There is a children's book that is one of my favorites over the years. It is called "If you give a mouse a cookie". The story follows a mouse's one simple request and all the ensuing rabbit trails and requests that follow. The author made more in that vein like "If you give a moose a muffin". I admit I have many moments like that.
I have a closet in my guest room with a top and bottom bar. The top holds backing fabrics (over 72") and the bottom has sewn tops. It is a disaster packed zone. I can't even remember what I went in the closet for, but after having it almost swallow me, I decided to take all the tops out and lay them all over the floor. My husband was on an overnight camping trip, so I spewed tops everywhere. Then I took out all the backings and did the same. Whole downstairs surfaces covered. I do mark a post it note for each top what size it is and what size backing it needs. I pin it on the lower right corner when it goes on the hanger. I mark the length of the backing fabric the same way. So, there is no remeasuring. Still, I make mistakes. I got one backing ready and on the long arm and found when I put a top from Wanda on it, it was not wide enough.
Anyways, I paired every top with some backing fabric. I sewed nine backings for nine tops and put them on the same hanger. The rest of the quilts are on a hanger- top and unsewn backing- in a big pile in the guest room, but paired. It seemed like the job kept growing and expanding like the mouse's requests.
As difficult as it was, it beats doing one backing, one top at a time fighting the closet clogs.
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This comfort quilt from Wanda was too long for the backing I sewed.
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For the quilt below
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Matched up the flowers pretty good, huh? Surprised myself.
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Rosie thought this was a good spot. Always amazes me that she lays on the center of any quilt.
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6 comments:
WOW! What a productive use of time and space.
That's a lot of work! I have my quilt tops on hangers but I don't have them all matched to a backing fabric yet. I try to do three or four at a time - ;))
I agree, it is best to do a lot of them at once. I was doing the same thing today, matching backings to tops but I didn't get any of them sewn today. I usually put them on the same hanger too once I have the backing sewn. I need to open a new roll of batting and cut some of it too now to match up with tops. I thought I was ahead but then realized I have quilted all but one that had batting matched with it.
I am glad the closet did not swallow you - but that sounds like fun to revisit all the tops again ;-)
What an effort!! Mammoth task to sort and then sew all those backings but it is amazing what can be done if we're alone for a few hours.
I'll be doing that with my friend's quilt tops. I'm just finding tops scattered here and there in her sewing room. Hopefully I'll find enough large pieces of fabric to make backings for her quilt tops (I don't like to piece backings). The hard part will be getting her quilt tops quilted. The quilt tops will go to charity (along with almost everything else in her sewing stash). At least you have everything in one place.
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