Ready to get a head start on holiday sewing? This Ready to get a head start on holiday sewing? This #holidaytrimmingsquilt is a fast and easy project. The pattern releases TODAY! Head over to Shereece's site @sewhookedontreasures to grab your copy.
It's time to get excited! The #holidaytrimmingsqui It's time to get excited! The #holidaytrimmingsquilt pattern release is coming June 9th. I was happy to test this lovely quilt and even more happy with the way it turned out. Thanks, @sewhookedontreasures. I can't wait to show the full reveal!!
Blocks complete. Now it's time to sew the top toge Blocks complete. Now it's time to sew the top together. Look for this fun new quilt pattern coming soon from @sewhookedontreasures!

#holidaytrimmingsquilt #quiltpatterntester #patchworksampler
Fun fabric pull to test the lovely #holidaytrimmin Fun fabric pull to test the lovely #holidaytrimmingsquilt by Shereece @sewhookedontreasures. 

Does the new Hustle and Bustle fabric by @official_basicgrey on a Grunge Hits the Spot background put you in the holiday spirit?
This is my most recent finish. I stitched the last This is my most recent finish. I stitched the last bit of binding just about a half hour ago! I love the fabrics in this quilt and they were just random fabrics from my stash. The pattern is #theellaquilt by @kitchentablequilting. I may have to hang this in my family room until it finds a new home.

#igquiltfest2022 #igquiltfest2022day14 #patchworksampler
Today's prompt is pressing matters. I love flat bl Today's prompt is pressing matters. I love flat blocks and these three items are my essentials for achieving that: white fluffy bath towel, cheap Black & Decker iron that steams like crazy, and a Jackson's Woodworks square clapper.

I have a wool pressing mat, but I like the bath towel better. It has enough nap to "grab" the fabrics for a super flat press and it can be tossed in the washer and dryer. 

#igquiltfest2022 #igquiltfest2022day12 #patchworksampler
One of my cherished quilts is one I didn't make. T One of my cherished quilts is one I didn't make. This album quilt was made by members of a club I ran for many years when I had a brick and mortar shop. Several members continued to meet in my home monthly until COVID hit. 

It is special to me because it is a reminder of what is important; the friendships, camaraderie, and encouragement that developed within the group. 

#igquiltfest2022 #igquiltfest2022day9 #patchworksampler
This super scrappy quilt is one of my favorites fo This super scrappy quilt is one of my favorites for a couple of reasons. First it is proof that any fabric works when you cut it small enough and second I pieced it on a little mini retreat with a couple of friends. The pattern is Rectangle Wrangle by Bonnie Hunter.

I love, love, love scrap quilts, the more fabrics the better, and that's how I justify buying all the fabric I do.

This particular quilt was chosen for today's prompt because tomorrow it will be on its way to Poland along with nine others from my "quilt room" (see day 3 prompt).

#igquiltfest2022 #igquiltfest2022day8 #patchworksampler #scrapquilt
Lesson learned. I could write a book on all the th Lesson learned. I could write a book on all the things I've learned through quilting, but one I can't seem to get through my head is that I don't like foundation piecing, paper piecing, or hand piecing.  Slow stitching is a concept I can't wrap my head around.

This String Spiderweb was started at a retreat so I jumped on the bandwagon without thinking it through. I have a bunch of these units made but no interest in continuing. As I was snapping the photo though, I had an idea. Stay tuned.

Are there quilting techniques or methods you don't enjoy?

#igquiltfest2022 #igquiltfest2022day7 #patchworksampler
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Patchwork Sampler

Make quilts. Use fabric. Have fun.

productivity, quilting · March 29, 2021

Monday Motivation: Create Calm in the Chaos

Last Monday I wrote about the positive aspect of donating boxes of quilting supplies, primarily the relief I felt by getting rid of lots of stuff that I no longer had an interest in finishing. The negative part of that is that I was left with a mess. In going through these bins I also found things that I am excited to work on again. However, having all of this out was overwhelming. I needed to create calm in the chaos.

bins of scrap fabric

All of this is scraps, UFOs, kits to be disassembled, orphan blocks and it needs to be organized and put away. Really, it’s just a giant mess of random stuff! We were in the Twin Cities for a few days and none of that mess magically disappeared while we were gone so I returned to a disaster! To top it off it was a crazy busy week with having the grandkids, volunteering, and Zoom meetings. Simply walking into my sewing room created anxiety from all the overwhelm. I wanted to sew but felt guilty because I should have been decluttering. I ended up doing nothing. No sewing and no cleaning. I was paralyzed by all that needed to be done.

Many times I have mentioned that sewing is usually how I decompress. The hum of the machine combined with mindlessly feeding fabric through the feed dogs immediately puts me in a Zen state. The problem was, I didn’t have any mindless sewing ready to go. My works in progress are at a point of needing borders or blocks arranged or tops sewn together. All of those take a pretty big time commitment and I didn’t have that this week. I didn’t even have a quilt on the frame that I could plug away at. Nothing was prepped for those times when I only had 15-20 minutes to sew.

cut half-square triangles

Over the weekend, that was the first thing I fixed. I found a bin of half-square triangles that are cut and ready to feed through the machine. This is a project I started a little over a year ago and one I would like to finish. I just love this quilt because, well, blue!

Plain Sailing pattern

The pattern is Plain Sailing by Janet Clare. This pattern is available on Etsy here and here. I just love projects with a billion little pieces to sew together and this one certainly fits the bill.

This week, knowing I can do anything, but not everything, my plan is to combat the overwhelm. Here is how I will do it:

  1. Have an easy project ready to go for times when I only have a few minutes to sew (Plain Sailing).
  2. Tackle the bins and boxes one at a time. Since there are scraps and random fabric in these, I will sort and organize them as I go through them instead of just finding an open spot on the shelves for the container.
  3. Find a scrap pattern to cut as I sort through scraps.
  4. Commit to moving only one big project forward. That means sewing one top or sewing borders to a top. I will not put 10 things on my to-list with hours-long time commitments for each.
  5. Load a top on the frame, wind bobbins, and re-thread the machine so I can quilt a few minutes every day.
  6. Instead of focusing on emptying all the bins, I will consider it progress to clear out one this week.
  7. Commit to spending at least an hour each day in the sewing room, either de-cluttering or sewing.
  8. Continue to get rid of projects I have no interest in finishing. I will be back in Minnesota in a couple of weeks and want to deliver a few more boxes to the charity quilters.
  9. Work to make my sewing room my happy place again. It helps to re-watch TV shows or movies (anything that I don’t have to follow closely) and listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Last week I started listening to The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni and am loving it!

If you are feeling overwhelmed every time you step into your sewing room, I hope some of these tips will help you create calm in the chaos too. Here’s to a more productive and clutter-free week for all of us!

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In: productivity, quilting · Tagged: decluttering, monday motivation, plain sailing

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