Progress

I had already started on my straightening
up and thought I better snap a quick photo
of  my closet "before."

I have a confession to make.  I let my my favorite room in the house evolve into a mess.  The room I refer to as my quilt studio had become a bit of a disaster really.  I have struggled for years with finding a way to store fabric that I liked, was easy to use, and more importantly, easy to put away again.  

I had seen those fabric organizers available now and thought they sounded like a good way to go, but with the price I would have to spend hundreds of dollars and there is just no way.  On one of the quilt forums someone mentioned using comic boards.

I found them on Amazon and ordered a pack of 100 for under $10.00.  They worked just fine.  For my fat quarters I cut them in half.  I laid out a yardstick on my ironing table and as I "rolled" the fabric onto the boards I measured and included a tag with how much fabric was on the bolt.  Now I have a really nice looking closet- my own little fabric shop-that makes me happy whenever I go into my studio.  One of these days I am actually going to build shelving that fits the space I have in this closet.

That mess of a fabric stash in now organized and I can easily pull out  fabric to try on  a quilt and easily place it back  where it goes.  The top shelf has my stash of flannels, batiks have their own section and I can also see which colors I am low on which helps in taking advantage of the sales at the quilt shop.

Now to get back to work on my quilt!  I purchased Tricia Cribbs Sunday School Singers a while back.  I love the quilt but was not wild about the stick figures.  I shared a while back that I was redrawing the blocks and since this is going to be a baby quilt I am featuring stick figure babies in diapers.  I also added some songs that are favorites around here.

This is where I left off when we left for our summer vacation the first of July.

I've sewn the blocks and sashings  together.  Looking pretty good.  I still struggle getting my corners to line up perfectly.  I've tried pinning, I've tried not pinning, no matter how well I have those seams butted up together I just cannot get a consistent match that I am happy with.  This is one of those times when I have had to just let go of being perfect and get the job done.

Next comes the piano border.  I decided I would place them in the order of a rainbow.

Strip set sewn together and ready to be cut.

Auditioning the piano border-lookin'good.                                                                                         

I found this wonderful print from Timeless Treasures that will be perfect for the final border.

Amazing what can be accomplished when you have a nice, neat, pleasant work space.  The same can be said of my life.  Sometimes I let it get pretty messy in here.  Sometimes I am just too lazy to keep things in proper order both spiritually and in the rest of my life.  I am reading Phillipians right now.  Another one of my favorites.  Paul says to the Phillipians, "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer of joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.  For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day  of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:3-6, NASB)  The work that God has started in me will continue.  He will not stop until His work is perfected.  That gives me great hope and confidence.  Especially as I pick up some of the messes of late and get my life in order.  My quilt studio is in such good shape that I can walk in, pick up a project, and get to work on what I have started.  It is much easier now that all of the tables are cleared off, and I can find whatever I need to finish the task.  I think it may just be a little like that with God too.  With the clutter out of the way, I am a project ready for Him to come on in and get back to work on.  That feels good too.