Thread Storage

This is what's left of my thread racks in my former sewing and quilting space, since I took over the front room of our house. I didn't move them into my new quilting space.

Instead, my threads are stowed away in translucent bins and drawers.

Yes, I have a lot of thread! I'm a bit of a thread addict. And as a quilter who likes to make my free motion stitching the star of my quilts, that's not a bad thing.

Admittedly, it's not as visually stimulating to have all my thread tucked away. I do miss seeing all the beautiful colors and types of thread. But I don't miss this:

Dust! Yucky, fibrous grubbiness to cover up all the pretty color and shine. Not to mention choke up my wonderful sewing machine. I tend to choose polyester thread for its lack of lint, so why should I let it get covered in dusty lint?

Ew! So into bins I lovingly chucked my beautiful strands of stitchy fun. One day I'd love to have a very shallow, glass fronted cabinet to store my threads so I can see them but still keep them protected from the dust and UV rays which can also weaken thread.

Serging: Napkins

Don't worry, serging is not likely to become a regular feature on this free motion quilting blog, but I have been doing my best to learn how to use one. The first thing I learned is that these things make a mess! Trimmed threads and fabric bits everywhere, which is a bit irritating.

 I've been watching my Craftsy class on beginning serging and learning a ton. I decided to use the narrow rolled hem to make some napkins. One of the tips given in the class was to use water-soluble stabilizer for a neater edge. It worked like a charm!

And I sold a serger the very next day at the shop and was so relieved to feel comfortable demo'ing the machine. I referred the new serger owner to Craftsy too.

Video: Machine Stitching Applique

I did a lot of applique stitching lately and I managed to get a little, poorly done, but funny video of some of it. Just watch. Hubby says he can't believe I didn't reshoot it, but I had a cold and didn't feel like it. Besides, I'm "just keepin' it real"!

There are days that I do wish that I did more piecing. Like when I'm squaring up a top that is nearly a whole cloth. Especially if it's big. Make me feel a bit like a dog, chasing its own tail. What would I do without a gridded (vinyl tile) kitchen floor?

My cold is nearly gone and I'm feeling much better! I'm linking this post with Connie's Free Motion by the River Linky Tuesday. Go see what everybody is sharing.

Video: Free Motion Quilting Fun

I sat down with some extra practice quilt sandwiches from my class last weekend and stitched up a little fun. I had no plan, other than to stitch around the applique and enjoy stitching after a rather rough week.

I hope you get a chance to do some free motion quilting practice this weekend, or whatever creative activity that makes you happy!

I've got a lovely head cold and so I think I will enjoy my hubby's return from his out of town project by staying in bed a bunch. Thanks so much for reading the blog, watching the videos, sharing this site with friends and following my adventures via Facebook, Pinterest, and Google+.