Saturday, January 22, 2011

Organization = Creativity

For me at least. A few of you have commented on how much I get done. Have you all forgotten the nine month warp to do two pillowcases??!! ;) I will say that being organized with my fiber spaces allows me to be much more creative. To me good organization is a creative process in and of itself and I spend a fair amount of time thinking about ways to become (and instituting), efficiency. Imagine my delight and excitement when I happened to stumble on someones sewing blog (link would be here if I could find it again) and saw that they took their stacks of fabric and made mini bolts with them. I can do that!!!


I've always hated piling my fabric up. It's messy. It's uneven, it offends me at times and I find myself mimicking my Great Grandmother, compulsively folding it again and again. It also gave me an excuse to reorganize some things up there. It's such a small space, every foot counts.



Gene gets lots of boxes of stuff for his business and we recycle as much as we can. A lot is saved to reuse, a fair amount is broken down to start the outside boiler Rube and now, it can be used as the middle "bolt" part to keep my fabric organized. I tape up the end, put the yardage on the tape and I am good to go. I even have a free shelf and I would have two if I cleaned out all the shoes I don't wear.


The lovely tomato red plaid is slated for a spring coat. I waited 4 months for the fabric to go on sale at Fabric of Vision. It's Italian and mostly cotton and I am totally smitten with it. Here's a photo with the lining I have for it and the pattern itself.



I will be making a muslin of it first. On the sewing table in process is a vest out of the last of the Carhartt fabric.


I have to make up a little artistic back panel of some kind. That is in the works.


Towel 4 is also in the works. The weft for this is a deep ruby red 5/2 mercerized cotton.


The silk warp on the warping board.


It doesn't look like much right now. Oh so pretty but very subtle.


I'll get pics when it's wound onto the loom for sure.

I also couldn't stop myself from picking up just a bit more Nature's Palette. This time the Organic Worsted Columbia wool in 5 skeins each of Autumn Leaf (gold) and Natural (cream).


Wow, stuffed in a lot of pictures on this one.

Parting shot: A Very Vocal YIP-EEE!

15 comments:

Life Looms Large said...

Cool organization ideas! I'm so happy with just my organized gloves & mittens, so an organized studio is even better.

I wish I had the sewing skills to make a jacket. Yours will be great I'm sure. Love the fabric choices!

Blogs posts with more photos than words = WIN!! Love them!

Sue

Alettesiriane said...

I have used this week to organize,all down to putting the different size pins in their right box.So reading your post I am sitting with a happy grin.Creativity is on a high.Have a good weekend.

LA said...

I does help being able to see your fabric when you're planning a project. We all need a stash, but it can get a little overwhelming sometimes!!! Thanks for the tips (and the shot of Stella!)

Gjeani said...

Wow you have been buisy! I love the towel and all the nice clothes you make. have a nice weekend

bspinner said...

Your fabric is so pretty and well organized. Sewing has never come easy to me. I can't wait to see your jackets!!! I love the fabric.

Peg said...

Really impressive organization! I'm never that neat - something to aspire to.

Maggie said...

That red coat is going to be yummy. I don't believe I'd been able to wait for it to go on sale!

Theresa said...

Sue, Well my gloves and mittens are still a messy pile in a basket. My sewing skills are improving, but I still have a long long way to go.

tinsel, oh, my pin organizing. I only have two sizes and I've kept them apart. I wish I could find nice glass head pins or better, pattern weights for cutting out patterns.
Glad the creativity is on high!

LA I am still up in the air about all the fat quarters I have and other smaller pieces left over from quilting.
They are thrown in a tub under my sewing table.

Gjeani, I love that red and white towel too, my favorite so far. The vest I'm making is challenging right now. Don't know how it will come out, but since the fabric is leftover, I won't feel bad about it becoming a failed experiment if that should happen.

bspinner, It may be a while before that fabric is actually cut. I want the coat to be as close to perfect as possible and I will spend a fair amount of time on a muslin .

Peg, the sewing room looked like a whirlwind hit it yesterday, but I did manage to tame it back for some work today.

Maggie, I visited with my fabric regularly. It was hard to wait but paid off with 40% off the cost, same with the lining, which was almost as expensive.

Long Ridge Farm said...

Great post! Organization is a great tool in the studio. Thank for the look see and letting me feel that a good artist CAN be organized. It is always about what works for each of us so we can enjoy our work time.
Yippee is a great parting shot and statement!

Valerie said...

Great post! I'm due for some reorganization around here with a new loom arriving and a son moving out of the house. Where to start?

You're right...the current Marr Haven stuff isn't Columbia. I've had that roving for a number of years...I'm betting they have shifted their flock to the finer breeds....or the roving was from another farm. Will have to see if I still have the info on where in Michigan the roving came from.

Love that coat/jacket pattern. That fabric will make a great spring coat!

Jeri said...

Is the red 5/2 on the 8/2 towel warp on Hannah from your 1/1/2011 post?

Sharon said...

Your stash boggles my mind, but your organization is even better. I'm astonished at your knowledge of yarns and their properties. And you are a capable seamstress on top of that. Wow!

Theresa said...

Nancy, I should have taken a photo of in process! While it's neat when I go in and neat when I leave, but I can create quite a mess in the throes of work.

Valerie, I'm wondering if this flock of Columbia from WA state I believe will show up in another line of yarn. I can dream.....
You're going to have so much fun with the glut of room and the new loom. Reorganizing can be joy when you are installing something new.

Jeri, Yes, the 8/2 cotton towel warp is on Hannah the Louet Hollandia. She's a lovely loom.

Sharon, my yarn stash is prodigious, fabric one pretty modest. As far as being a seamstress of any accomplishment, just wait until I blog about the Walkabout Vest. Quite a challenge it's been and I'm not sure in a good way, but THANK YOU!

DEEP END OF THE LOOM said...

I agree with the organizing = creative output. I always find that if the area I'm working in is messy with yarn, fabric and stuff I can't concentrate. I also hate to have to hunt stuff down while in the middle of a mojo burst, it's a mood killer. I like the bolt idea.

Judy said...

Your shelves look great-so organized and neat! One of the huge frustrations for me is not being able to find something, so organization definitely helps with productivity.

I love your towel that you're weaving. Great colors and lovely design.