Pat Sloan's Blog: Challenges

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Announcing the Magical Quilt May Calendar and SO much more!

**** Magical Quilty May! ***

Announcing today!

Our Magical Quilty May Challenge Calendar
May Daily sew along (hint.. get out your rainbow colors!)
One Day Charity Sew Along
Jolly Bar Sew Along - It's a row quilt!!
May Cross stitch Mystery!

I had so much fun reviewing all then names you came up with for May and what I decided is that May should be 'Magical'!

And following this is my Bonus quilt will sew blocks for each day... woohoo!

Article continues below this Ad

**************

Download Pat Sloan's Magical Quilty May Calendar

**************

**** May Daily Sew Along ***

I've always wanted to do a quilt with a color-wash of the shades of the Rainbow. And you know I love a HST.. so.. This is it!!! if you really really really don't like a HST, then just use squares.. hey... why not!

We will make either 4 or 6 Half Square Triangles each day and start sewing them in units so that by May 31 we can just finish and add the borders. I am SO excited to dig into my fabrics for this one and really have fun.

Article continues below this Ad

**************

Download Pat Sloan May Rainbow Quilt

FYI - on an earlier copy the TEXT on page 3 had the WORDS red & violet reversed and I had a change on the borders.

**************

**** One Day Sew for Hope ***

My friend Gudrun is amazing, she is hosting another 1 day sew along and this time she has a pattern to purchase with ALL the pattern income going to three charities.

Hope Breakfast Bar St. Paul: Making hundreds of meals daily for anyone that requests one and delivering them to the communities in need.
Girl Scouts River Valleys Cookies For A Cause: Purchasing cookies and delivering them to the organizations on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Proceeds will help girls to reach their cookie goals and fund Girl Scouts financial assistance program so they can bring the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to all girls.
Chefs Feed Our Front Lines: Campaign to provide healthcare workers a meal while putting local chefs and cooks back to work. Daily deliveries are made providing lunches for healthcare workers in the Minneapolis metro.

Gudrun invited me to sew along and come on her live show on May 3, what an honor!! I hope you will join us, even if you can't sew that day just buy the pattern to support these great charities

What I'm using:

Layer Cake - I'm using this Far Far Way https://shrsl.com/28vt7
2 yd of Accent fabric for the Lap size- I'm using a solid magenta https://shrsl.com/28vta

DOWNLOAD your HOPE pattern at Gudrun's website

**** Jolly Bar Sew Along ***

This is going to be such a fun sew along! It's a row a week and they are easy and fast using a Jolly bar. Which are 5" x 10" precuts. You can also do with half a layer cake, but why not try a Jolly bar!

We'll make blocks from each quilt in the Jolly Bar 2 for this darling sampler.

What You need

The Jolly Bar 2 book https://shrsl.com/28tov
A Jolly bar, sampler takes just ONE! https://shrsl.com/28tos
3 yds of background/backing/border, try one of the monthly sale fabrics http://shrsl.com/1wp3w
I'm using the Canning Days https://shrsl.com/28vt5 and pale yellow to go with it

****

DOWNLOAD the Supply List

****

**** Feels Like Home! ***

This is a Mystery Cross Stitch Along that starts May 1, I'm SO excited about this!

I'm using 10ct Aida, which will make the piece about 12" x 12".

GET THE Aida https://shrsl.com/28x8p

Order your pattern & threads https://shrsl.com/27tnv

**************************************************************

Article continues below these Amazon Goodies

Posted by PatSloan in 1 Challenges, Calendars, Challenges | Permalink | Comments (36)

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Fabric Organization - How to think about Scraps

I've wanted to do a series of challenges that will free us up to make more quilts, interested? Read on!

*** Challenge #2 ***

The main question everyone asks is 'what to do with scraps!' So let's talk about that

In this article you'll find

A video
An Assignment
Links to the books i recommend
How I cut up pieces for scraps
My Free Scrap busting quilts.
AND Share a photo of what you are dealing with below! It's great to see your progress and keep yourself accountable. You can also share in my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/QuiltWithPatSloan/

*** Video + Assignment ***

I feel what scraps you keep comes down to two things

How much storage do you have to devote to keeping scraps VS your regular fabric
Are you really going to MAKE scrap quilts? Be super honest with yourself, because if you really don't make that style of quilt, but want to have some scraps, then use my 2.5" square method

Your Assignment to get started:

Decide if you make LOTS Of scrap quilts, want to make lots, make enough that its' worth it to organize
Decide the SIZES you want to keep. This is in direct relationship to the next item..
How much space can you devote to scrap storage?

You how how much you'll actually use them
How much storage you have
Now do you want to 'precut scraps' and sort by SIZE and COLOR (takes a LOT of space)
Or do you want to do just one size scrap (takes much less space)
Or will you just keep scraps nice and tidy by color in a bin then cut as you need them? (takes leas amount of space, you might have such small amount of scraps you just put a zip lock in the color bin

Article continues below this Ad

*** I recommend using Standard Precut Sizes ***

Which have loads of pattern available!

Cut your scraps & store as

5" squares - for the Perfect 5 book
10" squares - Perfect 10 book
2.5" x Width of Fabric (WOF) strips - The Book Book of Strip Quilts

*** I recommend using Standard Precut Sizes ***

On the Left - storing scraps in a bin that are not cut
On the right - Storing 2.5" x WOF strips all nice and neat

*** Or just save 2.5" squares, make a quilt while you sew other things ***

I put them all back in with some space to spare!

the bin of 2.5" squares

Stacked by color, if i have enough of one color it has it's own bin and I need to start making a quilt!

*** Trimming into 2.5" scraps ***

I trim to 2.5" squres
Then I can take the 2 triangles and sew them together. Then cut that down to a 2.5" square
Or just toss the triangles in a bag for making pet beds

*** Use for a Baby Quilt ***

Start with your border fabric
select colors to go with it from your bins
and it's Simple to use just a few colors of 2.5" squares for an easy baby quilt.

My Green and white Scrappy 2.5" square quilt

And one using all my soft colors, its' HUGE!

I'm working the red and white you see in the video

*** Traffic Jam ***

super fun to bust not only 2.5" squares but also some larger squares and strips. Do controlled scrappy or go more wild!

Article continues below this Ad

Download Pat Sloan Traffic Jam pattern

*** Challenge #2 ***

To recap Your Assignment:

Decide if you make LOTS Of scrap quilts, want to make lots, make enough that its' worth it to organize
Decide the SIZES you want to keep. This is in direct relationship to the next item..
How much space can you devote to scrap storage?

You how how much you'll actually use them
How much storage you have
Now do you want to 'precut scraps' and sort by SIZE and COLOR (takes a LOT of space)
Or do you want to do just one size scrap (takes much less space)
Or will you just keep scraps nice and tidy by color in a bin then cut as you need them? (takes leas amount of space, you might have such small amount of scraps you just put a zip lock in the color bin

Article continues below these Amazon Goodies

Posted by PatSloan in Challenges, Scrap Quilts | Permalink | Comments (45)

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Nov/Dec CHALLENGE - Fabric Organization

First... did you enter my $50.00 gift certificate giveaway?

** GO HERE ***

I've wanted to do a series of challenges that will free us up to make more quilts, interested? Read on!

*** Challenge #1 ***

I'm pretty sure if we could easily find our fabric we will be even MORE motivated to quilt. So I'm on a quest to help everyone Tidy up their sewing area with a series of challenges. Then we'll work to keep it that way! After Fabric we'll tackle other things, but for most of you, Fabric is the bulk of what you have.. vs.. a ton of rulers taking up space. Fabric takes up SPACE.

I did a Poll Here, and Asked some questions Here which gave me a feel of where a lot of you are with regards to your fabric storage.

In this article you'll find

A video
An Assignment
My bin in the video
Some of my storage and why it's like this
AND Share a photo of what you are dealing with below! It's great to see your progress and keep yourself accountable. You can also share in my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/QuiltWithPatSloan/

*** Video + Assignment ***

Each of you will approach in your own way. I'll show you what I do and then have some discussion on other ways it can be handled. In my Facebook group I'll have a lots of reminders to work on this. I'll post a new part to the challenge about once a week on Fabric for Nov & Dec. No set amount or day

After the assignment I have some tips and photos, then at the end share a photo of your fabric collection and leave comments about what you are going to do. Some of you have already achieved Fabric Storage Nirvana, yeah you!! I suggest you tackle another area you need to work on, and tell me about it.

Your Assignment to get started:

Sort your fabric, ALL your fabric, into Main Fabric, Precuts your purchased, and Scraps.
See video for my thoughts on scraps. I'll do another video or maybe 2, on just scraps. If you own a TON of kits, keep those together, I consider those a project.
I'll do a video on fabric color and one of precuts later
Look at what storage you already own in the space you work in. Is it book cases? Shelves? A closet. Maybe a stack of vintage suitcase. I highly recommend you do not use totes. They can't stack and you can't find things in them.
Look at what you will put your fabric IN. Do you already have containers? Do you need these to stack to be efficient? Can you put a lot on the the shelf?
THEN sort your main fabric by by color. That is what I do. I do keep my Christmas together, but everything else is by color.
ALSO sort your scraps by color and we'll discus how to manage them very soon

Article continues below this Ad

*** Remove and refold ***

I already go through my fabric often, but I'm kind of messy putting it back.

So I took my Aqua bin from the video and

Emptied it
Sorted and folded the larger pieces in one pile.
Removed any small pieces that I consider a scrap
Sorted and folded the rest in one pile
I folded them so they fit in half the basket and are taller than the basket so I can get more int

*** Put back ***

I put them all back in with some space to spare!

*** Scraps***

Here are my scrap pieces

parts of layer cakes
strips
and a bag of small pieces
I put them all in that zip lock for now and put that back into the basket for now. They won't stay there, it's just for now

*** Baskets ***

The Red and white baskets that I use I purchased at least 15 yrs ago at the Container Store. I've not seen any like them recently but a few years ago Target had some.

The Gray basket is a bit smaller and fits my one shelf tower that I have

GRAY Baskets - Very light weight which is good as fabric is heavy

*** Challenge #1 ***

Each of us feels very differently about our 'space' and how it looks.

I've had my own sewing space since I got out of college, and usually it was a full bedroom. I worked in an office and when I went home the few hours I spent each week in my space I was not as picky about seeing all the riot of colors.

Once I started my business 20 years ago and was IN my space ALL day I decided I need it to be calm.

I First got matching bins and that made all the difference. I don't mind seeing the top of the fabric looking out. I'd rather than then clear bins which are not a consistent color. I just see red/white when i look on the shelf.

If you don't mind seeing all the colors like you do in the quilt shop, then go for having it out in the open.

Here is my shelf for the Gray baskets

I already owned the wire one. I had to purchase ones that fit this specific shelf.

GRAY Baskets - Very light weight which is good as fabric is heavy

My Koala Studio unit with the closed door has all these bins. They contain projects

For any bin, you need to measure the size of your space. I could stack fabric right on the shelf but they are fairly tall and I don't want to pull out a tower of loose fabric each time I want to work with it.