Reality Check . . . Starting with a Clean Slate

2015 was a year of purging at my house and while I still have a ways to go I got a good start. It feels sooo good to simplify and actually have less.

However having less in my studio is entirely another matter. I've been quilting for nearly 20 years so there's a lot of fabric in my stash. Too much. Much too much. It's been quite a reality check to acknowledge just how much fabric I own. And I'm finding it hard to let go.

During December, I scheduled in time to go through my stash with the intention of sorting, reorganizing, and purging. In an attempt to regain control, I spent time clearing things I knew I wouldn't use and it was much harder than I imagined. The frugal side of me kept saying, "but I could make a charity quilt or some placemats or or or . . . "   You get the picture. Bet you've even had the same experience.

These are just 2 of 4 tubs of floral fabrics. I love flowers. Would I buy these now? Probably not. Can I part with them? Not yet. I'm hoping to make a scrappy trip quilt and perhaps one or two other quilts with them. Then maybe I'll be able to let go of what's left.

Below are mostly realistic leafy prints and fruit/veggie prints. Can't part with these yet either. I'm using a lot of the leafy prints in this quilt. And I'm thinking napkins and/or placements with the fruit/veggie prints will go nicely with my fruit/veggie dishes.

In the end, I managed to fill a couple of boxes with fabric. Not as much as I had hoped but at least it's a start. Some I will sell at a local resale shop that buys by the pound. Other stuff I'm giving away.

I also spent time ironing and refolding pieces so they would fit into the cubbies or cabinets I use for storage. Over time I had shoved a lot of stuff in here and there and it didn't fit. The edges were being smashed. Not good for the fabric. It might seem like a waste of time to iron and refold but I actually found the process very therapeutic.

In some cases, opening up a bigger cut and seeing the entire piece was totally inspiring. When you only see a little edge you can forget how beautiful the fabric really is.

I found new groupings that got me excited. I even took quick photos of some of them for future quilts.

Sadly, I also found a piece here and there that had faded along the fold lines. No rhyme or reason. They weren't in direct light. They weren't all stored in the same location. Thankfully this didn't happen too much.

The biggest benefit to handling most of my fabric was the conviction it gave me to use it. That's why I bought it in the first place, right? All that handling also strengthened my conviction not to buy anymore in 2016. I simply do not need another piece of fabric added to my stash. With the money I save from not buying more fabric I'll be able to send more quilts out to be quilted. That means more finished projects and that's a very very good thing.   : )

So today I am formally putting it out there that one of my 2016 goals is to use my stash. To make those quilts I've had in mind for ages using as much of this glorious stash as I can.

Granted I have more ideas and more fabric than I have time to make in a single year but at least I can make a dedicated start.

I have unsubscribed to most online shops. Not because I don't love what they offer, but simply because I don't need the temptation.

I vow to only buy the occasional fabric absolutely necessary to complete a project. Binding, backing, or enough yardage to make a design work. I know myself well enough to admit that I won't be satisfied with a binding or backing that isn't just right. But I will always try to find it in the stash first.

What's the condition of your stash? Overflowing or under control? Full of what you love or things you're clinging to from another time?

When making decisions about what to keep, I tried to come back to the question of whether keeping it was worth my time and effort. Am I keeping it out of guilt over spending money on something I haven't used? Yes. Does it still inspire me? Sort of. Is it really where my heart is? Not really.

When I step back and think about where I really want to go with my quilting, a lot of the older stash simply has no part to play. The time it would take to use it would be time I could spend making all those ideas that are filling my brain and inspiring me.

But for now, I'll settle for baby steps. The things I want to use are right here in front of me. All organized. Awaiting the projects they are meant to become.

Here's my newly cleaned stash . . . I'm ready to go.
Just need my sewing machine. It's out being serviced.

Wishing you happy times in your sewing room playing with your stash.
Anne

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My Best of 2015

If you haven't seen it yet, Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs is hosting a Best of 2015 Linky Party for everyone to share their 5 best blog posts of 2015.

The criteria is up to you. Most views, most comments, best finishes, best tutorials or simply your favorites. I decided to go with the posts that marked an accomplishment for me in one way or another. So here they are in no specific order . . . my best posts of 2015.

1.  I started and ended my year with this quilt.
A new Christmas quilt as part of the Drunkard's Path QAL.

It's the end result of hosting my first ever quilt along. You can find links to all the posts here plus you can do it anytime. It doesn't have to be for Christmas either.

A more accurate description might be a block a month plan because, from January through September, I made one block each month. Then I moved on to borders and finishing in October and November. Thanks to the commitment of monthly blog posts I was able to keep up and finish up.
A new Christmas quilt on my wall for 2015. WaHoo!!!

2.  Next up in 2015 came QuiltCon. I can't even express how rewarding it was to attend, meet online quilty friends in person for the first time, meet even more brand new people and make new online connections . . . and last but not least get to see two of my quilts hanging in the show. The first was Matrix Blooming, a quilt from my Matrix pattern made specifically to enter into the show.

The second was our guild charity quilt based on my design and put together by the Boulder Modern Quilt Guild. Great job ladies!

3 and 4.  Next up on my list are these two posts in July, Matrix and Offset. Each marked the release of a new pattern. Designs that were a long time in the making and big accomplishment to finally wrap up.

 


5.  The final post on my list is not really a single post but a series of posts on Color Inspiration.

So far I've done six individual colors plus analogous and complementary color schemes. I will be continuing these posts in 2016 as well as adding some other design topics so stay tuned. You can get to all the color links from here.

January 2nd is the last day to link up so don't wait a moment longer. Show us your best posts of 2015?

Happy New Year.
Here's to a fabulous and productive 2016!

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Complementary Colors

Last month I touched base on analogous colors . Today I'm looking at complementary colors. This isn't a technical color post but rather my observation of complementary colors in my world.

Complementary colors are any two colors that fall directly opposite of each other on the color wheel. The most basic complementary color pairs are red and green, orange and blue, and yellow and purple. Shift a step on the wheel and you get combinations like lime green and red-violet, aqua and red-orange, yellow-orange and indigo. Complementary colors naturally create contrast because they oppose each other on the color wheel. This can be used quite effectively to create very dynamic color compositions in graphics and quilts.

Tis the perfect season for spotting complementary colors since red and green play such a dominant role in Christmas decor. I love decorating with red and green for Christmas.

Of course red and green aren't just seen during the holidays. This dynamic combination occurs year round if you look for it. All types of reds. All types of greens.

Here's a little red and green from my stash . . .

The complementary colors of blue and orange are abundant here in Colorado since they happen to be the Denver Bronco colors (our NFL football team for those of you outside the USA). It's actually a bit overwhelming to walk into a store and be confronted with this much bright, bright orange.

Nature always comes through with beautiful color combinations . . .

I also found a fair share of blue and orange combinations in my stash . . .

Purple and yellow seemed to be the hardest to find examples of. This combination occurs in nature but it's winter here so the flowers are sleeping. I did have these photos from the Botanical Gardens.

And I found these graphic purple and yellow mugs in Anthropologie . . .

I've always wanted to make a quilt with this fabric group . . .

Or how about this nice complementary purple and yellow bee block I made for Cindy . . . 

Using equal amounts of complementary colors can be overwhelming. When both colors occur in the same amounts they compete with one another. One great way to use complementary colors is to vary the amounts. Use one color as the dominant hue and add just a pop of the opposite color. This technique is often used in interior design by using an accent color to punch up the space. I like this use of complimentary colors because it really calls attention to the smallest detail and can be very dynamic. These leaves are a perfect example . . . rather than noticing the green leaves, you really see the red veins.

You can also vary the level of contrast between complementary colors by playing with value. For example, pairing a strong pure hue with a lighter value of it's complement can soften the contrast. The soft pink flowers bring the level of contrast down a notch in this image.

What I learned while looking for complimentary colors is that I don't use them very often. I usually lean toward analogous color schemes. But complementary colors make dynamic quilts so you can bet I'll be exploring this combination more in 2016. I already have one in mind with some great Amy Butler fabrics I've been collecting.

Here are two quilts I made using complementary combinations. This yellow Kaffe quilt with purple accents made from my Cascade pattern . . .

And of course the best example so far would be my latest finish. The Drunkard's Path QAL Christmas quilt . . .  love this one and am so happy to have it hanging on the wall for the holidays.

How about you?
Can you find complimentary colors in your home or your wardrobe?
Do you use complimentary colors in your quilts?
Why not make a quilt with complementary colors in 2016?

I'll leave you with Opal seen here modeling some complementary colors when we first got her three years ago this month . . .

As with my single color stories, my intention here is to look for these color combinations in my own personal world. To see the colors around me in my house, my environment and my experiences. For that reason I've chosen to use my own photos rather than rely on the abundance of beautiful photos and color schemes available through sites like Pinterest and Design Seeds. These sites are wonderful places for inspiration on color but I want my series to be personal . . . representative of the color I see around me. 

You can see all my other color stories under the Color Inspiration tab at the top of my blog. If you'd like to see additional beautiful color images, you can follow my Pinterest color boards here. I've also added a board on complementary colors here. Do check it out. There are some fabulous photos.

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A New Series: Pattern Writing by Meadow Mist Designs

I'd like to give you all a heads up about a new blog series starting in January. It's called the Pattern Writing Blog Series written and hosted by Cheryl Brickey of Meadow Mist Designs.

Cheryl will be taking us step by step through the process of writing a quilt pattern starting with design all the way through to a fully developed pattern. She will be working through an actual pattern as she talks about each step in the process with a free pattern at the end of the series. Some of the topics she plans to cover include; design, pattern basics, text, math, illustrations, testing, and finishing.

Along the way she is having several pattern designers join her for a round table discussion about their own pattern writing process. Designers include Amy of 13 Spools, Christa of Christa Quilts, Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts, Soma of Whims and Fancies, Yvonne of Quilting Jetgirl and myself.

I'm thrilled to be participating and certainly look forward to learning new things from Cheryl and all the other designers.. If you've ever thought of writing your own patterns, or are just curious about what goes into the process, then join Cheryl and learn how it's done. Follow her at Meadow Mist Designs and myself here at Springleaf Studios. Just click the Bloglovin link below or one of the other choices along my sidebar.

There will be giveaways at the end too, so don't miss out.   : )

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Drunkard's Path QAL: The Binding

December . . . the final month in my Drunkard's Path QAL, and I'm thrilled to say I'm starting the month with a finish. WaHoo!!!   You can find all the previous QAL posts here.

November was the month of machine quilting and I will admit it wasn't easy. Free motion quilting is not something I particularly enjoy but the QAL provided me with the motivation needed to have a finish. That's a big one for me since I'm better known for multiple starts and fewer finishes. You can read my quilting post here where I look at possible quilting motifs to use and my process of exploring ideas. I ended up going with a poinsettia looking leaf design throughout including the borders. You can see a bit of it here. I was worried that the change in thread color would look bad on the back but it's not that noticeable when you see the back as a whole.

With the quilting complete, all that remained was the binding. I find binding a relatively easy process. Especially after struggling with the quilting. Most often I don't decide on my binding fabric until the quilt is complete and then I audition various fabrics. I especially love to use stripes for my binding and usually keep quite a few stripes on hand for that purpose.

For this quilt I pretty much assumed it would be a red binding. I pulled out both red and green stripes to try and instantly knew the green was better. Either would look wonderful but the green really allowed the red fabrics within the quilt to shine.

When I put the following image up on Instagram, Linda of @FlourishingPalms made the suggestion to use both colors in a flanged binding and recommended this great tutorial by Karen of @RedBirdQuiltCo. Social media can lead to learning so many great new things.

I loved the look of Karen's flange binding and, after reading through the directions, felt sure this would be my choice. The best of both colors. Just a hint of red. Then I pulled a red solid and tried it. It looks really nice but once again I found the red shouted it's presence. The green 'leaves' in the quilt recede behind the red 'petals' in the design and I wanted the binding to recede a little as well. The red petals need to be the focus of this quilt. I felt any red in the binding simply brought too much attention to the edge of the quilt. I really do like Karen's tutorial though and will definitely be trying it on another project sometime soon. It's a great look for the right quilt.

So green it is. A lovely green on green small stripe from the Caterwauling line by RJR Fabrics. It's been in my stash for awhile, the selvage says 2011 so who knows how long I've had it. I love it when I find the perfect fabric in your stash?

Here's the finish . . .

At what point in the process do you choose the binding fabric? Do you have a go-to binding choice? Solids? Stripes? Prints? If you've made a quilt during this QAL along I'd love to see it. Shoot me an email with a photo.

I hope to show more photos in a few days when I actually get the house decorated.
Right now it's time to get my Christmas decorations put up. I think I hear Christmas carols calling . . .

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