Hello Quilty Friends!

Happy Thursday to you!

Guess what??? It’s the beginning of November and the temperature hit the 70s…and YES, I am still wearing capri pants! Woohoo! I think this is the very first time that’s happened here in northwest Pennsylvania in a very long time.

As warm as it is right now, though, I’m beginning to wonder what winter will be like. Mother Nature might have something up her sleeve to make up for the lovely fall we’ve been having. Uh-oh!

Even though the days are warm, the cold nights have taken their toll on my basement dungeon studio, and it’s been downright chilly down here. So, it was finally time to turn on the heater, which makes me shake my head when it’s in the 70s outside!

You can just imagine me sitting at my computer or sewing machine down in the dungeon, shivering, wrapped in a quilt, and wearing fuzzy socks, can’t you?

And as I sit here freezing, I find myself looking around my studio.

And it scares me.

There are piles of fabric everywhere. In one corner is a towering stash of craft supplies and scrapbook paper. There are stacks of plastic crates housing my vintage textile collection – feed sacks, doll quilts, quilt blocks, fabric, tops, and more. It looks like a craft store, quilt shop, and flea market exploded in here!

Yikes!

My studio, which was recently christened Mount Cluttermore, seems to have taken on a life of its own. It might even have its own zip code now.

Huh. Now what?

Now, before you start imagining some sort of quilting disaster zone, let me explain. I’ve been quilting for 30 years, and somewhere along the way, my fabric collection seems to have developed a mind of its own.

You see, I have a confession to make.

I collect fabric.

Lots and lots of fabric.

And apparently, fabric reproduces when I’m not looking. That’s the only explanation I can come up with!

Confession #1: Mount Cluttermore Is a Real Place

And apparently, it’s still growing. I am not kidding! I swear the fabric piles are growing overnight. It’s not uncommon for me to trip over random fat quarters on the floor – wait! – were they there yesterday? Fabric is even climbing up on my computer desk now! What’s up with this? Maybe they are escaping or maybe looking for refuge? Or maybe they just got lost???

In fact, the fabric currently invading my computer desk only arrived yesterday. But that’s different. It’s for work!

See? I can justify anything.

I am a little concerned right now that tomorrow the pile on my desk will have expanded, taken over my monitor, and hidden my keyboard.

Sigh…what’s a quilter to do?

And that’s just my computer desk!

There are piles of quilts and tops all around me, stacked on top of plastic crates filled with more quilts and fabric and…can you believe that somewhere in my space, I’ve actually lost a crate filled with all kinds of precuts? I’m hoping to find it again someday. It’ll be fun to see what’s been hiding in that crate. And gosh, I bet those precuts will not only inspire some new quilt patterns, but they’ll probably be relieved to finally see the light of day!

Sheesh!

Then there’s my actual sewing area. The space keeps getting smaller and smaller, and I feel really crowded while I’m sewing these days. There’s nothing quite like fabric looking over your shoulder, breathing down your neck, and quietly judging you while you sew.

Just beyond my sewing area is fabric storage. And that’s where the problems first began. It all started innocently enough – my beautiful wall storage system with 50 cubes with doors – yes, 50! I organized my yardage by color in the cubes. There are cubes with fat quarter baskets organized by color. And some cubes dedicated entirely to my 1800s and 1930s reproductions. Oh! I also have a few cubes for red, white, and blue. And one just for panels. A few cubes near the bottom hold precuts and notions. It was beautiful…..for a while.

Frankly, I just have too much fabric for my space these days and there’s no more room in my cubes. Now, I don’t want you to think I am a fabric hoarder. I am not. I just add fabric faster than I can make things with it all.

Working in the quilting industry is not only my dream job, but it also brings even more fabric into Mount Cluttermore.

What a conundrum.

At the rate I am going, I will have to live to be 317 years old in order to even make a dent in my fabric and supplies.

On a good note, though, I can shop in my own stash when I want to start a new project…or the next 23 new projects. I even invite my quilty pals to shop in my stash, but I think they may be a little too scared to actually visit Mount Cluttermore nowadays. It is kinda scary.

As quickly as Mount Cluttermore is growing, you’ll probably find it on new maps of northwest Pennsylvania. I’m fairly certain Mount Cluttermore even has its own weather system. Possibly several different climate zones.

Honestly, I try not to let the fabric into my bedroom. It just feels safer that way. Poor Bailly might wake up dressed in patchwork with a matching quilt and pillow, officially crowned Queen of Mount Cluttermore.

Of course, Mount Cluttermore didn’t grow to these epic proportions overnight. Oh, no! It’s taken years of collecting, creating, planning, and dreaming to reach this impressive altitude.

And here’s the really ridiculous part. I have enough fabric, patterns, books, notions, and supplies to keep an entire quilting guild busy for the next decade.

What I don’t have is enough time to actually USE it all!

Which brings me to my next confession…

Confession #2: I Have Too Much of Everything, Except Time!

Fabric? I have more than enough…for like 100 people.

Rulers and notions? They’re literally everywhere, not just on my cutting table.

Precuts? Well, there’s that lost crate hiding somewhere, but I have more stashed here and there.

Books and patterns? They’ve taken over most of the flat surfaces in my studio, including stacks on the floor.

Ideas? I have notes, scribbles, printouts, computer files, folders, and a head full of 1001 ideas.

Time?

Nope. Never enough.

If only I could find another eight hours in a day. But sadly, I do need to sleep in order to function. I have considered giving up sleeping, but I’m pretty sure sewing with my eyes closed would be a bad idea.

If someone ever invents a way to add eight hours to the day, please let me know. I’ll probably spend six of them sewing and the other two looking for my scissors……..or perhaps the other way around. This is Mount Cluttermore after all.

Confession #3: I Buy Fabric Because It’s Pretty!

I have another confession to make. Sometimes I bring fabric home simply because it’s pretty or just because I like it.

There. I said it.

I don’t necessarily have a project in mind. I don’t need another fat quarter bundle. And I certainly don’t have anywhere to put it.

But LOOK AT THOSE COLORS!

Besides, it would be terribly cruel to separate those coordinating prints from one another. They’re a family, after all!

I swear, sometimes fat quarters just jump into my shopping basket! Maybe they see me as their escape from the quilt shop, or perhaps they feel an instant connection to me. I have no idea, but there they are, in my basket.

What can I do?

Of course, I take them and their closest friends home, and Mount Cluttermore welcomes them all with open arms.

And then – I never see them again.

What’s up with that???

Then there are all those fabrics that are just too gorgeous to chop up. You know the ones. They just hang out in your stash, sometimes for years or maybe even longer.

You see them every time you’re rummaging through your stash looking for that one fabric you need to finish your current project. Those gorgeous fabrics just smile and shrug.

Wow! Now what?!?

I think I’m really running either a fabric adoption agency or a fabric refuge. I’m not just buying fabric, oh no. I am providing a loving, comfortable home to all textiles in need, modern and vintage.

And don’t forget…working in the quilting industry gives me way too many opportunities to discover more fabric, tools, supplies, and notions I can’t live without.

Sigh……………..

It’s a vicious cycle…but somebody has to do it.

You know, writing these confessions has actually made me appreciate Mount Cluttermore a little more. Sure, it’s overflowing, disorganized, and occasionally downright overwhelming, but it’s also a place filled with possibilities.

Every piece of fabric holds the promise of something wonderful waiting to be made. Every unfinished quilt has a story, and every pile of supplies represents ideas, dreams, and creative adventures I haven’t gotten around to yet.

Mount Cluttermore may be out of control, but it’s also where my imagination comes to life.

And perhaps that’s worth celebrating, even if I do need to find my scissors first!

Well, quilty friends, I think that’s enough confessing for one day! Apparently, I have more fabric-related secrets than I realized.

So, I think we’ll have to continue our confessions next week. I’ve still got a few more secrets hiding among the fabric piles, and who knows what else I’ll discover before then?

In the meantime, I’d love to hear YOUR fabric confessions! Do you buy fabric just because it’s pretty? Have you ever lost an entire project somewhere in your sewing room? Or perhaps you’ve got your own version of Mount Cluttermore?

Come on, confess! You’re among friends here.

And if you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on my fat quarters. I think I heard something multiplying…

I look forward to hearing all about your fabric obsessions – er, experiences! LOL!

That’s it for me, I’ll be right here next week, hoping that Mount Cluttermore won’t collapse on top of some unsuspecting person (most likely me). Wish me luck!

Take care and practice studio safety at all times. You might consider a hard hat, goggles, and a protective suit if you have your own Mount Cluttermore.

Sew. Laugh. Repeat.

Always,

Tricia @ VRD