Year of the PIGS

It's that time again to think about our PIGS. Jill over at Ramblings of a Fabric and Yarn Obsessor has asked us again to consider a question about our PIGS:

"Your guild has challenged you to complete the PIGS that you least 

want to work on. What project would it be and why."

I know exactly what project I'd have to work on - don't even have to think about. I think it was called "The Wind Doth Blow".

I started this project sometime in the 90s. I truly have no idea when. My guess is the early 90s. I had gotten the pattern from a magazine but no idea which one. I spent ages and ages collecting greys for the background. Grey just wasn't an easy color to find those days. But I found some and I loved this quilt. But then for some reason I put it down and didn't look at it for years and years. 

I look at it now and all I can think is, "what on earth would I do with this thing?". The days of country styling left our house many moons ago. Even if it was a style I wanted to work on, I have no idea where the pattern is. I suppose I would add a simple border and be done with it but I seem to remember it having a very nice set of borders and I hate to not finish it properly.

I think the only way this top will ever get finished is if I am challenged. Hmmmm, may have to add it to next year's UFO challenge.

Go over to Jill's and see what projects others don't want to work on.

Year of the PIGS - 3/26/11

So this week Jill asked, " Is there anything that you can do for or change in your sewing area to encourage your creativity? Something that you saw on someone else's post that you think would work for you? Inspiration that you got from somewhere else?"

I think my creativity is hampered by 2 things: my lack of a design wall and my hesitancy to install EQ. I just haven't thought I have the space for a design wall but this week I saw Judy D's design wall set up and I knew it was the answer for my sewing room. She hung a curtain rod over a set of cabinets. She can take the pole down and slip it through a sleeve sewn into a flannel table cloth. I can easily do that with my cabinets.

Problem solved. Well, solved once I get around to actually doing it. :)

The EQ issue is procrastination and fear that my already slow computer doesn't need another excuse to be even slower. I've had the program for years - probably long ago obsolete and updated. But I have seen so many people being so successful with it that I really need to "Just Do It".

So those are my creativity hangups. What are yours? Check out others' at Ramblings of a Fabric and Yarn Obsessor.

Year of the PIGS - 3/9/11

Jill, over at Ramblings of a Fabric andYarn Obsessor, has asked these questions about our sewing space, "Do you have a separate room all to yourself? Are you a little (or a lot) messy or Princess of Tidy? Are there things that you find a hindrance to your sewing mojo like no place to put an iron but on the other side of the room from your machine or a lack of storage of tools that just create more clutter to trip over? Share your frustrations and maybe we can supply a suggestion or two.

About 15 years ago my wonderful husband had a room finished for me in the unfinished part of our basement. I think it was for my 40th birthday. It was my best present ever! I feel so lucky to have a designated space for my hobbying (blogger is saying that isn't a proper word but I'm leaving it as is). Before that I had things stashed in every closet and under every bed and I could never find anything when I needed it. Plus I was working at the kitchen table which, with four growing boys in the house, needed to be cleaned up every night so we could eat dinner. So, now I have my own space. I say that I have an organized mess. My organizational systems stay very neat and organized but my work spaces can get very, very cluttered with projects and project remnants.

I love that I have this space. I have crammed a myriad of organizational products in there to allow me to best store and access all of my great stuff.  First and foremost, I was gifted a full set of kitchen cabinets that a girl friend was replacing. WOW, what a windfall! I bought a new countertop and have more than a full wall of upper and lower cabinets and a workspace to sit at and do my cutting.

I had one remaining lower cabinet which had a counter top (ugly but didn't matter). I covered it with that reflective batting stuff and ticking to make a nice big ironing surface - well, it is when I keep it clear of $%*#(@^. Right now it is relatively clear.

The room is surrounded by bookcases for, well, books, 

storage units for bins of fabric by color,

a very large closet for fabric yardage,

shoe organizers for fqs, nickels and strings,

fat quarters

nickels

2 1/2" strips

and lots of drawers and boxes for UFOs.

Tops waiting for quilting

OK, if you are still reading you can see I have squeezed a lot of great stuff into my dungeon. Yup, I call it my dungeon. Which hints at the problem. It is in the basement and has no windows. My dream sewing space would be in one of those big rooms over a double garage. But in this particular house, I am happy to have the room that I have. I just have a hard time getting excited about going down there. It's away from everything and everyone. I wouldn't ever complain because I feel so lucky to have it. And once I'm down there I am fine, but I often waste the day procrastinating about going down there.

Go HERE to read about others' sewing spaces.

Year of the PIGS - 2/2/11

Jill has asked us to dig deep into our souls to honestly answer the question: "Why you put PIGS and UFOs to the side?".

I would have to say that there are many reasons:

1. Swaps - This by far the number #1 reason. I love participating in block swaps and have a wonderful online group of friends that frequently swaps blocks. I often agree to participate in the swap even though I know I shouldn't because of current projects or the knowledge that these blocks will become part of the UFO pile.
2.  Excitement - New projects are just more exciting than old ones. And surfing blogs exposes me to way too many new ideas.
3.  Special Occasions - birthdays, weddings, babies, etc.
4.  Boredom -Especially when I get to the parts that I find most tedious - borders and quilting.
5.  Shopping - I used to get sucked into the appeal of kits but I have never made one of those kits. They were convenient but they were never completely me.

I can't think of any other reasons. I'm sure a "shrink" would say we all have A.D.D. and put us on ritalin.

Check out other responses HERE.

Year of the PIGS - 1/20/11

Jill over at Ramblings of a Fabric and Yarn Obsessor, has asked us to consider some stats related to our projects:

"Do you have a list of your PIGS and is it current?" I have been keeping a list of my UFOs but not of my PIGS. I have now made an updated list of both.

How many PIGS and UFOs do you have? My definition of PIGS is fabric bundled together with a specific pattern/project in mind BUT have not been cut into yet. I have 11 of those. I also have many fabrics that have been gathered and stored together with the plan to do "something" with them someday but I don't consider them PIGS because I don't have a specific project in mind yet.

My definition of a UFO is any project that is cut into, with a specific project planned. I have 85 of them. I also have 9 tops from a defunct charity group that I will be machine quilting but I don't consider them to be "my" UFOs.

What is your oldest and how old is it? My oldest PIG is the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat project. My 10 yo son was in a children's play and I was on the costume committee. I got to keep all of the fabulous scrap fabrics and plan to make my son a quilt with the fabrics. That was in 1993!! He is now 26! LOL 

My oldest UFO is The North Wind Doth Blow. I would guess that it is from the mid 90s.

 
















EIGHTY-FIVE UFOs!!!!! Oh my! I had no idea.

Where are your PIGS hiding?

Over at Ramblings of a Fabric and Yarn Obsessor, Jill is hosting a Year of the PIGS challenge. A couple of times a month she will be posting questions about our PIGS and UFOs. It should be an eye opening experience and I'm hoping it challenges us to let those PIGS out and find good homes.

Today Jill asked: How do you store your UFOs and PIGS separate from your fabric stash? Hmmm, not a well as I'd like. I'm an messy organizational freak. Is that an oxymoron? I need my things to be completely organized and if they can't be then they get piled up until they can be. So I'm very organized except for the messes. LOL Does that make sense? In my dream of dreams I'd have a huge wall of drawers for the UFOs and projects that I have pulled fabrics for. But a) I don't have the space and b) couldn't justify the expense (well, if I had the space I'd work on the justification). So I have many different containers for my projects to fit the many different locations I have them stashed.

I have all competed tops, waiting to be quilted, in wired cubes next to the long arm.

Under the longarm is most bins of batting and tools but I have room for a few containers for UFOs

Under the table next to my sewing machine I have 20 containers.

On the table next to my sewing machine I have "shoe" organizers holding my nickels and strips (out of picture to the left of the nickels. I have UFOs and PIGS in the cardboard organizer.

Just looking at all the UFOs to take the pics makes me want to work on them.
So many projects, so little time.