Monday, December 28, 2009

How my stash is organised, more about EQ6

My stash is in plastic boxes that are on shelves in a cupboard. Queensland is not a climate for leaving fabrics on open shelves because of the fading. Besides, I am not tidy enough for that.
These are the boxes:
  • White to Black
  • Cream to Brown
  • Red
  • Yellow and Orange
  • Green and Aqua
  • Purple
  • Blue
As every fabriholic knows, some fabrics don't fit into a colour category because they have multiple colours. They are sorted by value in the following boxes
  • Multi light
  • Multi medium
  • Multi dark
  • Multi bright
Then there are 2 more boxes with theme fabrics
  • I spy and other children's fabrics
  • Butterfly, ethnic, sewing designs
And about EQ6: I still have problems opening the program, the opening window comes up, then disappears behind the design window and the program then freezes, so later on I'll re install. Even this can be a problem,  because I think you can reinstall the program only so many times, something many users have complained about.

But.....I realised also that placing designs into the sketchbook, does NOT save them automatically, so, all that work is gone, about 14 different versions of Dancing Fans and I am still very happy that the important parts were printed out.

Dancing Fans...back to my first love

In art/craft that is!
For a while I have been thinking it is time to start another patchwork project. Throughout this year I've made 3 major projects: Bernina Bling and 2 children's quilts, so I didn't abandon quilting altogether. This remark in response to what I get asked every so often: " Don't you quilt anymore?"
Back to the new project. I set up the following checklist for this new project:
  1. This is a bed quilt: so it has to be big enough and fabrics and techniques used have to be appropriate, iow, the quilt is to be washable.
  2. No new fabrics to buy, but I am sure I have to buy wadding.
  3. Not too complex. 
  4. Not boring in either technique or design
  5. Some handwork. We finally solved the problem of lighting in our lounge and I can now stitch while watching TV.
While two days ago I was wondering if I could legally sell EQ6 , yesterday morning I used it to design this new quilt. Dancing Fans is the working title, I may change it yet. However, after having problems opening the program, my project is there but there is nothing in the sketchbook!!! Shock Horror!! Fortunately, the only things I really needed: the template and the layout, I had printed out. I'll have to try to reinstall and if that doesn't work, get to support.

But this is what it is:
A Fan block with 5 blades. The blades are appliqued onto a 6" background.
I am using stash fabrics.
I considered a few different options such as a colour wash quilt , but that would make it too complex.
I made one test block 


The plan is to cut the background fabrics from medium dark-dark fabrics.
Blades from fabrics in my "multi light" box
Applique a quarter circle over the end of the fan blades in the lower left corner.