Behind BHQ: WIPping Into Shape

This ended up being quite the long post, but please be sure to at least check out the end – some important destashing questions I need you to answer!

With The Big Move back to Australia looming on the horizon early next year some time, the need to start preparing has hit with urgency earlier than one might have expected. Family are visiting at the end of September, and they’ve booked extra luggage to help us start moving things back! We’re not taking back much in the way of house goods, and given that our kids are 4 and 5 (and thus quickly progressing through “levels” of toys) most of their toys won’t be making the move with us either. So other than some of their books, I don’t think it would come as much surprise that the majority of the weight of things to be sent back can be found on my sewing or scrapbooking shelves. No pressure or anything there!

What this means, is that I need to sort through every single WIP, scrap, print and notion to seriously think about whether it’s worth the money for it’s weight in luggage and/or postage according to the likelihood of it ever being finished/used. The first step? Addressing the pile of WIP quilt blocks. I want to have zero blocks lying around, with the aim to either destash blocks, make them into cushions for farewell gifts, or quilt top them – most of which will be sent back to be quilted in Australia next year (quilting is a serious muscle commitment here due to the table I’ve had to use, so I’m very particular about what I quilt!). Doing all this will mean that I can then sort my stash and work out what I need to keep to finish projects (sashing/setting, backing, binding) and what I can destash or send back.

First off the ranks is the collection of blocks from the Fat Quarter Shop 2012 BOM. Yep, 3 years later… I finished off block 12 earlier this week, but it seems I’ve misplaced a block or it’s little bag with the pattern and pieces I’d cut way back when, as I only have eleven blocks. So for the moment, those have gone into a box for orphan blocks. I have a vague recollection of mucking one up and putting it aside to unpick later… It may yet still be uncovered!

The other set of blocks I needed to deal with were these 4 blocks from the And Sew On paper piecing BOM Kristy of Quiet Play hosted… two years ago, I’m gonna say?! I used my precious pile of Japanese sewing prints to make these, so one day this’ll get quilted into a mini for my sewing room wall.

The last pile of blocks were my oldest WIP ever – a set of blocks from the HST BOM run by Jeni of In Color Order in 2012. Sewing this together, I actually shed a few tears, as I pondered upon the story this quilt has told in my life. I started this project in Australia, with my first ever blog giveaway winnings from Jane of Quiltjane – Summersault by Erin McNorris. I picked up a few more prints from the line in one of my first ever online purchases. I learned so much through making and sewing all those half-square triangles, and looking at those blocks up close for the first time in years, I can see just how much my sewing has improved since #halfinchseams #dodgyhomespunsolids Wanting to keep up with the BOM was what kept me sewing once we arrived, and sewing was what helped keep me sane and happy in those first few months of culture/climate shock. And now look what sewing is for me! In fact, this set of blocks are even directly related to my beginning free motion quilting!

I selected 9 to use for the front, and I’ll use the other 2 on the back along with the rest of my Summersault prints. I sashed them up as best I could with a gorgeous shot-style grey to add in contrast and to separate the bright and bold prints, but you can see how wonky and wavy it all is due to the “beginner quilter” blocks! But you know what? That’s ok. This quilt has such a story to tell, and once it’s quilted and squared up, it will probably just have a skinnier outer border than the sashing and hopefully all will be smooth. The tears? Realising just what this quilt has meant to me over the past 3.5 years, and that finishing it off now feels directly related to wrapping up our time here! #sook

Questions: I will be destashing stuff over the next few months, and I’m trying to work out where is the place to do it – Instagram or my shop. The shop is by far the easiest for me in terms of collecting payments and addresses all at once, plus it means you can buy more than one item more easily too. So my current thinking is to mostly use the shop, but do the occasional “pop up” destash on Instagram. How does that sound? As for what there will be, quite a lot of Japanese fabrics leftover from the Japanese Colour Club to start with! A lot of multicoloured and/or novelty prints that I just never use too. I’m sure there’s some yardage I won’t be needing all of, and goodness know what else I’ll unearth!

I will also have scrapbooking supplies to get destash, in particular Project Life cards. Does this interest any of you?