Not a Thread in Sight

Of the needed black silk that is.  

Not sure what the problem may be and I am still waiting to hear back from the online store I ordered from.

It's probably the Universe's way of keeping me out of the studio and focused on the Grand Purge Project of 2014.  Much stuff has been boxed for various charity donations.  The LQS has a customer appreciation auction coming up a the end of the month and has received 2 grocery bags of books. 

 I tried to drop off two more bags of books at our library for the Spring book sale but the library was uncharacteristically closed mid-day.  Hmmm, very strange - there was a professional cleaning/repair truck parked out front - I hope nothing is seriously wrong.  In the meantime, we have gathered another bag of books to donate to the library so I'll just have to wait to drop them all off at once, though I suspect there may be more.

I was able to re-purpose a few Rubbermaid Roughneck totes from the garage for the main part of the boot, shoe and bag collection, as well as the medium plastic containers that used to hold fat quarters now corrals my fancy shoes. Like I wear those a lot - Not!

I'd love to take a few pictures but it seems the camera has been misplaced in all the organized chaos...

Have a Great Weekend - Stitch On!

Fabric Interruption

The Closet Makeover is not quite finished but has turned into an even larger project, the Grand Purge.

The DH & I are completely emptying out the second bedroom/our office/catchall space (where my closet is), moving furniture around or out, reducing the book collection, redoing our paperwork filing system and generally donating anything that isn't nailed down that we are not currently using.  I think I heard the two bookcases are sighing with relief.  I swear stuff has been multiplying behind the closed door in there. It's a lot of work but so worth it!!  There are pictures but they will NOT be posted here - too scary!

Since the lion's share of the sorting and purging falls on me and we've been at this for three days, I needed a little break.  Happily, a got a call on Tuesday that the Downton Abbey fabric I needed had finally arrived.  Can't think of a better way to disconnect and refresh than to head to the LQS!  I had a few other quick errands to run yesterday so I just squeezed in this stop.

I decided I really needed this black to make the colors pop and give the quilt some restful definition.

And I was short on the blue floral medallion, thanks to willy-nilly cutting on my fat quarter.

The missing big book of blocks has been located, hidden in a box (?), just in time for March's Daring Downton Debacle row. Under consideration is the  Castle Garden block.

Sample Castle Garden block - not my fabrics.

Haven't quite decided for sure.  This block is an 8x8 grid block.  The last two blocks I used - Royal Cross and Gentleman's Fancy (6x6 grid block) were easy to make into 9" blocks. If I use the Castle Garden block I will have some weird measurements - like 1 and a eighth inch finished size triangles.  My easy angle ruler will come in handy or I could foundation paper piece - need to make a test block and see how it finishes out next to the other rows.

Just as soon as the Grand Purge Project is done...

Closet Renovation Continues

The closet renovation was planned for Monday and it should have only taken one day.

 Well, things happen and then you break out the wall patch.  House projects are excellent for teaching patience and flexibility, whether you want those lessons or not.

The emptying of the closet went okay, except there is a big pile of stuff to go through and edit.  The old wire shelf system was not sturdy or stable.  It did not allow us to add anymore shelves.  Here are some candid shots.

Pretty isn't it??  Not!!

Check out the slanting top shelf

Shelf support? That piece of wood is not even anchored into the wall.

An extra row of unused wall anchors

In removing the old shelves, DH hit a snag or several snags - these weird combo shelf support clips/wall anchors.  They don't unscrew or release in any fashion. 

Nasty bits of hardware!

The only way to get them out left chunks of missing wallboard.  The DH knew this would not make me happy - this HAD to be fixed before any new system went into the closet.

After Demolition

I broke out the wall patch and started filling holes.  While they dried, I started in on the new paint job - Belgian Cream - warm, bright and clean.  A definite difference from the old color.

Half painted walls

During the drying hours, I worked on sorting piles of paperwork for filing into the new filing system - oh yes, that's the next project, kind of running simultaneously.  Along with totally rearranging the furniture in the office to better utilize the space.  

A small dresser and 2 CD storage shelf units have already left the office.  One house project just leads to the next and the next and so on.   The small dresser has found a new home in the studio to house art supplies in the space I usually use them in, which means I have some rearranging to do down there.  It never ends. But it will give us a simpler, more organized life so we can focus on what's important - living, not owning stuff and being owned by stuff.

New paint job

By 8:00 pm, the closet walls were done.  All holes are filled and the second coat of paint is drying.  Sweet Man takes over from here. Shelves to come!  

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday - Day Two of Closet Renovation.  

The closet was all ready for the new shelf system.  Sweet Man woke up fairly creaky and just slightly cranky.  Well, he did sleep on the couch last night since his bad was covered with my clothes and though he didn't mind much, his hip wasn't as thrilled with it.  So the project got off to a slow start.

The head rail went up, the shelf standards were positioned for my inspection and off I went to Home Depot to exchange the 2 five foot standards for 2 seven foot standards.  This will allow me to hand shelves almost down to the floor. Not that I would but the five footers were just too short.

Once I got home, the project continued at lightening speed. The standards were installed, the shelves and clothes rod cut to size and...

Need to find just the right light chain pull end to fit my personality!

I have a new closet!!!  These shelves are anchored seven ways to Sunday, resulting in a very sturdy system capable of handling anything I can put on them.  I am thrilled to say the least!  This configuration added SIX FEET of shelf space! And I can always add a shelf or two more if needed, though they would be closer together (they are spaced 14 inches apart right now).

Take a look side by side:

BEFORE                                                       AFTER

Clothes have been hung but I need to find some storage bins for the shelves to keep things neat & tidy.  I'll be in the garage today, hopefully finding things to re-purpose.  With luck, the majority of the office project will be behind us by the weekend.  Fingers crossed! I have stitching to do...

What's in Your Closet?

At the moment, there is nothing in mine... and I couldn't be happier!

Confession Time:

I had Closet Envy!  I did and I freely admit it. 

The DH recently installed a new shelf/hanging closet system in the Master Bedroom, which is his closet (a spacious seven feet wide, BTW).  

Stock picture of six foot closet.

My closet is in the second bedroom upstairs that we use as an office. It sucks! It is only five feet wide, which I could deal with IF it had a decent organizer in it - it doesn't. Oh, there are wire shelves in there. 

Crappy ones that are not sturdy or stable.  They are screwed into the drywall, without the benefit of good drywall anchors and adequate support brackets.  And the configuration is not conducive to maximizing the storage space. 

So I came down with a case of Closet Envy. 

Symptoms include: gazing longingly at leftover white wire shelves, calculating just how many pairs of shoes will fit on proper shelves, doodling different shelf layouts on your quilting graph paper, and detouring into the shelving aisle when making a quick run to Home Depot for even more wall anchors.

We are a bit frustrated by the lack of storage space in the townhouse and the amount of stuff we have.  The stuff is steadily being whittled away  - passed to family, friends or charities that can make use of the items.  But the lack of good organization of the storage space we do have just undermines our efforts to clutter free.  My closet spilling out into the office is a perfect example of this. 

Not anymore!  Some discussion, some measuring, the taking of shelf inventory and the making of a shopping list resulted in another trip to Home Depot.  And laid the groundwork for the latest home improvement project of 2014.  The parts and pieces for my closet organization system have all been gathered.  YAY!!!

My part of the project will be clearing out the space. Sweet Man will take over with the removal of the old shelves - some of which are being reused immediately - and the installation of the new shelf configuration.  The space is too small for two of us to work on it together, except for the leveling and anchoring of the head rail. While he works on the shelves, I will be ruthlessly editing the contents of the closet.  The charity truck comes back on March 25th and we want to have a nice donation to give them.

De-cluttering is certainly one of my/our CHALLENGES for this year.  It is an ongoing process that we needs weekly attention. 

Less is More!  Except when I'm talking about shoes...

Grey is Not a Color!

Yes, I know that's a very broad, potentially controversial statement but it's the name of DH's quilt in progress. 

It's been a running joke between us since 2001.  When I first met Sweet Man, his wardrobe could be divided in to three piles for laundry - White, Grey and Denim.  Grey was his pop of color. If you've been following my blog or check out my gallery of quilts, you don't see many shades of grey (unless it was a challenge quilt). Tropical, saturated, brights are more my cup of tea.  He's come along way since then but he does love his grey!

Back in 2011 (ACK!!!), I started to make him a quilt, carefully selecting grey batiks ranging from palest silver to almost black.  I got exactly one quarter of the top done and ran out of steam. It was boring and repetitive and easily stuffed in a bag and put aside. I actually 'lost' it for awhile - BAD Quilter!

'Grey is Not a Color' Plan

I am attempting to avoid facing the blank sheet of paper on the design wall so I dragged this project back out, pinning it up over the dreaded paper. It's repetitive sewing - perfect for thinking or not, about other projects while I stitch. The rectangles finish at 4"x 7", with the sashing measuring at an inch and a half.  There are 144 rectangles, set 12 by 12.  So the quilt will be 84" x 84" before I add any borders. It's got to be big because Sweet Man is tall ( 6' 4").

Top left quarter - not all the shades of grey.

Saturday evening we had company until rather late, so yesterday was a quiet day inside, staying out of the latest blast of cold winter air.  I sat and sewed the sashing strips to all of the remaining rectangles - all 108 of them.  It really didn't take all that long to sew; cutting all the sashing strips did.  It made for a restful, productive day.

Next comes pressing all the blocks and sewing them together into the other three quarters of the quilt. I am planning on Quilt as You Go for this top, one quarter at a time, since it's a big one. 

The Granite Riley Blake fabric I won as a blog giveaway from  Christa Quilts will be a perfect back for this quilt.  (THANKS Christa!!!)  That fabric is already on it's way to me - should arrive this week. 

It will be good to get this quilt done for Sweet Man - he deserves it. Especially after we complete the next house project which starts today.  Wonder what that might be? Stay tuned!

You May Have Noticed...Pantone 2014

You may have noticed the 2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge button over there on the right.

A reader (Thanks, Heidi) saw my Silk quilt in progress and mentioned that I may want to enter this in the
2014 Pantone Quilt Challenge - Radiant Orchid . Click the link and check it out.  There are three categories for the challenge, running from March 14-21, 2014. 

In progress - 6 more rows to go, then borders

 I may be entering the 'Just the Top' category as this quilt is supposed to go to the longarmer for quilting and it won't be finished and bound by the deadline. 

I still waiting for the black silk to arrive so I can finish this top.  My hoped for Road Trip was cancelled, so now I'm hoping the silk gets here before the expected snowstorm hits. I really want to finish this top, clear out all the silk thready bits before I move onto another project. When I was in the kitchen the other day, I found some bright pink thread clinging to the end of the black boy cat's tail - he was not amused!

Do you plan on using the 2014 Pantone color of the year - Radiant Orchid - in any of your quilting projects?

March 1st - Blank Canvas

Happy March Everyone! 

Here's my Design Wall

Yes, it is a large blank sheet of paper - a blank canvas. It is roughly the size of the challenge quilt (32" x 74") I need to design and execute for the  Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts  yurt panel challenge.  The challenge is based on the four seasons - my season is Winter.  If I design my quilt on this year, I could take a piece of white fabric the size it is suppose to be, quilt some angry, swirly lines on it, call it "Blizzard" and be done.

No, not really but it feels that way since we awoke to a fresh dusting of snow making the backyard look much like the blank canvas of the design wall.  In reality, I have to incorporate these fabrics.  

I may do realistic or impressionistic - not sure yet. But I am sure it needs to get done this month. So I'll be facing that large piece of paper real soon.  Maybe if I stare at it long enough something will magically appear, like out of a blizzard.

On a different quilt note...today is March 1st and I can run over to the LQS - Pieceful Gatherings - and get this month's guidelines for the Daring Downton Debacle challenge row quilt. Can't wait to see what they throw at us this month! Once I have the guidelines, I can hunker down with my block book, some graph paper & maybe a glass of wine tonight as more snow falls all around. 

What's on your design wall for this month?