Sunday, March 21, 2010

First day of spring?

This is what we saw yesterday morning.  It is pretty typical for the first day of spring in northern IL.  It snowed all day but melted on the roads.




I have spring inside though.  I have all of the old amaryllis bulbs that I have kept for the last 5 years and 2 of them are just sending up bud stalks now.  They are pretty spindly so I'm not expecting too much.  The big pot has 4 bulbs planted in it.

This is the final layout and I will start sewing blocks today.  I changed about 5 triangles and I'm happy with it now.  It has 308 different Kaffe fabrics in it.  There are only a little over 100 different patterns in his line so some are repeated in more than one colorway. I spent a lot of hours yesterday putting away the Kaffe fabrics (in order by style number).


I also added more swatches to the Kaffe file cards from the scraps left over from cutting.  I feel pretty organized now.

25 comments:

Sewing Junkie said...

I only wish I had that much organization in my life. I am luck to find my scissors. The combo of light and darks in the layout are wonderful. You definitley have an eye for color and it's properties. Chris

Pat said...

That triangle quilt is amazing. How is your dad doing in the nursing home?

Lucie said...

I don't think that the snow will last too long. It has been warm and sunny up here. The quilt looks great with all the Kaffes.

Needled Mom said...

That white stuff is not appreciated on the first day of spring!

Happy sewing on that grand quilt.

Jayne Honnold said...

OMG Wanda! Now that is over-the-top organization! I have a tub of Kaffe's just piled in there with wild abandon. You would be in heaven organizing it. I shouldn't say it's wild abandon, though, because I did sort by like colors once upon a time. I have been through it a bit, and the like colors are a tad bit off now. I love your Kaffe quilts and blocks. I am working on Broken Dishes, and I will (very soon) make that delightful blue one from the book - you know, with the Delft theme. (I am sure you talk Kaffe language, right?)

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

I would say you are ultra organized! And the final layout of your quilt is really beautiful. Love it!

Cathy said...

I live in MN and am so thankful that your yard is not what my yard looks like. It might happen this next week thou.

You do such beautiful work. I can't imagine how great these quilts look like in real life. I have to start collecting my Kaffe even if it means one charm pack at a time.

jacquie said...

that's a great organizational idea, wanda...i may have to use that.

Jody said...

can you please come over and get me organized too?!!!!

Cathi said...

We saw some snowflakes floating through the air yesterday but nothing stayed anywhere thankfully.
Wow -- that is incredible organization. I figure I'm doing well if I have like fabrics together. But it does mean, I think, that I waste a lot of time finding what I want.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

great quilt! snow - yes I remember from living in the snow in the spring - and here in Arkansas it is rarer to have snow on first day of spring and in the northern part of the state they had the snow storm yesterday too, I have not talked to my mom today to find out how much-it will warm up fast though and will all be gone soon.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

Anonymous said...

I feel "pretty happy" about your quilt also. Love it !

I am enjoying your post more than ever on my new 21" screen. I thought the color was great before, but now it is unbelievable. Went to my class yesterday for my new iMac and your blog was featured because I asked the 20 year old kid that was teaching the class to go to your blog for me and asked how I could put your icon on my desktop like I had on my Dell. I have to use a bookmark instead. But I proudly told the class the creator of this blog is MY FRIEND. (^._,^)

J~MT

quiltmom anna said...

Wow Wanda - 308 Kaffe Fabrics- can you feel me drooling through my computer- that is quite the beautiful collection. It was his fabrics that I was looking at yesterday but I resisted buying. I decided I need to use some of the beautiful fabrics in my own stash. They are not as organized as yours but I do have my own crazy system of organization - just not catalogued. You will just have to keep creating Kaffe Quilts for me to admire- which I will do without hesitation. VBG Your work is always beautiful..
We had a skiff of snow on Thursday but it has been pretty nice this weekend and the snow continues to melt.
Hope the Amaryllis blooms for you- they are so gorgeous when they blossom.
Happy Sunday.
Regards,
Anna

tessilesa@gmail.com said...

oh my God!, But don?t worry, also in italy we have a bad time!. It's raining at it will be raining for all the week. but also in my quilt shop I have make my own spring. My best compliments for your latest quilt. It's very important for me in italy study your work. In next time i will experimenti the Disappered nin patch with the batik fabrics that I have buy. sorry for my bad english. It's possibile it will be better .Bye Francesca from italy (tessilesa.blogspot.com) Come to me !

Diane said...

I just love this zigzag quilt, Wanda!

Julia said...

I love your final layout!!! Very pretty! We're supposed to get snow here in SE TN tomorrow! Oh well!

Mary on Lake Pulaski said...

Oh my - 308 different Kaffe fabrics???? You are truly an artist Wanda!

Anonymous said...

I bet Kaffe and Lizy (sp?) are not as organized as you with his fabrics! Wow! I think you deserve a special visit by him next time he is in the states. :)

Jean said...

That's what it looked like here too yesterday...but today is sunny and about 50. Your organization is great! I don't have that many of any line of fabric, so don't have to organize...haha...

Vicky F said...

Hi Wanda,
Looks like we have twin yards, only I'm a couple hundred miles away. Did yours melt today, too?

OK, I dub thee Organization Queen. I'll never be that organized, but your cards did remind me ... I'm supposed to bring 2-inch strips of "brights" to my quilt class tomorrow. I just wasn't sure what to bring. Well, duh! I hadn't even looked at my Kaffes and they certainly are bright. Thanks.

Vicky F

TB said...

Wanda, you are so wonderfully organized. You make me think of my Mother, who also has this trait. I'm afraid I have not followed her footsteps but wish that I had. As for the amaryllis, I'm sure that your will be beautiful again. Mine--I'm not sure that it will bloom. I'm keeping an eye on it.

Unknown said...

Michigan looked like Illinois on the first day of Spring. Thankfully it melted and is gone today.........

katquilter said...

I wish you would share your system with the index cards... Not just a little bit because of you, I have started my own stash of Kaffe fabrics... and it would be nice to start a new organization system...

also, about those amaryllis bulbs... do you summer them in the ground outdoors? My son does that with his and they get HUGE being outdoors. Then they bloom robustly indoors.

Karen said...

What a great idea to index the fabric on cards. How do you do it and how do you use it? In other words, how does it help you? (Not feeling very articulate with these questions LOL)!!

Helen in the UK said...

WOW - that is organised!! But I suppose with that many fabrics by one designer you have to know what you've got or you'd end up with duplicates :)