Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Flower Play and a Mess of a Work Space

This is one of my first ideas for this basket block.  Well, maybe my second or third idea.  The bird's moved several times.  And so have the flowers in the photo plus several others that aren't in the photo.  I'm still deciding what to do about leaves and other elements -- deciding what to do about all of it except the basket, which is already sewn.

Baskets of Plenty Cheri Payne pattern

I cut out a bunch of flowers, just to see how they might look.  Only three of these will make the final cut.  I tend toward realism but not this time with these flowers.


This is a rare look (well, rare for you; I see it every day) into the mess of my work space when making an applique block.  As you scroll through the photos imagine looking at an ironing board from left to right.








When this block is finished I'll pick up everything and put it all away, only to pull out the cigar box (on the left in the first ironing board photo) with some already cut pieces and begin again when I start the next block.

When you're in the midst of work on a block or quilt, does your work space stay neat and tidy or do you spread out as you play with fabric and make decisions?

I'm linking this quilt to
> Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework
> Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times
> WOW at Esther's Blog
> Let's Bee Social #170 at Sew Fresh Quilts
> Midweek Makers #65 at Quilt Fabrication
Thanks for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.
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14 comments:

  1. I don't know how many elements you are supposed to have in this block, but I like what I see on it now.
    I'm amazed you can fit all of that stuff on an ironing board! :)
    My work space gets very messy as I work. Usually it is my cutting table that fills up, and then one end of the ironing board (I try to keep the other end for actually ironing). I may start stacks on the floor and bar stool I keep in my sewing room, but the chairs are definitely off limits. When I put a couple of chairs (besides my sewing chair) in my sewing room, I told myself they were for sitting on, not for stacking. So you can always drop by and find a place to sit in my sewing room, if nothing else.

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    1. Hi, Janet. Cheri's pattern includes several leaves both small and larger plus another different flower and a heart-like leaf/heart shape in addition to the ones I used. One of the things I like about this sew-along is that she gives the pattern pieces but no instruction about placement of the pieces. It's fun but it's also a little challenging (at least for me).

      Several things on the ironing board are moveable. The fabric on the left is in a tobacco box with the lid open. I can lift that out of the way easily. And the block itself is on a child's writing board which I can pick up and carry -- to the family room for sewing or if I want to iron. I tend to stack high instead of from the floor up, so the arm on my sewing machine and a cupboard both have stacks on them, mostly blocks in progress or unused "parts" from other quilts that didn't need them, glass jars with thread on wooden spools, etc.

      The room where I sew is also the room with the computer, printer, scanner, all my genealogy files, and all other paper supplies. It's really pretty cramped but I don't dare ask my husband for another room. He already feels like I've taken more than my fair share of space as it is (but we won't mention that he has a double garage and one side of a large basement).

      I keep my chairs open, too, except for an occasional R.S. notebook/clipboard when I'm working on something, or when I come in with a bag and to put it down until I can put everything away.

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  2. I like your basket of flowers. Very prim in style. My work area gets messy when I am prepping parts for a quilt.....and often stays that way.

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    1. Thank you, Karen. It's hard for me to work on a quilt without making a mess and I find that if everything thing is very neat, organized, and put away, I'm less inclined to pull out fabric to begin on a quilt. It does get to a point though when I just have to clean up nearly everything and begin again.

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  3. You certainly have been having fun creating this by the looks of all the cut up scraps - it looks great! Thank you for sharing on Midweek Makers

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    1. Thanks, Susan. Yes, I have lots of little scraps. Lol. Some from other projects, some for this one. I'm so indecisive sometimes but mostly I have to see things to decide.

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  4. Creating is messy business, for sure! I like your basket so far--very fun!

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    1. Thanks, Karen. I find it impossible to create in a pristine environment, but if it's too messy I can't work, either.

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  5. Can you believe my best friend and I used to stop at the cigar store all the time and buy wooden boxes of the brands that smelled good? We put threads in them, and I'm still using a bunch of them. So useful! And recycling, you know. I actually like that basket with the flowers and NO leaves! I always save your photos to give me an idea when I get around to doing these.

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    1. I absolutely can believe you stopped at cigar stores for cigar boxes -- and smelled them before you bought them, Susan. They were my favorite boxes as a child and I still love them. My husband will occasionally buy them as gifts for me even now. They are so sturdy and stackable, too.

      I'm glad you like my baskets but you should maybe look at those of others who really know what they're doing!

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  6. I really like the stripe you've used for the basket. The flowers look like something to eat (that's good!). I had to clean out a closet downstairs because my youngest and spouse are moving in. It was full of quilt stuff so now that's all been shoved into my sewing space. Clutter is going to be my middle name for a few months.

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    1. Thank you, Robin. I didn't think of the flowers as looking like maybe lollipops but I guess they do. Lol.

      I hope the things you had to move from the closet to your sewing space don't impede your creativity!

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  7. I love the look of your workspace-all the pretty fabric to go thru to find the perfect one and everything ready to hand.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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