Cleaning

Every once in awhile I find a break in my quilting schedule that allows me to clean up my studio.  I move things and take stock of what I have.  My machine also needs a regular maintenance in order for it to stay in top shape for daily use. 

If I'm not careful the dust bunnies take over my space.  Well, having a couple of days leeway with my quilting schedule this week means I can clear out the accumulation of dust bunnies.  See them on the frame? 

I took the time I needed to clean.  A clean space just feels different.  It feels.... um..... energetic.  Back when my daughter still lived at home I could always get her to cook dinner by cleaning the kitchen.  There was something about a clean kitchen that got her in the mood to cook.  She never cleaned up the kitchen when she was finished cooking but that was ok.  If she cooked I would clean up.  That's how I feel about a clean studio.  It energizes me to be creative.

So I moved everything and cleaned everything.  I even did maintenance on my machine.  Yuck, it really needed cleaning.  I don't like for it to get that dirty.   It's not good for the machine.

I'm waiting on a batting order before I can work on the next quilt.  It should arrive today or tomorrow.  Until the batting arrives I can continue with my cleaning.

Christmas rugs

 Anyone who has been reading my blog for a long time knows I'm almost as excited by rugs as I am by quilts.  I want to make some rag rugs as Christmas gifts this year.  It's been way too long since I made a rug.  I've been thinking about the easiest and fastest way for me to create the rugs.  It occurred to me that every type of rug I make starts with strips of fabrics.  Sound familiar?  This is the same thing that's true for making quilts.  Many quilt designs start with strips which are then cut to shapes.   I also wanted to use up the many t-shirt fabric scraps I have taking up space in my storage.  I pulled out a bunch and started cutting strips.

I kept repeating to myself..... use it or loose it.  I will either use the scraps or I'll get rid of them.  I pulled out more t-shirt fabrics to cut strips.

Every type rug I make uses the same size strip.  Whether I make braided, woven, twained, crochet, knitted, shag, or other rug making technique, I always start with 1 1/2 inch strips.  So I pulled out more scrap t-shirt fabric and cut more strips. 

Ok, about now (two full days later) I'm getting pretty tired of cutting fabric strips.  But I keep going because I know I'm going to need all that I can cut.  Providing I have the time needed to get all the rugs made.  I pull out even more t-shirt fabric scraps and cut more strips.

Eventually, (three full days) I get all the t-shirt scraps cut into strips.  Aren't the colors pretty?

Even the box of whites look pretty.  I can see a white and cream color rug in there, can you?  Well, at least that's what my friend Martha is hoping for this year, a white and cream color rug.  Shhhhh.... don't tell her I plan to make her one.

When all the seams and hems are cut away (and the strips cut) the fabric takes up far less room in my storage.  I had a small garbage bag full of cut away parts.  At first I was tempted to hang onto those and possibly make a latch hook rug but then I came to my senses.  I let them go straight out to the garbage can for pickup.  I have enough scraps for my rugs.  If I find I'm going to run out of t-shirt fabrics I'll start cutting up some of my scrap quilt cottons.  Those make good rugs too. 

How about you?  Have you started your Christmas crafts yet? 

Finished quilt

Here's the next quilt finished.  This is my SILs fair entry.  She's a beginner.

I did a leafy feather design on the blocks.

A flower and leaf vine on the sashing and corner stones.

I did a version of the same on the outside border.  I really like this design on sashing and cornerstones.  I think it gives any quilt a bit of elegance even though the flowers are whimsical.

Here's a view of the quilting from the back.  I used a grey thread instead of either red or black.  Red would not show up well on the front and black seemed way to dark for the lighter areas.  Grey worked out really nice for both sides.

Here's the stitching on the outside border.

Here's a view of the sashing and cornerstones from the back.

I spent a day .... ummm.... three days cutting up bunches and bunches of t-shirt scraps.  (left overs from making t-shirt quilts)  I want to make some rag rugs as Christmas gifts this year.  I decided it would be easiest if I had all the strips cut and ready to use. 

I've also been working on making changes to my hints blog.  I want to add more links to the pages.  This required me to look through lots of blog posts, read the content, and make notes. I have over a thousand posts to read through.  I've gotten through about 2 hundred so far.  It's a good thing I don't have a deadline on doing that.  I'd have to throw up my hands and surrender. 

And.... if that wasn't enough busy work for me to do..... I also had to deal with meat eating ants.  Scheese!

Those guys are so tiny I had to use the zoom lense on the camera to take a photo.  They are about the size of  the eye on machine needles. 

Before I can cook anything I have to clean them all up.  Then, often before I get my meals cooked, the little guys are back again looking for any greese popping onto the stove or any run away bits of meat.  Those guys are strange creatures.  They won't touch anything sweet but can be seen making a rush toward any spot of grease.   I usually sprinkle the stove with ground cloves before I start cooking.  This keeps them away until I've finished.  It makes the stove look dirty but the house smells fantastic! 

I'm here

After type-talking my anger at all the foolishness in DC the other day; I stepped back and immersed myself into something creative.  This is the last of my fair entries for this year.  I made the portrait at the bottom of the photo first.  It somehow got distorted during the enlarging so that nothing was lining up right.  I don't have time to start all over with it.  I decided it would be faster to simply create a new portrait with only one pattern and one fabric.  That's the one at the top of the photo.

The portrait is going on the machine tomorrow and then I'll finish all the bindings and the hanging sleeves.  I received the entry tags in the mail today which means I needed to speed up in order to get everything finished. 

While being creative I've also been doing a lot of thinking.  (I know that's dangerous.)  It seems like everyone, everywhere is thinking about budgets lately.  Cutting back or going back to basics seems to be the top buzz words seen all around the internet and in every type of social media.  I'm thinking about my own budget these days too.  But, my thoughts are more about being creative while living on a tight budget.  I keep thinking of things to do and things to stock up; but, really what I need is to reevaluate all of that.  

I keep thinking about my Grandma Mama and what she would think about all the hoopla going on in DC.  Maybe I should write a post or two about my Grandma Mama to get me away from thinking about the bad economy and the idiots who seem bent on scaring us.  Just as soon as I finish the fair entry quilts I'll tell you how my Grandma Mama knew what chores to do everyday and what meals to fix...... without a single list in sight. 

Still here

I don't want anyone to think I've been whisked away by the fabric fairies and taken to magic quilt land.  I'm still here.  I've been busy working on the last fair entry.  I did the portrait at the bottom of the picture first but have decided not to continue it.  The pattern got distorted when enlarging it and nothing is lining up right.  There simply wasn't enough time to start over. 

I decided to take a short cut and create another portrait pattern that I could get done much faster.  Instead of 6 fabrics and 6 sets of pattern pieces, I made the one at the top of the picture.  It has only one pattern for one fabric.  This one goes on the machine tomorrow and then I'll do the binding on all of them.  I got the tags in the mail today.... a reminder to "get em done"!  I'll get back to my regular quilting and blogging soon.