Little Cottage Quilt Shop

January 2019 Newsletter

Happy New Year to y’all.  Here we are again, saying good-bye to the old year and welcoming a shiny new one. A clean slate, a fresh start, a new beginning. I think it’s fabulous that each year we get to start over, make wrongs right and reevaluate our lives. A new beginning to start fresh and improve. I’ve never been big on “resolutions” though. To me they seem to be empty. A friend of mine wrote me that she doesn’t do “resolutions”, she sets “Goals” for the upcoming year. One of my nephews posted that he had met all of his Goals for 2018 and was making a new list for 2019. WOW!! I’m impressed! What a positive way to approach it. I like that. I’m going to do the same. I challenge y’all to make a list of your Goals for 2019 too. Post it where you will see it every day. That will help you remember and accomplish those Goals. I am very excited about some of my Goals for 2019.  One of my Goals is to get more UFOs completed and out of my sewing room. Another one it to get better organized at the Cottage as well as here at home. So look for the up coming changes at the Cottage, both inside and out.

The New Year is packed with beautiful new fabric releases, fun projects, and great ideas. Exciting changes are upon us. Come and see us and what’s happening.

            

Keep on Sewing, see you soon,

Donette

January Grab Bag

January Grab Bag is this very pretty, springtime lap quilt or wall hanging. It’s a panel made up with a “Fracture” pattern. It measures 47” x 67”. (with the optional, extra outside border 51” X 71”) Kit includes pattern & all the fabric for the quilt top, except the navy outside border. Everyone who has seen this one is very excited to get it. Don’t miss out

Warriors Heart Quilt Challenge

This is the perfect cold January project. Here’s how it works:

Purchase a packet containing 3 yards of fabric for $18.99. The fabrics will be in various size cuts, but coordinated within the packet. You can add to it from your own stash or purchase additional coordinating fabrics if you desire. You may choose any pattern you wish. These lap quilts must be no smaller than 44” X 58” or larger than 60” X 72”. Each quilt must be finished completely, (quilted, bound & preferably have a label about the person who made it). Return your finished quilt to Little Cottage Quilt Shop before February 1, 2019.

 Each finished quilt returned to Little Cottage Quilt Shop will be entered into a drawing for $100 gift card as well as receive a 30% discount coupon for backing and batting for your next quilt.

All finished quilts will be donated to Warriors Heart.

(a full instruction sheet will be in each packet)

You can check Warriors Heart out on their website.  www.WarriorsHeart.com 

January 2019 Calendar

Valuable Info

With all the talk of the New Year, new beginnings and fresh start, my mind is full of organizing my sewing studio better. A couple of years ago I got very busy and organized quite a few things. I put all my projects in project boxes with all the fabrics and patterns. I sorted all my scraps into bins according to colors. But that was 2 years ago and life gets in the way. A lot more projects have enter my studio, not to mention new tools & patterns.

SOOOOOO, there is no time like the present to take a good look at the way your sewing space functions. Are your scraps in a heap or basket? Do you know where all your rulers are? How about your fabric stash, how is it? Patterns lost? Threads all tangled? There are so many components that make up our sewing spaces, it can get overwhelming. So let’s break it down and make it manageable.

Scraps:  I’m a scrap hoarder. There, I’ll just admit it. I cannot throw fabric away!! There are several approaches to “taming the scraps”.   Let the sorting begin!

First your will need some containers.  Baskets, boxes, bins, what ever works for you.  I like the clear plastic bins so I can see at a glance what’s in there.  (An added bonus of being able to see the scraps is the inspiration that comes with looking at them.)

Then you have to decide how you want to organize the scraps; by color, shape or size. I’ve read about lots of different ways to approach this.  (Bonnie Hunter’s book, “Addicted to Scraps” explains her sorting system)

Once you have divided your scraps by your choice of color, size or shape, iron them so they are flat and smooth.  You can store them folded to fit your container, or you can cut them into squares or strips, place them in plastic bags and then store them in the container.  Label your containers so you can easily find that color or size or shape when you need them. The choice is your to have a simple system or a more defined system. Either way, your scraps will not be taking over your sewing room.

Stash:  Now that you have become the ruling Queen of Scraps, let’s move on to the next big hurtle of the sewing space, “The Stash”.  It’s my favorite !!  All that beautiful fabric that you so painstakingly selected for that perfect project or just because you couldn’t resist it.  There is a small fortune tied up in that beautiful and treasured collection, so let’s treat it like the jewel it is. 

Sort and organize your stash with your system of choice, as you did the scraps, by color, yardage or projects.  Sort it into categories so you can assess what storage system will work for you.  Clear bins, boards for wrapping on, baskets, decorative boxes, hangers & a closet rod or shelving, etc.  Pinterest is loaded with fabric storage ideas, but keep it simple for success.  Be creative if you are short of space.  Organizing is the key. The dust and bugs and UV take their toll on your precious treasures. Also remember that bugs like starch, so do not starch your fabrics before you store them.

Thread:  Here is another item that is affected by sunlight especially.  Plastic storage bins or drawers will keep the dust off your thread spools. Opaque containers will keep the UV rays from destroying the thread fibers. You may want your thread on a rack on the wall or a pegboard. Cover with a decorative cloth is you choose this type of storage. Labeled decorative boxes on a shelf work well too. The key is to keep them free of dust and protected from daylight as much as possible.

Projects:  Have you heard of PIGS ?? That’s quilter’s code for “Projects In Grocery Sacks”.  If this is how your projects are kept, you need to work out a new system for them!!  We all have projects that we are working on simultaneously.  (You know, the UFOs) Individual clear plastic bins complete with the pattern and all fabrics needed for that project works pretty well.  You can see at a glance what is where and which one is next on the list to be done. Or you may want decorative boxes instead of clear plastic. Projects organized in a dresser with the drawers labeled is another method. Another system are labeled paper bags on pegs or hooks hanging on the wall or back of the door (if you don’t have too many). Find the system that works best for you.

Tools:  Tools and rulers and gadgets, OH MY!  Everywhere!! It’s an ongoing battle. A big tool caddy/pin cushion you can make yourself has really been helpful. (I’ll share my pattern with you)

A ruler stand is a really helpful way to keep all those rulers in line. Rulers are a big investment and you want to protect them. Canisters, pegboards or hooks on the wall, trays in drawers, portable plastic drawer units, are just some of the methods for keeping and storing all those helpful instruments. Organizing is always a good thing.

Books & Patterns:  With the price of books and patterns anymore, it is well worth giving some serious thought to their preservation.  Shelves on the wall or a small (or large) bookcase works well for books.  Consider a 3 ring binder with clear sleeves to store your quilt patterns in. A file cabinet with hanging files could serve as a pattern cabinet. Magazine files work well for those 8 1/2 by 11  “booklet” style patterns too.

Be creative in your storage systems. Think outside the box so you don’t get stuck in a rut.  Consider how you have organized your kitchen or your office and use some of those systems.  Whatever you do, a pleasant, well organized space is a creative space! Make this the year you revamp your Sewing Space.