Have you seen THIS?

This is a drawstring bag that opens up to a 44 inches diameter containment system.  I think it is designed for Legos and toys, but wouldn't it be an awesome "play area" for LITTLE SCRAPS????

For those of us who use every last snippet of scraps, we struggle with organization so that little pieces of fabrics aren't migrating around the house, stuck to socks, shoes or the cat/dog/husband/kids.  But the scraps also need to be accessible.  I like ones with a little "rim" that helps contain the madness.

I have to say I am intrigued.  I am really more excited about the smaller versions, also pictured above, which I didn't find on the same website.  I think 44 inches would be a little large, although I could spread it out on the ping pong table. But if I go to a class or retreat it might prove a little clumsy if working space is an issue.

I wonder how may quilters it would hold at one time?

Hmm...

There are tutorials online for making something like this, ones to purchase on Etsy, etc.  Amazon even has different kinds and sizes.

I have worked pretty hard to tame my little scraps, opting to put some of them in little flat containers...they take up little space when pressed and ready to go.  

I pick through them with long beading tweezers rather than my fumbly, clumsy fingers.  Really easy, fast and convenient when I know what I want to use.  I set up and maintained several of these for making the music quilt, where I used brighter fabrics than I am currently using on the LITTLE TREASURE blocks made from reproduction fabrics.  I wish I had taken the time to make some little boxes for my repro scraps, but I had no idea at the onset that I would me making so many little blocks!

(These little containers are made by Iris, are really made for storing 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 photos, and can be gotten from Joann's and Amazon.  At my old Michigan Joann's I found them in the scrapbooking area, not the little containers near the fabrics. At the Joann's website, the 5 x 7 are here, and the 4 x 6 are here.  At Amazon, the 5 x 7 are here, and the 4 x 6 are here.)

But then I still have some larger scrap boxes like this...sorted into warm (red/pink, orange, yellow), cool (blue, green, purple), and brown/black colors.  Oh, and a fourth one for the neutral giblets.

These boxes fit well on shelves, but it might be fun to have a drawstring bag to dump them into while "fishing" for what I want, or when going to a class or retreat.  It is hard to "fish" through these without stuff spilling everywhere because they are basically at capacity.

Hmmm...may have to order a bag...no time to make one right now...

Stash and scrap maintenance is definitely on ongoing, ever-changing thing in my quilt cave.  I do very little permanent labeling for that reason (insert index cards that "peek through" the see-through containers and use easy-to-peel-off label tape in my label makers for drawers).

Anything to make the prepping of applique blocks and scrappy quilts easier, more organized, and streamlined is groovy to me.  I am always looking for ways to reduce the amount of time when I "sit and spin" or "wring my hands" or "tear hair and gnash teeth." Those activities waste time!

Happy stitching!

Teresa  :o)

Signs of Spring and Summer...

There are still a few daffodils blooming outside here in NW Alabama, and a two blooming indoors.  Daffodils are my husband's favorite flower.  They started appearing here at the end of January. 

In Michigan, we weren't graced by their blossoms until very late March/early April, and that was after they had fought their way through snow, ice, and frozen mulch.

Spring seems like such a struggle up north and just happens like "plop" here.

This is "Daffodil Delight" and is now available in my LITTLE TREASURES - Flowers (2) pattern bundle at my web store, either by digital download or snail mail, click here.

All the blocks finish 6-inches, but there is an enlargement recipe in the pattern bundle to adjust them to a 9- or 12-inch finished size.

Freshly picked and freshly stitched!  This is "Festival Pineapple" from my LITTLE TREASURES - Fruit and Veg (1) pattern bundle. 

It is weird, but I actually had the taste of pineapple in my mouth as I stitched the block.  Fresh pineapple makes me think of summer for some reason.  I had all these tiny reproduction snippets that I cut the outer pineapple pieces from.  It is so satisfying to use every...last...scrap.

Both blocks will finish 6-inches square and be inserted in my ongoing Repro Madness swap quilt, if I can ever make up my mind about the center medallion.

I am out of prepped applique blocks, so I must stop everything to choose fabrics for the next blocks.  I fell out of bed this morning with some block ideas to finish my first Dog and Cat bundle and a second Misc bundle.

Drawing for me is so weird.  Sometimes I sit down and try to force ideas to come, which isn't usually productive at all, except for producing frustration.  Then, when I am busy with something else, like trying to get a new refrigerator moved into the kitchen (or cleaned up after), the ideas come.

After 3 weeks of refrigerator research, 2 weeks waiting for delivery, 1/4 inch trimmed from the cabinet above, my fabulous husband made the perfect space for our new frig.

Steve used his circular saw and a hand saw to remove a bit of cabinet moulding...no harm done...just a lot of sawdust.

The back of the frig case fit, but there was a panel across the top, just behind the doors.  OOPS!...THAT wasn't in the specifications on the Lowe's web site.

I will have to get used to it being so shiny!  (so shiny, it was hard to photograph at night with the lights)  It is "counter-depth," so it doesn't stick out as far as the old one did.  And hopefully it won't freeze the produce and warm the milk up like the old one, either. Ka-ching!!

Now, I need to spend some time updating this blog site.  It has been so long since I did anything to it that I will have to figure it out all over again.  Is it just me, or is Blogger a bear to use?!?  I miss my Weasley kitty, but I think it is time for a new header picture and a few more changes to my pages.

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

"LITTLE TREASURES" Block Bundles are now available!

Introducing "LITTLE TREASURES" bundles of little quilt block patterns!  

There are now five bundles of patterns (containing 9 blocks each) available at www.fabrictherapyonline.com.  They are available as digital downloads or you can get them the old-fashioned way...through the US mail.

(When figuring postage on the store site, each "bundle" is considered a "pattern.")

The thumbnails of ANIMALS (1) are pictured above.  Each bundle contains nine patterns and a thumbnail/instruction page.  The patterns can be used "as is" to make 6-inch blocks, or you can follow the enlargement directions to make 9- or 12-inch blocks.

Here are the thumbnails displaying the contents of the FLOWERS (1) bundle.

I got so carried away drawing flowers that there is a second bundle of flower blocks.  Here's FLOWERS (2)...

There is a bundle of fruits and vegetable related blocks, FRUIT-VEG (1)...

The MISC (1) bundle contains a range of blocks including two that can be personalized by embroidery or archival Pigma pens.  The "Bundle of Joy" block celebrates the birth of a baby and the "Anniversary Banner" can celebrate a wedding or relationship.  They have room for names and a date.

There are more coming...another MISC bundle, a DOG-CAT bundle, and a BIRD bundle.  Coming up with new blocks is easy...doing it in multiples of nine is a little trickier.

There is a PHOTO GALLERY OF PATTERNS on the store site where I am putting color pictures of each block as I get them stitched up.

Here are the most recent completions...

This is such a fun project to be working on!  And this is really pushing my computer skills.  I just drafted another 8 blocks in the last 24 hours that I need to prep and stitch.

I chose to make the blocks to finish 6 inches as I am mixing them with swap block for a Michigan Memory quilt.  They would also make a nice quilt label at the smaller size, worked up on a larger background, of course.

I am looking forward to making the flower blocks to finish 12 inches for another quilt I have in mind.

Watch this space!!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

DIGITAL DOWNLOADS OF BALTIMORE RHAPSODY NOW AVAILABLE!

Baltimore Rhapsody has joined the digital age!  The blocks are now available as digital downloads on my webstore.  That means instant gratification and NO SHIPPING CHARGES!

The journey continues with this quilt project.  It started with me unsuccessfully looking for music patterns to make, which forced me into quilt designing.  That, in turn, forced me into pattern self-publishing and a whole painful world of desk-top computer work, LOL!.

The quilt won first place in the Bed Quilt-Applique-Hand Quilted category and Best of Show Bed Quilt at Sauder Village in Norhwest Ohio the week I lost my parents.  (Thanks Mary for taking pictures and picking up my quilts after the show...)

Next, it traveled to AQS Grand Rapids and won Viewer's Choice.

Then it traveled to AQS Chattanooga and won Viewer's Choice...again!

Then, it went to Shipshewana, Indiana.

Then it went to AQS Paducah...

Then off to Houston for the IQA International Quilt Festival...thank you Barbara for the pictures!

And currently, it is in Chicago at that IQA show...thanks again, Barbara, for the pictures!

I am hoping it comes home now...I have not touched it since last July.  It has been touring since Houston, and I am not even completely sure where it has been.  It is definitely better traveled than I am, LOL!

I appreciate everyone's support in this project!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

Giddy Up! More finished 6-inch blocks!

The block finishing frenzy continues!  Here are four more little 6-inch hand appliqued blocks for my Repro Madness swap quilt...and the "LITTLE TREASURES" patterns I will be offering soon on my web store.  The horse delivering love is called "Special Delivery" and was inspired by my daughter and her love of horses.

I am continuing to struggle along with my fabric choices from the repro fabric tubs for this swap project. The short range of brighter fabrics available in these muted tones makes shading and perspective really difficult. This block is called "Twining Tulips."
  

I made the frog block ("Ola's Bog Buddy") from my last post thinking about my BFF friend Ola and buddy Mary is crazy for cows and inspired "Mary's Moo Moo."  Now I want to do a block with two pink flamingos, as I remember going to my friend Judy's home to stitch and visit...and maybe a cute little white dog as I remember Julie and the good times we shared.  This quilt will be full of memory and happy thoughts!

This next block was inspired by my current efforts to eat healthier and it is called "Five a Day."  (or maybe the block title is inspired by how many blocks I want to finish each day right now...AT LEAST five a day, LOL!)  It features broccoli, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, yellow peppers, peas and tomatoes.

Now I won't feel guilty when I design a block featuring chocolate, LOL!  Balance, right?

A few weeks ago I posted my block with an antique bike, and I received so many suggestions about the bike needing some sort of spokes on the wheels.  I went back and added a hint of spokes, and it makes the block better...thanks for the feedback!

There is no denying that I am struggling with trying to settle in our family home in NW Alabama.  We are basically neighborless, isolated on a little mountain, seven miles from the small, lovely town of Tuscumbia.  That, in itself, if not bad...it is absolutely beautiful here and I do not miss the noise from the Detroit Metro Airport (which was only 15 miles from my Michigan home), or the sounds from the neighborhood, etc. (of course, the airplane noise has been replaced by gun/ammo noise).

Everywhere I look I see something built and/or planted by my Dad and stepmother, which is comforting but can make me feel even more lonely sometimes.

I am still unpacking (does that ever end?!?) and sorting through my parents' stuff, trying to find balance between honoring what they built here and enjoying the things we moved from Michigan. This week I found places to put the fabric that did not fit in the new quilt cave and our books.

I am also learning more about computer quilt pattern making and PDF's than I ever wanted to learn...BORING!

But Thursday night, I put all the unpacking and pattern making out of my mind and went to Athens, Alabama to give a program to the guild there.  I have not taught a class or given a quilt program in two years so I felt very rusty.  I think I began to feel more like my old self toward the end of it.

The members there were so friendly and kind...I wish they weren't almost 90 minutes away!  Thanks to Carolyn for being my shepherd and getting me where I needed to go!  It was fun to talk about hand applique and block/quilt design.  I found out about some quilting groups a little closer to me, as well.  I don't know what is harder...finding fellow quilters in this state or fellow Democrats!  I am suffering withdrawal from both!

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)

Just froggin' and bloggin'...

I have been trying to catch up with the hand stitching of prepped blocks!  As I put these pattern bundles on my store site next week, I want to have a finished color picture of each pattern in my store picture gallery.

This is Ola's Bog Buddy...

This spiky little fellow is Hedgehog With Melon...

This is Primrose Garland...

And Wisp of Fuchsia...

And Blueberry Season...

Iris Cluster...

And, A Pair of Pears...

I speak tomorrow night at the Quilt Guild in Athens, Alabama.  I have not taught a class or given a quilt talk in two years, so I feel a little rusty and nervous.  I'm sure it will come back to me like riding a bike and then they will have to "use the hook" to get me to shut up!  It will be nice to be around some quilters!

Oh my, and Ola sent me some more blocks for our Repro Madness swap project.  They are embroidered and just perfect with all the other applique and pieced blocks!  Aren't they awesome?!?  They will finish 6 inches.

I have got to get out and meet some local quilters...this is a very lonely mountain!  I spent a little time this week unpacking some more boxes...the moving in continues!  I had to stop for a while there after Christmas because I felt so cranky every time I spied a pile of boxes somewhere in the house.  

This week I focused on unpacking boxes of books...ugh.  Trying to find spaces for books is difficult.  Steve had made me built-in book shelves in Michigan, and we left them with the house when we sold it...sigh.

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

Stitching between the raindrops...

I have been trying (like a donkey!) to make my applique prepping and stitching reality catch up with my drawing and computer reality!

I guess I was hungry when I drew the hamburger-fries-pickle plate, and the poor little squirrel has been crammed in my sewing box, patiently awaiting finishing stitches for a while.

And now, there are 16 more prepped blocks waiting for applique stitches and embroidery embellishment.  Pardon the pictures...we have had so many rainy, stormy days this week and the house was really dark and gloomy.  

I will make better pictures of each block when they are stitched, soaked and freshly pressed.

I have to admit that restricting myself to reproduction fabrics for these blocks is not working for me!  Even with an extensive stash of these beauties from which to choose, there just aren't enough nice yellows, purples, oranges, and pinks to please me.  I wish those fabric designers would put out a line with nothing but THOSE colors...how many more muted, dark and dirty prints do I need?!?

All my prepped flower blocks seem muted and a little duller than I like.  Maybe because the spring flowers are just so bright and beautiful outside right now!

These blocks will all finish 6 inches square.  I am looking forward to doing some of them larger (12 inches square) and in BRIGHTER FABRICS!  But these smaller ones are destined for my Repro Madness quilt, which is the result of a swap block project, and the three of us agreed on the color palette months ago...

Also, I find it hard to choose fabrics for some of these detailed blocks from so many figured prints...sometimes the print details of the repro fabrics distract my eye...I miss the brighter tone-on-tones that make it easier to grade and shade the flower blocks.

Computer work toward getting all of this ready to offer is continuing...I want a color picture of each block to put in the web store photo gallery.

In stitches,
Teresa   :o)