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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Slow Progress in the Yellow Zone!

It’s been a morning of interruptions ---good ones!

But I’m making lots slower progress than I hoped.

First off, I learned that I can not have the iron, the quilting machine, and the new infared quartz heater running at the same time on the same circuit.

BAM!  Just as I was replying to my friend Kim in NY that I was glad that HER power stayed on through Hurricane Sandy, MINE went off in the middle of the email.  DRAT!

The only light that stayed on down here was the storage closet ---and that’s where I ran a big extension cord across the basement for the iron earlier in the year so I could run the quilting machine AND have the iron on.  I’ve moved the infared heater to that outlet also, but not trusting to run the iron and the heater at the same time either.

Oh yellow! Oh Orange!!  And that lead to things like…wow…I remember this!  How long have I had this?  1982???

stash 016

If you remember this fabric, then you have been around a LONG TIME!  It’s one of the first quilting fabrics I ever bought….and I still love it.  It looks “old fashioned” to me ---and I think that’s why I still like it, it will still play nice with other things.  Vintage looking fabric stays vintage.  Fabrics that look like 1930s fabrics will always look like 1930s fabrics and won’t become more dated looking either.  Same with civil war fabrics.

The things that my tastes change on are the “trendy” things.  Debbie Mumm Birdhouses come to mind--or giant sunflowers--you know the kind.  But since I basically play by color family in my scrap quilts –many of my fabrics are “timeless” and just read as the color they are and don’t shout out “out-dated!”

Still – this one has hung around a long time.  It’s not orange, it’s kind of rust – but not really, it’s more red than rust ---and it’s switched positions in cupboards from time to time. 

Note to self – must sew this up in something.  I’ve had it for nearly 30 years!!

stash 019

This is as far as I’ve gone today.  There is still time this afternoon – the color that goes on top of here?  Green.  Loads of green on the living room floor upstairs --- which means I need to slog it all downstairs and start organizing it.

stash 018
Yellow to gold to orange to rust.

And the folding continues!

There will not be QuiltCam tonight ---I’m working on the post for tomorrow morning that announces our yardage requirements and other details for our November Mystery!  Look for that post bright and early in the morning. 

Let the fun begin!

34 comments:

  1. I thought last night that you said you needed more yellow!??!!?! lol
    Sorry, could not resist. Gosh, looking SO good! Excited about the mystery quilt

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  2. Oh, that rust fabric! Do I remember it!! When my sister-in-law got married (it might have been in 1982) and had Fall colors for her reception, I made dresses for my two little girls out of that stuff. I had forgotten all about it, but when you posted that photo it came back to me in a heartbeat. I wonder if there are any scraps of it left anywhere? : )

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  3. I am awaiting the fabric list for this new Mystery Quilt! I'll be up bright and early to see it, then make quick work of getting my supplies together!

    You're a busy little Lady Ms Bonnie! Such an inspiration.

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  4. you are inspiring me to reorganize my stash

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  5. how many of these wonderful cabinets do you have. I love them
    Ramona from Maine

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  6. You need to get "back on the road", girlfriend! Your house and life will be SO organized you won't be able to stand it ... LOL Seriously ... you've inspired me to start digging out from under in my own domain ... THANK YOU!!

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  7. Love all the fall colors in your shelves. I see a few yellows I have. Favorite combo is rust with turquoise blues. Maybe you need an electrician to come run another line from a different circuit for a few more plugs. Our kitchen was on the same circuit as the garage. Made a big difference when we added plugs in the garage ceiling.

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  8. You are doing great with your organizing! Inspirational in quilting AND organizing! Thanks Bonnie! I will miss you on QuiltCam, but look forward to the beginning of the Mystery Quilt tomorrow!

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  9. I am getting excited about the mystery, Bonnie. Your past ones are much prettier than most mysteries I see around the internet. I don't think I'll be able to resist joining in, though I need to hand quilt a king-sized quilt at the same time. Guess I'll alternate between machine time for the mystery and hand quilting time... Hmmmm... when am I supposed to do my paying job?

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    1. AND--anything quilt related in those "good" interruptions?

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  10. I so wish I had room for at least one of the cabinets like yours. Hmmmm.... I wonder what I could get rid of to provide room for a cabinet. This will be my very first Mystery Quilt. I'm really looking forward to it. :-)

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  11. I'm so excited about your upcoming mystery! I did Orca Bay last year and my grandson and I have so much fun playing "I Spy" with it before he goes to bed. (It's on his bed in the guest room). Love all your tips, now I want to go fondle my fabrics!

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  12. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE MYSTERY...but guess I'll have to, unless you post it tonight...what ya think?

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  13. One piece of fabric at a time, you will eventually get it all done. I need more neutrals.....not even close to what you have. It is the only color I am always low on, even though I pick it up whenever I see it on sale of clearance, no matter what kind of picture is on it. Oh can't wait till tomorrow, too bad today is the last day for my vacation. That is ok though, I still haven't finished last years, I am still stitching away on it though. I think I have my colors picked out already, just waiting to see what you put out there for us to know.

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  14. This will be the first time I do the whole mystery, I hope. I started Double Delight...it's in a tote somewhere. Thanks for always giving us your time. Can't wait to Meet you in Portland next spring.

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  15. I am skipping Halloween to devote my time to gathering fabric for your mystery, my first one!!! :) Our doorbell is broken, I will be the only one home, I have been out of town and am behind on lots of stuff, I don't need any candy around...so I plan to leave the lights off and stay in my quilt studio and gather fabric! :) I do believe the kids in my neighborhood will still have plenty of candy to gather!!!

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  16. I have tons of neutrals, browns and pinks. The blues and greens are not as numerous.
    There is nothing like having it all folded and viewable.
    I gave away/donated an entire tub of fabric to our local Project Linus chapter. I still need to go through more to give away.
    The last time I cleaned up the fabric I found an entire tote full of "fall" fabrics. All leaves and trees for a maple leaf quilt that I want to make someday.
    I am still quilting on the Tulip Fields. It looks as if it will take me another whole day to finish the machine quilting. I love it so much. But I am giving it to daughter#1 for Christmas.
    XOXOXO Subee

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  17. Subee, I have a lot of browns and pinks too - do you think we will be able to use them in the mystery? I have never kept a brown and pink quilt I have made and have been longing for one - this might be the time! Hint,hint! I'm on pins and needles waiting for the mystery fabric list.

    I would like to donate fabric to our Project Linus chapter but it seems they mostly do fleece blankets and crochet rather than quilts. I did take an enormous pile of fabrics to a quilting group at a senior center when I cleaned out my sewing room about five years ago. I only got to speak to the center administrator when I dropped off the fabric; I would have loved to have seen the group's reaction to those bags - hope they enjoyed using the fabrics.

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  18. You have the same taste in fabric that I do. Your cabinets making me want to go fabric shopping.

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  19. I've been thinking, all day, about something you said on QuiltCam last night. You were talking about the quilt that were on display at Festival, in your publishers booth. You mentioned how different they looked from the ones next to them. It seemed, to me, that you were a little embarrassed by the many different fabrics you used. I think you said something like "hand-me-down prom dress" or similar, compared to the quilts that were made from a line of designer type fabrics. The main reason I appreciate your quilts, and try to emulate them, is that random and scrappiness. Each fabric has a story to tell, I can remember most of them as pull pieces out of my stash. Whether it is a scrap or a FQ or more, each has a bit of my history. Remembering how I liked a certain color one year or splurged on a few extra FQ's at a show. I can see what fun you are having sorting your stash these past few days. Your scrappy quilts are like a day spent playing in the stash. When I started Orca Bay, I wasn't sure if I would like it because everything I had made before was matchy-matchy or from a pattern that displayed a designers fabric line. You changed the way I look at fabric now, to me fabric is more like paint for a canvas. Its a color, texture and value, not a print or shape. I can't wait to dive into my stash tomorrow and see what beautiful things I can make!

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    1. there's no LIKE button so here's my post I like this comment.

      Can't waitfor the mystery quilt have never done one b4!

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    2. Amen!~ You said it better than I tried to tell her.
      LIKE!~:)

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    3. Ditto, to the above comments. We love being scrap happy because of you, Bonnie. I wouldn't change a thing.

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  20. Bonnie,
    You make me tired! I think I'll go take a nap. :-)
    Mary k

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  21. I have never made a mystery quilt so this will be my first and I am excited. There are just too many quilts to make and oh so little time.. I think I need a t shirt..lol Looking forward to tomorrow bright and early. your cab's look great.

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  22. Looking forward to another Bonnie Mystery.

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  23. I love that cupboard!!!

    Susan

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  24. SEW excited for any mystery info you give us...can't wait. I hope you know how much we appreciate you sharing your life with us Bonnie...we really do!

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  25. I feel like a child the night before Christmas.
    Anti-ci-pa-A-tion...is making me wait.

    See you early!

    Lucy~

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  26. Thanks so much for sharing so generously. Sorry your power went out, but isn't it wonderful that our lines are constructed to protect us from electrical fires!
    I love quiltcam, have learned so much. Looking forward to your mystery... I bet i learn a lot about combining color!
    Sometimes my combinations using Civil War & repros looks so dull, my neutrals go flat. looking forward to your upcoming gift. Thanks again and sweet dreams. B

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  27. Ooooooooh! Yummy colors! Your story of the electricity reminded me of our 1st apartment -- 50 years ago. We were both college students and poor:) The landlords house had been divided into 3 living spaces, and all three were on 2 fuses. I think our whole apartment and their kitchen were on 1 fuse. I could not use 2 heating elements at the same time. For instance, I could not be ironing while my husband used the electric skillet. We blew a few fuses before we figured this out. It reminded me of the tv show "Green Acres."

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  28. Ah yes....the infamous blow the circuit breaker.....been there, done that way more time than I can count. I usually run a heavy duty extension cord down the hall to the bathroom outlet which is on a different circuit and plug my heater into that. However, my house is on the market, I can't do that. So I alternate between heat for awhile and then the iron......this house better hurry up and sell before the weather gets any colder!

    Question--what's the smallest size of fabric that you will fold up and put back into the stash? Is there a minimum size it must be and if its smaller, do you cut it into strips or something else?

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  29. Ooh - that's hard- depends on how much I love it! If it is at least a 4" x 12 I would pit it back in stash.

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