I'm sleeping with my fabric!

How sad is that?

I have been known to take a pile of quilting magazines to bed to drool over when I am looking for inspiration and this week it has been a just about every night thing, but I have never before taken my fabric to bed to stroke! Today I have been doing a major re-organisation of my sewing area and I had to temporarily move some fabric piles somewhere. The only available space was my bed. When it came time to have an afternoon zzz I was too tired to move the fabric piles back, so I climbed into bed with the piles still there (along with some magazines to the left of the fabric):

I have to say I had a great sleep! There is a quilt on that bed. It's hiding under the duvet which has been on for winter. It is just about getting warm enough to put the duvet away. Today was a beautiful sunny spring day. Roll on summer!

Not Quite to One Hundred Yet

I decided to have a look at my list of posts and found several (bad) drafts, which I have deleted; except for the following, from about January, which somehow didn't make it out into the ether (or did it?):

My friend bought that book (Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space by Lois Hallock) and I read it from cover to cover - twice. The best thing I got out of it (apart from being envious of all the lovely matching cabinetry and tables)was a great way to fold fabric. The book suggested using a cutting ruler but I used a piece of cardboard which I cut to size so I can fit 3 piles of fabrics on each shelf. It took 4 days to refold my stash (not including the fat quarters which took another day and a half) and my friends think I am really sad but I love seeing my stash in neat, even piles and tidy. I can see what is there so much better. Yep - my friends are right - I am sad!

Do you agree?

Okay, here is a picture of the stash after the folding marathon in January (There is even more fabric stuffed in there now!):
So I'm 2 0r 3 posts* away from the big round one. Do you think I will be able to find something for a prize in this lot? What do you fancy? A bit of country, a little bit of (bright) rock'n'roll? Perhaps some warm fuzzy flannel, or crisp 30's, or colour saturated batik, or . . .

The boxes along the top contain about half of my collection of quilting magazines. I have 2 more book cases of them elsewhere. I may not be "Quite One Hundred" yet, but I don't think I'll use up all this even if I do last that long with all my marbled faculties!

* make that 4 posts away. I've just checked and this is number 96

Bobbin Failure

I tried to make this post last night but my computer lost its internet link, so I decided to go to bed instead since the resident computer expert had retired for the night. Some people (who shall remain nameless) think I may have writer's block since I haven't posted since 10th March. I assure you, the words are still as plentiful, just not making it to the computer. ( TOO MUCH MARKING LAST WEEK!)

Look what happened to me in the weekend:

I was winding thread and didn't think about what I was doing when it was finished. I pulled the bobbin up, instead of left then up, and the end came off! I guess they don't make parts like they used to. Just as well I have a case full of bobbins, so I could keep on sewing. I have been quilting the two community quilts that I started a couple of Saturday's ago. I now have to do the bindings and I should have had them finished by now, but work keeps getting in the way of the weekends - oh and a fabric buying trip last Saturday also meant not much sewing got done.

I know I am not supposed to be buying fabric this year (or any year for about the next thousand) but there was a new Quilts Japan magazine waiting for me at The Cloth Shop over in Palmerston North, so I decided I would have a nice day out on my own. I came back with 6 metres of fabric for the background and borders of our next raffle quilt at the very reasonable price of $10 per metre. I was very happy to get that. I won't bore you with the details of the other fabrics that just had to walk out the shop with me, but the good ladies of Arthur Toye's had just unloaded a new shipment and temptation grabbed hold of my wallet and flung it at their cash register! Well, okay, here is a photo of a lovely graduated fabric I picked up: