Annies Crazy World

 
 
 
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    This is Annie Whitsed's Crazy World a world where I stitch the joys and chaos of life into beautifull crazy quilts. email annie@loopylace.com
March 2024
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Pink fabrics and the other end of the studio September 13th, 2007

Pink fabricsA couple of weeks ago when I showed my fabrics sorted into colour groups I said that one of my motivations was that I want the pink fabrics for an Album cover that I would like to have made by the end of September… The pink fabrcs are the only colour thus far to be ironed and put into there box, as I went through them I put everything that was a possability for the album to one side, about 50 fabrics…I took that pile of fabrics with me when i went to visit a friend and we reduced them to about 20 fabrics…This morning my sister came over and we reduced them to 10 fabics, when we were down to about 12 she was liking different fabrics to me, she liked the very pale pink lace and my first instinct was that it was to pale, she said but the sky in the photo is pale and lay the lace next to it, I looked down and said ‘it will work I can do a sort of colour wash’.

When I did a rough layout we both instictivley reached out to remove the fabric second from the bottom on the left and I think that the colour wash is going to look great…I have pixalated the image to not reveal who it is for just yet.

Pink fabricsPink fabrics

As for the other end of the studio…I am sorry that I forgot to take a before photo so that you could get the full impact of what I have done…basically my computer was on top of a set of draws beside my desk, beside it was another little cupboard and they both sat in front of a set of shelves and beleive me it looked cluttered…I put the computer box on a little trolly which can be pushed under the desk and be pulled out to give access for maintenance.

I have managed to get most of one side of the room in this photo…even though the stuff on the shelves is still a muddle of things that need to be sorted the overlook of the area is much improved.

new computer location

I Think that it is going to Work September 12th, 2007

BookshelfI think my new studio layout is going to work…there is a set of shelves at the other end of the room that I put there temperaly so long ago that they have become permenant but have only ever been a place to put things to get them out of the way…If I empty them I can put all the not crazy quilting books there…Where to put there contents? is the question…

To Be Sorted…I put the shelves that I moved out of the studio into the hall and have put all the boxes of stuff and piles of paper to be sorted on them…The grand plan is to take it one box or pile at a time and put everything where it belongs or throw it out…Wish me luck…

While I was moving boxes I found this puzzle and was amuzed because I always think of this type of puzzle when I am trying to reorganize the furniture in my house, I have to make a little space and then move things through it till I have it where I want it…

Studio Puzzle

Moveing the studio furniture September 11th, 2007

I am trying a new arrangement for my studio furniture….The rest may have to change again to fit everything back in….I have swapped the cupboard and shelves in the corner, they look a lot neater and will stay that way…I have also spun the table around so that it is 90 degrees to where it was, the aim of making the changes is to not block off the windows by putting furniture in front of them so that I can make better use of the natural light, the room does look lighter/less cluttered…and I hope that I can make it work, my problem is that I have moved a bookshelf from that end of the room, have nowhere else to put it and I have no idea where I am going to put the books that go in it…I will be able to make room if I can destash enough stuff but I am not good at throwing things away…

new layout for studio

Clean shelves September 10th, 2007

One end of my studio clearedLast week I showed you my studio after the curtins had been hung…I decided that the best way to tackle it was to take as much stuff from the room as I could, Organize the storage and working areas and then return the contents of the room sorting and putting it away as I did…The job is started, a friend came over to help me and we took everything from one end of the room…

Where do I start? September 6th, 2007

I have new curtins in my studio and as they were installed at short notice there was no time to do more than move everything from in front of the windows to wherever I could find a place to put it, consequently my studio looks like a disaster zone…I am going to take it as an opportunity to reorganize the studio and do some cleaning out and destashing as I go…Now I just have to work out where to start…

to have curtins hung

A Golden ShiSha Sun – detail 393 September 1st, 2007

A Golden shisha sunI have stitched a golden Shisha Sun to Celebrate that today is the first day of spring.

I drew a circle the size of the shisha and stitched the fly stitch sun rays on the fabric before attaching the shisha because it is easier to get long spokes at the right angle when the shisha isn’t in the way.

I have made this shisha into an ATC so that I can send an overseas friend a little Aussie sunshine.

OH&S – Occupational Health and safety September 1st, 2007

When I read Elizabeth’s post on the hazard of shi sha dust I was moved to write this post, thankfully no damage done and alls well now but I was reminded of the OH&S module that I studied as part of my Diploma of Visual Arts and Crafts, Until then I had never thought about it and was surprised to learn that my Gentle Art of Needlework could Actually be a dangerous occupation.

When you do think about it we work with pins, needles, scissors and rotary cutters, all sharp objects, irons are hot and burn, fabric sheds dust, poor light causes eye strain, then there is RSI and cramps from sitting in the one place for to long, back ache from working at bad angles and lugging heavy sewing machines and bags to workshops/classes, then there is the toxic elements of some of the products we use, even financial stress when we overspend our sewing budget…sounds a bit doom and gloom but that is not my intention, it is just that Health and safety for needlework studio’s is not often talked about and I think that it should be because I believe that we need to be aware of the hazards in order to prevent or at least minimize their damage.

I would like to invite readers to comment with any tips they have for good work practices that could help make all our studio’s healthy, safe environments to be.

It’s Time August 24th, 2007

basket of mixed fabricIn Theory my fabrics are stored in boxes, sorted by colour…In practice they are crammed into baskets that I tip out on the floor to find what I want because for many years now I have taken fabrics out of the boxes but put non back into them.

Today when I was tipping the fabrics from one of the baskets on to the floor to look for dark red fabric for the top of my stocking, I looked at the pile and decided that it was Time that they were sorted and put away…

They are not put away yet but I have gathered up the baskets and bags of fabric and sorted them into rough colour groups which I will iron and put away one colour at a time…Actually I think it was wanting all the pink fabrics together that motivated me to get them sorted…I want the pink fabrics for an Album cover that I would like to have made by the end of September…

fabrics sorted into colour groups

What Next? August 5th, 2007

What does one do next when they finish a major project? well today I slept in, spent a bit of time in the garden and a lot of time curled up in bed with the new Harry Potter book.

When I was speculating what next with Sharon a few weeks ago before I could finish the question she answered it with The Diamond Quilt, A Quilt that we both planned on making after seeing a Diamond Quilt made by Martha Bingley in 1889, at an exhibition of Old Australian quilts a few years ago…Readers of Sharon’s blog will have seen her Diamond Blocks and she has been pestering me to get mine started too…

But before I start that One I think I should finish my Box Top …and to do that I have got to find all the bits for it…to do that I have to get a bit organized…which I think starts with putting away the leftovers from mum’s quilt…Most of the time that I have been making mum’s quilt I have been reasonably good at keeping the things for it relatively tidy but in the last couple of weeks the house has taken on the distinctive look of a looming deadline, that is an untidy look but characterized by the piles of bits that have not been put away…I have been stitching in the loung because the heating is better than in my studio so everything I have carried up there in the last couple of weeks is still there, below is the chair beside where I sit and sew…guess what I am doing tomorrow…and then there is emails etc that I have to catch up with

The look of a looming deadline

Ribbon Bow – Detail 328 July 13th, 2007

Satin Ribbon Bow

curtin and bow in visual journalAs you can see in my visual journal I have had the curtin and bow planned for this block for a quite a while, I just didn’t know where I wanted the bow…when I did decide on the top seam, In my head I had the bow on the right hand end, just as well I checked before stitching it on because it would have clashed with the mango tree I have planned for the top right corner of the block…I have will stitch the left hand tail after I have joined the block to the next one when I will twist the tail up around the corner.

Click here for instructions for making ribbon bow.