Prissnboot

That's it, I've officially decided that when I finish the quilt I am currently working on, I'm going to cut up all of my fat quarters and scraps into Bonnie Hunter's scrap system and have a Bonnie Hunter blowout! Then I'm going to quit buying fat quarters! It's an out-of-sight/out-of-mind situation and I can't deal with it anymore. I'm so anal retentive I guess, but I just bought a big sewing basket from a yard sale that I put the FQ's in and I don't really have anywhere to keep it and it's driving me nuts. So it's time to declare WAR on this thing and put it to rest already!

I don't have any holiday tasks in front of me other than the quilt I started Saturday (then ripped apart Sunday because Step 1 was done wrong, but who hasn't been there?), that's for my brother and his wife for Christmas. That's the only project I'm currently working on, and I've put in for the week after New Year's for vacation to stay at home, organize the sewing studio, and start a quilt FOR ME!!! Most likely it will be Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt, and I think I'm going to make a New Year's Resolution early this year - after finishing each new project, I have to finish a UFO. Sounds good, we'll see how it works out come next December!

Happy Stitching, everyone!

Tartan

Who can resist fat quarters? Not me that's for sure. There are some great scrap quilts on Bonnie's site so go for it! Let us know how your resolution goes.

ManiacQuilter2

That is what I do to get my UFOs under control. Hang in there Prissnboot !!!

sewplease

When I did my first BH mystery, Roll, Roll Cotton Boll, it required a bunch of neutral strips. I remember opening the bin with my shirtings, taking a look, and then thinking that I needed to "save" them. Then I slapped my forehead and said "what for!" Then I happily cut many of them up into 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3.5" strips and my scrap saver system was born. That quilt also required pinks, greens, and browns. I did the same thing with those colors, even cutting into some yardage. When I did Blue Ridge Beauty, I added a bunch of blues. I think the key to getting started is to cut up the colors as you need them. Often times now when I'm fabric shopping, I'll buy quarter or third yard pieces to add to the bins. It is so nice to be able to do scrappy quilts by just grabbing a handful of strips that are ready to go.

Gerbie

Sewplease, since you and prissnboot both live in Houston, you two might get together and work on a BH or help Prissnboot get started cutting into her fat quarters. Now, no one has to tell me how large Houston is, I'm a native Texan myself, but who knows you might live fairly close then again may be 50 + miles apart there in Houston. I just think it would be so neat to get to know someone on the board who may live near you. I have a few dear email friends that I have met on this board, just not in person, but have visited with a few on the phone. One email friend I visit with lives in another state now but once lived in a small town 37 miles from where I live, we must travel through this town when we go to the Drs. in a larger town 35 miles further down the interstate. So like the song goes, it is small world.

leighway

I always resist fat quarters because I cannot justify the cost...they're expensive! unless the quality is poor and they're on sale...easier than ever to resist.
However!!! the gist of this post is Enough is Enough! and I'm there!!! (looks like I went to a sale on exclamation points!)
The two bureau drawers where I put my scraps are jammed and I break out into a rash every time I look at them. I feel a Bonnie Hunter blow-out prep session coming, which will inevitably lead me to a Bonnie Hunter scrap quilt session, on top of the MQ session....oh Lord...this is how we digress and end up with UFO's...

oldtnquiltinglady

Today's posting is right up my alley this morning. I went to sleep last night figuring out how to reconfigure (?) my space to accommodate my Elna embroidery machine (purchased and never opened since last April, they are going to back out on my sewing lessons on it.....). What a revolting development to be in, right? But it seems that the older I get the faster my days get away from me--I won't be mobile by the time I am 80.

See, girls, everyone has these "can't get nuthin' done" moments; and even just thinking about getting started on it has me immobilized--instead of going in there and working on getting stuff rearranged, here I sat down to my computer and the first post I read got me started on the typing duties this morning. But today is Veterans Day, and my bunch is out parading and celebrating, and when they get back, they're going to be put to work!!!!!

Tudey

Fat quarters are my favorites! I have those plastic rolling drawers that hold oodles of them and the drawer units fit nicely below my sewing tables!

bennie0755

I certainly understand how the scraps get out of control. I decided last week to cut out Bonnie's "My Blue Heaven" quilt, thinking that it would use up ALL of my blues. Somehow, once I had the entire quilt cut and ready to sew, I looked into another drawer, and found it full of blue fabrics also.... They are definitely multiplying when I am not looking!

Onebyone

I have started buying pre cuts just for the reason I have so many scraps now I will never get them all cut. I will use the pre cuts but I won't take the time to cut all those scraps. My sewing group has two days a month where we take scraps and put in the middle of two tables together. We have our sewing machines sitting around the scrap pile. We each have a pile of muslin cut to 8 1/2 squares. We start string piecing, not paying any attention to color. It's amazing how many string/crazy quilt blocks we can sew in a day. The string block sew days has made a big dent in my scrap bins and I have a pile of quilt blocks instead of scraps.