Thursday, January 26, 2023

Organizing 01-26-23

I desperately need to re-roll and re-organize the 370+ quilts in the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection.  Some are small and live in acid free storage boxes, about a half dozen are 3-D and have their own storage box, and the majority are rolled around stuffies or covered pool noodles, covered with fabric and stored on shelves.  My friend Liz and I have tried to develop a storage order, but nothing we have tried has been successful.  The extra bedroom is honestly full of junk that I keep thinking I can donate somewhere and put all the quilts in the same room.  It is a massive undertaking that I have not had the strength or concentration  to do in the past year or two.  The fabric coverings are all discounted fabrics from years ago - all different prints of all different colors.  We use what fits.  It suddenly occurred to me, after all these years, that it would be helpful if multiple quilts by one artist were wrapped in the same fabric covering!  Brilliant.  So, when I was in SDiego at Rosie's Calico Quilt Shop a few weeks ago I looked through their sale fabric for a bolt with 15 or so yards to use for all the Ruth B. McDowell quilts, some of which are very large.  What was I looking for beside quantity?  Not dark, not red or black or white, unlike any of the covers I already have, and inexpensive.  Some of the fabrics I use came from years ago when discounted fabric was $1 or $2 a yard!   I found this print for $7 a yard and it fits the bill on all counts including 15.88yards on the bolt.  This picture is the width of the fabric on end and it is slightly more aqua than the computer will let me show.  Loops of fabric flags seem appropriate for Ruth's quilts.  So, I need to get busy and start this major project.  First to clean out the room, there are things that have been in there since moving into this house more than 30 years ago.  What will I do with my mother's cedar chest?  And what ever is inside of it?  And there are boxes of photos and boxes of unknown things.  Oh, dear, I'm tired just thinking about it!    Onward.  


#   #   #
 

2 comments:

Mary Ann said...

Del Courage! Take your time and you can get it done. How do you et an elephant? One small bite at a time.
I have clean outs every year or so. But I am cleaning my quilts out and I look at them with the thought "Do I want anyone to know I did this?" And sometimes they live over at the landfill in Oberlin.
I am thinking I need to pin notes on them as to who would get them. I am thinking there could be a sale and proceeds go to my great nephews education. He is 18 and a junior in college. Actually he took this year off to decide on a major. He graduated high school and junior college in the same week. Not that he actually went to high school. He is going to take a major in bio medical IT. Yes all our health problems will be solved LOL. Well, we can hope.

Loretta said...

Courage, courage! Mary Ann is correct...take your time to process and work on this huge project. Don't think of the enormity of it, but just one small project at a time, yes, of course, keep it all uniform in process, but one section at a time. I'll be paying attention, as I have almost the same project to do at my home! Mine is not only my quilts, plus, but my many projects over the years...oils, watercolor, pastels, carving, stamp work, etc., etc. We can and will take this on and complete it just much more slowly than we've ever done before! Take care, my friend and one thing at a time will work for both of us. Thanks so much for sharing....xo