January Organization

 

It seems that it happens every January. It's a new year. Everyone's into making resolutions, choosing their word(s) for the year, cleaning out the old and making room for the new. Blogs and YouTube are full of organizational videos.

Last year, I vowed to complete a stack of quilts.  All UFOs.  Some needed to be quilted and some just needed binding attached.  I can say that I did wrap some of those up succesfully.  Finding time to sew for yourself can be difficult when you run a business of sewing / quilting for others.  Some projects still remain, but I count it as a resolution met...if only partially.

I started a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quiltalong at the end of last year.  #RhododendronTrail   I do this every year, it seems, and then after a couple clues, I give up.  I keep the pattern clues thinking that I may get “around to it” but always find an excuse to fall out completely.  I don’t have the right colors.  There are too many pieces.  It’s tax time and I really want to get the books done.  Or there’s a new class I am trying to develop.  The latter two excuses always win out.

This year, I am making a valiant effort to clean out and clean up my sewing studio.  It seems there are scraps of fabric and projects left unfinished every where.  Bonnie's quilt is helping empty some bins.  At the same time, my sorting and getting things put away is refilling my scraps.  I may have to revisit her older challenges!

I've been following a challenge by Just Get It Done Quilts. Karen Brown has some good tips and reminders that I “just need to get it done!”  View her Declutter Challenge here:

https://youtu.be/7U8537FQMpI

Day seven was all about threads. Boy, could I relate! Karen talks about threads that have been around in our cupboards forever. Threads that we've inherited and threads that we have no idea where they came from.

 

I have this tub of threads that I've been meaning to go through and toss out all the strays. And this seems to be the opportunity to do just that. I figured if I turn this into a blog post it might inspire me / shame me by making it public to finally go through and sort out the things that just don't belong and I'm never going to use.

I'll bet you have a tub or a drawer just like this one!

First, that zipper doesn't belong.  I have another tub for those.  And 70 cents?  How long have I had that??!

THE HIT LIST

Most of these I am sure came from my Grandmother's collection or I have had since I first began sewing.  Either way...it's too long!

• I spy a Ben Franklin price sticker...gone!  Yes, the store AND the thread!
• Empty spools.  wooden spools...well maybe for a decorative jar of antiquities!
• Girl Scout patches that never got sewn on my daughters GS vest.  How did those get there?  Good intentions, I guess.
• Unmarked foam spools that probably came with a long ago used up or discarded sewing kit.

Yes, unfortunately, many of these soldiers ended up in the bin.  The box will be re-purposed and re-labeled.

Did I inspire you to do the same?

Block Two - Be My Neighbor

Are you having fun?  I have loved diving into my scraps, pulling out a bit of fabric and remembering when and where I used this fabric, friends I may have been with, or the lucky recipient of something made with love.  Brings warm and fuzzy feelings to be using the last bits.

Building Permits for Block Two went out early this morning. So let's get started.

Cut all your pieces according to pattern instructions.  And then piece together in sections.  There are two distinct buildings, so it is easier, I find, to build one at a time.

Two roofs which require those pesky Flying Geese.  The silo has a chimney - a neat little twist.

Have both my roof sections completed here.

And then there's all those HST's (Half Square Triangles).  They can be a bit tricky if your seam size strays North of a quarter-inch.

But there's a solution....

If you find that your HSTs aren't quite measuring up to size, cut your squares a little larger.  Draw the diagonal line and sew either side of line like normal.

Cut apart and press open.

Get out that square-up ruler.  Align the diagonal line on the ruler with the seam of the square as pictured.  Align with the measurements of square required and trim away excess.

Making your HSTs over-sized assures that you will have perfectly sized HSTs.

And that's it for this week.  Wasn't that fun?

Happy Sewing!
KK


P.S. Don't forget to SHARE your pics!

Five Weeks Til Christmas

Block One is out today.

This quilt was inspired by a pattern by Kate Spain called Solstice for Moda Fabrics.  I have adapted it for another Moda fabric line from Sandy Gervais called Very Merry.  I have added different borders and prepared instructions for multiple sizes.

You are welcome to use your own color / fabric adaptations.  If you wish to use our fabrics, Kits will be available at our website - KK's Quilt Studio.   

For Block One.  If you would like to make:

Bed Runner (34 x 106 inches) - Make one Block

Throw/Lap Size (70 x 70 inches) - Make one Block

Queen Size (88 x 106 inches) - Make six Blocks

King - (106 x 106 inches) - Make five Blocks

There are several Flying Geese in this block.  I HATE all those extra little triangles that usually get trimmed away.  Just a waste.  So I am all about the No Waste Method of making Flying Geese.  It may even make you love making Flying Geese.  I used to avoid them - passing on patterns that had them.

First cut one large square (geese) and four smaller squares (sky).  Measurements depend on finished size.  I have a handy chart I saved from somewhere - can't see to find where - but Dani Fisk - this is yours, Thank you.

Right Click on picture to save.

Moving along.  Draw a line corner to corner on all your smaller sky pieces.






Place two sky pieces on larger goose as shown below and sew a scant 1/4 inch away from line - both sides.













Cut apart on drawn line.  Press open.  Yes, they look like little kitties!

Place last two squares on these "kitties!"
Repeat sewing either side of line and cut apart.  Trim away all those little dog ear corners.

You are almost there.  Press open again and voila!  Four Flying Geese almost like magic before your eyes!  And virtually pain free!

That's all for today.

Happy Sewing!
KK

Block 1 Be My Neighbor Sew Along

You should have received your instructions for Block 1 this morning.  If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time.  Just send me your email (look to the right) or message me through Facebook and let me know you want to join The Neighborhood.

Patterns include cutting measurements and sewing instructions.  Colors and patterns are up to you as everything is in grey scale.  Let's see how creative you are!  Post your blocks and progress with the hashtag #ModaBeMyNeighbor

We got organized yesterday, so you should be ready to select, cut and sew.

Pick fabrics that will work and are large enough for piecing / measurements required.  Cut fabrics and organize in groupings as shown in pattern instructions.

This is the base of the tree and I sewed this unit, pressed and set aside.


I worked on the tree top next.  Cut rectangles and squares, and stack together.














For the tree top and roof of house, you are essentially creating a series of flying geese.  You can draw a diagonal line as given in the instructions.  I prefer to  eyeball it for smaller pieces using the blue tape line as a guide and extension of my center needle mark on my needle plate of my machine.
There are several tools out there to duplicate this effort.  This is what I find effective.




















Two words of caution:
1.  Use only blue painters' tape or some low-tack tape.  DO NOT use masking tape.  It's hard to remove and either leaves a residue or will take cabinet or sewing machine finish right up with it!
2.  Sew to the outside of your line - the side you will cut away - just a smidge.  DO NOT sew on the drawn line.  Ask me how I know!

 You will not get a corner that folds back like this!  It should perfectly match the edge of the rectangle.  If it doesn't, unsew and try again.  Don't try to stretch it or squish it.
That's what God made seam rippers for!
Set the seam and press.

Next trim away the excess fabric from behind.  (you can save for another project if large enough-crumb sewing-blog post for another day ;-)

Do one side at a time.  Sewing, pressing and trimming.





Assemble all parts in units.  Units sewn to units.  Pin where necessary to ensure points align.



I fussy cut the flower pot for my windows.  And had to piece some fabric of the house.  Hey!  It's scraps - right?












And voila!  Block 1 is finished.  Only 15 more to go!

Here's the Schedule
Block 2    October 7th
Block 3    October 21st
Block 4    November 4th
Block 5    November 18th
Block 6    December 2nd
Block 7    December 16th
Block 8    December 30th
Block 9    January 13th
Block 10  January 27th
Block 11  February 10th
Block 12  February 24th
Block 13  March 10th
Block 14  March 24th
Block 15  April 7th
Block 16 and Setting   April 21st

Now what did you put in the Crock Pot for dinner?

Breaking Ground on Be My Neighbor Sew Along

Starting a new project is always fun for a quilter.  This one checks two things off my bucket list - using up scraps and a "house" quilt.

So let's get organized and set up for a sixteen block quilt.

The quilt patterns come in grey scale, so there is no correct color and I do not expect that any two will look alike.  I'll be posting pics of my progress and I encourage you to share your progress, too.

Share with the #ModaBeMyNeighbor tag on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram.

Ok - I sound like a broken record, but let's start with your machine!
When was the last time you popped the needleplate and cleaned the bobbin area?  (Check the Blog Archive for a recent post for machine cleaning.)

And new project - let's change that needle.  I like a size 75/11 or 80/12 Sharp.

Thread.  I prefer a 50 wt for piecing.  Lets go ahead and pre-wind several bobbins.  Choose a thread color complimentary of your fabrics.  I usually select a cream or grey/greenish leaning thread.  It tends to blend into any fabric.

Cutting mats, rotary cutters (change that blade - leaning harder means it's time for a new blade), scissors, and cutting rulers.  Don't forget the seam ripper!

And then there is that fabric....

I chose to use my extensive collection of scraps!

There are lots of blog and opinions out there about what to keep, how to keep it, and how to use it!  Well, I keep anything an inch and over, keep it in a basket, or sorted by color in drawers.  And I am about to use it!  No pre-cutting and more sorting.

So I am picking as I go - colors, prints,  just making it fun!

And you can see..it may need a press...so set up the iron and ironing board.  I have a small pressing board which reverses to a cutting mat and cordless iron right next to my machine.  Reduces steps and keeps me working.

 So put the Crock Pot on...and let's sew!   Look for Block 1 tomorrow!

Here's the Schedule
Blocks 1-16 can now be found on the Sew Along Page of my website