I am working on it ... seriously ...

... on reducing my fabric stash and actually using it. But since the move in this house last summer the organization of this stash is seriously compromised.

A step back: In the last house we had a tiny kitchen but huge dining area space so I put the girls' old german blue wardrobe in a corner and organized NICELY - sorted after colors and seasons - most of my fabric in it. Easy access. Right there in the middle of the house with enough space around to spread it all out if necessary. The rest of the crafts stuff was all packed up in a closet in Leland's hide away/computer room.

Now: We rented a bigger house that's in better shaped and all the kids got their own room. Getting them to sleep is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier, but there is no space for my blue closet beside in the garage which is packed with everything else that was in the extra room in the other house, too, plus everything else. So I am working on getting my stash used and reduced and reorganized that I can enjoy it again and actually find what I am looking for when I look for it. But that is a work in progress.

I don't like to admit that the last move left such a chaos behind - we are expert movers after all! - but Sew, Mama, Sew! is asking about our fabric stash, yours & mine. And through them you get to peek in lots of others fabric stashes and see what they are stashing away.

• What do you usually sew?
  I started out with quilts in all sizes and girls' dresses, now more little things for decorations and whatever pops in my head.
  


• When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy?
  If I go shopping for a specific project I just add a little more as what I need, if I just really like the fabric it depends on the price if I take between 1/2 - 2 yards. Usually 1 yard.
  


• Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need?
  Both, I try to avoid the fabric sections now because I do have a pretty big stash, but the special fabric I always find when I am not looking for it.
  


• Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it?
  I used to wash it right away. Now only of I use it for quilts when I need it.
  


• Do you iron it?
  Before cutting it.
  


• How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.)
  By color, a few as collection and as season for fall and xmas.
  


• Do you have any special folding techniques?
  No, just trying to get them similar sized.
  


• How do you store your fabric?
  In my blue closet if I get finished organozid, currently there and in plastic containers and on top of my dryer.
  


• What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash?
  If you see something you just fall in love with add it to your stash, it makes you smile when you get to touch it. lol. There are a few stash staples you akways need from white fabric, tan, black, brown, so always have a few overall fitting patterns, too, that you easily can start on an idea without having to run to the store.
  


• When do you say enough is enough?
  Is there ever enough? I reach a point taht I carefully select the fabric I buy now.
  


• What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects?
  Let my daughters dig in my stash. lol.
  


• Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? Let’s see it!
  I love the blue print and for right now can't get myself to cut in it.
  

• What’s your definition of the perfect stash?
  The perfect stash is the one I can start digging in when I get an idea and end up finding all the perfectly right fabrics I want in it.
  

"The latest additions to the fabric stash."

More Stuffed Little Hearts

Those little hearts are a cute decorations for the house, I just still try to find the perfect spot for them. I even likethem hanging from a doorknob, but Soren disagrees with me and usually takes my doorknob decorations faster down as I put them up.

All hearts have a pocket in the front so I can a little note, perhabs folded or rolled up and a sweet treat with it for my girls on valentines. Perhabs the striped hearts still need a bow, but I didn't make up my mind yet and like them as simple as they are. I hope you enjoy them, too.

Fabric Bookcovers

Here is my first attempt of making a bookcover with fabric for an old notebook from strips of fabric and some batting. The notebook can easily be exchanged when it is full because it works like a slip cover.


Of course after Chiara saw mine she wanted one for her notebook, too, and how can I say no? So we took the leftover fabric from her heart found some coordinateting strips.

Those are the first attempts for bookcovers but more are in plans if I find the time for them.

Hearts full of Love

Both of my girls were busy sewing hearts last weekend especially Isabell. Look at big pile she made with Oma's help. But she sewed all the bows on by herself and each has a different pearl or bead. She was working really hard all afternoon.

Here is Chiara' heart. Isn't it cute?

Chenille

After looking through almost all off my old quilt magazine I came over an article that described how to make Chenille. And I just had to try it out. It is EASY as it can be.

I grabbed some of my homespun scraps. Flanell works, too, as any other lightly woven fabric, but my preference for rag quilts and chenille is homespun. With several layers of fabric flanell gets very heavy while homespuns still keep it light especially in a bigger size.

For my little try out sample I cut five squares of fabric, stacked them on top of each other and sewed a diagonal from one corner to the other. I kept sewing seams with 1/2 inches of the the previous one on each side of the diagonal all the way out to each corner.



After that step you cut in between all seams through the four top layers, just not the bottom one.
I used the Clover Slash Cutter instead of scissors for that step.

After all the cutting it went in the washing machine and dryer to fray and this step added all the softness to the fabric --------- chenille.

Just Yummy

On our second trip to Austin this month, I could not resist buying fabric - my sewing machine is dusted off by now, too - the deals were just to sweet and the fabric just gorgeous. I love it, so much that I can't cut in it yet and it is nicely stack up next to me to look at.

It is so hard to resist buying just all of it, so I had to ideas in my head and pick them out for it. One or two more slipped in the stack, but I can't wait to see how those ideas turn out.

Soren loves all the buttons on my sewing machine, too, and the wheel, and the foot and, ......

CAN'T KEEP HIS HANDS OFF IT!

Little Pizza Baker

Pink just wasn't an option. Pink with white ruffles was NO option at all. Not even allowed for testing and modeling, so we had no other choice and to make a little boy's apron and hat. In green, blue and black. And this time we just did the photo options. Luckily for a few minutes I even got the grins and giggles from my little model. Especially while chasing the cat.

The apron is lined with black fabric and also reversible, the hat will be adjustable with velcro and it's just a small size for little tods up to 3-4 years.

T-Shirt to Newborn Caps - Part 1

Strolling through my favroite blogs I came across a new addition from Soule Mama "Mama to Mama" introducing its first project. The Caps to Cap-Haitien Project: A Partnership with Konbit Sante, will initially provide newborn jersey caps to be distributed in Safe Birthing Kits in northern Haiti.

Reading through the posting I thought that's something I can help with. I have a sewing machine. A box of sorted out clothes, not really time, but sometimes you just make time because you want to, so an hour later after recycling old tshirts and an old jersey dress there's a small stack of baby caps.

Isabell saw what I made and right away told me, Mama you can show me how to do it and I CAN make those, too. So now we have plans for Sunday afternoon with an extra reason to sort through our Tees in the closet and making more caps . Then you might see Part 2.

By the way if I would have known that this is so easy and turns out so cute, Bella would have gotten cute caps as a newborn, too, and that even handmade. But eight years ago she got a typical German newborn cap.

Baker in Training or Just Like Mom

On Saturday is Becca's birthday party and she just wants to be like her mom right now. Her mom is always making all kinds of yummy cakes and food. So a little bird told u that she will get her own little oven to bake just like mom. So we asked, what does a little baker and cook in training need. An apron of course and supplies.

So we fixed her a little shopping basket with dough scraper, rolling pin, whisk, cookie cutter, muffin forms, chocolate muffin mix and were just missing an apron. So I digged we the girls help in my stack of fabric and found a cute litte butterfly fabric taht I sewed in an apron with yellow ruffles on thebottom edge for a special little girl. Chiara is showing it off right here before we added it to the little basket.

Perhabs if I find the time we can add a fitting baker's hat to the mix, too.

Didn't it turn out cute?

Square Fabric Postcards - Miniature Art Quilts

I love working with batics. They always give an unexpected twist to your projects. And it's a step away from the traditional.

These postcards are just 4 x 4 inches big and could be mailed as postcards. I rather tuck one in as the special something to a holiday card or birthday card. They fit in a standard size A2 envelope.

Perhabs you will find one in yours!






This one is 4 x 6 inches and I had made it a while ago, but finally finished it up with the other ones.

I do try to finish one of my UFOs before I can start something new, but if I just want to try out something new it sometimes can't wait and has to be done right away.