Sunday, May 21, 2023

Opening a can of worms..............

 

I have several shelf units in the basement and I had this grand idea of moving 2 of them upstairs to my bedroom which is has a lot of empty space along one wall.  Then I would place all of my favorite fabrics up there and not have to go to the basement when "shopping" for my next project.........but the shelf units are so heavy and most everyone I know has a bad back......so I now have areas that I moved the fabric out of in the basement (to empty the shelves) and because of that I need to capture the dust bunnies where the shelf units were before I move them back.  Luckily they are on wheels.


Plan B is to empty the bookcase in my main floor studio and put some of the fabrics there and I ordered a smaller wire shelf unit for the bedroom.  This also includes getting rid of tons of magazines, Studios magazines from 2009-14 and Quilting Arts 2002-9 plus a few more current issues.  I hate to just throw them in the recycling bin but I need to make space for my quilting books.  An interesting side note: I met the person who started Quilting Arts at a workshop in Ohio in 2002 and she was telling everyone about her new magazine and I subscribed to it for several years. 

So the question for me is what will be in my month end post in 10 days?  I am pretty sure I'll have the pastel half rectangle quilt top sewn together, maybe I can get 2 baby quilts quilted to keep up my 2 a month finishes.  A lot of time will be spent cleaning, rearranging, etc.  While doing that I might put together some quarter yard and half yard coordinated bundles of fabric for my next pop-up shop.


I have another golden hour photo.  This Columbine in the back garden is  burgundy but the sun was hitting it just right to put a golden glow on the stems and blooms.  They look like coral blooms.







I checked on the Allium that is in the corner of my lot and it is in full bloom now.  I have to thank whoever planted it there, even if it was a rascally squirrel.  Speaking of squirrels, the little plant that I thought might be a volunteer tomato plant is gone.  "Something" dug a hole in that exact spot in a 4' square raised bed.


While in the basement I happened upon the box with the blocks and pieces for this star quilt.  I had 30 blocks already sewn about 2 1/2 years ago and now I have made 8 more.  Click here to go back and see the other blocks.  There is a link in that post to go to the blog that has the inspiration quilt.  I have all of the triangles in solid already cut so I just had to cut the print parts for these blocks (and will for all of the rest of the blocks).

17 comments:

Juliana said...

Do you have the energy to list the magazines in your etsy shop? I think you could sell them, especially Quilt Arts. (I don't know the other magazine.)

Juliana said...

I should have read your whole post before I published because you are possibly going to have a pop-up shop. Even if you included 2 mags per sale as a gift, it would move some out of your house and be such a treat to other quilters.

Julierose said...

You have such a lovely array of fabrics all by color!! We have bad backs here, too--so I am going to have to cull my stash for the charity that will be picking up donations in early June.
Your stars that you found are just lovely--hugs, Julierose

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

it is getting harder for me to clean things out and move things too - helping my daughter pack up her kitchen this week just about done me in - of course I was doing it with a walking boot on one foot but my back was aching by the end of two days for sure - and then she reminds me "maybe you can help me unpack when I find a new house" LOL oh my aching body

Anonymous said...

Our library takes all quilt magazines and books. They resell them cheap as a fundraiser. Apparently they go really quickly.
Just a thought.

Barbara Anne said...

I was also going to suggest donating the magazines to your library. Where we used to live, that library kept donated magazines on shelves and sold then for 25 cents each. Here, magazines are sold only at the Friends of the Library sale twice a year.

Pretty Friendship Star blocks you discovered. :)

Love your Columbine and Allium (think Dr. Seuss!).

Don't wear yourself out!

Hugs!

JustGail said...

Yes, people do buy old issues of magazines. I got the issues of Threads and Sampler and Antique Needlework that I missed prior to subscribing, and now a bunch of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine off that famous auction site. Yes, it would be a shame to toss your magazines to recycle. Yet, your timeline, energy, and finances (even if people payed for the postage) to deal with them is a huge consideration. I like Juliana's idea of popping one or two in with any sales from your pop-up shop. If I were close, I'd be asking to pick up the magazines.

I had to giggle at the moving fabrics situation, not at your efforts but in sympathy. As I was reading, I was thinking "and that's why I walk away and shut the door when I start thinking about redoing my setup!" :-)

JJM said...

“Opening a can of worms” perfect title for what you have tackled. WOW Wanda, I admire you so to push on like you do. Take it slow and easy and don’t worry about any finishes for May. Getting this project done will be your finish.

Blossom photos are so pretty especially your Allium. And a box full of pretty stars waiting for another day.

JJM

Quiltdivajulie said...

Hmmm - I wonder if you called a local Scout troop, area churches, or even the high school to see if there are some young men who want to earn service hours and might help get those shelf units up the steps for you? As to the magazines - I would surely check with the library first and then perhaps any of the area quilt guilds. Sadly it costs too much in postage to realistically mail them off.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

I have those shelves and I love them, but they are best assembled where they will stay! Glad you have more one the way.
Those star blocks look so good. Going now to look at the earlier post.

Elsie Montgomery said...

I agree about selling magazines. I tossed some old issues of Writers' Digest and found the very same ones going on EBay for $13 each! It takes a bit of effort, but Etsy might work too. When I took my back issues of Quilting Arts to a guild meeting they all disappeared before the meeting started.
Do not hurt your back!! 😆

Anonymous said...

You can take the shelving units apart…. Move them piece by piece… and put them back together. I have done it many times, then you can keep your magazines

Anonymous said...

Just need a rubber mallet

Sewcrazy 06378 said...

I hope you do decide to donate or sell the magazines - they are so full of inspiration! I have bought a lot of them on ebay myself and enjoy going through them and I learn so much from them!

Kristin said...

You could always donate the magazines to a quilt guild, who can then sell them at their ways and means table, or whatever they call the fundraising effort. Magazines sell for a quarter at our guild (and my old guild in SC).

All your flowers look great. We have lilacs - they bloomed weeks ago and only last for a few weeks. I wish they lasted longer! They need to be pruned, but it will be hard to do as they are in a precariouos spot - at the top of a retaining wall. The yard in back of them slopes up, too so it's really tough to do any prunng there.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Doesn't organizing feel good tho!!!
I finally took my magazines to the quilt guild and lots of folks picked some up before I recycled the rest... good luck!

Cathy said...

Hi Wanda. After vacation (and recovery) and yardwork, I’m so behind on blog comments. I loved “Pokey” Bolton’s Quilting Arts magazine, and was actually Miss November in the inaugural (2002) calendar. I was a crazy quilter then and still married to my first husband, so you’ll see me there as Cathy Flox of Sandy, Utah. Didn’t start regular quilting until 2013 when my eyesight and carpal tunnel decided that small embroidery wasn’t working!