Inside This Quilter’s Mind: Making Lists, Quilting Obsession

I have been thinking that I should be making lists of all my quilting projects to keep everything in check. I have seen other quilting bloggers share their WIP lists, and some even make a dedicated spot on the side of their blog that all can see their progress or lack of. There is not likely enough space on the side of my blog to show all the lists that are tabulating in my head.

These lists are what was bouncing around in my head at 2 A.M. today. And my husband wonders why I am not ready to go to bed at 9 P.M most nights???

Current WIP (Needs to be completed before the end of September.)

1. The two Scooby Doo Crossing quilts for my grandsons. One top is completely pieced. I have the Scooby print squares precut, also the yellow strips needed to make background of brown cross/plus blocks. I am cutting today, the brown yardage into strips.

Need to design and piece backs for Scooby Doo quilts. I am looking at appliquing Sawyer and Shaderek’s names to their individual quilts.

Quilts need to be quilted, washed and dried and wrapped up/out the door for birthday party on September 27th.

2. Make myself a design wall so I can work out possible quilt designs and block placement easier. The cutting table surface is just no longer working. I have two yards of 72 inch wide white felt that I am looking at making in to said design wall surface. I do not have much free wall space in my sewing room/office. I took sliding doors off our closet last summer. I am thinking of adding a band of fabric to the top edge of the felt and adding large grommets. I would be able to hang design wall from the grommets on a set of Command strip hooks applied above the wood trim of my double closet door opening.  I am also thinking about adding a set of Command hooks up on wall in upstairs hallway. I could take photos of my quilt designs from there fairly easily.

And why design wall was not completed all ready? I am not sure if it will be safe to hang over closet door, as our two Tom Cats like to hang out in the closet for some reason and they love, love to lay on fabric and quilts. I may have to put some pins into things hung up on the felt surface to keep the cats from knocking down my designs.

Ongoing WIPs (that there is not much or any progress on at this time and not in any particular order.)

1. My Queen/King size Charming quilt top made from 39 different black and white print fabrics. This is my first quilt this large so I am still deciding how I want to quilt it. I really like this one, and I do not want to mess it up. It is stashed away currently in a bin, to stay clean and safe away from two cats and two very hairy dogs. Oh, so much white fabric to get dirty.

2. A batik version of  String of Pearls by Christa’s Quilts . I have this all precut and bagged up sitting a kit for myself when I can devote time to piecing it. I am using possibly 20 different batik prints with medium gray solid background with the black solid link sashings. Christa’s quilt used 36 blocks. I think remember deciding to make mine larger (of course) and will be making 63 blocks if I remember correctly. I am quite embarassed this has been sitting cut and ready for a few months now. The sashing strips are only 1.5 inches wide so I wanted to make sure that I was getting an accurate scant 1/4 inch seam allowance to not throw off my whole design. I think I have that figured out now.

3. Missouri Star Quilts  Sunny Skies quilt pattern and tutorial. I have this cut out and maybe 2/3 of the way pieced together. I chose to use my stashed Fandago charm squares and a teal solid and white background.  Mine may or may not be slightly larger than pattern was written.

4. A Patriotic Squares with in Squares quilt top made from tutorial on QuiltersCache. I am using red and blue solid as the outside squares strips and the center block is a white background patriotic print with lots of American flags and possibly Bald Eagles. I have multiple rows sewn together and a few blocks that need to be sewn into rows and attached to rest of quilt.

5. An I Spy quilt made using possibly over 100 different charm squares that I have collected from Ebay and Etsy sellers. I have my blocks made up using Jeni Baker’s tutorial at Moda Bake Shop: Patchwork Chevron Quilt. I have loved this quilt design for some time. I started these blocks 2 Super Bowl Sundays ago. Blocks are completed, not sewn into rows yet.  Big hold up…so much white fabric. LOL  I plan on this quilt going to my grandsons. Since I have inherited an embroidery sewing machine, it would be kind of cool to be able to embroider on the back of quilt the I Spy with my little eye instructions with the numerous items the boys will be able to pick out on the front of the quilt.

A Quilt Design I hope to make someday

1. Swoon, Swoon, Swoon…. I have the pattern for Swoon. I see it everywhere. I have Pinned numerous quilt fabric combinations on my Pinterest boards.

2. Alison Glass’ Feathers….paper pieced feathers….love, love this quilt. I am thinking snowed in and can not go anywhere, must quilt weather.

Quilt Patterns Recently Purchased that I Love and Can not wait to use

1. Pointy by Elizabeth Hartman

2. Solar Eclipse by Elizabeth Hartman

3. Lazy Longhorn by live.love.sew

My Fabric Stash (sshh do not tell my husband)

1. Indelible fat quarter set in Darkened Ink coloring. Newly purchased this week from Hawthorne Threads.

2. Zen Chic Comma ..I have 5 charm packs. I love this fabric. This link goes to an Etsy seller…would make wonderful birthday gift, hint hint?

3. Moda Rawhide…I have 6 charm packs. This fabric has my daughter’s name on it. It is stashed away for a quilt for her, when she decides which pattern she likes.

4. Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley…24 fat quarter bundle…one of my prized possessions…maybe made into a Swoon quilt some day

5. Moda Fabrics Sweetwater Authentic… 20-24 fat quarter bundle…one of my prized possessions. I love the typography prints. The greens and blacks are pretty cool. Definitely a color out of my comfort zone as there is no blue to be seen in these fabrics. Yeah!!

6. Kathy Schmitz Glory…one layer cake 10 inch squares set. I made one quilt from this line all ready. I donated the finished quilt to the Wounded Warrior Foundation of Philadelphia, PA. Since this fabric line has extra colors like black, mustard and green added to the traditional red, white and blue, I am not always sure how to use it. Maybe this will be used and donated as a Quilts of Valor some day.

7. A very large Rubbermaid tote with all kinds of Patriotic print fabrics.  I used to volunteer for a couple of military family support groups. We sent quilts to our Veterans. Neither group was affiliated with a group like Quilts for Valor. I collected a lot of the fabrics when our local Walmart was getting out carrying fabrics the first time around. Many were purchased at $2 to $3.00 yard. Since fabric is so much more expensive now, I have not been able to part with these. I have a few family members and friends who are Veterans and they are candidates for future quilts when I can decide what to make with these fabrics. Besides the statutes of limitation have to be running out on these fabrics since they were purchased in 2007-2008.

My Sewing Machines

1. A Pfaff 1473 Creative Designer… I purchased this wonderful machine in 1999. A good portion of my quilting has been done on this machine. The light came on, but the machine did nothing else on Father’s Day 2013. This was two days before my Mom passed away. I had just finished a quilt for my Father inlaw.  One of our last major sewing discussions was about this machine. We think the computer mother board has died. It should be able to be replaced and up and running again.

2. Viking Husqvarna 990…This is a beautiful navy blue computerized machine. I think it is likely the same era of machine as my Pfaff 1473 CD. I actually purchased my machine shortly after Mom purchased this Viking 990. I was quite proud of myself. I had heard from my Mother inlaw for over 15 years how great Pfaff sewing machines were. Mom was not as impressed. She was sold on her Viking and would buy two more in the future. Apparently Mom had a discussion with Dad about this sewing machine before she entered the hospital, and suggested allowing me to use it in case I was not able to get my Pfaff fixed. I inherited it weeks after she passed away. I have been sewing on this machine ever since.

3. Viking Husqvarna Designer 1 embroidering sewing machine. I inherited this machine also when my Mom passed away. This machine was her baby. She liked this machine so much that she actually went out and purchased second one. My sister received her first one, which she purchased new at full price. Mine is the one that has less sewing embroidering hours on it. She thought I would be the one to use it the most. I think mine still needs a couple software updates. This machine uses old school 3.5 inch floppy disks to store the embroidery designs. It also can use a dongle or memory stick. My sister and I inherited Mom’s vast collection of embroidery designs. She had 32 3 inch thick 3 ring binders full of designs. The amount of money that just went into printing out in color  a sheet for each design is unreal. She spent a lot of time on the computer joining groups and obtaining designs. It was her retirement dream.

Pinterest: The Slow Start to a New Obsession

What can I say about Pinterest?? It is a wonderful source of inspiration and ideas. It also can be a major time waster in a good sense. I have over 1270 Pins on my quilting inspiration boards. Other crafting ideas over 300 Pins. Over 300 food recipes and ideas. I have liked over 1600 pages that I can pretty much guarantee is more quilts and food recipes.  I know I have had some late nights where I have fallen asleep paging thru pins from earlier in the night. Ah, Sweet Dreams…