January Studio Organizing, Task Two
Posted on January 25, 2023 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing ChallengeWell, all I managed to get done with the last task was clean out the drawers in my sewing machine cabinet, and thankfully, they weren’t too messy. But now I have fresh bobbins wound, all attachments are back in place, I bought a new bottle of machine oil to keep on hand, and all my machine piecing thread is gathered up in one place. So it’s a small step in the right direction.
And honestly, the rest of my notions aren’t in horrible shape, so they’ll wait for me to let this task come around again, altho I probably need to re-order rotary cutting blades sooner rather than later, so I don’t run out of that important supply!
How did you do?
Are you ready for the next challenge?
What shall we do this time?
I think my most urgent need is to get my cutting table cleaned off, but I’ve been trying to clean it off by working through the piles instead of just relocating them, so I’ll keep at that and see how I do. I think we’ll make the challenge something else!
How about we . . .
Play in the scrap pile
This might be necessary (it is for me), and it could be fun (also me). It’s fun to dig through and find treasures, and it also sparks lots of new ideas for me. Especially when it’s a bag of scraps you got from someone else! I think this bag came from my friend, Rose Marie:
This is the bag I intend to work through for this challenge. I’m sure lots of it will automatically go into several scrap quilts I have started, such as my Postage Stamp quilt, or my Yo-Yo quilt, or any number of other leader/ender projects I have beside my sewing machine.
I still also have four very large tubs of scraps to work through, but I know it will take more than two weeks to get through those. But I’m slowly chipping away at them. I want them gone, because think how much space four large tubs of scraps are taking up — I need that space for other things, even if that’s just breathing room.
How about you?
Do you have any scraps you need to deal with? Is it a small amount, or a large amount? Do you have plans for them? Can you make a bit of progress on them over the next two weeks?
Or do you have your scraps under control? Maybe it’s time to pick a new project to put them into?? I’ve been poring over pattern books lately, thinking of something new I can put mine into, as if I even need another project! But I do love a good scrap quilt — can you ever have too many of those?
I do not have my scraps under control – they are in bins and bins and all over! I’m continually looking for ideas on how to sort them.
I’ve been using Bonnie Hunter’s scrap saving ideas since I first got pulled into making her annual mystery by some folks in my local guild.
Whenever I complete a top, I either
1) cut any leftover fabric that’s less than a fat eighth/quarter or into strips of various widths that I roll by color family. This keeps things organized and immediately useable.
-or-
2) if there’s lots of left over fabric I use it to make the backing starting with the smallest pieces and working out.
I went through my scraps the first of the month. I trimmed them down, made 4 patches and 9 patches for future use and sewed together small strings and trimmed them for future piano keys border. I do have a trash bag full that was given to me that I have set aside without looking to see when is there. Will tackle that sometime in the future. I did go through everything under my cutting table. Found things I had forgotten that I had.
Many years ago, I bought some fabrics that all went together nicely. They were put into a closet but never made into to a quilt. Each time I ran across them, I still loved them. Last year, I pulled them into the studio intending to use them. That didn’t happen, but a few days ago I found a pattern by Kathleen Tracy that seemed perfect. I’ve made the twelve blocks and the sashings, so it’s well on its way to becoming a quilt top—finally! I’ll probably have the top finished by this weekend, then I’ll make a backing and have it ready to go to the longarmer. It was a project from stash, not scraps, but I consider them almost the same.
Working on designing a scrap project at the moment to use up more. My scrap boxes are not too bad at the moment as I donated a box of scraps to a friend who was running a scrap workshop last year. Love to see more scraps sorts for projects.
I consider scraps odds and ends of various small sizes and pieces. One thing I did accomplish while going through them was to pull all the triangles and all the Christmas scraps. Until I can get all my fabric under one roof, it doesn’t bother me. My challenge for the rest of January is to get my long table from the old house and my sewing area set up at my daughters where we now live.
A task I tried to handle last year, no maybe the year before…started out rather well. Not much sewing last year so really not much added. I like the idea of a postage stamp I suppose I can manage a spot next to the machine to grab between pieces… Pretty excited I have 22 blocks completed so far this month. Almost one a day!
I have scraps mostly sorted but need ideas to use them! Strings are sorted by color, strips by size & color, triangles by relative size, and lots of blocks by size & color. Need to cut some leftover scraps into their place. Want to keep on doing UFO’s or promised quilts first. I’ll keep plugging along.
I keep a leader ender going at all times. Right now I have a combination of 4 patch blocks and HST blocks that will probably end up being a charity quilt.
Since my notions were under control I took time to count blocks needed for a Chain of Diamonds quilt in the book “No Scrap Left Behind” by Amanda Jean Nyburg. I’ve had an amazing week or so of sewing as a result. Scrap playing is one of my favorite things to do! I always have a String quilt going and often pull pieces out for other projects. I’m getting ready to start a pattern of yours, Strippers Delight 2, since I’ve found several 1.5″ strips lately. At least the weather is too nasty to do anything else.
I accomplished quite a lot with sorting and organizing my notions. What a treat to find a seam ripper right away. I need to work at cutting up scraps. Right now I have three scrap quilts started so I know what size pieces I can cut. I do like my plastic shoeboxes for storing smaller pieces by color.
Well I’m so glad to see this task…I haven’t hardly been in my sewing space this year and sorting my scraps into color groups is on my to do list. Maybe I’ll get a little mojo going.
I continue to work through scraps–my favorite thing to do! I picked up a string quilt project that had been set aside waiting for more string scraps since the last time I worked on it. Making good progress.
Also have a couple of leader/ender projects going that use scraps set up by the machine. One is the 36 patch you had pictured on your blog previously. I really like how the seams in that work-ingenious! It will be a Sleep in Heavenly Peace donation quilt someday.
I went through all my thread and bobbins and got it organized. It’s so nice now!
I plan to do the rainbow scrap challenge and work on a different color of scraps each month. January is blue and I haven’t started yet,
I have been working on my scraps for 2 years now. I made 43 community service quilts from scraps just this past year and have sent most of them to my sister to be quilted. I have made a picture of some of them packed and ready to go to her and a pile of boxes beside it that contain even more scraps. I will send the picture to you, Shelly.
Task one DONE! Plus, cutting table is clean. I think I will re-direct myself to organizing my small, back bedroom that is well on it’s way to becoming my pressing and sandwiching and (some) fabric storing room. It needs to be organized as much as possible and ready whenever my daughter says she is . . . to build the new pressing/sandwiching station that will live in it. Right now I couldn’t build a four-shelf bookcase in it!!
I’m so glad for this challenge, as scraps are what I’m mostly working on. I had bins and drawers filled with scraps but now I’m down to just one. I’m using them up in a crumbs quilt, made with the vintage melon template you so kindly have provided on your other website. I’m also cutting up bits of batting and old fabrics to fill a fleece sack for my cat. I hope to just keep doing this and not generate any more bins of old scraps in the future.