Fabric Stash Not at its Best!

Do I show and tell or hide away all incriminating evidence of how much of a mess my fabric stash has become? Believe me I have asked myself that a few times over the last day or so!! You see I'm lucky enough to have a lovely large cupboard from IKEA that was bought especially for my fabric but over the last few months as 'a crafty hen' has got busier and busier so my 'cupboard' has got untidier and untidier to the stage it has become impossible to find anything or even to put any fabric away in there. So the question has been do I admit to working in these conditions or lead you to believe that my work space is one of calm and serenity. 

Oh well here goes!

  

It started off as such a lovely space to organise and display my stash in lovely neat stacks of colour and pattern. A way of finding fabric quickly and being constantly inspired but alas no! My work time has swapped from nap time which is no longer to an hour or two of an evening and most nights I work until I can no longer focus on my sewing as my eyelids are closing or until my OH wants to claim my 'work space' back to the bedroom it shares with and kicks me out so he can go to sleep! So I inevitably leave my fabrics out or do I quick tidy away which has over time become a case of 'folding' and placing in a bag conveniently placed by my cutting table.

  

So enough is enough! I can't continue like this with such a mess and a disgrace of a fabric stash on my hands! So a plan of action has been made and my plan for the Easter holidays is to have a BIG tidy up!! 

My plan is to remove most of the fabric on the left hand side which is vintage or thrifted and in general the fabric that I am not using as much at the moment and to store it in the loft, you didn't think I would be able to part with any did you?!! This is where to me my plan has faults as I really don't like the idea of not having all my fabric to hand! But I'm going to have to learn to cope! I'm hoping to them rearrange my piles and hopefully to leave at least one shelf clear that will house the fabrics that I am currently working with which means they have room to go even when time is short.

So yes when others have Easter plans of camping trips and days of relaxation mine are of folding and stacking fabric! With the odd day out of course! I have already made a start and already it feels good! A little organisation and tidy up is, I think going to be good for 'a crafty hen' and as I've already managed to do a little I'm already beginning to notice a difference. 

So there it is a little like airing your dirty laundry in public! I've gone and done it and it feels ok!! In fact I feel even more determined to sort it out though it's going to be slow progress as I keep getting distracted by all the fabric I had forgotten about and remembering what I bought it for and all the projects I have yet to sew!

But one thing at a time!

Sunshine Post!

OK I might be going on a bit now about the gorgeous start to Spring we are having but I really can't help myself. Even today after being stuck at work all day whist starng out the window at the cafe opposite where people sat, laughed and enjoyed themselves I can't help but feel upbeat. Tomorrow with temperatures promised to be not unlike summer we are off for a well earned family trip to the beach. No doubt we will not be alone but to smell the sea air will be worth all the crowds!

And yes all this sunshine probably has gone to my head but I couldn't resist these bright patterned fabrics. I missed the pezzy print the first time it came out so I am really pleased they have bought out more. And I'm a bit like a kid in a sweet shop as I really want to have it in all it's colour ways.

The same with this pearl bracelet fabric. I really love this print but again are late to it and are now trying to track it down in it's past colours!

The pink and blue are very delicate and mix lovely with some of the other fabrics I've been using lately. Right drooling over I must go and get ready for day out. 

Nets, buckets and spades at the ready!

Animal Zoo

I've really enjoyed working on my latest commission not only is it made using one of my all time favourite boys prints but also because it was my son's teaching assistant who asked me to make it for her friend's baby.   

Now this teaching assistant has become very dear to us and to my son, who she has worked wonders with. Drawing him more and more out of his shell, knowing when to push him and knowing maybe more importantly when to stop! They have built up a lovely trusting relationship. She has helped him to actually enjoy school and even {pauses for breath} has helped to make him  

{drum roll please......} enjoy reading! 

Oh yes she has worked miracles!

 

 

This Baby Boys Set comprises of two bibs, a couple of burp cloths, a matching ribbon tag blanket and a small rectangle cushion which I based on this square cushion which was what the TA had originally seen at a school fair I attended a few weeks ago and goes to prove that sometimes these events are worth doing even if you don't sell much at the fair it can lead to other things!

A Little Spring Cleaning!

The sun has been shining the last couple of days and if you can get in the sunshine, out of the wind, then you can feel heat from the sun beaming down on you and you can smell the first signs of growth it really is beautiful. Spring is among us, and I can truly say I love this time of year.

I love everything about it, the brighter evenings, noticing plants re-emerging into life, I don't even mind sharing my sewing space with the propagators full of tiny tomato and chilli seedlings! Trips to the beach that you know are the first of many more, and the cooking of sausages and the toasting of marshmallows on our new rocket stove, (an anniversary present to ourselves) that will be the first of many more dinners alfresco! 

I also love the little extra energy that Spring seems to give you, that little lift to the spirit, the rays of sunlight beaming into the house waking it up after it's winter sleep. I'll look past the dust and the cobwebs that the sun highlights ignoring it as I sit in the sunshine enjoying a cup of tea and listening to the kids claiming back the garden from the Winter.
Oh yes I am definitely a Spring girl.