Organizing My Fabric Stash

Tags

collection, DIY, fabric, organization, project, storage, What I'm working on

As I started to unpack my craft/sewing room, I remembered this great pin I found on Pinterest for storage solutions and thought I’d use some of them in my new space!

First of all, I had mini-bolted all of my cottons just before the move.  Super simple and makes for easy organization!  Just use comic book boards!  They are acid free and a great size for making your fabrics look neat and tidy! (I’m pretty sure I saw this idea here)  Simply fold your fabric in half (salvaged edge to salvaged edge) and then half again.  Then place the comic book board at one end and start folding your fabric over the board for the entire length of your fabric!  Voila!  Mini-bolts!!  Then you can stack them in shelves for a pretty way to store your fabric.

Mini-bolted fabric stash

Now for this idea, you don’t need to have your fabric mini-bolted…but it sure helped. 

Hanging File Folders

Mini-bolted and ready to hang

I simply cut the hanging file folders down and slid them into the mini bolts.  If you don’t have your fabric already mini-bolted, you can cut the folders in half (giving you two hangers) and bolt around each piece.  Easy Peasy!

Neat and tidy

Hanging pretty

Now to organize my knits and upholstery fabrics!

~Angie

Quick Craft – Chalk Paint Mason Jars

Tags

chalk paint, collection, DIY, makeover, paint, project, quick craft, Things I've made, tutorial, What I'm working on

Chalk paint is all the rage in the crafting world at the moment. It is so easy to use and so versatile! You can paint anything with it with little prep and easy clean up (check out this pin). That makes it a win in my books.

I’ve seen this done around the web lately and decided to give it a try myself. I had picked up these mason jars at a local thrift store and had painted the inside with spray paint (super easy to do!) to match my decor. They sat displayed on the shelf for quite some time, and looked lovely just as they were. But I noticed that I was really enjoying all the decorating posts that used a lot of white with a few accent colors. So, I decided to paint them again, but this time on the outside and with chalk paint.

Mason Jars painted inside with spray paint

I wiped them down and gave them their first coat. Although I didn’t sand in between each coat, you could if you wanted to. When the first coat dried (20 min or so…super quick) I gave it another coat and let it dry again.

applying the first coat

drying

Once they were dry, I took out some sandpaper and lightly distresses in a few areas. What was nice about having already painted the insides of the jars, was that the color showed through in some distressed areas.

distressed and beautiful!

Chalk paint is a super easy way to update your decor! What would you paint?

~Angie

Linking up to:

http://www.lizmarieblog.com/2013/06/inspire-me-linky-party-14/

http://www.thecottagemarket.com/2013/06/junkin-joe-features-and-linky-party.html

http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/2013/06/motivate-me-monday-177.html

http://www.settingforfour.com/2013/06/project-inspired-linky-party-no_10.html

I think I may have an addiction….

Tags

addiction, collection, fabric, handmade, quilts, Things I've made, What I'm working on

I thought I’d share some of what I’ve been working on lately.  A while back, I was asked to make two double quilts for two very special little girls.  I agreed to make them even though I was not taking any new custom orders because I fully believe that there is something special about a handmade quilt.

We always had handmade quilts in our house.  I was lucky enough to come from a family where both grandmothers were quilters and both had their own unique style!  My favorite gifts were quilts from my grandmothers because they were perfect for snuggling up with to watch a movie or read a book.  You could just feel the love when you wrapped yourself up in your very own handcrafted patchwork blanket. I think this is what sparked my love of fabrics!

Fabric speaks to me. Some fabrics tell me that they would make a beautiful purse. Some tell me that they would look stunning as a jacket! And some tell me “I don’t know what I’ll be yet, but I’m just so pretty! Take me home and I’m sure you’ll find a project for me!” And so, I’ve accumulated quite an impressive collection! This is less than a quarter of what I have in my studio.

My collection has almost outgrown my studio space. So, I am determined to use what I have before I buy any more! And that brings us back to what I’m currently working on. I haven’t made a quilt in almost a year and it was refreshing to be back at the sewing machine fitting together the pieces of a puzzle that would become so much more than just a blanket.

A funny thing happens when I’m quilting. My mind wanders and comes up will all sorts of crafty ideas for those scraps, extra squares, and those fabrics that were just so pretty and I had to have. As I was sewing away yesterday morning an idea popped into my head that I just had to try. There were some extra bits left over from the quilts I was working on that were just crying out to be made into matching pillow cases! And I had been wanting to try out the roll-up method of making a quilted band pillow case.

I am so eager to get these quilts and pillowcases finished for these little girls. I really hope they get the same warm fuzzy feelings I used to get when they wrap themselves up in their very own handmade quilt.

~Angie