Sewing room floor clean up!

Since I actually vacuumed one day before I took the picture, you can see how fast I leave stuff on the floor. When I vacuumed - there was nothing like those little pieces of thread you see. But that’s not my point - my point is there are no “piles” of unknown things in under the ironing board (on the floor) and on the right side - both places were stacked up quite high.

I’ve been in a really weird mood lately - but my sewing room had just gotten “too bad”.

My own personal switch of “over the messy line” had been flipped and I just felt like I’ve HAD to get it under control - specifically, the floor. The rest really hasn’t been too bad because I cleaned up the area that was the worst about a month ago now. I can always go back through cabinets and shelves - and it’s a good thing to do once in a while anyway because it reminds a person of what they have stored away in there! They, however, really haven’t been completely messed up. I guess rather than mess them up, I was just “piling” on the floor.

BUT, in doing this cleanup, my goal was to get my floor completely uncovered and things dealt with. Yes, not just uncovered and moved, but if something needed to be done - do it.

So, in this process, I uncovered first this red/black/white quilt - which had been mostly completed. The owner/maker had gotten tired of it and wanted to donate it to me - for me to finish up and donate. So I did finish it.

I’m not sure why she didn’t like it anymore. What’s more classic than red/white and black?

Maybe she’ll write here and tell us why she got tired of it. I know that some of you look at those empty (white) places and think they all need quilting. I didn’t want to. So I didn’t.

It washed up just fine without all the white completely filled with quilting. What I did is stitch in the ditch in around the white squares turned on point. I also did some more stitch in the ditch in the center of the quilt. I also did some echo stitching on the black sashing. She had already done all the diagonal straight line quilting.

I like it. I’m sure I can find someone who will love it as well. It’s a nice lap size at about 47”x62”. Very classy.

Then I also found this one. It was a bit more complicated.

Originally it had been the center part of a quilt. The lady - who lived in Newton, KS - had started to do a version of QAYG which included putting some batting in the center 1/3 now and then adding in some later. Well, she gave it to me just like that - the middle part was done - batted and quilted.

I was supposed to add more backing (!) and more batting and quilt the rest of it. Well, I was overwhelmed with all that goings on, so I actually decided that I was never going to finish it like she had it.

Since I already had had it for at least 5 years just sitting in my house, I decided to just cut off the un-quilted part and make squares out of those pieced parts of the top (not shown) - as they were pretty pastel-y calicoes - and make the center quilted part into a small lap or baby size quilt. It was too pretty to just leave sitting.

Please do not ask me for the pattern for this one. I simply do not know the answer as this was given to me years ago now as a partially finished project by someone else.

Recently I listened to a Mary Fons talk about “cutter” quilts and that just reinforced my decision to just go ahead and cut this one up. Well, actually I had already cut it up by the time I heard that talk - but it kind of helped me realize it was actually just fine. I suppose part of me has been feeling a little bit guilty for not finishing it like the original owner had it in mind.

So that is what I did. This is very pretty and I’m very glad I did finish it up this way. I even have a lady I want to give it to!

I’m not completely done in the sewing room, but besides finishing up these two quilts - I’ve been zigzagging small pieces of cotton batting together to make large ones, sorting, and trashing some things that had fallen on the floor (trash!) - finding pins and safety pins that were partially embedded in the carpet - getting them out - and I did get to vacuum part of it! Yes, I have carpet in there. It was a guest bedroom at first - at least that was the original plan.

Four very large all cotton bats. Once I use the majority of it, I’ll sew the leftovers together again to form a larger piece.

Here are the 4, now, “very large” (larger than king size) bats that I can use for 4 quilts. These were from some charity quilts I received from years and years ago that were already tied together with threads. I cut them apart and am making or already have made larger tops out of them - as these were made into baby size quilts but with adult themes.

I’ve found people here don’t really know what to do with this kind of thing. I have to try to explain how to use a small-ish 36”x44” lap quilt. (Crazy, huh?)

These are a 7x7 layout using 2.5” strips - so the blocks, theoretically are 14.5”x14.5”.

I also did uncover 14 of these squares - they are a 7x7 layout using 2.5” strips/squares. I hope to make more of these up and use them pretty soon in yet another top.

I’m making myself spend at least 15 minutes a day “cleaning” up - but I’m finding myself enjoying it immensely - so I’m actually giving it much more than that. The hardest part, I suppose, is getting started!

Anyway…these are the two most recent finishes. But, I didn’t do them - not really. But they are so nice - they deserve their own post. I hate to even count them as my finishes - but I will - but in my own list of 2020 completed quilts, I will describe them as to what they were - almost completely done by someone else! Truthfully, all I did with the little cross was cut it down to the center area, sew one round to the outside of what was already quilted, stay stitch the edge, and bind.

The red/black/white one was more involved. I spent part of a day finishing the quilting on it, binding it, and then washing it.

I will try to find appropriate people to give them both to.

Enjoy!

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

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Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store!

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