Wednesday, April 24, 2013

THANKS FOR TAKING TIME


Taking time out of my busy week to say 
'Thank You' 
to you, all my blog readers. 

You make my day when I stop by and see how many have stopped in to read what I have written.  

It's an honor to write my short messages, share the tips I use or have heard about and to share my quilting life with each of you. Your comments on other forums or social medias about what I share inspires me to do the best I can for you. 

I will continue to share tips, tricks, information and photos. If there is something you would like me to write about, share, or research feel free to make a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear from you. 
Become a member (join to the right of this writing) and get notifications when I add something new! 

I also want to share with you my web site that has had a few upgrades of information and my other, non quilting, blog I have started. 

Web site is: http://www.quilterspantry.com/ 

Other blog that I have started is thoughts of encouragement and inspiration. Helping to keep a positive look at life in the midst of all that we each face with our struggles and stresses. 
http://novemberblessings.blogspot.com/ 

I hope you all have a great week!

Til next time --- keep those needles stitching and your creativity expanding! 

Phyllis 

Saturday, April 20, 2013

TOOK A BREAK.....

Picnic Quilt
I took a break from writing tips this week. I actually took a break from quilting for most of the week. I did finish the binding on this picnic quilt and on a table runner. Pic is before I finished it.  
I made this one to use this summer when we take our grandson outside to play. At 8 months old he was already reaching for the bugs in this fabric so decided it would be perfect to just toss on the floor or the ground for him to sit on. 

Many fabrics talk to us and the fabric I used in this one spoke, "Picnic" to me.  

Isn't it amazing when we hear the fabric talk to us? I often offer to help my customers find fabrics only to be met with: "I don't know what I'm looking for, but I'll know it when I see it."  

I also love it when my quilts and customer's quilts talk to me and tell me what design they want quilted on them. Some speak instantly, some tell me even before they are done being pieced. A few fabrics have actually told me what design they wanted quilted on them before they were even cut! And sometimes the quilt pattern talks to me.

For all you non quilters who read this.... no we are not silly, or delusional. We are quilters. And yes, our fabrics talk to us.  It's a quiet, private conversation.  If you ever see a person when the fabric talks to them be aware - we talk back to it!  

I hope you all have a great week. Listen to your fabrics and enjoy the conversation. 

Til next time - keep those needles stitching. 
And remember if you need quilting work done or want to buy a quilt check out www.quilterspantry.com   

Phyllis  

Saturday, April 13, 2013

FOLDING FABRIC FOR STORAGE



FOLDING FABRIC AND MORE ORGANIZING

O.K.  We’ve gone through how to cut fabric, how to store fabric. Now we will go over just a couple of ways to fold your fabric.

When you get your fabric from the quilt shop or other fabric store, or even a fabric department you really never know how it will be folded.  Each employee folds it up a different way, and even the same person can fold the same length of fabric in different ways.  When we get our fabric home we have to refold it to fit the way we store it.  Some quilters prewash all their fabrics before they even get into the quilt room, others just fold it and store it or ‘hide’ it.

To fold your fabric onto a bolt board or a comic book board is one of the easier ways to store your fabric if you have the room.  If you don’t have the room or the boards you can still put a nice smooth even and equal fold in your fabrics.

One of the easiest ways to fold your fabric that is by the yard vs fat quarters etc, is to use your 6” x 24” ruler. Start by laying out at least one end of your fabric. Place your ruler on top with the ends at the selvedge and the folded edge.  

  











 Wrap a fold around the ruler and pull it taut. 









 

Wrap the fabric around the ruler all the way to the end of the fabric.

 
When you have it all wrapped around the ruler. Gently pull the ruler out the one end.






Fold your fabric over the width of the ruler.   



 
 
And then fold over the other end to make a perfect square.






Then attach a label to the fabric. These can be hand written or made into a form that you can print out and attach or tuck into each piece of fabric you have.   You can include any and all the information that you want or think you will need to know about the fabric.  This picture below is one that I use on my own fabric.  It helps me to know so much about the fabric without even unfolding it. 
I normally pin the label onto the fabric, but you can also just insert it in the fold so it is still easy to find.



 
 When you have smaller pieces of fabric you can fold it the same way by using a more narrow ruler such as the 3" x 18".









Once you just have smaller pieces you may only want to include general information and writing it onto a sticky note works great for this.





This way of folding your fabric makes it easy to store in bins, on shelves, or even in a cabinet drawer. The fabric can be easy to see and with so much information on the label it makes it easy to pull out the fabric and almost instantly know if you have enough of it for the project you want to use it for.

Happy Folding!

Til next time -  Keep those needles stitching! And remember if you want more information about Quilter's Pantry and what we have to offer please visit our web site at www.quilterspantry.com

Phyllis

Saturday, April 6, 2013

FABRIC STORAGE IDEAS



FABRIC STORAGE!


A MATTER OF SPACE AND USEFULNESS
Mini Cabinet

The internet has even more links and ideas for your fabric storage than they do about overall Quilting space. (At least that’s what I think from my simple search). There are the shelves like you see in some quilt shops, cabinets, chest of drawers, barrels, plastic bins, wire bins, even a file cabinet!  There is storage to fit just about every space potential possible.

Again it is about how much space you have and of course how much fabric you already have and eventually will have. No matter what you have now, you will have more. If you are just starting out this is something you will soon come to learn – fabric is addictive!  You may have enough for your current project, but there are always more projects and there is always the fabric you see and ‘just have to have’! And you’re stash of smaller pieces of fabric will also increase the more you quilt.

You will need space to store yardage as well as the smaller pieces and then the really small pieces.

1)   Wall shelving

2)   Book Cases

3)   Plastic bins

4)   Wire Baskets

5)   File cabinets

6)   Recycle an old dresser, a large trunk.

7)   Other




 

1)   Wall Shelving

a)   This can be accomplished by racking like used at some Walmarts, and as pictured

b)   A built in heavy duty book case

c)   Shelves attached to the wall





 )   Portable Book Cases can be used and then moved as you continue to expand your fabric stash and your sewing space.



3)   Plastic Bins can be used for our full yardage or your smaller pieces. Keeping them organized to fit your style. I have mine according to several styles all in one set of plastic drawers.  I have them according to color, but then I have a section where I have a group set aside for a particular project (2 of them actually). I then use the bottom drawer for non cotton, non quilting pieces of fabric that I am saving to use…… for who knows what. It’s part of ‘I just want to have it” fabrics. Or someone gave them to me.





4)   Wire baskets or even wicker baskets can be used for smaller pieces as well as yardage.



5)   And yes, even file cabinets can be recycled to hold your fabric. Just fold it over a hanging file folder and hang it in the cabinet. You can even put the pattern you want to use with those fabrics inside the file holder and have it all ready for you to just pull it out and get to your next project! Or if you are fortunate enough to own a large file cabinet  like used in a doctor's office....what a way to store yardage and be able to close it all up to hide it and keep it away from dust, pets, etc.








 









6)   An old dresser is a great place to store fabric and supplies. I have a dresser my father made me when I was a teenager. It’s wonderful for quilting, arts and crafts supplies. Old trunks work for storing your finished quilts or your WIPs.

Plastic Drawers and Old Dresser for Storage


7)   Other places to store fabric include bins that fit under your bed. I know many quilters who don’t have a lot of room to use for quilting and even less for storage. So they use what spare space they can find. The shelves inside a closet make a great place as well, and more shelves can be built in to hold more fabric and supplies. This is also a great idea as you can close and even lock the door to keep others out.



Let your imagination go and use what you have and what you can afford for placement of the fabric that you have.

Feel free to store it the way you find works for you. Store it by color, theme, grouping, or project or a mixture of all of them. If your fabric is easy to find, see and use your quilting will go easier and with less stress. As you grow as a quilter, increase the amount of fabric you have or the space you have to quilt and store it all you will change your methods of storage. I went from a small room to a larger room and even that is ever evolving in where I keep everything.



Have a great place you use? Feel free to share here in the comments.





          Ways to fold your fabric will be coming up next.