at a time socks. No picture though.
    

I think that this year, I am going to pass on keeping track of my hours spent doing the various crafts that I do. The work that I produce is enough of a record of what I am doing and that is all that I am worried about. :)

And finally, the books read in January.... There is one book that I read in 2010, but it was left in my 'To Read' list so I am making a record of having read it.

1. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - This is the third book in the Outlander series and I thought it was awesome! Towards the end of the book - like the last 200 pages or so - I just could not put it down! The action was captivating and the descriptions Gabaldon gives are wonderful!
2. The Double Cross by Clare O'Donohue - This was a 'manual' read and it was a pretty good read. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down! I can't wait for the next installment in the series.
3. U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton - It's amazing how I can listen to these books with 2 or 3 years in between and it is just like coming home to an old friend. I love Grafton's writing style and sometimes, I just want to be Kinsey! Judy Kaye is a fantastic narrator and her reading fits Kinsey perfectly!
4. Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer - I have been waiting for Strohmeyer's books to be released in an audio format, but I think that with this type of book, I will read them much faster in regular book format. I am catching up on 3 of her books right now. Fun reads and quite humorous! Light, chick lit that has really helped with the winter blues these fast few weeks! ;)
5. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon -  Oh, my!!! This was a pretty great addition to the series! I'm excited to see how the next book unfolds, but I am trying to hold back from starting it right away. I need to savor them a little! lol
6. House Rules by Jodi Picoult - This is the one that I don't think that I mentioned before. I really enjoy listening to Picoult's books. This one was a take on a 17 year old autistic boy and how he integrated his fascination into his life and the repercussions of the integration. Very eye opening for someone who doesn't interact with people with autism on a regular basis.

OK, that's it for me for January. I'm hoping that in February I won't have to worry about losing my quilting mojo for a couple of weeks like I did in January. :)

Year of the PIGS - January winner

I will be posting the question for tomorrow in this post, but I won't be answering until later tomorrow night. This will give you a few hours to think about your answer. :)

Your challenge for this week is to share with us the main reason(s) why you put PIGS and UFOs to the side. Now be honest! If you can' be honest about why things don't get done, then how can you help prevent them from being pushed aside? :)

Because January focused on PIGS and UFOS and storage, I decided to give away one of the ArtBins that I picked up during the awesome Christmas sales.



The winner gets her choice of the light blue'ish purple or the dark blue'ish purple! lol

And the winner is..... Melinda from CT! Congrats!! You just need to tell me if you want the light or the dark tote and I will get it ready to ship as soon as I find a box that it will fit in. :)

Year of the PIGS - 1/26

This is an off week, so there is no question to be answered. I thought that you quilters participating and following along might need a little motivation! I have been working on a UFO and was hoping to have it finished to show a finished UFO, but I am still chugging away at the binding.

I went through my posts from last year and found my first PIG finish from the year. Two sets of placemats and table runners.



I made my first set of this pattern in 2008 and then got the fabric to make these 2 sets in possibly 2009 (I'm not sure of the year, but I am pretty sure that it was in the summer) and the fabric sat for a while. I'm not sure what made me get them out and work on them, but once I got past some binding issues, I was able to get everything done pretty quickly!

So it is possible to finish UFOs and work on PIGS! ;)

Year of the PIGS - 1/19

It's time to answer another Year of the PIGS question! 

This week, I asked you to give some stats on your PIGS! Do you have a list of your PIGS and is it current? How many PIGS and UFOs do you have? What is your oldest and how old is it?

I have several lists and I do my best to keep them up to date. Last year, I started posting the list in the tabs on this blog and you can see the separate tabs at the top of this page just under the header with the pictures, but I can post the links here, too. I have different tabs for Flimsies, UFOs, Quilt Kits, Bag Kits, Runner kits, Wall Hanging Kits, and Pants/Miscellaneous kits.

Last January, I reorganized my stash room and I went through an old list and added all the new kits that I had forgotten to add in the months prior to the reorganization. I have tried to keep up with the list by adding things as I have set the fabric aside and for the most part, I believe that these lists are current. Give or take 3 to 5 kits overall.

For me, having the lists all made up helps me when I am trying to figure out a new project to work on or when I need to make something up for a present or a specific purpose. I also have enough of a description that I know the general color of the finished project in case I am looking to make something in that color.

And things do have a tendency to jump lists. As soon as I grab a kit and start cutting, the kit is a UFO and I generally move it to the UFO tab the next time that I am online. Also, I don't always get to the binding after I have a flimsie quilted so they usually end up back on the UFOs tab until the binding is complete and a label is slapped on. Binding is the final stage after all!

Now for my oldest UFO. I have only been a quilter for 4 years this month. But my oldest UFO is the first project that I started. It is the bane of my quilting life! It is just about 4 years old.

Here is a picture of my "staging area," as I like to call it. This is where I put the current projects that I am working on and things that I want to start working on imminently.



Do you see that red box in the middle? Under the filling for rice bags? In this box is a project that I dread working on. It's not that I don't like the fabric or that I don't care if it ever makes it to a finish. My issue with this UFO is that it is so dang tedious!



It's a hexagon rag quilt. A HEXAGON rag quilt!



I love the fabrics! They are all so girly and me. But the sewing of the pieces is just too dang tedious! I got 1 row and most or part of a second going and gave up. I don't think that I have touched it once since I packed it up in this box. The problem was that to sew any side together, you have to be sure to make locking stitches at both the start and end of the part to be sewn. This doesn't even count the work that will have to be done once it is all assembled and needs to be snipped.

I greatly dislike rag quilts!

This will be your last chance to be entered into the January PIGS drawing. In order to be entered, answer the question on your blog and post your link to the post here. (For example, the link for my post for my answer last week was http://jillquilts.blogspot.com/2011/01/year-of-pigs-15.html and the link for my blog is http://jillquilts.blogspot.com. Please post to your link and not just your blog.)

For non bloggers, answer in the comments on this post and identify yourself as "Your Name - COMMENT" in Mr Linky. This way, people won't try to find your non-existent blog. This will also help me figure out where you left your answer. :)

If you have any questions, just let me know! And if you have any ideas for future questions, let me know that, too.

Loss of sewing mojo

I got a bit of sewing done on the mug rug last week and I thought that it meant I would have an extremely productive 3 day weekend. It didn't happen!

Friday night, I finished up my work project.

Saturday, I woke up with an urge to piece, I had visions of getting all my blocks done for the Split Decision quilt. Or all the stitching on the applique for the witches. I didn't do either. I actually didn't work on anything crafty until about 7.

Sunday, it was all about the same although I did pick up my two at a time socks and finished the legs. I had to pull the books out to see what the next steps were for the heel flaps and got started on those, too.

Today, I finally just decided to watch TV and work on the socks. I turned on a movie and got my sewing area all straightened up and when I sat down to watch the second, I fell asleep. But once I woke up and finished the second movie, I was ready to sew and I worked on a Midget Block. I finally got something done!

I hope that I can get myself to sewing next weekend! And it feels like this will lead to a Year of the PIGS question in the future.

And the Year of the PIGS question for this week is - Give some stats on your PIGS! What is your oldest and how old is it? Do you have a list of your PIGS and is it current? How many PIGS and UFOs do you have? Be prepared to answer on Wednesday. :)