Organizing My Stash: Before and After / Beauties Pageant 276

My fabrics started out years ago in a single three-drawer chest. Over time, however, additions to my stash migrated ... to the master bedroom closet, to bins under the master bed, to the nightstands in the guest room. Earlier this fall, I decided things had reached a breaking point: It wasn’t fun to root through a stash that was squirreled away in so many disparate locations. I didn’t even have a good grasp of what fabrics I had anymore. A stash reorganization was in order!

The process was not pleasant and took longer than I anticipated, but now that it’s done, my stash and I are better for it. If you’re considering a comparable overhaul of your own (perhaps as a new year’s resolution?), here is my advice ...

1. Get everything in one place. 

At my husband’s suggestion, I consolidated everything in our finished basement, where my organized stash would live. This created a new kind of mess, which was frustrating because I was aiming to create order, but it was unavoidable: I needed to get a handle of how much fabric I had.

I knew I would need to invest in some new furniture. Originally, I was set on buying cabinets—I wanted to be able to open doors and see all my fabric options at once—but decided they would look odd in my basement. I ended up buying two of the popular and versatile Kallax cubby units from Ikea. These units come in different configurations and are customizable with everything from doors to shelves. I settled on buying drawer inserts for eight of my cubbies. (Disclaimer: I did not assemble a thing. My husband and older son took on the task and did not enjoy it.)

2. Get rid of what you don’t want, won’t use, or no longer love. 

I touched every piece of fabric I own during this process, so I made the most of that time by pruning what I could. Because you know what’s easier than organizing a huge amount of fabric? Organizing a slightly smaller amount of fabric.

I recycled weird bits that I knew I wouldn’t use. I gave away some scraps that felt more burdensome than inspiring and set aside some yardage that I will donate to my guild’s annual yard sale in January. 

In the past I’ve sold bundles and yardage on Instagram and on FeelGood Fibers. Instagram isn’t an easy place to sell anything anymore, due to algorithm changes over the years. FeelGood Fibers, however, is a marketplace I would take advantage of now if the guild yard sale weren’t on the horizon.

3. Pull fabric for a project or two.

Again, wanting to make the most of the quality time with my stash, I pulled scraps and fat quarters for a scrappy pixelated project as I sorted and pruned from the piles of fabric.

4. Forget about perfection.

I watched more than one YouTube video about folding fat quarters and other cuts in neat little squares, but I had to recalibrate my expectations. This project wasn’t about perfection; it was about getting my stash in a usable state. That meant folding everything so it could be stored and easily viewed, not so that everything could be uniform and perfect. 

5. Organize in a way that make sense to you. 

At first I balked at the idea of having to open a bunch of drawers to see my stash. (My husband accompanied me to Ikea and advocated for the drawer inserts.) Once I grouped like fabrics together, though, the cubbies and drawers were easy to navigate.

I used these categories for my drawers (almost all of which required more than one):

• Collections
• Solids
  
• Low volumes
• Novelties
• Jelly rolls and charm packs

The remaining fabrics were sorted by color and stored together in other drawers. Larger cuts of yardage were folded and placed in open cubbies. Works in progress were stored in plastic bags and put in the bins that occupy other cubbies. Scraps were sorted by color and placed in a flat bin on top of the Kallax units.

During this process, my husband kept checking in with me and asking whether all the fabric would fit into the furniture and drawers we had purchased. I explained that wasn’t really my objective. I have a little more than what I can fit in this furniture, but I wasn’t interested in buying a third Kallax unit. I think, moving forward, my ideal stash size is what fits here. That will encourage me to stop purchasing fabric and whittle away at what I already have. After a few months, everything should fit just right.

Is you stash in a state of chaos or order right now? What insight can you add to the list I’ve compiled here?

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My Favorite Holiday Quilts / Beauties Pageant 275

As a kid, I loved seeing all the Christmas trinkets my grandmother would unearth every December, from her vintage reindeer candles to her manger scene. Those items were as much a part of the celebration as the tree or the desserts she contributed to the holiday spread.

Although I appreciated the familiarity of my grandmother’s holiday decor and enjoyed revisiting those objects year after year, it took me decades to realize that I’m not much of a seasonal decorator. And I have tried! I have bought some beautiful and meaningful objects over the years, most of which are still (even on December 13) in boxes in my attic. A few years ago, though, I started making quilts with Christmas and winter themes. Finally, I found my way of celebrating the season.

What you see here are the wintry quilts that live at From Bolt to Beauty world headquarters. It’s worth noting that I enjoyed making them so much that I sewed three of these four patterns twice (the twins were gifted years ago).

All of these patterns have their strengths. From top to bottom, the Christmas trees are a great stash buster, Kate Spain’s Chalet pattern makes the most of fat quarters, Camille Roskelley’s Norway design features big, bold blocks, and Gingiber’s Merrily quilt is an interesting way to use panels of a certain size. To read more about these projects—and to see some of their backs—click on the links below.

• Christmas trees (Amy Smart)
  
• Chalet (Kate Spain)
• Merrily (Gingiber)
• Norway (Camille Roskelley)

If you’ve encountered a winter-themed quilt pattern that you’ve loved enough to make twice, I’d love to hear about it!

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My QuiltCon Submission (and Rejection!) / Beauties Pageant 274

I am a sucker for a good quilt challenge. There are projects I never would have developed without a formal challenge encouraging me to focus on a particular palette, block, or theme. My favorite such events are those hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild for display at QuiltCon.

The MQG usually releases the details of two challenges during the summer, when my creativity and productivity are low, low, low. The result is a harried fall, when I try to get a project or two over the finish line before QuiltCon submissions close. It’s not an ideal schedule, and because of that, there are many years I don’t sew anything for submission.

What you see pictured here is Folk Heart, the quilt I made for this year’s Ruby and Bee challenge. Tara Faughnan chose the six colors, and participants had to use at least three of them in a quilt top.

I spent a long time spinning my wheels with these fabrics. At one point, I was determined to work with applique, figured out how I could create a particular design, and then abandoned the idea. 

For me, the key was to stop thinking about shape and home in on the palette. Once I decided to place red hearts on a black background, it was easy to imagine them in off-set columns of chunky half log cabins with misplaced cornerstones.

I quilted Folk Heart with a big X and then echoed the quilting lines in each quadrant of that X. I finished by hand quilting one color in each block. The picture below shows some orchid cross-stitches and blue running stitches. Elsewhere in the quilt, there are little Vs on some of the red hearts and diagonal running stitches on some of the black backgrounds, among other embroidery motifs.

Although I didn’t set out to create a project that reflects my Pennsylvania upbringing, I think Folk Heart does just that. The juxtaposition of so much blue and black reminds me of Amish attire, and the hearts are reminiscent of Pennsylvania Dutch folk art. 

Unfortunately, Folk Heart was not juried into the show. I know a lot of people were discouraged by their rejection emails. Honestly, I would have been more surprised if Folk Heart had been accepted. There’s a QuiltCon aesthetic, and this isn’t it!

I realize that, as time goes on and I delve deeper into pattern design and sales, the less modern I’ve become. I still love big blocks, negative space, new takes on old classics, but it’s a spectrum and I’ve inched away from the modern design that initially captured my quilty heart all those years ago.

I usually encourage people whose projects aren’t accepted to submit the next year, but I’m convinced QuiltCon isn’t the right venue for Folk Heart and will save myself the application fee. : )

Do you ever submit to shows? It’s not really my thing, but it sure is fun to attend an event and see my work on display!

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Ornament Collection Pattern Release / Beauties Pageant 273

Ornament Collection, the design I’ve been talking about the past few weeks, is done, and I’ve released the pattern out into the world!

Instructions include two projects that are appropriate for confident beginners and above: a large throw-size quilt and a table runner. If your weekend sewing plans are open, you can start your project today and have a quilt top finished before the turkey is on the table next Thursday. (If you don’t celebrate American Thanksgiving, the turkey is optional but recommended.)

This pattern is especially suited to those of you who want to ...

* Sew a big quilt fast—the throw finishes at 70" x 73.5"



* Use leftover squares from a layer cake—the runner requires just five squares 10" x 10"



* Maximize your precuts—you can sew two throws and two runners with a single layer cake (although fat quarters work, too!)



* Celebrate the holidays by making big, bold blocks—the ball blocks finish at 13.5" x 14.5", and the bauble blocks finish at 8.5" x 14.5"

For my first Ornament Collection project, pictured at the top of the post, I opened up a layer cake of Twas by Jill Howarth for Riley Blake. The red, green, and pink palette is the perfect complement to the vintage vibe of Twas.

My next version, which I am in the process of piecing now, incorporates prints from Rifle Paper Co.’s holiday lines for Cotton and Steel. I’m using another light background with this second quilt because it’s more in line with my personal aesthetic .... and a cream or a white doesn’t show the Golden Retriever hair the way a dark background would! I love nontraditional Christmas palettes, and the pale blue and orangey-red I am using will change things up nicely ...

A green background would be equally fabulous, though, and drive home the idea that these are ornaments hanging on the tree. Here is the throw mocked up with Cozy Wonderland by Fancy That Design House for Moda ...

I am very pleased with how my first Ornament Collection came out. I received some expert advice about quilting options for my second version and will share that in a future post! Until then, this is my favorite finish for November, so I am linking up over at Quilting Jet Girl!

All PDF Patterns 25% Off

To celebrate the release of Ornament Collection, all PDF patterns (excluding the Almost Free for Charity patterns) are 25% off through 11/30/2024. No code required. This is my Black Friday sale—snag your good buys now!

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Let's Talk Table Runners / Beauties Pageant 272

In the 10-plus years I’ve been quilting, I have made a total of three table runners. On one hand, I have limited places in my house I’d display a runner. My children (and/or dogs) may do bad things to a table runner (there was an applesauce incident on the kitchen table just this past week!). And putting covers on my pretty table tops doesn’t seem really “me.”

On the other, if I made more runners, I would have more-frequent finishes, and wouldn’t that be nice?

When designing my Ornament Collection pattern (releasing next Tuesday, November 19), I added a runner option. The sample I’ve made so far is the throw, and it’s a generously sized throw at that. But I figured that some people might want a smaller, faster finish. What I didn’t consider until Anne (@batiksbythebay) mentioned it to me on Instagram is that people who live in the southern hemisphere celebrate Christmas in the summer. They have little need for a Christmas-themed throw. Of course! Why didn’t I consider that? Needless to say, all future Christmas designs from me will include the option of a smaller finish for that very reason.

Me with a freshly longarmed Ornament Collection. Picture and quilting by Ophelia Chang.

Because I am a runner newbie, however, I had to ask Anne how she would orient the ornaments in a runner.

Should they all be right side up (as I would prefer on a runner displayed on a console placed against a wall)?

Or should the baubles be upside down (as I would prefer on a runner displayed on a kitchen island)?

Anne said both, and that’s what I’ll do. : )

So, what other runners have I made up to this point?

There was the runner I made for the sideboard in my dining room (and still resides there).

There was the runner I made from Modern Plus Sign Quilts and gifted to a friend.

And then there was the runner I made from a free pattern on Moda Bake Shop and gifted to another friend.

You knew this was coming ... I am soliciting any and all thoughts on quilted runners. Do you sew them? Do you display them? What are your thoughts on the issue of orientation? Thank you in advance!

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New Christmas Pattern on the Horizon! / Beauties Pageant 271

I am always on the lookout for quilt patterns that give especially beautiful prints the spotlight they deserve. It was the reason I designed Pretty in Pluses back in 2021: I loved the large-scale flowers in Anna Maria Horner’s Hindsight line and couldn’t bear to chop them into little pieces, so I created a venue for them to shine. Other versions of the quilt followed, including the pattern’s cover quilt in Heather Ross’s Far, Far Away 2 collection for Windham ...

When it came time to sew with a stashed layer cake of Jill Howarth’s Twas collection for Riley Blake, I knew I wanted to design something special for all those sweet novelty prints. What you see pictured in this post is the beginning of that new pattern. I’m calling it Ornament Collection, a nod to the tradition my mom started with me and my sister (and I’ve continued with my two boys) of marking each holiday season with a new ball or bauble for the Christmas tree.

This quilty collection contains two different ornament designs. You see the ball blocks in this post. There are also bauble blocks. Both block designs were specifically created to work with layer cake squares, but you could just as easily cut the centers of your ornaments from fat quarters (or scraps—but more on that later!).

These blocks are big, friends! And all you need for a generously sized throw quilt is 15 layer cake squares or 8 fat quarters.

This first version isn’t finished, yet I already have a second one—in Rifle Paper Co. prints—in the works. I can’t wait to share more! 

Are you a fan of seasonal sewing? I don’t expect to gift many handmade items this year. If I wrap up a quilt or two in the next six weeks, I’ll be a happy quilter!

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A Little Panic Sewing / Beauties Pageant 270

Most autumns, I do a certain amount of panic sewing. No, I am not creating Halloween- or fall-themed quilts. I am not getting a leg up on my handmade Christmas gifts. I am joining other QuiltCon hopefuls and finishing up projects to submit to the show before the October 31 deadline.

Here’s the thing: I am not a show quilter. That’s not a judgment on my artisanship—it’s being honest about my approach to quilting. Most of what I sew as a pattern designer is created to be replicated by others and doesn’t reflect the QuiltCon aesthetic. I am solidly JV when it comes to QuiltCon, and that’s fine with me.

Then why submit at all? Because is an absolute thrill to attend QuiltCon and see my work hanging with the others! And I find the challenges especially inspiring—they get me creating things I wouldn’t have made otherwise. (The problem with the challenges is that they tend to be announced over the summer, when my productivity is minimal at best, and I can’t really get going with them until my kids are back in school. Hence the frantic sewing in September and October.)

Some of my project have shown at past QuiltCons (read a recap here). Will this year’s submission? Maybe! In a moment of clarity I abandoned the notion of submitting a quilt to the transparency challenge—I don’t have adequate time—so I will submit just one quilt, to the Windham Ruby and Bee Fabric challenge. I used all six colors in the palette selected by Tara Faughnan. After straight-line quilting the piece on my domestic, I added some chunky hand quilting. There are some sneak peeks of the quilting detail in this post.

Are you also susceptible to QuiltCon panic sewing? If so, I wish you the best of luck! I’d love to see your work—and mine—in Phoenix next February.

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'Tis the Season for Stashing / Beauties Pageant 269

My recent book-writing experience effectively curbed my desire to buy fabric. Back in the fall of 2023, I selected all the fabric for that collection of patterns, and Moda sent me two huge boxes of jelly rolls and yardage for tops, backs, and bindings. Opening and unpacking those boxes was the most fun I had had since being a kid on Christmas morning!

For many months that followed, I couldn’t justify buying new fabric. I simply didn’t need it, and I was busy sewing my book samples. Now that the book is done (to be released in April 2025), some too-good-to-pass-up sales and an upcoming pattern release have had me online and adding selection after selection to my cart. 

First up: the Moda prints at the top of the post. Last weekend, Lamb and Loom Fabrics offered a mystery backing for $10. I love a good mystery purchase, and 4 yards for $10 was an unbelievable price. I bought half-yard cuts of various prints from Fancy That Design House and Ruby Star Society and, when I received the package, was super pleased to find a design from Aneela Hoey as my mystery backing. After admiring these new fabrics, I stashed them for a time when inspiration strikes in the future.

Then I placed an order for Rifle Paper designs at Hawthorne Supply. Rifle Paper has produced three different holiday collections over the years. I bought my favorites and will pair them with four different solids—I’m thinking dark green, light green, red, and pink—for a pattern slated to release next month. To be honest, I already had a layer cake on hand to make this particular pattern, but it’s going to be such a quick sew that I think I can bang out two of them for pattern promoting and holiday giving.

What’s the stashing scene in your sewing room? Are you chipping away at the fabric you already own or have your sights on some new additions?

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