Fabric Diet

"The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life."

Cyril Connolly

When the new year started I decided that I had to go on a fabric diet because I have just about run out of room to put my "collection" of fabrics, threads and tools.  So far it has not been that difficult to keep from buying fabric because it has been so cold I haven't even wanted to venture outdoors much less go shopping.  I am into my second month and so far have done well, I have purchased fabrics for custom orders that I could not do without purchasing new fabrics, along with some stabilizers and threads for an embroidery class I took.


In order to use up my fabric stash and thin down I signed up to do an online sew along with a group of quilters from one of my online forums.  We are working on one block per month which is perfect for me since I have my Etsy shop and custom orders to work on.  Keeping my diet, I  decided to chose fabrics from what I had on hand which meant that the background fabrics would not all be the same but would all be tone on tone off whites.  We are using patterns and instructions from Eleanor Burns' Quilt In A Day book "Underground Railroad Sampler" and so far we have made two blocks.  I am happy with the outcome, but need to remember to read through all instructions before starting out so that I make sure my blocks come out the right size. 

Wagon Wheel Block



Bear Paw Block



Even as an experienced quilter I sometimes get ahead of myself and assume that it will all work out in the end, only to find that my blocks are not turning out the right size.  I may have missed a measurement or squaring up sections of the block before sewing things together and then it is time to back track and start over.  I have to either re-cut pieces or unstitch seams also known as frogging( rip it, rip it) to make sure that the unfinished block is the correct measurement.  When putting together a block that has several pieces it is important to be precise, if you are off in your cutting or stitching it can add up to a big mistake in the end when squaring up the whole block, stitching the quilt top together or doing the finishing quilting.

Working on this project is helping me lose some fabric weight and keeps me in touch with old and new friends as we work on this together.  I hope that in the end this will turn out to be a queen size quilt for my own bed and with only one block per month it will, hopefully, be done for next winter.

Quilting has brought me together with so many wonderful people and helped me make some great friendships along the way.  It is one of those "obsessions" that, for me, has had a positive effect and encouraged me to move outside of my comfort zone, to try new things from sewing, traveling and volunteering to do things I would never have thought of before.

How has your craft encouraged you to move outside your comfort zone?  Share and comment on what positive effects your craft, whether it be quilting, scrapbooking, knitting, etc, has had on your life.  I always love to hear what others feel about what they are doing now or have done in the past. 

Happy 2011 To All

I don't know where the time goes but it is already the 23rd day of 2011 and I guess it is too late to make a resolution to blog everyday of the New Year.

Its okay because I am not a resolution maker and I guess you can see why, twenty three days and I didn't even think about my blog. I admire people that commit to blogging about "A Year of......" and actually post something new every day for 365 days and then have some miraculous revelation at the end. I don't think I could ever stick to blogging about any one thing everyday for a year. It is not that I am not committed (of course there are those that say I should be committed, but that is another story) I just don't know if I have enough to say about just one thing every day for 365 days. I love to quilt, sew and do all kinds of crafts, I love to read, watch TV, visit with friends and family on facebook and on different internet forums that I belong to, then there are the weekly get togethers with my local quilt group and friends and then there is the business I am trying to run.  I find it difficult to focus on just one thing to blog about because every day finds me running in, what seems to me, a million different directions doing so many different things.  ADD or ADHD? I never thought I was but who knows, I just call it a love of multi-tasking. Now it might sound as if I should have plenty to say and maybe I do,  but I get so involved in what I am doing at the moment that I don’t seem to find the time to sit down and blog. It is difficult to type when you are holding a pair of knitting needles or a rotary cutter and a ruler in your hands or driving to your next craft show or quilt group meeting.

Maybe my goals should be smaller than blogging every single day, then it would not feel as if it is interfering in my day to day activity. I should focus on once a month blogging; I think I could say something that some people might find interesting at least once a month. The smaller goals might make it easier to stay on the wagon, you know, small steps, I think I can do that.

So, Happy New Year and may we all find something to say at least once a month that passes on some knowledge, that encourages others along their road in life or that just entertains the masses.