Organizing

From this, this & this ...........

And this and this ............

To this & this:

I'm cheating, of course. That's not all the fabric I have. I'm not showing the laundry baskets full, or the stack that's still on the floor. But I'm working on reducing my stash and I'm on a fabric diet (no buying for quite a while).
Please note the dog toys in the bottom right corner of the fourth picture. They are everywhere - literally.

A neat craft room

I regularly check a few craft sites for inspiration, patterns and tutorials and came across this just now:

whip up » Blog Archive » yvestown: the first room

Coincidentally, I'm taking a break from cleaning out my studio - I've spent over an hour sorting through piles of fabric. Very little stays, the rest will go away somewhere. I've been taking old, broken storage containers out to the trash and I've been up and down the stairs so many times that a) I don't feel guilty about not exercising this morning and b) little Jerry finally gave up on trying to follow me everywhere and just parked himself on the second step from the top.

I haven't a snowball's chance in hell of having my studio look like this but I'll be happy if I can clear out enough space to store the new fabrics I'm buying and if I can walk from one side of the room to the other without risking my life. Yes, it really is that bad.

So much for getting anything done

I was going to sew something this morning, couldn't decide which fabric to use so I decided to look for the reproduction fabrics I knew I had from way back when I still quilted (that would be when we still lived in Oklahoma, more than 11 years ago). Spent a "happy" 30 minutes or so digging my way though one of the closets in my studio - the one in the far corner - shifting heavy storage boxes working my way through the 2 stacks in the center first, then on to the one on the left. No luck. Finally tackled the stack on the right. Sure enough, the box on the very bottom had the fabrics. By now, it's too late to get started. Sheesh!
But I just realized yet again that I need to get rid of lots of stuff. Found at least a dozen unquilted tops along with projects in progress (with no instructions and no idea what they were meant to be). I think the thrift stores will be receiving a few bags full of "stuff" and I'd better not pursue what one of the many sewing blogs I just discovered inspired me to start - hunt for vintage fabric. After all, some of my stuff is old enough to almost qualify for vintage. Sheesh again!

New bags and fabric

Two more new bags in different fabrics from the ones I've already shown. Everything else is duplicates, no need to photograph all those.

The fabrics in the first picture are the ones that came today. Some to be made into a bag, some to go into the stash to be used later. Completely different from the ones I use for the box bags. Lots of Kaffe Fassett fabrics. I've always liked his fabrics and a lot of his quilts and one of these days, I'll a) finish the wall hanging I started a few years ago and b) make another one of his quilts. After all, I have just about all of his books.

The other fabrics are Japanese fabrics, totally different in design from American fabrics. Cute, but in a different way. Not quite sure what I'll make with those yet.

This and that

First, a link to an article about tolls being raised on the Golden Gate - yet again.
Golden Gate Bridge toll climbs to $6 Tuesday PressDemocrat.com The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, CA
I'm concerned that this will be tied to the decision about a suicide barrier in some way - lack of funds. I have a few suggestions, but I'm keeping those to myself.

I'm feeling quite virtuous today. I finished 5 more box bags, leaving 6 more to go. And I haven't cut out any new ones. I'm trying to finish up what I started so I can go on to another project - something I already bought fabric for.
Last night, I cooked - totally from scratch. And I've done a lot of that lately, mostly things using fresh veggies. Last night, though, I made pesto from scratch. I am growing lots of basil and wanted to use some up before it becomes totally overgrown. Since it took me a good 30 minutes just to wash and dry the basil leaves, I almost decided never, ever to do that again. But the end result was so good that I changed my mind. Except, next time I will use just one clove of garlic like the recipe says and not three.
We had gone out the night before to a newly discovered pizza place and tried their version of penne with pesto. Pretty good, but Larry liked mine better. Must have been the parmesan (or the garlic). I have to agree, though, mine was more flavorful.

The mail man brought 2 packages and UPS brought another. So, I'm all set with zippers (found a less expensive source than the fabric store on the web), fabric (more trouble on the web than going to the local quilt store) and soap base (I had used up everything I had on Monday).
The little dog goes slightly bonkers when somebody knocks on the front door (mail man) and really bonkers when somebody rings the doorbell (UPS). Quite funny, actually. He's much too small (and cute) to do anybody any harm even if he wanted to.

Trip to Healdsburg

Healdsburg is a nice place to visit, close enough for a short day trip. We've visited regularly since we moved to California but hadn't been in over a year. Today was a good day for a visit- sunny, but not too hot. We usually just enjoy the drive through the countryside - we always take backroads - and wander around the square in town. It's lined with nice little shops, getting more upscale every year. The small stores are disappearing to be replaced by art galleries and fancier restaurants. Our favorite Thai place was gone, it's now "Bistro Ralph." Thankfully, the quilt store (an amazing amount of good fabric in a smallish place) and the old-fashioned candy store are still there.

The first 3 pictures were taken on the drive up. Chateau Boswell is a winery just South of Calistoga. I've passed by many, many times and have always been amused by the name. Finally, I took a picture. The next 2 pictures are self-explanatory, that's where Calistoga water comes from. The last two pictures are of our haul in the candy store and the quilt shop.

I need to figure out a different lay-out. There's gotta be a way to have pictures throughout the text and not just at the top. Soon!