Friday, January 25, 2013

Thimbles, Tumblers and Hexies....Oh My!

I was going to post my New Year's resolutions the first of the year, and now I'm glad that I didn't because most have gone by the wayside already.  One resolution was to post to my blogs more often (or at least somewhat consistently), and you see how well that's going.  Another resolution was to get organized.  Well........I took a before photo of my sewing room, took everything out, sorted, organized (or so I thought), and now that I've put it all back in it actually looks worse than before I started.  For those of you that have been over to my crochet blog, you know that I also have a yarn stash.  I switched some things around and now it doesn't seem to want to fit.  So the solution?  I'm still working on that.

My family says that I need to have the word FOCUS tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.  Did I also mention that I got an IPad for Christmas and that has taken up quite a bit  some of my time?

Meanwhile, I wanted to share some things that I found in my sewing room.   I had a basket under my sewing table with a red bag of little 1 1/2" nine patches that I had leftover from this quilt.  There are 964 of the 1 1/2" finished nine patches in this quilt set with alternate squares.  I entered it in the Hoosier Heritage Quilt Show in Bloomington, Indiana, a couple of years ago and won a Judge's Recognition ribbon.




Underneath the bag of leftover nine patches I found this tin of red and white tumblers (thimbles) that I'd cut.



They are 1 3/4" high so will finish at 1 1/4".


Then there was a bag of tumblers cut from repro fabrics.  I remember I had started cutting them from charm squares when Kathie's tumbler quilt appeared on the front cover of Sew Scrappy magazine.  


I need to count them.  There might be enough for a quilt top.


While sorting, I discovered that you can cut a 3 1/2" and a 1 3/4" tumbler  (thimble) from one charm square.  That was one of the times when I lost my focus.
 

Continuing to the bottom of the basket there was a bag of 3 1/2" tumblers cut from my 30s fabrics.  I need to count these, too.  


Wonder if I should insert....I am NOT a Hoarder....I am NOT a Hoarder

Another bag with 1 3/4" thimbles cut from 30s fabrics.  Looks like there are 197.

 
I am still hand quilting this little quilt made from a bag of little tumblers that I won on Kathie's blog Inspired by Antique Quilts.   




Then I found this little Christmas elf in red work.  Roswitha from Blauraute blog sent me the pattern for this quilt a couple of years ago.  I have all of the patterns traced.  I hate to think how long this little guy has been stuck in this hoop.




Then there are more hexies.  I have been working on other hexagons off and on and had forgotten about these.  These are mostly stitched over those plastic templates that you remove with a stick.  I really prefer using the paper pieces.  If you look closely at the photo there are hexagons in brights, some in 30s and a few others in ????  

 
The thing is that I found enough in that one basket to keep me busy for 6 months...maybe a year....and there are drawers of fabric.

When you clean and sort your sewing area, do you find things like this?  I hope I'm not alone....

  I have fallen wayyyyy behind on responding to blog comments, but I really appreciate all of your kind words and visits to my blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

33 comments:

  1. Yes, LuAnn, I find a lot of forgotten stuff, but not so so many tiny projects! Can't wait to see some finishes. You have some neat things going there, far too nice to languish in boxes.

    Oh, and no, you are not a hoarder; neither am I.

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  2. i before e, except after c, and when sounded as a, as in neighbor and weigh.

    nIEther am I. Geesh!

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  3. Oh, yes, I've found things I'd forgotten about. It's kind of fun - like finding new treasures. You found quite a few beauties. It's okay if you don't finish them all up. They will be treasures for future quilters to find!

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  4. Hi, LuAnn. This year, just after I had inventoried all my UFO's, I found a basket under my machine that I had forgotten. And, there are more buried elsewhere; class samples mostly. I decided to start with the oldest one. After that, we'll see. (maybe I'll start something else). Lane

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  5. Yes, they add up. That is why I had to have UFO parade. It is unbelievable how they add up. I did not count anything that I didn't start sewing. That would have been too depressing.

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  6. Don´t worry LuAnn, you are not the only one. I think I have a few shoeboxes with UFOs in various stages that I haven´t opened for years...
    You have a lot of nice stuff there, I love the 1930s tumblers!

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  7. It looks like you're being overrun by tumblers! Love that quilt at the top. It's just amazing! :0)

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  8. WOW what a beautiful quilt! and wow - are you sure you're not a hoarder. THat's a lot of sad little fabric piles that want to come out into the world!!

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  9. Looking at your nine patch quilt in the photo--I would have to say you already know the word focus. That is a gorgeous quilt with so many tiny nice patches----I love it. I have found many new items in my sewing room as I change things around--they are so much fun to pull out and remember why I started the project and what I was doing at that time in my life. You are not alone in having lots of projects--and I do not use the "h" word.

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  10. Your tiny nine patch quilt just takes my breath away. I have my own little stash on blocks that are trying to decide what they want to be when they are done. The trip around the world idea might just make the rainbows sing! As for the collections of fabric, you can only do one thing at a time, so pick your favorite and cross it off the list. Collecting is fun, but finishing is divine!

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  11. What a gorgeous quilt!
    I have just started cutting my scraps into usable sizes. Maybe one day I will open a box and find treasures like you found! That's it. You are a treasure hunter!

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  12. That quilt is stunning! You make me laugh, I am not a hoarder either. ;)
    I love all your bits and pieces. Makes me want to get some of mine out. Almost.

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  13. I love your tumblers. What a nice find. I look forward to seeing them together in quilts.

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  14. Your 9-patch quilt is incredible!!
    I don't have such wonderful things hiding in my sewing room--I wish I did!! : )

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  15. Oh! I LOVE all of your tumbler projects! They're going to be beautiful! I have a similar red&white one going on right now as my l/e project. They're a bit larger than yours, though....will finish about 2" high. And that elf is adorable!

    Your 9-patch quilt is absolutely stunning! I just love 9-patches....I try and put them into everything! lol

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  16. LuAnn - LOVE the mini nine-patch quilt!!! Also love all your little project pieces! And, finally, only FOUR WORDS: welcome to the club!!!, just saying :)

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  17. Recently I have moved from one room to another room. I am still finding things that I had totally forgotten about. I found a bag with two quilt tops made in solid colors. I have no idea where these tops came from. No idea who gave them to me or when I received them!

    My goal was to have all my fabric in one room. That was a fantasy I can assure you. I have downsized some, but not enough yet. The new sewing room is so neat and tidy, but do not, I repeat DO NOT open the door to the old sewing room!

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  18. do I find things like this?

    I WISH!!

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  19. LuAnn, Your post reminds me of myself. This year I didn't make resolutions, figured why set myself up for failure? ha ha

    My sewing and quilting rooms ARE organized but most of the time I have to hunt for things because I can't remember where they are. :(

    Enjoy all your projects! xo c

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  20. I loved reading this post! I laughed, and I "ooh and ahhhed", and I said "me too". Maybe we are twins?!?
    Loved seeing your wonderful treasures...especially the tumbler projects. If you need me to finish up one or two of those, I could be a foster parent!!!

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  21. What fun! It is good you have all of the pieces together and not scattered here and there.

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  22. How I would enjoy sitting in your sewing room as you go through all of your goodies!!!

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  23. Too funny! Everyone can relate to this issue.

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  24. Love your post & you must know - everyone is nodding their heads in agreement! As quilters we are constantly inspired by our surroundings & what better inspiration than in on our sewing rooms.....and visiting fun blogs like yours!! Hmmmm - 2 different size tumblers from a charm pack square.....and I even have both sizes of templates.....

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  25. You are a brave woman to clean and sort your sewing room. I am leaving that task for my children to do one day. Love all those little tumblers.

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  26. HI Luanne dont ya love it when you find hidden surprises ??

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  27. O.M.Gosh... that quilt with 1.5" Nine Patches is beyond EXQUISITE!
    I'll be dreaming about it for quite some time.... lol.

    I love all those tumblers too!

    Tell the family that "genuis" IS foucused! It allows you to multi-task in MANY directions rather than one. (grin)

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  28. Yes, I find all sorts of things. You are not alone! I don't have really small pieces cut and put away like yours, more often large blocks, or quilt tops waiting to be quilted and bound. And a few bom programs I never finished, gulp! Sometimes I look at them and just don't know what to do with them. Most times I feel guilty about all the things I have, the money I've spent and what I know I won't get. I move past the guilt by distracting myself with online window shopping!

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  29. It's always so comforting to know that we are not alone! You have some wonderful projects started. But in showing all this - you have now led me astray - I'm definitely moving a tumbler quilt to the top of my want to do list for this year. Oh dear.....

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  30. Oh, your Nine-patch quilt is gorgeous!
    You are not alone having UFOs. I think there will be many beautiful finishes throughout the year.
    Have a creative week!

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  31. Focus?? A quilter with so many fun projects!! Yes, I need to do the same but it's fun to have several projects going at once! I am trying to focus on finishing some this year, too!

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  32. wow! you found some treasures. lots of new projects to start now that you have a lot of pieces cut.

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  33. OMG, I was laughing out loud! I'm going to start purging for retirement, and I'll betcha I find just as many of those kinds of things. Thanks for the warning! LOL.

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