Several months back, while dealing with the broken foot/broken face debacle and still trying to stay on track with designing and pulling fabrics for our Chilhowie quilt, I opened a stash cabinet door to pull oranges and found that the weight of the shelf containing all of these pinks had finally given way.
WHY do I have so much pink fabric?
I have no excuses. I have no reasoning. It was the early 2000s and I am blaming self-medicating with fabric stashing while raising teenage boys. That's my story. I'm sticking to it.
For MONTHS I would open that cabinet door, see the mess, moan, and shut the door. That's how badly I did not want to deal with fixing the shelf and reorganizing everything.
Because before the shelf could be fixed - all of that fabric had to come out and I just had zero desire to deal with it. Have you been there?
I think there is a life lesson in there somewhere - something else I've been refusing to face, and maybe you have something too. Shut the door, we'll deal with that later.
This photo was taken after most of the fabric had already been brought out to sit on every surrounding flat surface.
At this stage of the game I wish I had self-medicated with fat-quarters instead of yardage, but you know - it was teenage boys. How else was I supposed to cope? BIG purchases!
Not only were there piles on top of the sewing machine as in the top photo of this post -
But there was more here.
And you know what? I still love most of these prints. I'll work on something to use them up somewhere, somehow. Some place they look really great. Maybe early 2000's repros of 1800s pinks will have a resurgence somehow.
I switched things around a bit.
There is less orange than pink. WHY was all of that heavy pink above the orange? Because I wanted things in rainbow order. But honestly - who really cares, as long as I know where to find the colors I need when I need them?
The way-too-much-pink is now on the bottom with the not-as-much orange above. There is also more pink shoved into the reds above the oranges. Because I ran out of room.
I see many pink backings in my future.
I love my fabrics. I make no apologies for how long I've had them or how they inspired me when I collected them. There are still so many projects that will benefit from them.
Maybe I'll start on a valentine's something - that is AFTER I finish sewing the top for the blue & chartreuse quilt.
Don't let tiny pieces scare you! It's the same seam allowance!
I've finished the "Webbing" in one direction, all pieces are in place. Now the cross-seaming begins.
I've had folks ask if I press while webbing. These pieces are so small that a good finger press as I add the next column is sufficient for this direction. I do iron press after every cross seam.
That pressing will take care of the seam I just pressed, and prep the next couple of rows for cross-seaming at the same time.
Secondary stars! FUN!
I didn't work on this one yesterday as I was getting the long arm space ready for my maintenance guy to come. (Hence the digging into fixing the pink shelf.) Evidently he got caught in a snow storm while crossing Indiana and had found it safer to hunker down there than to continue, so hopefully by late this afternoon we'll have that all taken care of.
Since I have some time the cross-seaming may begin this morning.
Our little Charlie Brown tree in a lard bucket is twinkling!
Ivy at my shoulder at the top of the couch while I was hand quilting beneath my task light - evidently she thought the light was too bright and tucked her face under. Just so stinking cute I had to attempt a photo. "Too bright, Mama!"
This morning's sunrise photo - also too bright. Seriously beaming this morning. There is plenty of horrid cold on the way - so I'll focus on the light instead.
Five days until the Solstice. I'm counting down!
Quiltville Quote of the Day -
If the holiday stress is pulling you down, remember this.
You are perfect just as you are.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
23 comments:
I'm using pink as my neutral for Chilhowie. Don't think you have to Dave it for Valentine's!
hard to believe dark afternoons will soon be on the wane and we'll ALL be in the pink!
What direction do you press all the sashes and cornerstones?
I think "Pink fabric=self-medication during raising two boys" is one of the funniest and best line I've heard in a long time. Bonnie, you are not too much. You are the greatest!!!!
Love your blog Bonnie. Wishing you & your family a wonderful holiday season & a Very Merry Christmas.
Generally I am pressing toward the sashings and away from the cornerstones.
I think you need to use a you of pink in one of your new mysteries and there will be a resurgence of it in no time. You inspire quilters and if you use it you have inspired others to follow. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I love your Pinks..my pink shelf is over flowing too. Pink and brown. pink and Green. Pink and black. Oh the possibilities!
Cold here today. Biting cold. But Sunny..
Have a great day..
Ohhhh a pink and brown quilt would be so "vintage-y" beautiful.
Never such a thing as too much pink! My favorite! It would be so much fun to have a quilt along...in pink!
I love your pink collection and look forward to seeing what it inspires you to create!
THANK YOU for posting the pictures of the collapsed shelves. My husband is still reminding me of the collapsed shelves in my cabinet 5 years ago, every time I bring home fabric!! It makes me feel like less of a fabric hoarder.
I also lived with 2 sons and a husband. We took in a 16 year-old "daughter" for a few months until she could reconcile with her family and it was such a pleasure to go into her room, it smelled so nice, she even had a doily on her dresser. So, treasure that pink, I get it, make ruffles, lol.
As I was reading your blog, I was thinking the pink fabrics would be great for the backings of your quilts, and then You said it. lol I always use backing fabrics that doesn't have anything to do with the front of the quilt, that way it seems like a different quilt when being used. Love your patterns and your choice of fabrics. Especially the Neutrals! Quilty Hugs to all!
I have been tracking the sunrises and sunsets and already we have been gaining a minute more ever couple of days at sunset. But the time of daylight remains the same.
How I miss those days of kids at home, who knew we would when we trying to get through those teen years? I know you'll come up with something wonderful for all those fun pinks! Merry Christmas!
Never too much PINK for me. All the shades and tones. I love them. Repros, Double Pinks. They will make a cute Valentine-y something. and lots of backings. Yep, my Fat Quarters over-floweth too. Glad you fixed the shelf.
I am a self proclaimed pinkaholic. Love pink. But I am sure it was for the same reason as you. After my daughter moved away for a job, I was left with two boys and a hubby. Talk about testosterones! I almost didn't make it. But the pink saved me :-)
Pink is not too prevalent in my stash! Evidently I have a thing with blue. But my stash is totally disorganized. Today's plan sometime between baking cookies and bread with my daughter and granddaughter is to start in the corner of the sewing room behind the door and get rid of "stuff" I will never ever need again (until I throw it away). Enjoy your sun! Today is the first morning we've had sun in a good week--but it is very cold here!
I laughed at your story!! It hits close to home as I do the same thing without even realizing it. When my mister makes me mad I go online and order a new fat quarter set as well! HAHA... I was going through my strip basket looking for scraps to use in clue #2, and I have so many 1&1/2" strips!! I just wish I had time. Even though I am on break there is still so much to do. Hopefully there will be days cold enough to go sit and sew! Looking forward to the new things coming with all that pink!! Yes, the pink and brown combination was my favorite as well! :)
Over the many years I've been reading your blog you've mentioned many times how you would arrive home to find an anonyms box of goodies of fabric on your step. If you so choose to share many of those double pinks with me, 1800's reprints that I've been looking for, I would be so delighted. Let me know if you are up to this.
Seems to me I have some of those same pinks, think back to Common Threads, Waxahachie, Texas
There is no such thing as too much pink...just sayin'!
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