QUILTING UNDER THE SUN: Organizational fun!

Where does the time go? It was a week and a half ago that I posted last, and well ... that is how summer goes! I hope you all are enjoying this time of year ... summer should really be more about your family, and spending time outside enjoying the air and sunshine and good friends. Not about the things that need to be done ... we'll get to those later!

I am teaching a mystery quilt class on August 9 at the Country Loft. Of course it is a mystery so I can't show you the quilt, but I can show you this little sneak peak ...

Trust me! It is so stinking cute! It was a lot of fun to make as well, and I can't wait for the class to share the fun with everyone! I love these night classes ... they are on Friday nights and we provide dinner. It is a blast!

I have been on an organization kick ... don't know why, but I'll take it when it decides to visit! ha, ha ... think it is probably because I am not longarming, and I have lots more physical time. The other part of that is that I was so bogged down emotionally, that I wasn't having much fun at anything. That has all changed. The first thing to organize was the hall closet; been bugging me for years. You know what I mean ... coats everywhere, things that don't have a home tossed as far back as possible. The only things in there now are board games on the top shelf, coats, and the vacuum cleaners ... oh, and the lone beach bag. So nice and tidy!

Then I moved into the cottage where my studio is ... doesn't that sound fancy? Must remember to use that term ... quilting studio! We have a granny flat that my mother in law used to live in and after she passed away, eventually I moved all my sewing stuff out there (well, most of it! :-) ), along with the longarm. A year ago a couple of great friends helped me move everything from the upstairs of our home, to the cottage. All my fabric was grouped by color, and some by collection. It worked at the time, but I am always looking for a better way, and I love to reorganize. This is the before ...

And this is the after ...

Isn't it beautiful? I just love walking in and seeing the nice, neat and orderly stacks. Most are arranged by color, and there are a few collections. Charm squares and some other precuts are in a basket on one of the bookshelves. A few random fat quarters live in another basket. I can see the fabric so much better this way, and it is easier to take a piece that I want out, and the stack still remains orderly.

I have a few pieces of Halloween/fall fabric ... Actually .... "Hello, my name is Colleen, and I am addicted to Halloween fabric" .... Thanks to my good friend Kim, who keeps giving me the fall fabric she doesn't want anymore, here is my collection ...