Organization Wins!

It feels good to finally be able to say...I beat the scraps! Their messiness (as pictured here) has been haunting me for awhile now (all Summer and Fall) and it was driving me a wee bit crazy. 

Now I am happy to report, that I stuck with my organization deadline of the middle of the month and here are a few pictures to prove it!

For the scraps under 1/4 yard I used one drawer per colour, with one for vintage scraps and one for fabric collection scraps (in this drawer I bagged each collection for future use).

A peek inside...

And I used a basket for snippets... these are those tiny little pieces that I cannot seem to part with (I seriously like them even better than the scraps!). I see a Ticker Tape quilt in my future!

Happiness in my world = organization and organization = inspiration. So,  I am feeling pretty good right about now!

What good things have been making you feel happy lately? How do you organize your scraps???

Linking up with My Creative Space.



~Lisa

Motivation for Organization

 Welcome to my sewing room...

It's like a little piece of heaven to me and I feel soooo super lucky to have it. I love spending my time here.

Here I keep all my treasures, crafty gifts, art and collections. I seem to have a lot of these goodies, but I make an effort to stay relatively organized, as it makes me feel more creative in an organized space.

If don't know where to put something that I want to keep, I pin it here on my huge cork board and then at least it's contained!

Here is a close up...

This board makes me smile!

But there has been one area of my sewing room that I have been spending much time thinking about lately...I share with you this little problem that seems to have snuck up on me...

...and I have been wondering how to get a hold on this??? Not the kind of organization that I generally like!



Enter this lovely book that arrived in my mailbox last week...

With fabulous ideas for...

And I have just the motivation I need to get started on this daunting organizational project of mine...the bonus will be choosing one of the gorgeous scrap buster quilts from the book to make once all my scraps are organized.

My goal is to have my scraps controlled by the middle of the month -  will update my finish. How do you organize your scraps? How does this sneak up on us so???


~Lisa

New-to-You

As I mentioned in my previous (and inaugural!) post, I have been scoping the internet for the past handful of years growing my list of quilting and sewing bloggers that I admire. I have spent many an evening browsing through blogs full of fabulously gorgeous work and helpful tutorials. I enjoy looking at the work of others and often find inspiration that sends me off into my own sewing room to see what I can do. I have gratefully used tutorials on piecing and sandwiching and basting and binding and and and…

It is through the knowledge of others and the sharing nature of the quilting community that I have been able to continue learning about this art of quilting that I have become so taken with.

One such evening, while browsing through blogland, I came across this post from Blue Elephant Stitches and it made me happy. I do so looooove straight-line quilting and done in this random fashion, I thought looked absolutely amazing - straight and clean, and yet fun and casual at the same time. I immediately thought of a quilt top that had been hanging around unquilted for ages because I felt that it needed some ZING, but wasn't quite sure what that zing was. I loved the colours of this particular quilt, but it seemed too serious, it kept niggling at me that it was missing something. I swear quilts talk – because this one DID NOT want to be quilted as per usual (on either side of the seams, which is one of my favourite ways to quilt). Enter the random straight-line quilting – I knew it was just the thing. So I pulled out my thread, chose 3 (yes, 3!) colours…

and started stitching. Well let me tell you – it was liberating. Randomly following my heart and my eye to see where the quilt ‘wanted’ to be stitched next. I used masking tape for guidelines to help keep my lines straight. I had such fun; I quilted straight through a whole entire day (neglecting chores, dinner and responsibility et al) and share with you this….

...with which I am so pleased. This makes me giddy. So much so that I have been carrying it around with me just so I can smile at it (silly, right?!), as a matter of  fact right now it sits on the back of my chair as I type. 

I love this random star of quilting

How fun it that?!!! That you can take something from simple to ‘star’ by changing up your go-to style, and looking at it in a new way.

Have you finished a project lately that called out for something different? What new-to-you things have you tried recently?

Hope you are having fun!

Lisa

From my Grandmother’s Window

I have been shaped and inspired by the women in my life. My mother’s mother, Eleanor – ‘Grandma’ to me – was a collector and a sewist/knitter. The picture at the top of this post (taken in 1972) is of a living room window in her house, full of antique glass. This is but a small example of the wonderful antiquities that my Grandmother saved and treasured. The image of this window (and many of her other treasures) has stayed in my minds eye from childhood - shaping my likes, my collections and inspiring my creativity. I like to think that my love of colour comes from my grandmother’s window (and from her many other colourful collections I am sure). I feel connected to my grandmother through her passions and I feel connected to the past by saving, sharing and building upon her treasures.

My father’s mother, Grace – ‘Noni’ to me – spent her time in the kitchen cooking and baking - feeding her children and grandchildren. I believe homemade food is an extension of love and my Noni loved well - her freezer full of casseroles, sauces and cookies, her shelves full of jam. When visiting my Noni and Grandad for dinner – I remember clearly that she rarely sat down and joined us but continued to serve and cook, moving from the dining room to kitchen making sure that we were all well-fed and happy before taking her place at the spot closest to the kitchen door. When we left late in the evening, our arms were as full as our bellies – Noni would send home casseroles of macaroni, tins of cookies and of course, jars of jam. Cooking and baking are a satisfying necessity to me – one that shapes me each day.

My mother, Elaine, similarly to her mother, is a sewist/knitter. My mom, could and would sew anything I set my heart on. Imagine this as a teenage girl – my mom would whip up a new skirt, purse and even handmade my grad dress (remind me to show you a picture of this someday - think circa late 1980’s) out of two separate patterns, when I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted in one. Impressive I know. It made an impression on me. When I grew up and moved out on my own, my mom was the one sewing curtains and pillows to match my living room. My mom was the one, taking me to the fabric store to choose a fabric by running our hands over the rolls of beautiful colours and textures.

I have always felt a strong desire to create. I have followed many creative avenues, yet never tapped into the right one for me – until I found quilting. I had wanted to quilt for some time, being drawn to the colours, the fabric and the art of sewing. One Christmas, 3 years ago my husband gave me a Janome and I have been madly in love ever since (both with my machine and the entire process of quilting). I have been greatly inspired and influenced by the women in my life, and also for the past 3 years – from the blogging community. It is with sincere thanks to all of the quilting and sewing bloggers who have shared their art, thoughts, tutorials and processes on their blogs – as you have inspired me to continue to learn and sew and it has brought such great joy to my life and the satisfaction of creating something that is both useful and a piece of art. I love that!

I am interested in learning…

Who are the influential people in your life?

Where do you find inspiration?

Sincerely,

Lisa