Gulp. Last week and my turn for the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. I hope you’re enjoying all the posts. It’s a great group of quilters and everyone, especially our hosts/mentors, has been generous with advice and tips. I’m in the Quantum Quilters hive hosted by Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.
If this is your first time to Once A Wingnut, welcome! Let me introduce myself. I’m Martha – wife, mother, daughter, sister, engineer, reader, food and wine lover, quilter. I’m geeky and I get jazzed about precision piecing. I get a kick out of improvisation. I like all things quilty and most evenings you’ll find me in my studio. Even if I’m not sewing, I’ll be hanging out, petting fabric, and generally exercising creativity in a different way than I do at work.
Annie Albers’ Orange Chair, 53 inches x 67 inches, 2013
My favorite quilt is the last one I finished but Annie Albers’ Orange Chair has a special place on my finished quilt list. It was made in 2013 for the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild Binary Challenge. I was surprised when it was chosen for the MQG Showcase at the 2014 International Quilt Festival in Houston and then went on to QuiltCon 2015 in Austin.
Detail – The maverick orange chair fabric which inspired the quilt’s name
Annie Albers’ Orange Chair didn’t win a ribbon at QuiltCon but it was fun to lurk close by and watch people figure out what the title meant. I guess we never forget those “title/context” essays from high school English class.
Graduation, 68 inches x 81 inches, 2013
Another favorite quilt is Graduation which I made for our daughter to take to college. Of course it wasn’t ready when she went off but it turns out she liked it too much to take it to school. It is an original design based on traditional Chinese Coins quilt and the patches were cut using Fibonacci numbers (there’s my geeky side showing) for size variation. You can see the green inserts in the binding in my blog header photo. It is backed with a luscious flannel for snuggly comfort.
Enough about me. On to the tips!
Scraps – it seems like they’re the bane of a quilter’s storage problems. Store them by size, by color, or cut them to pre-defined (and hopefully useable) shapes or strips? I’ve tried piling into a bin (meh, too many wrinkles), cutting into strips (what to do with those odd bits), and now I’m storing by color. Clear bins designed for paper storage let me grab the color I want. All sizes of scraps go into my bins up to a fat quarter I’ve cut into. Since I’ve been mostly working in analogous and monochromatic color schemes lately, this storage method has been working for me. And the ROYGBIV stack is nice color accent in the bookcase.
One day I asked Debbie of A Quilter’s Table how she manages to be such a prolific blogger. She probably doesn’t remember the conversation but I remember her answer was along the lines of “I’m always thinking about content”. So, my blogging tip is take lots of pictures (you’re doing that already for Instagram, right?) and find a way to organize your pictures (I’m a fan of cloud storage) so you have the pictures to illustrate your ideas. During our first New Quilt Bloggers “seed question” discussion session, photos came up as one of the best things about our favorite blogs. Quilters are a visual group.
And now a question for you – what project are you doing with your scrap fabric?
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Be sure to visit my Quantum Quilter hive mates for more quilting and blogging tips:
- Geraldine @Living Water Quilter
- Andrea @The Sewing Fools
- Irene @Patchwork and Pastry
There are more 2015 New Quilt Bloggers Week 4 bloggers for you to meet by visiting our hosts. And, our amazing mentors have some sweet giveaways you’ll want to enter.
- Quantum Quilters hosted by Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
- New Bees hosted by Cheryl @Meadow Mist Designs
- Sew Fabulous Hive hosted by Stephanie @Late Night Quilter
- Sewcial Swarm hosted by Terri Ann @Childlike Fascination
A big thank you to our hosts and all 70 of the new bloggers for this experience! Hey, I just thought of another blogging tip – look for next New Quilt Bloggers signup.
Once a Wingnut...Always a Wingnut 
Hi Martha, your quilts are really wonderful. We’re on the same page as I’ve just recently sorted my scraps into colours and will be sharing a post soon!
I’m trying to organise my scraps as you have by colour but so far I’ve got war,, cool, solids and whites! I’ve been makign bee blocks quite succesfully out of my scraps and love that they can get some use and not continuously pile up!
I have my scraps sorted by size. I am using some to make a quilt for my granddaughter.
Love the idea of using Fibonacci numbers for something like this!
So far, I’ve only been able to get myself to use scraps in small things. Because I flirt with many different styles, I think trying to pull them together in something would be scrap vomit of the worst kind!
Clear storage bins are a must for me – I love seeing all the fabric above my sewing station; it keeps me excited to start the next project! As for what I do with my scraps? Lately I have been using them to teach a bit of sewing skills to some interested kids, but I will probably break down and try to do some ROYGBIV improv piecing soon to make a donation quilt from them. 🙂
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What a fun post! I love hearing more about you and your quilt-life. You surprised me with the shout-out, but it’s a decent tip if I do say so myself (ha!) and I’m glad if I can encourage you in any way!! As for scraps, I am of the wrinkly all bundled in a basket type, but it still works for me. Just finished a Scrap Vortex quilt but there’s LOTS left over!!
I am also a fan of clear storage bins. Though I keep a box of random charm squares that I have collected in a separate container.
That Graduation quilt is stunning! Well done!!
I have tried to manage my scraps, but it is always an ongoing battle. Space is my biggest issue. I keep everything in clear plastic bins so it is easy to keep track of what is where. I try to keep all my quilting/blog pictures on a jump drive and organized into folders. Than way if I need something for a future post I know exactly where they are. I love your Annie Alber’s Orange Chair, very clever. It was nice to meet you.
Hello Martha! Your quilts shown are wonderful. I do struggle with keeping my scraps managed. My favorite method of storing is to take the time as I am cutting out a quilt and cut the scraps into whatever size squares work or that I have a project in mind for. Right now I am working on several projects, but my scrap quilt is my favorite at this time. https://frommycarolinahome.wordpress.com/
It is called SCRAP DANCE MYSTERY QUILT ALONG I hope that you have a wonderful day!
Hi! Martha, lovely to catch your enthusiasm for patchwork and quilting from your words and the pictures of your quilts. They are both excellent. Do you quilt on a domestic machine? I store my scraps by size and colour – not sure how efficient that is yet. I followed the recent Scrap Vortex quilt along without actually making anything!
Hi Martha. I enjoyed your post. I think I’m going to have to try and find to reorganize my scraps. They’re a bit haphazard at the moment. Honestly, I don’t think i’ve ever made a scrap project. I should, I know, but I often end up just donating them.
I’ve always wanted to organize my scraps. I may have to try your method!
Thank you for the great scrap storage idea. I have just been throwing them on a pile…
I am working on a scrappy quilt along with the 4 girls in my group are making (each one of us with the same pattern). Unfortunately I do not know the name of it. L
I don’t have very many scraps; the ones I do have are all together in a bag. I tend to be very precise in my cutting and measuring and I only ever buy what I need. So I rarely have scraps leftover after a project. I would love to make a scrap quilt someday though. Not sure how that’s going to happen, lol. Great post!
Hi Martha, just popping over via Quantum Quilters, my turn was 2 weeks ago and it has been a whirlwind. I love your chinese coin quilt based on the fibbbonwhatsit. My two sons are both physicists, it is calling to me do it! Although I have all my holiday and genealogy photos in files it never struck me to do the same with my quilting photos. A great idea. Thank you.
You inspire me, both with your quilting and blogging. I’m watching for the next New Quilt Bloggers sign ups! Since almost all my quilts are scrappy, I’ve tried several storage solutions. I use to put small scraps in bins by color. Now I tend to toss them in a larger bin while I’m working, keeping solids, prints and hand dyed in separate containers. Sometimes I spend a day cutting them into easily usable squares, which are handy for taking along when I’m on the road and don’t have access to my stash. Yours look so neatly organized!
I love your quilts, although I must admit I’m mystified by fibionacci sequence and what ever the annie albers orange chair means. I working on a rainbow medallion log cabin with my scraps and also wonky star blocks. I have lots of scraps also in clear bins but a lot messier than yours.
Lovely to see some of your quilts Martha! Might you be interested in visiting Victoria some time and showing off lots of your quilts? Our MQG here is pretty amazing. Email me to discuss details if you are interested.
so nice to learn a little more about you, Martha! I love your quilting style your Orange Chair and Graduation quilts are stunners! I sort my scraps by colour too, for the same reasons you mentioned. Right now I’m working on a scrappy postage stamp quilt but that’s really the only scrappy thing I have on the go just now.
HI Martha, It is nice to meet you! I spend most of my evening in my sewing studio too. You are funny. I pet fabric too! lol 🙂 But doesn’t every quilter?! Annie Albers’ Orange Chair is awesome. It is no surprise to me that it made both shows. Thanks for the scrap sorting tip. Sorting and organizing my scraps is on the to do list.
Hello, nice to meet you! Your quilts are really fab, I love Annie’s Orange chair! I sort my scraps by colour too, but that’s where I stop… I’ve never actually made anything with them!
I love the Orange Chair quilt. Such a cool design and idea. I also love the storage idea. I really don’t organize my scraps much, it’s actually a mess, but I should. Seeing those clear boxes makes me want to organize mine. Thanks for sharing!
Great to see you blogging! I have a bin too. I’m buying a lot less prints than I used to so despite the annoying wrinkles, it’s manageable for me. I haven’t been able to sew much these days, anyway, so that might also be keeping it contained.
Hi Martha, great to meet you! I was a member of last year’s new quilters bloggers hop and it was invaluable to me. I just LOVE your Annie Alber’s quilt. It’s just stunning. Is it safe to assume that you’re from the Seattle area? I used to live in Issaquah and Snoqualmie before moving to Central Florida. Looking forward to seeing more from you.
Martha, your blog is a pleasure to read both writing style and the content. Your Annie Alber’s Orange Chair quilt is such a modern quilting masterpiece, and how cool that it has been so well acclaimed. The only thing I’m doing with scraps right now is I’m going to use some of them to practice the block I’m designing for the new block hop. Yours look great organized in those bins. What do you do with your neutral colors?
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