A Handy Hanger

I have been cleaning like a mad woman and attacked the closet last week.  Wow was that scary.  One major thing I kept stumbling on was belts.  We don't have a belt hanger or organizer and I just couldn't get them in the right spot where they stayed put and out of the way.  I decided I couldn't take it anymore and went to the internet for organizing techniques.  I knew I had denim so that is how I facilitated my search.  Oh my goodness did I hit the jackpot!  I decided to go with the fastest organizer to make that I saw which was on BerdaStyle.  It was simple and didn't have instructions which gave me plenty of liberty.  Now, I understand this isn't the most glamorous looking thing but let me tell you, it is so convenient!  It does exactly what I need it to do and I had it done in about thirty minutes so it fit the bill.  My next thought it that I could do this out of some small kids jeans and hang it in my sewing room for some small scale organization!

Easy and Fast Denim Storage

 

Instructions:
1.  To start off take a pair of jeans and sew the bottom of each leg shut. 
2.  Then measure 6"-8" (distance can change depending on how big you want your storage pockets to be) from the seam you just created and sew across again. 
You can use any stitch you like, the more sturdy the better. 
Continue to sew every 6"-8" going up the leg until you get just below the pocket.  Repeat on the other leg.

 

 

3.  Take scissors and cut parallel to your stitching, about an inch below each area you stitched across starting with the second seam up from the bottom. 

Cut below all seams until you reach the top.

 

3.  Find a sturdy hanger and attach to the top of the jeans.  Hang in your closet or wherever you need organizing!

 

WIP Wednesday

This past week has been pretty slow on projects as we were out of town for a wedding for a few days and then I spent some (much needed) time on the house.  It is still a disaster but it is slowly getting better.  I have a few blocks to catch up on as quilting groups meet next week and the following. Maybe tomorrow will be my day!  Here is what I have been doing in my few spare minutes the last week or so.

The latest block from the "Twist It, Change It, Rearrange It" quilt. I haven't started on the compliment block to this one yet.

 

My design wall with all the complete blocks to the "Twist It, Change It, Rearrange It" quilt.  There are seemingly endless options but I will probably finish it at 12 blocks.

 

 

Two more blocks for the 1930's mini-quilt.  I have four complete so far.

Summer Time and the Living is Easy!

Summer is off to a fantastic start, even though summer doesn’t officially start until this weekend.  The excitement of the change of season really has been different for me as I am no longer working.  There is no anticipation for the summer break and vacation time.  Now, we can go on vacation or sneak off for a night away anytime without having to submit leave requests and the like.  It really sweetens the experience.  Although, with the busy farm this time of year little escapes are a rarity.

Rufus enjoying a summer afternoon in the backyard.

 

                We have our garden in and it is coming along well. We had some bouts of cold nights and so a few of our first plantings died but we have been able to replant and everything is doing well now.  I was so sad that all the tomato plants that I had started inside from seed got taken in the cold.  They were all from seeds that were saved from favorite tomatoes so we can’t just go to the store and buy more packets.  I was upset about it to begin with but have since settled down and accepted the situation.  What else am I to do?!  Our artichokes are in full production so we have been eating them like crazy.  We boil/steam them and then eat the meat out of the leaves and savor the hearts at the end.  We use garlic butter and Heinz 57 for dipping sauces.  The process of pulling apart each leaf and sucking out the meat reminds me of summers at home eating fresh lobster.  I miss those days but embrace what we have now.  Again, what else am I to do?!

 

 Fresh artichokes picked from the side of our house.

 



Our first cherry harvest.  A little green but had to get them before the birds. They still taste fantastic but of so tart!

  

 

Roses from the garden.

 

Our rose patch.

 

            I have been on a big sewing kick lately and just can’t seem to get enough hours in front of my machine.  There are so many different projects I am working on.  They are all so different which is fantastic for providing entertainment when I get bored with one project I can easily just switch to another.

Some of the crazy quilt blocks I have been doing.  Trying to use up my scraps and try something different!  Also, in the bottom corner you can see one of my 1930's mini block.

 

A new wall hanging done and ready to be quilted.

 

 

  

A couple of the mini blocks I have been paper piecing for a 1930's mini quilt.  These blocks are 4.5" unfinished.  So much fun to do!

 

 I hope this post finds you well and happy!

WIP Wednesday

For “Work in Progress Wednesday” I am only going to go into two of my many projects that I have going on.  To be honest, I usually have about 8 projects that are in some stage of production.  It sometimes overwhelms me but usually is just refreshing.  If I want to change the pace from what I have been doing I can just pick up right where I left off on something else.  No need to go to the fabric store, spend hours drafting and thinking what I want, I can just go to it.  So, check out what I am working on this week!

 

The quilt group that I am in is doing a few projects this year and the one I have started on is called “Twist It, Change It, Rearrange It”.  This quilt utilizes the same block components and by switching color value or the organization of the pieces change the look of the block.  There are a few things I really like about this project for a few different reasons.  First off, it is easy.  It is a quilt that I can see myself completing this year.  I want something that I can reasonably complete before each monthly meeting of the group.  I don’t need to have award winning quilts, sometimes I just need to sew some (semi)straight lines!  Second off, I am trying a new color combination (black and white with a splash of red) that I have wanted to try for a very long time. The limited colors make this fun as usually I pick lots of colorful fabrics for my quilts.  Lastly, it is giving me some inspiration to try changing simple things in some of my favorite blocks/patterns to make to change how it looks.  The variety is fun!  So here is my progress on the two blocks from January.

 

 

This is the same block with the exception of alternating the "peaks" and "valleys".  In the block on the left there are white valleys up against the red center and on the right it has peaks that face outward.

 

The other project still lurking on my design wall are my star blocks that were last year’s block of the month project.  I have 13 blocks done and want to finish two more but haven’t been inspired to do so.  One of these days my inspiration will kick in again and I will get it finished up! 

 

 

What projects are you working on this week?