Boy, it doesn't take long for fabric scraps to take over when you start a quilting hobby. After stashing and tucking and stuffing and piling I decided I really needed to get organized. So I came up with a plan...

First I sorted out all my fabrics, no matter how much or little there was, into complementary groups. Then I went through my binder of patterns and pulled out one for each collection.

I had two plastic file crates and some hanging file folders so I tucked a set of fabrics in each folder:

Placed the selected pattern in the front of the folder:

And filed them - in no particular older:

Some of these are projects I bought fabric for specific projects, but most are donated fabrics, leftovers from previous projects, or a combination of the two. Including a separate bin of nothing but strips in bags of color duos and another bin with all the fabrics for a king-sized quilt, I now have 'kits' for 18 quilting projects!

These will undoubtedly spawn more scrappy combinations when cut and stitched, but they are corraled in the interim and it will be easy to grab a file to start a project when the time comes to quilt.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Thursday, 20 December 2012 9:35 PM PST

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From the time I bought my portable photo booth I've moved it from place to place trying to find the right spot - convenient and functional. Sometimes, I've folded it up and stored it because there was no good way to use it.

When I packed up the spare bedroom to create the quilt studio was one of those times that the photo booth got stored. Then I suddenly realized that a little bedside cabinet was still in the quilt studio and not being used for anything. So I hauled the cabinet out and shuffled it to the craft studio where it found a corner vacated by the sewing table in the big move.

The photo booth exactly fits on the top of the cabinet! The little lights on stands do NOT fit though so I rigged them up to shine from the top rim.

I have three types of stands to support objects for their pictures and a couple of fabrics to use as backdrops. These can live in the cabinet drawers, along with anything else I might want to use as photo props.

Ready for my close-up...

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PST

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When you work in a library for 38 years you have a tendency to want to organize and catalog things. Just because you retire, that tendency does not go away.

I've been just keeping my embossing folders in a drawer and rummaging through them to find one that might suit the project I have in hand. So, I got them ALL out and made an impression of each on plain white cardstock. On the back I wrote the manufacturer and the folder name. Then I hole-punched them all and strung them on ball-chain.

I have them sorted by the style: dots, swirls, fabrics, grid, borders, oversize, mini, and many more categories.

I have these hanging over my work area so I can quickly find an appropriate design and then go find the folder to mak it on my project.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Here is another way I have gathered together inspiration for myself. I have great intentions of doing scrapbooking but other things always take first place and it gets set aside over and over.

But I have collected lots of scrapbook sketches and transfered them to 3 x 5 cards. I file these by how many photos they will display and keep them in a file box.

Here's one for 7 photos (see the number above the sketch so I can file it back in the right place.

and here's one for 4 photos

Someday I will be ready to scrapbook.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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We're back to 'inspirations' today. I have collected many photos that I use (or plan to use) as inspiration for cards. I chose them for their patterns, colors, layout, or just because I like them. Sometimes I get inspired by a single element in the photo and sometimes try to replicate the design as closely as possible. Some of these I have shown along with their resulting cards on this blog.

Whew! That's a lot of inspiration!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Lacking any new work to show today I thought I'd answer a question that has not been asked... "Where do you get inspiration?"

Much of the time the materials at hand - stamp images, clip art, papers, etc - inspire me but I also use challenges and references on a variety of websites and blogs as a jumping-off point for projects. In many cases I have printed 'catalogs' of these inspirations and can thumb through them to find ideas to work from.

One of these is a catalog of color challenges. I have a section for the color challenges I have created:

A section that includes the full run of challenges from Color Throwdown blog includes their variety of presentation methods as well.

I like this new way as they show you the picture that inspired them to choose that color combination

I also have a catalog of card sketches. This has all the Operation Write Home sketches,,,

Card Positioning Systems (which is now discontinuing)

A blog called RetroSketches

And my own sketches

For stamping inspiration I have the binder of instructions and classes from the recent class Stretch Your Stamps.

This includes 12 classes focusing on different categories of stamps and the miriad ways to use them.

I have TWO binders of Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas series. I formatted each lesson into a Word document to save paper and printed them all up.

All of the ideas can be translated to cards and other projects. Tim uses mostly his own brands of products so there are lots of ideas on using Ranger, Adriondak, Stampers Anonymous, Alterations, etc.

I also have reference books on card making, stamping and other paper crafts to use as inspiration.

So many Ideas - so little time!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I have been moving my alcohol inks from place to place and from one kind of rack/box/shelf to another. Then I was walking through the store the other day and came to the section for 'as seen on TV' products. There I found a spice storage rack that has two sections that slide out and rotate to make the items accessible.

Well, I thought that looked like just the thing for the alcohol inks, and for $10 I brought it home.

I used the inks to color up 1/4" dots for the tops of the lids and divided them up into color groups.

Here is the unit closed:

When I want a bottle I just slide one of the sides forward and rotate it to make it fully accessible.

I just want to label the fronts of the units to indicate the color groups that are on each shelf so I open the right side the first time.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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As quilting has taken over more and more of my time it has also taken up more and more of my studio space. It also started spreading to other parts of the house so I was doing cutting in the studio, pressing at the ironing board in the family room, piecing at a desk in the studio, sandwiching the quilt on a bed in a guest room, and quilting on the dining room table with all the leaves in it. Now that's just silly!

So we decided to cut back to having only one guest bedroom and use the other as a new quilt studio. We got rid of the bedroom set and I moved into the room with the sewing cabinet, ironing board, and fabric stash. I purchased four bookcases, a sheet of plywood (cut to 4 x 7 feet) and a piece of flannel-backed tablecloth plastic. From this I built a large table that is of a height for cutting fabric, sandwiching quilts and also quilting where the whole quilt has a place to rest without dragging.

Here's a view as you come in the door:

At the far side you can see the desk where the sewing machine sits most of the time and where I will do piecing. If you turn to the left wall there is a desk (which will eventually go elsewhere) with a bulletin board (that will stay) and the ironing board for pressing fabric.

The bookcases supporting the table will be used for my few quilting books as well as supplies. There is an open bay area for stacking bins with my fabric stash. I also installed a floor lamp for better lighting on the table.

Here's a view of the first quilt being finished off in the new quilt studio. Notice that I also installed a holder for my rulers under the window.

Now when the topic tag says 'in the studio' I might have to be more specific!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I thought I'd share today how I use a drying rack in my studio. It is really a wire CD holder that I picked up at Goodwill.

I sue it mainly when I've used Stickles on card fronts as I can dry 10 at once without covering my work surface or having them stick to each other. It works best when I put the fold of the card OVER a divider and let the card open into the two neighboring slots.

So what am I drying? 10 thank-you cards for the people who took part in the Christmas program I told you about yesterday. 

These are napkin fronts that have been stuck down to a cardstock piece that has gone thru the Xyron for dry adhesive. I trimmed them down to cut off the top and bottom red border but include a portion of the borders on the right and left. Then I mounted on folded cream cardstock and traced out scrolls and dots on the ornaments and one ribbon with gold Stickles. I placed a gold peel off "Thank You" sticker and traced it out with gold stickles as well... Times ten and into the drying rack.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PST

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Another posted entry gone who-knows-where? Annoying!

I have been 'tweaking' the storage in the studio to make things more handy, organized, attractive, and versatile. So with those goals in mind, these are the changes I have made:

Added two wire racks on top of a cabinet to sort out printed cardstock by color groups. The left rack has full sheets and the right rack has cuts and pieces. I use the top of the rack for boxes that have collage elements separated by colors and/or themes. I had room in the bottom of the rack for some colored paper and some equipment.

To the right of the cabinet I have a CD holder in which I store empty cd cases repurposed as acrylic stamp holders. Acrylic blocks fit in here as well.

Then to the right again, there is a tiered spice rack that I used to store/display bottles of alcohol inks. Each shelf will hold two rows (front and back). They are shelved in color groups.

Over on the other side of those wire racks storing printed cardstock are 4 'iris' cabinets that each have 6 slots. These hold boxes instead of open drawers and I am using them for rubber stamps. They are separated by 'theme' so I have drawers with Flowers, Trees, Animals, Ethnic, Greetings, Hand-Carved, etc. Some themes require more than one bin. Down at the bottom I have 4 bins with punches.

On top of these I have the two cassette storage racks that I turned on their ends and use for ribbon storage. Guess what? They are arranged in color groups and by special types. Sheers are together, plaids are together, satins are together, colors are together within a type. (I can't help myself!)

So, there you go - all the new, repurposed and improved storage/display solutions I've added to the studio. These help me work more efficiently (more crafts in less time).

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 10:35 AM PDT

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Last spring I was contacted about becoming a paid designer for CardMaker Kit-of-the-Month Club and I readily agreed. The first assignment came up in June and I had a lot of fun putting together the samples and instructions for 8 card projects.

Since that time the designs have been incorporated into their advertising, though they have not been distributed to the kit subscribers. I first saw them on their website and then, the other day, got an advertising packet in the mail wasnting me to subscribe. Imagine the thrill I got seeing the designs right on the envelope in my own mailbox!

If you go over to their website (www.cardmakerkitclub.com/projects.php) you'll see my paper embroidery set as the first feature on the left side (blue and green).

I feel like a proud mama!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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I stopped in at the thrift store and bought two cassette tape holders for $1 each. In my studio I gave them a new lease on life by standing them on their ends, tipping them back just a little and loading them up with all my spools of ribbon. 

While I was at it I arranged all the ribbon in color families to make it easier to select just the right one. I also put all the satin together, all the grosgrain, all the sheers, etc.

The plastic tub on the left has all the cut pieces - short and long - mixed together. Many times I can just stir around in this and find a suitable piece for a project without whacking off a new length from the spools.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PST

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At my specific request I got this portable photo studio for Christmas. It comes with everything you see here (except the football!) and folds into itself to form a carrying case with pockets for the two lights and the tripod. 

It does take a fair bit of room so I am challenged to find a place to leave it set up. I got it to take better pictures of my art work so expect to see changes!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PST

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Tomorrow the photos of the actual panels will start going up.

Ddd studio3d@ccwebster.net

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PST

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Ddd studio3d@ccwebster.net

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PST

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