As some of you may have noticed, there's been a few changes made to the blog. I've been wanting to clean up and simplify this space for a while now but the final push to do so came when last week I spent half the day trying to fix a blog post due to formatting issues (which I have mentioned in several posts leading up to this one). I knew it then that it was time to give the blog a li'l makeover. So I changed the template to something simple, cleaned up my sidebar, and got rid of the funky fonts. I had major hopes that all my housekeeping would be the key to fixing my formatting issues. It kinda worked. I really liked the changes that I had made but I still spent a few hours trying to write and fix a post that just ended up not happening. Ugh. It's definitely time to switch my game plan here.
I've been thinking long and hard about this, had arguments with myself, weighed the pros and cons, and finally came down to the decision to re-brand and to buy my own domain. Yup. That last one was a huge decision for me to make, but one that I've been thinking of doing for the past few months. I finally just bit the bullet and did it. So this will be the final post on this blog. Don't worry, I don't plan on ever deleting this blog, and all previous posts will still be up for your viewing pleasure. I'll still be keeping an eye on this blog, you know, to make sure the comments are being spammed and that the photos and links are still working. I know that some people have posts and videos that link to this blog and I don't ever want people to not be able to find my work, nor do I want people to have to go and re-link everything. But from now on you can find me at:
Starting tomorrow I'll be posting at the new blog! So don't forget to update your feeds, readers, bloglines, and/or blog lists with the new website address. If you subscribe by email, head on over to the new site and sign back up on the new blog. Oh! And while you're there, don't forget to follow me! Once on the new site you will notice that the old blog and the new blog look eerily the same. I guess you can say that I used this blog's last days as a guinea pig, and I wanted the transition from old to new to be easy...on me. I know, I know...how selfish am I? To make it even easier I had also transfered over all posts, just to make it easier to find stuff. I don't know about you, but I'm not a fan of having a million browsers/tabs open just cause I'm searching for one little thing.
Ok, well...I guess that's it for me! Ok little blog. We had some moments together...the good, the bad, the ugly, and now it's time for me to say "smell you later!".
As for you blogging friends, see you on the new website!
♥ Melissa
Sew, Mama, Sew! is doing a feature on stashes this week. I love to look at pictures and hear stories of other people's stashes and sewing rooms/nooks, and how they got to be the way they are. As a certifiable fabric whore, my stash is ever growing with no hopes of stopping. So after reading a few features I couldn't resist joining in and talking about my baby stash!
What do you usually sew?
Clothes, aprons, baby stuff, crafty things, zippered pouches, totes and bags...pretty much anything. Lately I'm getting into quilting.
When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?)
It depends on the fabric. If it's meant for clothing, then I normally get a metre or two. If I really, really, really love it then I get 4-5 metres. If it's a crafty fabric then I get a metre. Again, if I really like it, then I get 2. But if I absolutely love it and I clutch the bolt the entire time I'm in the fabric store, then I get 4-5 metres. It's a lot, I know, but then I can make a ton of things with it and then just surround myself with it.
Most of the time though, when I see a fabric I can usually guess what I can use it for, so that really helps in deciding how much I need. With that said, I'm thinking I should start buying fabrics in fat quarters. Just so I can have a better range, and so that I don't spend a fortune and yet still get more fabric!
Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?
This is what normally happens: I go to the store looking for something specific, but then a million fabrics just out at me...but not the one that I need for the project I want to do at the moment. I'm sure this happens to everyone.
Are you a pre-washer?
Yes. But if it's for a project that doesn't get washed, like a notepad holder, then I won't bother.
If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it?
Funny story, I usually have a million projects on the go, and generally start a million projects at the same time. So I think I'm washing the fabric before I need it, but then it just ends up sitting there for a while when my attention is stuck on another project.
Do you iron it?
Yes. It makes cutting more precise.
How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)
At the moment it's sorted by clothing fabric and crafty fabric, then subdivided by print and then color. As in all my polka dots are in one pile, my solids in another, kiddie prints in another, denim in another...and then each pile goes by color from dark to light. The only exception is my Japanese fabrics, they get their own special treatment and spot in the sewing space.
Do you have any special folding techniques?
Nope. I just fold them nicely and try to get them folded to all the same size. But I always have the folded edge facing out. Just looks neater that way.
How do you store your fabric?
I have all crafty fabrics on one shelf, clothing fabric on another. Duplicates (like I have a few vintage Rainbow Brite bedsheets, and a few large quantities of denim) in a big plastic Rubbermaid tote that's in a closet across the hall. Scraps are shoved into a Finnish grocery shopping bag (it brings back memories, and with it, inspiration).
What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?
I really don't think I'm in a position to give tips on building a well-rounded stash, as my stash is far from well-rounded. But after reading a lot of other people's tips, I'm thinking I really need to start buying coordinating fabrics in both print and solid. And maybe buy several prints within a set, that way I know they'll work together. Also, just from being quite the novice quilter, I realize that I need to start purchasing outside my favorite colors...I definitely need a full spectrum of colors in my stash.
When do you say enough is enough?
I'm the wrong person to ask that question to...I don't think there is such a thing as enough!! There's always new prints coming out, and seriously, there is a lot of good stuff out there these days!
What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?
Ha! I definitely buy fabric faster than I can use it! But lately I'm thinking quilts and aprons for the larger fabric cuts, and small projects like zippered pouches and pincushions for the smaller pieces.
Do you have a current favorite print in your stash?
That's like asking which of your children do you like the best! I can't pick just one! They are all my favorites! But if I had to narrow it down, it would definitely be the Japanese fabrics. I covet and drool over Japanese prints and linens!
What’s your definition of the perfect stash? (Consider sharing a picture or two of your stash & storage, or direct us to a pic on Flickr!)
The perfect stash would be one that has a full spectrum of color and a good variety of prints in varying scales, as well as solids. Some people don't like the idea of stocking up on solids, but I think it's an essential, especially when you're working with a very busy print and don't want to take away from it by using another print.
Right now my camera is out of commission (note to self: do not place your camera next to a cup of tea on a very cluttered table!), so I can't really take a photo of my stash. But when I get my camera back, I'll definitely post a few! But here's link of what my sewing closet looks like...but note that the fabric is not in order...I was getting the closet set up and had shoved the fabric onto the shelves so that I could get a few boxes unpacked and get Brett off my back about getting them unpacked!
I had mentioned in a previous post that I stay organized by making lists galore. I had confessed that I was a serial list maker. Well, as of late my list making has gone into the over zealous area. Now that I'm getting projects done, more project ideas are flooding my brain. At first I was writing all my ideas down in a tiny notebook that I was carrying around with me everywhere in my handbag, but as the days went by that little notebook started to fall apart - scrap paper, Post-It notes, and receipts sliding out all over the place. I knew I needed a new method of organization to take care of this problem.
After perusing several Japanese websites (and not knowing what in the world these sites are saying), and Japanese craft books and magazines (via eBay...love sellers that post photos of what's in the books and mags), I saw numerous variations of a notepad holder. I had also Googled "notepad holder" and scrolled through all the images that came up. After much thought and measuring, I decided to use these 2 as an example for my own:
And after an hour, this is my end product:
The inside:
I don't really care for the stabilizer that I had used, I think it was too thick and bulky. Luckily you can't really tell from these photos (phew!), but I can see where they bulge out. I don't know the name of the stabilizer that I had used, it was in my stash. I think the next attempt I'll try out the Flexi Firm stabilizer and see how that works out. I also forgot to sew in the pen holder...I was going to use this really cool, wide ribbon that I had but in my sewing haste it fell off my sewing machine table and so I had completely forgotten about it until it was too late. This holder fits a 5"x 7" notepad, so I'm thinking of trying to make a standard 8.5"x11" notepad holder, and maybe a mini 4"x 6" version too.
I'm also thinking that I should've added more pockets, as I can see the main pocket filling up quite fast. Another thing I'm going to change - the size of the little pocket that is meant to hold business cards. I didn't make it long enough, and so I would have to store the cards lengthwise up, and who knows if I would be putting business cards in there anyways? So I think I'm going to make the little pocket big enough to hold a stack of Post-Its.
Anyhoo, I've talked enough about this. Back to the drawing board with this one...now to go sew some more!
I have a confession.
I am a serial list maker!! It is how I stay organized and how I manage to get things done during the day. Without my endless lists, I would be a serious mess! Not only would things not get done, but I would forget stuff I need to buy, stuff that I had to look out for, stuff that is not available in Victoria and that I need to get whenever I eventually get to Vancouver. When I found out that I was pregnant I even make a checklist of the things I needed to eat every day to keep my mind at ease in knowing that I was getting the proper nutrients. I have lists of projects that I want to get around doing. I have lists of projects that need to be finished. I have an ongoing grocery list, a Costco list, a list of bills that need to get paid every month (since I do a lot of online banking to cut down on paper/waste and I don't want to pay a bill twice! How silly!), a list of books I want to eventually own, the list goes on and on...(no pun intended!)
I'm all about being organized. I think this is due to my earlier years when I had quite the organized chaos, and now that I'm older realize that I like the minimalistic look and don't need to be a pack rat to have stuff. I wish I was like Martha Stewart, the Queen of organization. One day I strive to be just as organized as she is. I drool when I watch her show and see how organized her sets are. Instead, I have lists all over the place, written on the backs of envelopes, scrap pieces of paper, and my main thing - a million Post-its. I seriously horde Post-its. I am in love with Post-its. I would love to meet the inventor of Post-its. Anyone who seriously knows me (like my darling Brett who tried to keep me away from the Post-it aisle when we go to Staples) knows of my absolute and serious love of them. I have a huge tool box and a drawer full of Post-its in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I don't know what it is about them, I just can't get enough of them!! I once got a present from my cousin Tracy, it was a Costco size block of Post-its. I was in heaven!! I was the happiest person alive!!
Brett has learned to deal with my love of Post-its. Since I have a bunch slapped all over the house. A lot of them though, are little love notes that I leave for him. So I think that has helped to lessen the blow of living with a Post-it obsessed girlfriend. I also realized this morning when I was adding yet another list to my sketchbook, that I have said sketchbook for almost 4 years. Mind you, a think there was a year not in use cause I had forgotten that I had it. It's a huge sketchbook and it's not even half full! I realized that this was possible only because I fill each page with Post-its!! I was thumbing through the book trying to find a certain list when I saw that half of the book had Post-it on top of Post-it, loose papers taped to pages, and more loose paper tucked between the pages! The sketchbook really didn't have much for sketches or drawings...it's basically a book of lists!
I think I need to find a way to organize my lists. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please, I am open!!
**Note: The picture above of lists is from Googling "lists". I didn't want to take a picture of my actual lists in fear of being laughed at...don't ask.
