Now I'm under construction...

My husband had an amazing stretch of 3 days off.  Something he hasn't had in weeks.  Instead of letting him rest, we are reorganizing my sewing area.  I need some shelves built, some things hung, and an eventual peg board added.  All of these will allow for me to work more efficiently, be able to fold and store all of my fabric.  (Here is my fabric folding tutorial.)  I actually have only stopped for a minute because Rick had to head out to get a part for his drill, so I'm doing some other chores.

I am working on lots of quilts.  Well I was until this morning, when we gutted out my area.  I will have pictures soon.  Once I find the camera....

Yeah, that's what it has been like around here lately.  :)


~ SLBY

Pocketful of Poseys

The whole reason why my family takes this trip every year, is because my husband is a VW junky.  One day, when we have a bit more disposable income and he is done with school AND we have kids that are a bit older, he is going to buy a Bug to restore.  When that times comes, I expect that he will disappear into the garage for about three years, only to re-emerge with a fully restored VW.  Kind of like a butterfly, in a hippie, air cooled sort of way.

Last year, we were unable to visit Pocketful of Posies (PoP).  This year, I made sure we were able to go by and I'm so glad I did.

View from the front door

When you walk in, you are transported to a whole other world.  The outside world no longer exists.  Time stands still.  You really could spend the entire day there.  Maybe two!

Entry way display.  Such a great variety of Easter/Spring ideas

This store is really one I could sit in all day.  Not just because of the selection.  They have the store set up, so that you can sit there all day!  Fabric, books, notions, classroom area, quilts on display, coffee, sitting room, great conversation and on and on.  I was sad to leave.  Idid not get to stay long enough

I love when stores re-purpose items and use them for displays.  It is something I do for my quilt booths.  PoP uses an old mail slot case for their fat quarters.  I *love* this piece.  Really, a perfect use.  The slots fit the fat quarters perfectly.

The shop has a great selection of fabrics.  I love the 1930's Feedsack Reproduction collection.  The shop has such a great selection of florals and whimsicals.  I found a new favorite collection, though unfortunately, PoP was already sold out of it.  Celebration for Clothworks by Masha D'yans. 

The notions and books were plentiful.  I find that quilt shops with a plentiful library are hard to find.  I wish I lived close because she just had a Hollow Cube quilt class.  The example they had hanging was beautiful.

It really is one of the best quilt shops I have been too.  You are going to want to plan plenty of time in this shop.  Send the kids, husband, family, whomever to Enchanted Rock for the day.  PoP has found the perfect combination of plentiful fabrics, large space and that at-home feeling.  Walking out of the store, I felt like I had just spent time with life long friends.  I didn't feel like I had just gone shopping at a quilt shop. 

And you get the cutest free pincushion with your purchase!  ;)

Visit their website to learn more about the shop: Pocketful of Poseys.

The shop is located off the main strip of Fredericksburg.  From US Route 290/Main St.  Just head south on US Route 87/S. Washington St.  Turn left onto E. Highway Street and the shop will be on your left.

View from the street

There are quite a few ways to get to Frederickburg.  The main route is the US Route 290.  State Hwy 16 and US Route 87, will also take you into town.  Fredericksburg is a fun town to stop in and stay a few days.  Great German food, great beers and so much shopping.

 

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A few notes:

• PoP did not in anyway ask me or compensate me for this blog post. These are purely my thoughts and feelings, free from coercion.
• You can click on any pictures on my blog and it will open a larger view.  I keep the pictures small on the site, for a faster load.

~SLBY

Vacation buys...

I'm willing to admit that I need a 12 step fabric program.  Think of the fabric swaps I could have with fellow members...

There are many ways to gather memories from a trip.  We always take hundreds of photos, when we are on vacation.  With our cell phones and digital cameras that both hold literally thousands of pictures, I feel like we take pictures but nothing ever really happens with them.  They go onto a computer and eventually on to a disk.  At some point, they end up in the fire box for safe keeping.  This was our first vacation as a family and I wanted to create a special memory.  Something we could have around forever.

I decided I'm going to make a quilt.  I don't have a single quilt for myself and have been looking for a project for me and my family.  And since this was a road trip around the Hill Country, it is only fitting to make a Texas themed quilt.  E-Jay's Fabrics helped me set the tone of my quilt.  After five quilt shops, this is the collection I amassed. 

I haven't decided the exact path this quilt will take.  I have a show this Saturday and then I am going to start this quilt.  I can't wait.  I'm excited to plan and make a quilt for myself.


I also bought some fabrics for fun and other projects.  I have been looking for a wood fabric for a cross wall hanging.  My husband found a fabric for another scrub top.  Then there are random fabrics that I just couldn't pass up.

I got this set to make some type of Log Cabin alternate or Pinwheel strip quilt.  I haven't decided on the exact block yet.

Aren't they cute?  The plaid, flowers and stripes are from Marcus Fabrics by Nancy Thias.  The collection is called Petalicious.  You can see more of the collection here.  I got them for a STEAL!  The circle fabric is from this Moda collection.  I got these four from Simple Sewing Solutions in Lockhart, Tx.  Home of the World's Best BBQ and one of my favorite quilting shops.  I'll talk about them later this week.

Look for a post on my next quilt shop stop tomorrow!


~SLBY

E-Jay's Fabrics & Quilting in Taylor, TX

Our first quilting stop occurred as we were driving up to Inks Lake.  I had hoped to stop at quilt shops as we went about our road trip but hadn't really planned anything out.

As we were headed north on Hwy 95, my husband was the one who spotted this shop.  Nestled in the downtown district of Taylor, you will find E-Jay's situated across the street from Taylor city hall and a park full of benches and shade trees.

When I walked up to the store, it really reminded me of the town I grew up in.  We had so many shops on the square, that had the same feel.  Original historic buildings.  Large window displays.  I really felt like I was home.

And that feeling of home grew, when I walked in the door.

When you first walk in you see bolts of fabrics and a fair amount of them.  On the front and left side of the store, you will find fabrics from Moda, Clothworks and more.  They had a great selection of Texas material and helped me start a Texas fabric collection.  More about that in another post.  Towards the back of the front room, you will find various quilting notions.  Just past the front, you travel down a small hallway that connects to a room with a long arm and space for classes. 

The walls of the store are covered in finished projects.  Down the hallway hangs a few quilts.  One is a very old, beautiful feed sack quilt.  You must stop in and see it.  Feed sack quilts are my favorite.

The staff was exactly what I expected.  Friendly, knowledgeable and really had an interest in quilting and helping me with my project.  The clearance section along the left wall was plentiful and had a wide variety.  Besides fabric and notions, the store also offered premade items, quilt kits and quilt patterns. 

And there was a store cat.  My kids had a great time looking for the kitty.  It was hiding in the front window, probably eyeing the birds across the street, in the park.  Maybe the cat wanted an up close view of the impressive Carpenter's Star that is displayed in the front window.

Overall, it was definitely worth the stop.  In the store next door my husband found a new piece of art for our home.  Next time you're in the area, make sure you stop by.

E-Jay's is located on Main Street.  About 30 minutes east of Round Rock.  US Route 79 or State Highway 95 will take you into the heart of Taylor, Texas.

You can get more information about E-Jay's from their website:  http://www.e-jaysfabrics.com/

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A few notes:

• I'm going to do 5 of these shop reviews total.  My goal, dream, hope is that this will encourage you to seek out either these shops or YOUR local quilt shop.  Please, head out and meet the people who share your passion for quilting.  They are the only ones who will truly get you!  ;)
• E-Jay's did not in anyway ask me or compensate me for this blog post.  These are purely my thoughts and feelings, free from coercion.  Though I am forever grateful for the whimsical Texas material they pointed out to me.

~SLBY

Stash Organization - Folding

Stash organization is really a hard thing for a lot of quilters.  I know for me, I tend to want to quilt.  I don't want to clean, straighten, organization, etc.  There are as many ways to organize and store your fabric as there are quilters. 

The main thing for me is that I want to see my fabrics.  I want them out in the open.  I want to be able to easily pull them out and throw them back on the shelf, as I compare, plan and think my way through a new project.

I want a fabric store look.

I have found that some quilters use various materials the same as quilt shops use cardboard to wrap material.  For me, I have found that corrugated plastic works the best.  Here is a quick tutorial on how I fold my stash.

Start with the corrugated plastic:

You will have to find a sign company in your area that will sell this to you.  I can get an 8 foot by 4 foot piece.  They will cut it down for me.  If you can't get them to cut this down for you, the plastic easily cuts with a box cutter.  I'm able to cut my down into 64 6in by 12in rectangles.  These easily hold a couple yards of your standard width quilting fabric.  You may need to adjust this to meet the needs of your stash.

Now it's time to start folding.

I fold selvage to selvage.  Then I fold that in half, selvages to midline.  Then lay this flat and grab a piece of plastic.

Leave a bit hanging and then hold that bit up onto the plastic.

Then start folding.  Keep it snug, flat and neat.  Fold until you have the last bit hanging over.

(I seem to have left out the frog material.)

Then fold the flap as you want.  You can do a point, like above.  You can fold one corner all the way down and wrap around.  I do both, depending on where my brain is and how much fabric I have left over.

Secure the flap of fabric as you wish.  You can buy special clips for this or tuck.  I admit that I prefer using pins.  Especially, pretty pastel ones. 

Then line them up:

Isn't that gorgeous?  I'm not finished with all my fabrics but I'm about 2/3 rds of the way there and it really has made a difference.  I can see my fabrics.  I am using what I have.  I love it.

The small boards really only work well for 2 yards or less.  If you have something larger.  Like say 4 yards of something you got cheap at Hobby Lobby:

I know.  I need a 12 step program.



You can cut the plastic longer.  That will work.  But I like to ask JoAnn's for empty fabric boards.  I have yet run across a JoAnn's over 3 different states that won't give them to me, for free, willingly.  You use the same method as above.

A perfectly folded bolt!

Prefolding, you can go ahead and square up your fabrics.  You can wash your fabrics.  Prepare them however you want.  I put the fabric straight from the store to my shelf.  Take this and make it your own, to fit your needs.

Go out and clean your stash!  Make your fabrics seen!

And let me know how you fold your fabrics.  I'm always wanting new ideas and suggestions.

~SLBY

A Quilter's Confession

Now, I'm going to do my best to not generalize too much. I know there must be one or two neat quilters out there. However, for most of us, when knee deep in 10 projects, we tend to be a little messy. And heck, when aren't we knee deep in 10 projects? I have more projects now than I do life left.

So, here it is. Here is my dungeon, room of madness, laboratory, where the magic happens...

(Feel free to ask me what anything in these pictures is and how it may or may not relate to quilting.)

As a quilter, we really do stress neatness and perfection in our work. Seams must be sewn straight! A quarter inch allowance MUST be a quarter inch. We use 40 rulers and a ruler lined mat to make perfect cuts. Neatness and perfection is a MUST....except when it comes to the room in which we work.

It isn't on purpose. This mess comes by accident. There are so many loose threads, flying pieces of fabric and the 20 minutes of digging through your perfectly ordered stash because you just *know* that perfect fabric is there somewhere.

Eh, er....I never found that fabric. It is either in that other stack or I used it up.
I need to re-organize. I need to move some things around and add a few more shelves in some sort of fashion. I have quilted more in the past 3 months, than I have in years and the mess is showing just that. I have come to the point that I can no longer work effectively.

I bought some of this:


That would be two pieces of 4 ft by 4 ft corrugated plastic. I am going to cut them down to 6 in by 12 in pieces and finish up a project I already started over the weekend.


Look at how beautifully that fabric is folded. I will arrange by color/pattern, etc later. I just need to get it wrapped first. As I get that done, I can figure out exactly what my storage needs are going to be. I need to be done by next week. I have lots of projects to get started and to finish.

So, I'm on a quilting hiatus for about 5 days.  I'll try to take pictures as I go and give you more detail, as to how I ended up organizing everything.

~Namaste
SLBY

Bunnies and Trees

Good evening!

I wanted to stop by and leave a few pictures. In addition to quilting and baking, I have a sick husband. A sick husband that has to go back to work tomorrow night. I'm bummed, he's bummed and the children were full of tantrums tonight.

Since this is a quilting blog, I will start with a Giving Tree teaser...

I did this odd lighting and angle because I wanted the gold flecks in the material to shine. And I'm not too good at photography. I love working on this quilt. It is very similar to the quilt I made, while pregnant with my son, for my son. It stirs all sorts of happy pregnancy emotions up for me. Plus, I eat chocolate for two while working on it.

The quilt is based on a Super 9 block with appliqued trees and birds. I SITD and FMQ for this particular quilt. I have already gotten my SITDing done and hope to get the free motion done tomorrow. I haven't picked out a binding yet. I love making binding. It is so freeing to break loose from premade binding. If I have a chance, I will take you all through making your own continuous bias binding and how to finish it off, perfectly.

This quilt is backed in one of my favorite fabrics of all time. Oddly enough, I got it at Ikea. You will have to wait for those pictures, when the quilt is finished.

Besides caring for the sick and quilting, I did a little baking....

At the request of Emma, I made 18 bunny cupcakes for her school birthday celebration. Her birthday is over the summer but the school encourages celebrating summer birthdays at some other time, during the school year. I love seeing what I can create with a little cake and frosting, so there is no request I haven't tackled. For her 4th birthday, I did a 3 tier, 3-D Lightening McQueen. I have no clue how I am going to top that this year. YIKES! I have to admit, it is so much fun. I get to pretend for a moment that I am Cake Boss.

Here is my first attempt to get a picture of her with her cupcakes:

Here is my 10th attempt:

And I must say, the two less than pretty cupcakes tasted great!


Two last things, Joann shoppers and iPhone users there is now a Joann's app!! I had noticed that I didn't receive any in store coupons via email in a month. Last week, I received an email that there was an app and the app has COUPONS!! I tested it out earlier this week and my purchase went smoothly. I used a circular coupon and phone coupon with no problem.

Right now, Joann's is having their winter sale. I made out like a bandit earlier this week and plan on going again this weekend.

Get to shopping!!

Namaste
~SLBY

Very busy week ahead....

Good evening!

I have finished the appliqued blocks for The Giving Tree quilt. I hope to have that pieced by tomorrow and binded by the end of the week. If I get a chance tomorrow, I will tease you all with a few pictures.

Emma will be celebrating her half birthday at school on Thursday. The school encourages kids with summer birthdays to celebrate them during the school year. So, at her request, we will be make chocolate bunny cupcakes.

I'm also gearing up for my first show in April. I am a bit nervous. Fortunately, I am too excited to be concerned about my nervousness. Lots of planning is involved. And *LOTS* of fabric shopping. I truly believe I quilt, as an excuse to buy fabric. Nothing makes me as giddy as fabric. Well nothing besides lists. I *LOVE* making lists. Which is good because I need to make some lists in preparation for the show. I love buying list making supplies. White dry erase boards, colorful Sharpies, post it notes, and on and on and on.

What is it about office supplies that is so fun and comforting? I remember when I worked, before becoming a SAHM, and we would receive our shipment of supplies. It was like freaking Christmas. Or a pack of hungry wolves being thrown a fresh lamb. Depending on your office environment. And there was always a gate keeper to the supplies, who took their gatekeeping job just a tad too seriously. It was as if their entire life built to this moment of deciding who was going to get *the* purple pad of Post-it Notes and who was stuck with the regular yellow ones. I will admit to kissing a rear or two for those damned purple notes. Pride doesn't make me quite as happy as bright, cheery purple Post-it Notes.



I digress...


Which will happen a lot around here....


Between my planning, list making, mad shopping frenzies, cupcakes and regular life, I might be scarce until the end of the week. I will try to continue fitting in blog time a little each night.


I wanted to end today with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

This quotes reminds me to stay grounded to my beliefs, regardless of the challenges and controversy I may face. And more importantly, to teach my kids to do the same.


Namaste,

~SLBY