Spring Cleaning!

Okay, I know it should be kept up and all, but I use the sewing room for various things...not alot, but it stores my 'gifts' before they are wrapped, mending. But if I don't get in there and clean, it can get out of hand. I sometimes think someone goes in there and moves things around. How do I know this? Well, I find things that I can't even remember working on, or things I don't want to finish (those are the things I donate to the quilting group, www.Peacebypiecequilters.blogspot.com.

before

This is the sight that I see when I enter....That old quilt on the floor is almost not worth bothering to 'repair', but I will be cause it was made by Lee's grandmother. The box on top needs to be returned to my church group's closets (done). I have several fabrics I need to cut strips from on the cutting table, and they will get done by the end of this weekend.... Second photo is the room a little more organized and clean

after

This is the actual sewing area, storage of projects, design wall, etc...

before

before

I have a few projects I'm not sure I'll be working on for a while, so I have organized my fabrics so well now that I have extra boxes to put them in (will get done this weekend.) This is also my gift-giving area (bag on floor on the right and the giant airplane on top of fabric- those will be gone in a week or two).

after

I still have the table on the back left to organize and the tv table (it's got fabric on it that needs a home), but that will be done. It's so much better than it was!!

before

This was the worse of the area, mending, strips cut but not put in the proper boxes. Now it's so much easier to work in.... Feeling so cleansed......

after

UFO's are flying again!

Okay.... I haven't been on here in a while and I know I've had things to write about. My mom (Alzheimer's issues), my returning to work (hopefully) on May 5th after a long layoff (Dec 20th), my husband's upcoming retirement (May 16th), our upcoming vacation (May 17th), my birthday (60th- today), our upcoming birth of the twins (Emma and Jason) in November!

But the thing that makes me happy is finishing things that I put off. Oh. Did I not say I procrastinate? Noooo. Not me. I have less than a week to clean out the house (because I'll be thinking of all the things I didn't get done when I go back to work), but I work best under pressure (due to my procrastinating) at getting things done. BTW, this is not a recent issue, I was hemming the bridesmaids dresses the night before I got married (the first time- 1975) and I believe I was doing the same to my prom dress in 1972. I sewed back then as well, just clothes, not quilts. (I prefer quilts).

I have finished machine quilting two quilts that I had in MY stash (vs. the Peace by Piece Quilters stash that I always seem to work on), machine stitching the binding (rolled) on one and my mom, who loves to bind by hand, will get to work on the second one.

This is the wild striped fabric I'm using to bind my selvedge quilt.

 This is the one mom will get to bind. We bought this fabric at Marden's and I love it!!! I'll post a photo of it finished and laid out flat.

Binding is just pinned on.

This shows the binding with the backing of the quilt...pieced wildly.

 Unfortunately, I haven't thought of a name for it... Something to do with selvedge, Floral prints, diamonds, wild...etc.

 This is my nine-patch pizzaz pattern, using African prints. Love it. I machine quilted along the outer edge of the 9-patch squares, while randomly machine quilting the flowing lines of the dresses and the pots of the panel print.

Some of the beautiful prints used.

This is the backing fabrics (used leftovers from the front pieces made)

Notice the "Wild Olive" (hot pink/teal) tab? That's my signature fabric.

I also have one small quilt that I was hand-quilting some parts of a panel (angel), but decided to finish the panel quilting by machine. It's a donated quilt, not for 'show', so as long as it stays in place (batting-wise), it just doesn't matter. I also have one more quilt (mine) to machine quilt (Diamonds in the mud). The binding is already pieced and ironed and ready to sew on when it's trimmed. Yippee!! Can't wait. Maybe