Post 4: Rainy Days, Cheer-Up Bundles, and Precut Storage

For the second day in a row, I awakened to dreary, rainy weather. I like rain, I do – especially when I imagine how fat the little baby robins atop my porch post must be getting as their parents busily harvest the plentiful worms from our yard.  Spring is my favorite for all the reasons that make me loathe winter.  It’s fresh, it’s comfortable, and there is just something magical about witnessing the coming alive of things, year after year. So I get it…rain is necessary and rain is good; but it makes me have to seek out things to brighten my mood rather than just looking out a window or smelling the fresh breeze.  Fortunately, my growing stash of precuts was just the place to look!

Of course I forgot to snap a before-I-cut-it photo of the first precut bundle I bought after finally ditching my 'No-Fabric-Buying-for-a-Year Resolution'; but isn't it just heavenly?!
Of course I forgot to snap a before-I-cut-it photo of the first precut bundle I bought after finally ditching my ‘No-Fabric-Buying-for-a-Year Resolution’; but isn’t it just heavenly?!

I have to say, of all the persistent nudges – the Moda April Showers Collection by Bonnie and Camille was probably the one that made me rethink my resolution the most. I love everything about it, especially the way it makes rainy weather feel joyful instead of gloomy.  So I started cutting…and sewing, and cutting some more…

April Showers & Daysail Aurifil
Of note (surprisingly), the Aurifil thread collection that coordinates with Daysail (also for Moda by Bonnie and Camille) matches April Showers quite nicely!

While I was moving about my studio, I noticed Charlotte busying herself too, collecting scraps.

Charlotte's Favorite Scraps
Oddly enough, Charlie’s favorite scraps are mine too.

Well, leave it to a little studio bunny to give me a great idea about what to do with those too-tiny-to-really-make-anything-with scraps…

'Need More of These' list
Our list of fabrics we love and warrant the purchase of yardage, beyond just the precuts we own (and *gasp* might run out of!)

Which now brings me to what surrounds our little list, which is posted on the side of our ‘New Fabrics’ shelving unit.

Organizing PrecutsWe’re using these handy (and also quite cheerful) little binder clips, which come in varying sizes, colors, and patterns, if you know were to look.

Binder Clips for Precut Bundle Storage
We found ours at Office Depot, but Target has some lovely ones too.

Outside of keeping all the fabrics for each bundle together, I find the binder clips handy for the purpose of keeping the manufacturer and collection name tag right with the fabrics so I can easily keep track in case I want to seek out more.

April Showers Bundle with Handy Binder Clip
The binder clips allow me to keep all my scraps and the accompanying informational tag right with the bundle so they don’t get mixed up. I can even hang it up on a 3m hook (which are also one of my favorite studio supplies).

Oh. and YES – I made something with my April Showers layer cake: A 5″ quilt.

It's the umbrellas in this collection that sucked me in, but also the fabric I used for the binding. LOVE.
It’s the umbrellas in this collection that sucked me in, but also the fabric I used for the binding. LOVE.

April Showers 5‘It’s awfully small for a mini quilt, and kind of too big for a coaster, isn’t it?’  Yep. That’s because it’s neither.

It's meant to live here, beneath my presser foot when I'm not using my machine, so that every time I sit down to my machine, it makes me feel cheery :)
It’s meant to live here, beneath my presser foot when I’m not using my machine, so that every time I sit down to sew, it makes me feel cheery.

I wish you a happy (now sunny here) quilting day!

Pam

7 thoughts on “Post 4: Rainy Days, Cheer-Up Bundles, and Precut Storage

  1. I have a jelly roll of April Showers I should be using right now! However, my list is too long at the moment 🙂 your clips are a great idea. I like to keep my pattern I plan to use along with my receipt so I know what I paid. I keep each bundle in a big ziplock but I like your idea better 🙂

    1. Thanks Chris! (I think you go by Chris, right?). I discovered a few A.S. jelly rolls at Etsy today and may need to pick them up, so I don’t lose my chance! As for the clips, I’m just a fan of keeping things together and though I started out with ziplocs like you, their ‘slipability’ sometimes makes the fabric pieces get folded or scrunched if I’m not careful. I just started following your trianglesnsquares blog, btw. You do great work!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words! Am I correct that you are a fairly-new-to-wordpress quilter too? I happened to scroll through your blog and noted your first post appears to be just this last month. Anyway – I’ve just followed you as well and look forward to following you along as well. Happy Quilting!

      1. Yes, I’m a newbie. I’ve been quilting for about 1 1/2 yrs. I’ve retired now, so this is my new “profession”! I look forward to following you as well.

  2. I absolutely love Charlotte and Henry…..I keep looking for my own bunny but no luck so far! The mini quilt is perfect …a jewel

    1. Aww, thanks GramK – They sure have my heart too. Your username caught my eye at instagram the other day, and I hoped that it meant you’re a grandmother whose grandchild calls her gram. It’s what I called my grandma and I don’t think it’s terribly common. Anyway – your grandson is quite a little cutie 🙂

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