What have you been up to????

Watching - NCIS -- a new episode set appeared on Netflix, and I was feeling like I had missed something, so I went back a season, and realized that I was still lost, so I must have another watcher in the house who watched some without me, so I decided to go back to the beginning and rewatch them all! So far, I am only a few seasons in, and these episodes I remember still, though there are always things that you notice the second time around that you didn't notice last time, so it's been fun listening to episodes while I work on things around the house.

Craving - Cinnamon blueberry goat cheese. We found some by accident at Costco at Easter time and it was amazing, but I haven't found it again and of course it is all I want lately.  

Doing - lots of chores -- laundry, decluttering, cleaning, etc, etc, etc -- all really boring stuff - just like last time that I posted.

Obsessing - over minimalism and getting organized -- I've realized the more I learn about minimalism the less I like true minimalism. I don't want the rigor or true minimalism, but I want just the right amount of things for my life. SO, I want to collect things that bring me join and have a benefit for my life, but minimize the things that don't. SO, my collections are being paired down if they don't bring me joy. 

Loving - my new workout regemine -- I started doing yoga a few weeks ago, and while I am absolutely horrible at it, it is proving challenging, which is what I need lately. 

Reading - High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard and Feng Shui in the West. Both are proving very interesting. I also renewed my library card, lately I have realized that I want to enjoy books, but not collect them. I've bought books for years, and then my shelves get over loaded and I end up giving the books to the library. I realized it would be more efficient to rent the ones from the library that I can get, and but only the ones I can't, and then once i am finished return everything (including the one I bought) to the library. I also realized that it makes more sense to put all of my notes on the computer that in journals and binders, and I'll leave the journals for my thoughts and prayers, as they are more time specific, and my notes from books need to be more searchable.

Wanting - to spend a ton of money on the new Erin Condren planners -- but I am being a good girl, and not. Still resisting. 

Pinning - lots of organizing and Feng Shui information

Dreaming - about eventually being organized -- and having a house that looks like the Clean Mama house (seriously her pantry is amazing)!

Writing - about all of my goals and dreams. I spoke with my uncle on Saturday and we actually talked about writing your obituary. We had both heard or read about making your best life by writing your obituary. That is knowing what you want said about you at your death you get a better idea of what you want to accomplish in life. I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to. Yes, it's weird, and more than a bit morbid, but if it clarifies what you want to achieve and how you want to be remembered by the world, then you have a blueprint for your life, which sounds awesome. So, we'll see if I can get over my fear and do it or not. Wish me luck!!! and a strong stomach!

Crafting - handouts and layouts for some new items for classes. I finally mapped them all out and am super excited about them. They will release on September 1st with all of the classes after September 1st everyone will get their new stuff. Super excited to release them, now I need to sort out the stickers and badges that go with before September 1st.

Sewing - lots of samples. Harbored Lighthouse, and the new TOM are in process, as well as continuing to work on the #100days100blocks Tula Pink City Sampler challenge.

Knitting - I haven't done much lately, I've been too preoccupied with other things.

Listening - to podcasts on stitching, freezer meals and budgeting -- nothing new there!!!!

Wearing - my typical uniform -- jeans, t-shirts, and the ever present Merrel sandals that I love.

Needing - a little cleaning inspiration. I've been a bit lazy lately and need to up my game and get some things done.

Planning - a massive cleanup of the office. I did a huge sale on patterns and fabrics last week in preparation to close the shop on August 15th, and I audited the fridge, freezer and pantry as part of the meal planning for August (which I did this morning). Next up -- the office and the garage, starting with the office.

Trying - some new HIIT regimen that I have been adding to my workouts. They are really different and kind of not what I thought in terms of the circuits, but they are building strength and muscle. 

So -- that sums up the crazy that is my life as of late, what have you been up to??? Do you have big projects in process??? 

Work in Process Wednesday

Well, given where I was on my status yesterday, I made good progress in the last 36 hours.

* I finished the backing fabric tent for the back of Amazon Star -- oh my I had forgotten how long and exactly how much fabric it takes to make a backing for a 104"x104" quilt top. 10 1/2 yards of fabric. All pieced and ready to head out to my favorite quilter for a little TLC.

* Sunflower Wallhanging - I didn't get the binding on, but I did get it made. So tonight after the gym I should have enough time to get it put on, the quilt isn't that big -- just 36x50 -- so a few minutes at the machine and I should be able to get that bad boy on. After that, an episode of NCIS reruns on Netflix and it will be ready to hang up.

* Piecing on the new TOM - I didn't even get this one out of the box this week, as I got a little distracted working on other things....

Things I worked out which were not on the plan this week, but are done/worked on -

* Harboured Lighthouse - I got the D and E segments (the small stars) all pieced, so the only things left to make at this point are the border units, and then the dreaded Y seams. Not sure why this is the one that is inspiring me at the moment, but it is, so there we go.

* The Sale - so far, I have cleared out most of the patterns, though there are still a few left. Next up -- fabric. I'll start on that tomorrow. I had hoped to get to it today, but it just wasn't meant to be.

* Leader and Ender 2018-2019 - Jewel Box Stars -- I pulled colors last week or the week before, and just needed some backgrounds cut. I got those cut and made 50 or so 4 patches. that's less that 10% of the blocks I am going to need -- since I need 8 - 4-patches per block, and 48 blocks, so 384, and that's just the 4 patches, I also need 384 HSTs. SO, 50/768 total units....yeah, not much progress in the grand scheme. But, I have 52 weeks to get that done, I mapped it out, and i'd like to have the units done by Christmas, so that I have the spring to assemble the blocks, and a long weekend around Memorial Day to sew everything together. We'll have to see how my plan works out.

* Speaking of plans -- the other thing that I worked on this week was my Tula Pink City Sampler in Batiks -- I'm doing the challenge that @GnomeAngel is hosting. It's a block a day every day for 100 day, and the hashtag is #100days100blocks2018. So far, I'm on 19, which is 6 blocks further than I got the last time that I did one of these. In the past these kinds of challenges have really been a struggle, but this time, I am on it.

So I'm wondering, does anyone else plan out their quilts for the year, or do you just go with whatever inspires you at the moment? How many UFOs do you have??? Do you buy fabric for specific patterns, or do you have a stash? and how do you manage it? Do you have bins and boxes for projects, or are you a bag lady? How do you keep it all organized? I'll confess it's the part that I struggle with most, the keeping it organized. And I wish I could say that it is just the quilt room....but I'd be lying. I struggle with finding homes for everything, and having a real system. The problem is I have too many systems. I've made it all too complicated, so I'm going to be working on that over the next few months -- really looking at what I need and use and simplifying it to make sense in my life.

Because every thing is a work in process.....

Catherine

Motivational Monday on Tuesday

Well, I had planned to sit down and write this post yesterday, but time just got away from me.

First, I want to thank everyone who participated in my pattern and precut sale. I have a few things left, but in reality there isn't that much left, a few random patterns, and some rulers, but not nearly as much stuff as I had a few weeks ago. Up next - fabric. That's going to take quite a bit longer to organize and post as I really need to figure out the best way to do it...so if anyone has any ideas, let me know!!! By color, by type, by manufacturer, bu designer, there are just SO MANY OPTIONS!
For this week, it's all about chasing down invoices and payments and getting everything sent out to the appropriate destinations.

In other exciting news.....I have done nothing on the sewing front for WIP Wednesday. Which means I still have to

• Make backing for Amazon Star and send it out for quilting
• Bind my Sunflower Wallhanging
• Finish piecing the new TOM

and tomorrow is WIP Wednesday, so today is destined to be insane, and you can bet that at least one of these is not going to get finished this week and will rollover -- I wonder which one??? Chances are it will be the TOM, since the other 2 really just need a quick few hours at most to finish and that one has several days of work remaining. SO, wish me luck, and I'll check in tomorrow and see where we are.

Happy Sewing !

Catherine 

Facing Facts

Well,this post has been a long time coming, and the truth is I have avoided it as long as possible. But it's time to come clean. I'm closing Queenie Quilts. It has been great fun. I've loved doing shows and having a shop online but the reality is I just don't have enough hours in the day to do everything, and something has to give, so it is with sadness (and also a wee bit of excitement) that I announce that the shop is closing.

A lot of you will want to know why, and the truth is there just isn't enough time to do it the way that I want to. I want to have constant engagement and host weekly challenges and QAL, and all kinds of fun stuff. I want to have free patterns and for sale patterns and get all of the design ideas out of my head. But the truth is working full time plus teaching 16-24 hours a week, and trying to maintain a relatively normal(ish) life, is just too much. And the truth is with the competition online if you don't have a full time instagram/pinterest/digital manager it's nearly impossible. And let's be honest, social media is not my strong point, no matter how much I want it to be. Hell, I struggle to post on the blog with any real regularity, no matter what I intend. So, as of August 15th Queenie Quilts will be no more. I'm keeping the domain and you will still be able to reach me at my catherine@queeniequilts.com email address, but the store will go away. And to celebrate (and get rid of all of the inventory in my garage), I'll be hosting a series of giveaways and massive sales over the next few weeks. All yardage will be $5.00 per yard plus shipping, and most patterns will be 50-70% off. Yes, that's below cost, and someone will be angry about that, but the truth is, I just want it all out of my house, and to reclaim some space and sanity. So, pay attention to instagram and facebook as I post lots of sales and discounts, and if there is something that you are looking for, please let me know and I can set it aside for you.

So wish me luck over the next few hours as I get all of the pictures taken and the items posted for the sale, and get this all started, and know that this decision was not taken lightly, or quickly. I've been talking about it for almost 6 months, and I've been slowly getting rid of my shop equipment over the last few months (racks for shows, etc). And if anyone needs a cash register, let me know, I can get you a screaming deal!

My intention with closing the shop is to give myself some more time to concentrate on writing and publishing patterns and projects (both free and paid), and really having time to do the parts that I love, but haven't had time to work on because of all of the other responsibilities. So, don't be sad, it's not a goodbye, it's more of a see you soon, and more often!

Catherine

Work in Process Wednesday

Well it's Wednesday and time to get moving on getting some projects done. Or ready for the quilter, or further along than the currently are.


This week's list includes :

• Backing for Amazon Star
• Binding on Sunflower Wallhanging
• Piecing on new TOM

That's a pretty big order for this week, especially considering how much work I need to do in stash management and UFO management, so I better get off to get to work..... 

UFO Management 101

How many UFOs do you have? I have WAY TOO MANY. I haven't counted, and the reality is I probably haven't even found them all, it seems that every time I open a box I find another one that I had put away for safe keeping. I've kept really good records on all of my Judy's that I have going and what they cost, as part of my business plan and management, but when it comes to ones for me and for fun, I haven't kept a real list.

I know the count of finished ones is well over 300, but I am certain there are more. And that number doesn't include little projects, like wallhangings and pillow cases, pillow shams and pot holders. Nor does it include the half finished or blocks but no borders or other various statuses of finished items.

So, step 1 -- as part of stash management 101, find all of the open projects and decide if I am going to actually finish them, or hand them over to someone in the guild who will. Once that is done, it's getting the official spreadsheet treatment, and getting treated just like my Judy quilts. No, I don't need to know the costs on those or the exact timings when things were completed, but it's nice information to have if possible if for no other reason that to know their "number", and it's time to start numbering my quilts officially. I'll be starting with 301, since I know there are at least 300 out in the wild.

Once I have them all documented I really need to get them prioritized and then get them worked on.

SO, wish me luck!

Stash Management 101

So, the stash has been getting a little out of hand lately. Not consciously or deliberately, more a matter of circumstance and lack of paying attention. A couple of fat quarters here, a cute border print there, and suddenly the fabric is busting at the seams again. Just like all of the UFOs that I need to finish up, the stash needs to be managed proactively.....starting immediately.

I have no idea how much fabric I actually have, I can only tell you that it is a LOT. As in multiple 60 gallon rubbermaid tubs full of fabric. There are at least a dozen, Some full of fat quarters, some yardage, some sorted by color, and some just a jumbled mess. So, my first goal is to figure out what I have and how I am going to manage it. 5 years ago before I had the store, all of my fabric was sorted by color in bins. About a year ago, I bought those comic book boards and planned to put all of my fabric on boards, but I have never gotten around to it, there were too many other things to do, but it's time to get serious and get this stash under control. So, this week, it's develop a plan and a time line. I'm going to see how long it takes to wind the fabrics onto the boards, and create a plan. Once I have a crate done it will be time to figure out exactly how much space I am going to need to store it. And that is a potentially huge issue -- depending upon what the stats say.

In the meantime, it's time to make sure that I pull from stash whenever possible and the only way to do that well is to get it organized and accounted for, so it's time to get on it.

Next up --- UFOs.....

What's Happening Around Here

Well, it has been busy around here, as a million things are all happening at once lately. It's amazing how you think things are busy and can't imagine that they could get busier, only to have that happen a few minutes later. But all will prevail, as we continue to move forward with million household and work projects, not to mention my always present self improvement projects.

So, what have I been doing exactly?

Watching - Blue Bloods, Anne with a E, and Madam Secretary all have new episodes on Netflix, so it has been quite a challenge to decide which one to watch in the limited time available. 

Craving - Hush Puppies - real southern ones. I haven't had them in forever, and for some reason I've just been craving them the last few days. 

Doing - lots of chores -- laundry, decluttering, cleaning, etc, etc, etc -- all really boring stuff

Obsessing - over minimalism and getting organized -- 

Loving - my new workout regemine -- I started doing yoga a few weeks ago, and while I am absolutely horrible at it, it is proving challenging, which is what I need lately.

Reading - High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard and The Millionaire from Nazareth -- both are interesting. I am really looking for some fabulous fiction -- something fun and entertaining, but I'm a bit bored on that front lately.

Wanting - to spend a ton of money on the new Erin Condren planners -- but I am being a good girl, and not.

Pinning - lots of houses and minimalism blogs and tips.

Dreaming - about eventually being organized -- specifically the Container Store Catalog

Writing - about all of my goals and dreams

Crafting - ideas for signs and pictures for the house

Sewing - lots of samples, currently working on Harbored Lighthouse and Tula PInk's City Sampler -- I'm participating in the #100days100blocks2018 challenge. So far, I am doing well, but then, it is only Day 4, there is plenty of time to get behind.

Knitting - I haven't done much lately, I've been too preoccupied with other things.

Listening - to podcasts on stitching, freezer meals and budgeting

Wearing - my typical uniform -- jeans, t-shirts, and the ever present Merrel sandals that I love.

Needing - a little inspiration in the design life. I just haven't been inspired on the designing front lately.

Planning - a massive clean out of the fridge and freezer -- I really need to inventory the fridge and freezers before I plan th next round of menus.

Trying - new Indian food....i was out with a friend last week for dinner and we tried a place in Moorpark CA -- it was lovely, though I still haven't found anything that compares to the Orange Tiger in Chester, but it was good, and the company was wonderful, and that's the more important part anyway. 

So -- what have you been doing???? Anything fun???

Tips on Tuesday Week 2 - The Binding Box

So, about 15 years ago I got a watch for Christmas from my Uncle Tom -- the watch has since been retired (about 18 months ago), but the box lives on, repurposed as my binding box. It's pretty small and almost square, and 3.5x3.5x3. It's the perfect size for all of the important things that I need to be able to bind on the go. It's small enough to throw in my purse or in the cup holder of the car, yet big enough to find in the travel crate. It's really just the perfect box. It's been loved on a lot. As you will see, it has been sat on, bent and reanimated, but shows the wear and tear of 10 years of love. I swear those flaws make me love it even more.

Here she is....my binding box....

Just a simple squarish fossil watch gift box. My replacement watch came in a cheapo plastic box, which makes this one all that more special. Not to mention that this one has had some adventures. It has been to Mexico, Canada, Alaska, and about 35 states. It has traveled on planes as carryons, and in checked luggage, and even made a very short trip on a New York subway.

Inside, it has just the simple tools that are needed for binding, and as you can see they get jumbled around quite a bit. And yes, the box is bent see story above.

The inside tends to be a collection area for all kinds of little stuff. You can tell that I don't clean it out as often as I should as it has 3 colors of thread, which means the last time I cleaned it was 3 quilts ago. As you may know I do quite a bit of hand work, and I have all 187 colors of DMC 50wt thread for my hand work. About 5 years ago, my Mom gave me the best Christmas present when she used my side winder to spin off a bobbin full of each of the 187 colors, so I have a mini of every color available, so I can just grab the bobbin, throw it in the box and be on my merry way. This is super convenient if I'm not sure exactly what color I want to do the hand stitching in and I don't have time. I can literally take all the colors with me in a little bobbin box (I have two of the little art bin bobbin boxes that house the 187 bobbins). She even put little stickers on the bobbins so I can refill the color  easily. 

So, the box itself has a pair of the best scissors on the planet -- Karen Kay Buckley small precision scissors with a serrated edge. These are great for cutting out the corners and trimming off batting pieces. A box of thread heaven which has long since lost its top (let's not discuss the fact that this amazing stuff has been discontinued). It's my very last box of Thread Heaven and I'm freaking out about it a bit. A miniature jar of pins, and a miniature jar of needles. They are glass jars on the inside, with polymer clay flowers on the outside. They are made by a woman in Hawaii, and were available at Amidon Quiltworks before they closed. Black is size 10 straw needles, Green is 1.25 in long .04mm clover glass head pins. A TJ Thimble sterling silver Thimble in size 6.25 that fits me perfectly. And in today's case, 3 colors of thread -- rust/orange, navy and dark green. Which means that the last time I cleaned out this box was 5 or 6 months ago when I bound the Kansas Troubles quilt with the rust/orange/red binding. 

So, am I the only person with a binding box, or do you have one as well????