Motivation

How do you find some?

My last few days have been busy with non-quilting things. Monday I built tables and quilted a bit in the evening. Tuesday I did some getting ready for 4th of July company and did a tiny bit of quilting and yesterday I did something nearly unheard of in my house...I didn't quilt at all.

I woke up today feeling rather uninspired. I'm tired. I have to go grocery shopping before I do anything else. Because of how little quilting time I've had in the last few days, my plan was to spend as much time as possible today and tomorrow quilting. Then I remembered the shopping and deflated a bit. I lay in bed this morning disappointed as I thought "I don't really feel like quilting" but knowing that I really WANTED to feel like it.

I started thinking about how much is left on my current hoop project. I felt the inspiration creeping up on me. If I spend a fair amount of quilting time today, I could possibly get the inside done and only have the border left to do. That would mean another UFO done by the weekend...and choosing another to work on. Inspiration is becoming more pronounced now.



I thought about the books I looked through yesterday between chores and dessert making. I thought of the window seat that I was inspired to build looking through them and all the ideas swirling around for more quilts. Inspiration is beginning to make me smile and feel more ready for my day.

I remembered that I decided on deli fried chicken for dinner today (I make menus before I shop) figuring I wouldn't feel like much cooking after the last couple of days....and now inspiration is surging through me. Rather than a looming chore ahead, grocery shopping is now feeling more like a blip in my day and a way to organize my thoughts and days ahead.

I also remembered that my nearly 7 year old, the one most likely to say "I'm bored" and "I have nothing to do" has a playdate scheduled this afternoon. I checked the Cubs schedule and there is a game on at 6:00 tonight. Our 4 older kids will be gone for the evening by then, Lucas will be happy to play the PS2 game his brother accidentally rented and Miss Ruthie is usually content to wander back and forth between whoever happens to be home and is pretty good at keeping herself occupied. I really enjoy quilting during baseball games (I spent many a childhood afternoon in my Dad's lap watching baseball and I'm a diehard Cubs fan.) Inspiration is now making it difficult for me to sit in this seat and anxious to get going.

When it comes to quilting, I find I can motivate myself pretty easily. The visuals all around me (there are quilts and quilting everywhere in my house) and ticking off in my head what projects are in the works or just ahead is often enough to get the inspiration flowing, which is what has happened today.

I woke up feeling like I didn't want to get out of bed and afraid that tomorrow night I'd be kicking myself for wasting these two days of anticipated quilting time...and now I can hardly wait to begin my day.

And so I will! Happy quilting!

Pressing On

I've had in mind for a while to make a larger pressing surface, for when I have yardage or quilt tops to press. Usually I don't have time to execute my ideas right away and that's often a good thing. This idea evolved a bit during the wait time and I'm really happy with how it came out.

The surface is 54 x 48, covered with a double layer of batting and has muslin on top. I put little braces at each corner underneath so it wouldn't slide when on the table top.

It doubles as a design board, when upright it's a nice size to play around with blocks, patterns, etc. When not in use, it stands up in front of some of the storage boxes, making that area somewhat neater.

In the course of making the pressing surface, since I had the wood and saws out anyway, I also made two tables. (I'm the 'handyman' in the house, I have a table saw, cordless drill and my own toolbox with pink-handled tools.)

One of the tables was for the porch, this area still needs a couple of chairs and a vase of red, white and blue flowers for the table. Ruthie loves to be outside, so I need a place to sit and sew wherever we are. Sometimes it's nice to just sit on the porch and watch the world go by.

My favorite spot to sew in the summer time is my swing out in the backyard. I built this table so I have somewhere put my sewing supplies and something to drink. Before that, I would set the supplies down next to me, but they took space Ruthie often wanted to be in. The backyard table still needs a vinyl cover for the surface, it will protect the fabric from the elements and any food and drink placed there.

Last night, with hands sore from sawing and drilling I enjoyed my little spot in the yard, firepit blazing, quilt in hand, Ruthie giggling beside me. A little piece of heaven, right in my own backyard.

Another One Bites The Dust.....

but I think some are multiplying while in storage!

I organized my sewing room about a month ago, but after two days of sorting, resorting and replacing everything between my bedroom and my sewing room, one corner of my sewing room got neglected. Though there is a pile of storage and baskets, I knew what was in the corner and it wasn't horribly messy looking so there it sat.

Saturday it was time to dive into those boxes as they are where my partially quilted quilts are stored as well as the finished tops. While I was digging for the next project, I labeled the boxes with my nifty new Brother labelmaker so next time around I can choose a project without going through all the boxes. When I finish a quilt I can peel off it's label, when I add a new top I can add it's label.

I had fun in those boxes. I visited some tops I hadn't seen in a while. I had a few in there that didn't really excite me, but found they gained some charm while out of sight for a while. I found two that will make perfect Christmas gifts for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, whose names we have for gift giving this year. I'm not only saved the time to piece...but will finish two extra UFO's as well!

The thing that surprised me most is that I had quite a few more tops than I remembered. It made me more determined than ever to pound away at those UFO's and get them down to a more reasonable number.

Saturday afternoon I finished another UFO. This one was in my hoop, so I found a new hoop project. I put the last stitch in my binding sitting outside on my swing so I laid it out in front of me on the grass. Ruthie (our youngest) promptly ran over and claimed it, laying down on it and asking for her binky. A few minutes later, she was sound asleep on my swing, covered in her newly claimed quilt.

So now I've chosen a new hoop project. This one has been picked up and set down many times, for various reasons. It's now in the hoop until completion as I continue my quest to finish more old projects than new ones I start. So far this year I've finished two table runners, a table topper, the balloon quilt and four larger quilts. I was afraid of burning out at this point, but I find myself energized, wanting to find as much quilting time as possible as I see quilt after quilt bound and done.

Here is a better view of the balloon quilt.

First thing this morning I checked the weather channel. It's going to be another gorgeous day here in northern Illinois. A perfect day to quilt outside. And so I go.

Waiting in the Wings

I'm on the verge of finishing another UFO. Ten little 2 1/2 inch squares to outline quilt. I'll make the binding and put it on the front, saving sewing it to the back for later as I plan to sit outside and sew for a while on this beautiful summer day.

Already my thoughts turn to the next 'hoop project.' I still have a few smaller UFOs floating around here, I'll be choosing from one of them. I can't quite remember what I even have left anymore so was looking into the side of the finished tops/UFO boxes this morning for some insight. I knew if I opened them up, these 10 little squares would get put off until later so I've vowed not to look any further until these squares are quilted and the binding is sewn to the front.

I started a new habit which has served me well, but unfortunately I started AFTER making this quilt. I make the binding for all my quilts when the top is finished, so that when I'm ready to bind I can just pick it up and go. (This also ensures that I won't inadvertantly use the fabric meant for the binding on another project!) I have the binding on hangers that are hung on a pole mounted under the bottom shelf in my sewing room, so it's easily accessible. It's also a sometimes scary reminder of how much quilting I have here waiting for me! I think included in my day will be labeling those boxes so I know what tops are in there since I have to dig them out to find a new project.

I have a friend who got rid of her quilting supplies, she always wanted to quilt but never really quite got into it. She brought me a couple of storage boxes and in it were some nice yardage pieces along with 8 yards of 90 wide muslin and two twin sized batts. My next two frame projects will be governed by the batting size...most of my quilts are bigger than that but I do have a few smaller ones waiting to be finished.

I thought I'd chosen the next 3 tops to be done, but am finding that one of them isn't exciting me...that one I think will be heading back to the boxes and replaced with something else. The next project to be quilted is marked and waiting for a day when I feel like basting...or when the frame quilt is getting so close to the end that I get itchy to get the next one ready!

So today, while finishing that UFO, labeling boxes, choosing the next hoop project, and hand sewing binding I'll also be day-dreaming of the next project to be quilted...and the next and the next and the next. Because somehow finishing another project gives me hope that someday there won't be such a big stack of tops waiting for my attention.

Of course, I also have several tops in the works......so we can see where this is going!

Giving My Heart Away

For the first several years I quilted, I didn't have my own quilt. My kids had quilts, I made them for weddings and baby showers and birthdays and anything else I needed gift for, but I hadn't yet made one for me. I've been gifted quite a few little quilts (and a couple of big ones) over the years, so I thought I'd share some of those and a few thoughts on giving quilts away.

This first one was given to me by a secret pal for Valentine's Day. I love this little quilt,

we have a vaulted ceiling in the dining/sewing area and this is above the window in my sewing area. She also gave me the quilt on the right, she said I needed a quilt to coverup since everyone else in my house had one. She was still my secret pal, then, it was my end of the year gift. It's hand quilted and sits on my quilting chair in my bedroom, I think of her every time I see it and how difficult she said this one was to part with!

The same friend made me this Mariner's Compass and the cute little miniature on the right. We had met by then and I was able to see her regularly as she lived only an hour away. She's since moved to the Twin Cities, but I still get to see her on occasion.

The little cutie on the right was also made by an internet friend. We had a small group that kept in touch for quite some time and one of the really fun things we did was make a special Christmas for each other. We were all moms and so often the moms make everyone else's Christmas. It was decided that we would send each person a small gift. Christmas morning, we each had 11 gifts to open when the family hoopla was over and we had a few minutes to sit and relax.

In my last post, I talked about collecting snowmen because I had received so many as gifts. This beauty on the wall was also a gift, from a quilting bee friend, and I love it so much it has been on the wall in my sewing room year round since I've received it (though it may be moved to make way for Sunbonnet Sue) as my snowmen stay out, too. The same friend made the little wall quilt on the right for my birthday one year.

This next little quilt was a really fun project. Each person in our little internet group was given this top to quilt as part of our Christmas gift. The angel in the middle was marked, we were to each mark the border as we wanted it. We met in Kansas City for the weekend and each had to show what we did with our little top. I love this little quilt, it's always out somewhere in my house as the top came from a very special friend.

On the same trip, I got an unbelievable gift from my secret pal. Part of the fun of the trip was each of us bringing a small gift for everyone else who attended. There was a large gift table set up and it filled up quickly as each of the 26 participants arrived and placed their gifts on the table. There were also some larger gifts as we could bring our secret pal a gift if she was going to be there. This was especially fun because normally we had to mail our gifts and didn't get to see our pal open them.

On the table was the beautiful bag shown on the left. Imagine my excitement when I realized MY name was on this bag. I'm a bag nut...love them...have them in all shapes and sizes and colors and styles. I couldn't believe that I was the recipient of this gorgeous bag.

Once everyone had arrived, we all went to the table to find the gifts with our names on them. Everyone had quite a pile in front of them and we excitedly opened our gifts. One friend designed a pattern for us all to use, many gave little quilting gadgets, thread, needles, etc. It was such fun! As I picked up that beautiful bag, I realized there was also something inside. I pulled out this wonderful queen sized quilt top. In it was a note, explaining that she had found the blocks in an antique shop. On some of the blocks, the muslin was stained so she took them apart, replaced the muslin, and then made enough new blocks to make this top. I was speechless. It remains one of my favorite quilts, not only because I think it's quite lovely, but every time I look at it I think of the work that this unknown friend went to in order to present me with this incredible gift.

For many years, most of the quilts that I made were given away. People would come to my house and ask to see some quilts I made, I could show them the few I made for my kids, but other than that, there weren't really any here that I had made and kept, aside from a couple of wallhangings.

Over the years, I've gotten much faster. There is now time to make quilts for gifts AND to make quilts to keep! I now have quite a few quilts and am beginning to have issues on how to store so many.

At first, quilting for me was just another craft I learned. I enjoyed it. I could make gifts often with less cash layout than buying one (once I'd gotten a stash going) which was often helpful.

But somehow, as time has gone by, this has become more to me. It brings me peace. It makes my heart sing and my emotions run wild as I'm planning something new, choosing patterns and colors oh so carefully in hopes of an end result that will be all I've planned and more. I've learned how to play with colors and patterns and I really feel something for each quilt that I've made. Each one holds a little place in my heart. I've found that when I make a quilt specifically for someone that I can guard my heart a bit and let that one go without regret. It belongs to them, it was planned for them, it always belonged to them. But the others? Someday I will likely let them go, one by one, to a son or daughter going through a rough time, to a grandchild that has grown to love it snuggling on my couch.

For now, though, they live here, these pieces of my heart. Soaking up love and laughter and memories to be handed down someday to those I love.

Let There Be Light(s)

It seems to be the year of the light in our house. For Mother's Day, I wanted a cord of wood so I could have fires in our firepit whenever I wanted all summer long.

For Father's Day, my husband wanted a headlamp for hunting, and a headlight for his bike so he could ride it to work (he comes home after dark.)

For my birthday, I wanted a new ceiling fan for our bedroom. The light shorted out in ours some time ago, and we've had very little light in our room since. Monday, we picked up the ceiling fan and our oldest helped to install it.

It's been so nice to be able to see well in there again! I'm noticing a need for good light whenever I want to do something, so I'm showing some of the ways I keep my work areas lit.


The other thing that I wanted for my birthday is a clip on light. I love to sit outside on nice summer evenings and quilt by the firepit. Too often I'm not ready to be done quilting and it's starting to get dark, so I found this little gem, it arrived today. I tried it out at a friend's house, it lights the area pretty well, the flexible neck is very pliable, yet stays put so as I move my hoop around it was quite easy and fast to adjust the light. I'm going to invest in some rechargeable batteries, because this little light of mine will be getting a workout! I have a couple of areas in my house that I'd like to be able to quilt occasionally but the light just isn't adequate.




Another light I can't do without is my Ott Light. I bought it on retreat last year and it was well worth the investment. It mostly stays by my quilting frame, but is small enough to put into my sewing machine case when I go to sew with a friend. I sometimes move it to my table, too, when I need extra light for a project.

Another I have grown to depend on is this light on the wall. It actually has a strap so I can wear it around my neck. I don't use it that way very often as it's quite cumbersome, but it's fantastic when I need a lot of light concentrated right in front of me. Mostly it stays mounted on the wall in the sewing area in our bedroom, it throws light onto my work from the left so that there aren't any shadows cast over what I'm working on.

Another light I depend on is over my cutting table. I not only cut and plan here, but have a desk pad calendar that I keep here and I plan my days/weeks on it. I can often be found standing here making a list or mulling over my latest project.

And just for fun, my favorite little accent lamp. I love snowmen and ended up collecting them because I had so many friends buying them for me. This lamp has a tiny little light in the top and the snowman glows different colors.

And now, though it is still light outside, it is also warm and muggy. We're going to park ourselves in our nice, cool family room for the evening and my new little light will be joining me. My hoop project is nearly finished, another day or so to go, so that will be first priority until it's finished...and then it will be time to bring out another UFO from the storage boxes.

Happy quilting!

Organized Chaos

I look around and wish I could be more organized. Hm. That's not really correct...I AM organized. I know where everything is and most of it has a place, I'm just not a neat worker. The midst of a sewing binge will find my sewing table, my cutting area and my ironing board all piled with various colorful bits and pieces of at least one project...and often more than one.

Currently I'm piecing two quilts and quilting two quilts. My flying geese are in the neat stage. I have a stack that is finished and one that is ready for goose number two, which is pinned on and ready to sew.

Then I have the scrappy strips. They are only slightly less chaotic shooting out of the back of the machine than they were in the box from whence they came.

For all the neatness of the shelf of boxes lined up neatly in my sewing room with their handy little labels, above them is another shelf, with boxes and baskets of various sizes that looks decidedly less neat. While my cutting area has been redone and organized...the area to the left of it is pictured below. I plan to make an oversized pressing area that will stand in front of this, so this piece will have several uses. It will block the messiness of that area of my sewing room, I can use it as a design board and I can lay it on my sewing table when I need a large pressing surface.

I know these summer weeks will slip quickly by. While my plan is always to 'sew my brains out' during the less scheduled (so less chaotic) weeks of summer, this is the first one in some time that wasn't thwarted by various obstacles. The biggest 'obstacle' of the last few years is 2 1/2 now, loves to be outside and is pretty good at keeping herself occupied, so this summer (at least so far) has a been a dream summer for me. Evenings spent sewing by the fire, days spent working on various projects while the older kids come and go and the younger ones enjoy the summer days and nearly unlimited time outside.


While there are times that I focus on one project and run with it, this is not one of those times. With four projects in the works, and all of them calling my name, I know each will likely get a little attention today. I feel the urge to make some progress on the quilt in the frame, so am planning to finish the inner section today...one more block and some of the rope in the border around the inner section will complete this area. This evening the quilt in the hoop will likely get some attention and bits and pieces of time in between there will find me at my machine. It's hot and humid here today, so a day of quilting in the air conditioning is just the ticket.

So today will be just like everything else in my life seems to be...organized chaos. While someone looking in may find my days (and my life) disjointed and frenetic, it all makes perfect sense to me.

And now, I quilt.