Clean Sweep

This house is clean... or at least my studio!  Over the last 4 weeks with  Declutter to Destash Challenge hosted by Feel Good Fibers I've been bringing my quilting space back from the abyss. 

The timing was fortuitous because my local trad quilt guild is currently accepting donations for their bi-annual Fabric, Yarn & Notion Sale.  I ended up making two trips and was able to unload an assortment of books, fabric and quilting supplies.  Locals should definitely check it out!  I've found many treasures there over the years!  

I've actually been pretty good about keeping my fabric organized but just didn't have places to put it all.  With so much removed I was able to clear all the fabric off my floor and unbury my desk and cutting table where the ghosts of projects past had been lingering.  It makes such a difference in the room and makes me want to sew again.  

Not to worry, I saved the good stuff to destash with Feel Good Fibers.  I've been selling on Poshmark for a couple of years now and I'm hoping this is as easy.  I've put together a store with a few bundles and keep an eye out for more out of print precuts and possibly a dip into some of  my precious.

Declutter to Destash

Things have been pretty quite around here for awhile.  There are a myriad of reasons why but one of the leading most is that since my studio started doing double-duty as my home office last March it hasn't functioned well for either purpose.  Like a lot of people, I never imagined that 18 months later I would still be WFH and while their are pros and cons to that situation at this point I think it's permanent...  or at least as permanent as anything can be these days.  Another variable in this equation is that my youngest is a high school senior and I am literally counting down the days (236) until I'm an empty nester.  I don't know exactly how things will shake out but I am adamant that this is my last New England winter.  All of that is a long way to say my quilt studio/office has descended in to chaos so when I saw this year's Declutter to Destash Challenge hosted by Feel Good Fibers I was all in.  Here's a picture of the before.  

The Week 1 Challenge is to identify and prioritize all those WIPs so here goes...  

1. La Passacaglia - finish hand quilting.
2. City Sampler - finish quilting.
3. Joyful test block - baste, quilt and turn this in to a pillow.
4. Joyful - finish piecing blocks, get fabric for sashing and finish flimsy.  Backing and batting have been purchased.
5. Drinks QAL - some blocks are made.  Not sure how many more I'll do.
6. Double Wedding Ring - basted and ready to be quilted.
7. Houndstooth - finish quilting.
8. Double Hour Glass - flimsy is finished.  Needs a backing, then basted and quilted.
9. Tula Nova - partially pieced.
10. Fussy Cut Sampler - partially pieced.
11. Limerick - flimsy, backing and batting are ready to be quilted but I might send this one out to be quilted. Need to make binding.
12. Galaxy of Stars - flimsy backing and batting are ready to be quilted.  Another one to send out for quilting.  Need to make binding.
13. Turquoise stars - needs to be rebasted.  Hand quilt?
14. Eiffel Tower - ready to quilt.

1.  I have been working on this La Passacaglia for so long and I'm truly enjoying the process.  I picked it up again during the Olympics but haven't touched it since.  Hopefully now that cooler weather and football season have arrived I'll be able to finish up the last handful of blocks.

2.  Another one I feel like I've been working on forever.  I've got about half of these City Sampler blocks quilted but haven't come up with a good way to manage this.  It's sitting next to my machine just waiting to be quilted.

3.  This is a quick and easy win.  It's just a test block that I made using Tasha Noel's Joyful pattern.  I'd like to turn it in to a pillow to go with my Sunny Isle collection.

4.  With the kinks worked out on my test block I started using a Heather Ross Malibu bundle to make blocks for a Joyful quilt.  I've got most of the blocks done but I ordered the wrong fabric for the sashing so I need to figure out which one is the one I intended and try again.

5.  I joined the Drink Quilt Along by Seamlessly Stephanie.  I'm way behind but I'm having fun raiding my stash for these blocks.  I'm not sure how many blocks I'm going to make for this but hoping I can keep going and turn it in to something.  

6.  This Double Wedding Ring is resting in my TBQ pile.  Most of it will be stitch in the ditch which "seems" easier than FMQ but I'll have to be inspired to quilt if it's going to get done anytime soon.

7.  This Houndstooth quilt has be languishing in the TBQ pile for a long time.  I started quilting it but got frustrated with the bubbling.  My FMQ skills have come along way since then but I have yet to be inspired to pick this one up.

8.  We're really descending in to the land of the UFOs now.  This Double Hourglass flimsy has been sitting on my wall for a long time.  I can't decide on a backing for it but if I get it basted it should quilt up fairly quickly.

9.  I miss having a portable handwork project so this is probably a good time to pick up my Tula Nova.  I barely got going on it so there's still plenty left to be done and lots of new Tula fabrics to add to the mix.

10.  I managed to stick with this for the first 16 blocks then fell off the bandwagon.  The pattern has 48 blocks.  I really like the blocks that I've made so far so trying to decide if I should continue making more or just use the ones I have in an alternate layout and go with that.

11.  I missed St. Patrick's day with this Limerick flimsy.  Generally I do my own quilting, even if that just means attending the computerized longarm, but I don't have any real affinity for this one and in the interest of just getting it done I think I'm going to send it out to be quilted.  Everything is prepped and ready to go so I it's just a matter of setting it up.

12.  This is my oldest WIP, a Jinny Beyer block of the month I made in the 90s.  This summer I found the blocks and decided it was time to finish it up.  I punted on the inner checkerboard border but added an outer border to give it some breathing room.  The top is assembled and I've got the backing and batting but this is another one I just want done so I'm going to send it out to be quilted.

13 and 14.  These are also way old but the turquoise is hand pieced and they are both basted and just waiting to be quilted so I feel like at some point they should get finished.  I'm not ready to count them out yet.

Compared to years past this isn't too bad though I have a few other ideas lined up that I'll share later.  My hope is that as we move thru decluttering I'll set up my studio to better accommodate all the things it's being used for and sewing will be fun again.