Just Trying to Keep Busy

Hey, everyone! I want to share a bit of what I've been doing to keep busy during these self-quarantining times, but first I feel compelled to express my feelings about what's going on right now. It's so hard to know what's appropriate to blog about these days. I feel like most typical posts are trivial in the light of all the chaos going on in this country and around the world. My heart aches for all the lives lost to the Pandemic and for the many more that will be lost because of people still not taking it seriously after so many warnings that have come true. I'm also very troubled in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and the many others whose lives have been taken at the hands of ruthless and racist people. I lived the first 12 years of my life in Louisiana in the 1950's....a very segregated and racist time. My parents were the definition of racists and bigots. I remember, even as a very young child, feeling assaulted by the ugly names used that I cannot even bear to repeat today.  That young child just didn't understand how and why someone was treated differently because of the color of their skin. I dared not ask questions either, or I might have gotten a good "switching" or worse, the belt. Thankfully, I had grandparents living close by, who were blind to "color." They treated everyone equally and with respect. They never spoke out against my parents to me; but, instead, lead by example. My parents were racists to the bitter end of their lives. They would have been incredulous to find out that there is "Sub-Sahara African" in our DNA. I pray that the peaceful marches and protests, and all the many voices speaking out for change will ultimately force those changes.

Like I said, my hubby and I continue to self-quarantine because we are in that high-risk bracket, and because our state opened too quick, too fast and without any safety protocols in place...yeah, all that! My hubby has a nice shop, and I have a craft room, so keeping busy isn't too hard!

I've been making lots of cards....

This is about a third of what I made and all were made & donated to a couple of good causes.  I won't elaborate on where the cards have been sent, because that diminishes the act of kindness when you toot your own horn...that's what my grandmother always said, and she was my hero.

My room is pretty small, so this is the best I can do for an overall look at my crafting area.  I love that everything is close at hand!

This is a good overview of my crafting desk.  Everything I need is within reach or reachable with a little scoot or spin of my chair.

I thought long and hard before I purchased the Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat, but I'm so glad I finally pulled the trigger...love it!

If you are a scrapbooker or card maker, you may recognize this container.  It's a Totally Tiffany

Die, Stamp and Supply Organizer that you can get HERE at Scrapbook.com.  When I get ready to make cards or do some scrapbooking, I fill this container with all the appropriate things I'll want to use.  It's wonderful when I'm working on seasonal projects, too.

I have tried so many different ways to store ephemera and all the bits and bobs that most of us crafters like to have at hand; but what I have finally discovered is that I need to utilize several different methods.  Besides the Totally Tiffany container, I also have this galvanized 3-tier thing that  I placed on a $Tree spinner and outfitted with some bowls that were not being used for anything else.

I'm truly not a "Hoarder" of supplies...well, maybe paper; but I tend to purchase only what I really like and know I will use.  That being said, this is how I store my small collection of clear stamps...they are in acrylic envelopes so I don't lose any of the smaller ones.  I decorated the box and added dividers that make sense to me. 

My sweet hubby, made this pegboard for me, and I change it up often, depending on what I'm working on.

I have a bank of Alex drawers from IKEA holding up the right-hand side of my craft desk.

This drawer is the second one down; I call it my project drawer, because it holds the overflow of whatever I'm currently working on.  I do this so my glass mat stays free of clutter.  I usually just leave this drawer open when I'm working, unless I need ink pads...they are in the drawer just below this one.

This rolling drawer storage was a purchase from Michael's, but I'm not seeing it on their website.  It may be an item they only offer periodically, but it is perfect for my use.

On the top I have an old makeup carrier, perfect for my bulky and handmade rosettes & ephemera!

Behind the rosettes is a box of paper doilies.

Now for the drawers...the top one holds white & cream cardstock scraps, the next drawer holds patterned paper/cardstock scraps & the 3rd drawer holds borders and strips.

The remaining 7 drawers hold all kinds of ephemera sorted by color.

As you can see, I just used whatever small containers or dividers I had on hand to organize each of these drawers.  It doesn't bother me one bit that these containers are all a mishmash of different things I just had on hand!

This metal piece is something I purchased a couple of years ago at Hobby Lobby, and it has served many different purposes in my craft room.  It is now hanging on the end of my sewing table and holds different size card layers and some card-size mat-stacks.  My paper cutter is directly above it...this is right behind me when I'm at my craft table.

One last look at my crafting area!  I always tend to get lengthy in my posts, so I should have warned you to get some sustenance before we got started!  Hope you survived.  There are many more things I want to share about in this area, but that will definitely be for another post...we all need to rest up!

I hope everyone is surviving whatever quarantine phase you are in and please stay safe!

Carol

There's Been Some Quilting Going On!

Hey, everyone!  Does anyone know what day it is or even what month it is?  I keep forgetting!  Can anyone else relate?

Well, I've decided to try to do one post per week, and today's post is about quilting.  I just finished this quilt today, and I'm so happy to have it finished!

I am no master quilter at all, but I think this turned out pretty cute!  I try not to get overly stressed about seams matching up and trying to get everything perfect.  I started out doing that and quickly put quilting on the back-burner for awhile until I just decided to have fun with quilting.  Now my attitude is much more relaxed and quilting is something I really enjoy!

Since I'm sharing about quilting, I thought I'd also share how I store my fabric and quilting supplies.

With the exception of the row of photo albums, most of this Kallax unit is devoted to sewing.  I do have a good-size table for my sewing machine & can work on quilts fairly easily.  All of my furniture is either from IKEA or Michael's.  I added the drawers, a couple of sets at a time, into the Kallax...really like drawer storage.

                

This cubby holds my quilting books and my collection of quilt patterns.  This is one of those 3" ring binders, & it is packed.  I just recently weeded through it, but it's still very full!

 






All the patterns are in sheet protectors and the binder is divided into sections that make sense to me.

I like for my supplies to be close at hand and also part of the decor...love seeing the spools of thread!

 

These are my first bank of Kallax drawers.
 As you can see, I really like fat quarters. Actually, I make most of my quilts using fat quarters...except for the backing piece, of course.

This bin (just below the fat quarter drawers) holds scraps.  I'll share a bit later what I do with scraps when I get bored!

 

The next bank of drawers are holding sewing/quilting projects.  When I'm working on a quilt or some other sewing project, I like to keep everything together.  The top drawer is holding the remnants from the quilt I just finished...I have plans for these scraps. My next quilt is just below.

The next drawer holds a quilt kit that I hope to start very soon.  The next drawer holds what I do with scraps...I cut them into my most often used squares & strips & I keep them in labeled baggies.  This is a great boredom-buster (also scrap buster).  I hope to make a very scrappy quilt some day!

This bin holds mainly sewing projects that I've put together....aprons, Teddy Bears, outdoor pillows & cushions.  Once I decide to start working on one of these, it will get moved to one of the drawers above.

 

Onto the 3rd bank of drawers...having fun yet?  The top drawer is holding some Christmas projects in-the-making.  The second drawer holds seasonal fabrics...mostly fat quarters & a few remnants left over from other projects.

The 3rd drawer holds lots of felt, & the bottom drawer holds a few patterns.

This bin holds some larger pieces of fabric that I can use for various projects.

I won't go into the 4th bank of drawers at this time, because it holds my embroidery & cross stitch projects and needs its own post.  That will be coming soon, I hope!

 

This set of drawers is directly to the left of my sewing machine.  I won't go into each drawer, but I will share the top drawer.  It holds my machine feet, needles, marking pens & a lint roller...very important!

In case you are curious, my one and only machine is a 35 year old Bernina 1130.  There is nothing plastic about this bad boy...it weighs a ton!  It's served me well over the years, and I cannot imagine sewing on anything else!

Just to the left of my sewing machine is a padded board I made for pressing when I'm sewing or quilting.  The iron & water bottle sit on my Raskgog cart that is tucked into a corner beside the Kallax.

 

The set of drawers holding up the right side of my sewing table are turned toward my crafting area, so I used some command hooks to hold sewing scissors, rulers & mats on the backside of that drawer unit.  My SIL gifted me the pincushion-thread catcher, & I love it!

                                                     

Just to the right of my machine, I have this 3-tiered spinner that I made using pie tins & candle sticks from the Dollar Store.  It holds some thread & tools that I reach for most often.  Plus it has a few things just for cuteness!

This is the backside of my sewing table. I have an 

Ott Lite, a small cutting pad, & at the far end is my

paper cutter.  It's not in the way at all & is very 

convenient to my crafting area.  I often spread 

scrapbook pages all along this area....it's space that

serves multiple uses.

I finished this Hungry Caterpillar quilt a few weeks ago.  It was a gift for a precious baby boy born on Cinco de Mayo.  I kind of like the back of the quilt better than the front, but both are cute.  I also included the little book.

Did you survive this very photo heavy post?  Bless your heart if you did & no hard feelings if you just couldn't...we all have our breaking points!  Anyway, this is a wrap for this time.  I'm having spine surgery next week, so I may not post for a week or so.  Part of the new normal is that I had to have a Covid-19 test this week....it's now required before any surgery!  Now that's a good idea! 

See you soon,

Carol