Karen Weighs In

I have been very quiet this month, I know.  I have been reading the other posts and nodding to myself, yes, yes, I use that.  And yes, those are some of my favorite tools.  But I didn't want to just rehash the other posts.  My favorite thing is putting color on fabric --  I use paints, dyes, inks, and thread.  So I decided that my favorite tool is my stash -- not just the fabric, but all the stuff I use to make it colorful.  I am not particularly keen on sharing my personal space with the cyber-world; however, I am going to show a tiny bit of my solutions for storage of said stash.

I keep most of my fabrics on racks of wire shelves that I purchased at Costco and assembled myself.  I didn't put the wheels on them, but I saved them so if I move someplace where there isn't carpet on the basement floor I can attach them and roll them around -- wouldn't that be fun?!

I like plastic boxes for separating paints, dyes, inks, and all the other apparatus that I use to put color on fabric.  I store the boxes on the same kind of racks as my fabric.  I know this looks like a mess in the photo -- it's not.  Every box is labeled and while the arrangement isn't optimal because of space shortages, I know where everything is and it's all easily accessible.

 I'm not crazy about my thread storage.  I have these boxes that hold large spools neatly along side of smaller ones and they're all arranged by color.  But I keep running out of space and having to purchase more boxes.  And then (soon) I'm going to run out of space for the boxes.  I like these because they keep the dust off and they're clear, so I can see what's in them.  So they're fine for now.  But if anyone has a better solution -- I'd love to hear it.

Tools of the trade

After reading Jane’s post on her favorite tools, I began a mental inventory of what I rely on most in my fiber arts projects.  Being primarily a dyer, of course I have  tools to measure, mix  and store my dyes.  But I also do batik, as well as other surface design techniques, and I use my fabrics in art quilts and other fiber arts projects.  So I started to gather the tools I use the most.  Here are some of them:

Starting from the top and going clockwise:  My wax pot, which is a thermostatically controlled deep fryer; my can of dust remover, which I use frequently to remove lint from my bobbin case holder on my sewing machine; spring clamps, which are very helpful in anchoring fabric on a project board for dye painting, batik, stamping, etc.; a good pair of scissors dedicated solely to cutting fabrics; my “purple thang” which I had never heard of until I took a quilting class last year!  It is an immense help keeping fabric ends flat while I am stitching over them; my steel yardstick, which is wonderful for using with (next) my rotary cutter.

Here, I have my Pfaff sewing machine, along with my Sew Steady’ portable plexiglass table.  It fits around my machine neck, and has adjustable feet.  To the right you will see a spool holder… very handy for using cones of thread!

This isn’t a very exciting picture, but I couldn’t leave out my design wall.  I had never heard of such a thing until I took my first basic quilting class around 8 years ago, then saw several bloggers talk about theirs.  I attached a piece of felt to a 1” x 1” strip of wood which I screwed into the wall.  I use clothes pins and straight pins to attach whatever I’m working on, so I can stand back and get a better view.  It’s not very large, but it sure helps!

Shoe boxes and wire cubes help me to keep my stash in some semblance of order.  I have them sorted by colors so it’s easier for me to find what I’m looking for, and much easier to clean up once I’m done with a project!

Finally, my camera.  I bought my digital probably 7 or 8 years ago, and can’t imagine what I would do without it!  It helps me see what I’m working on, gives me a way to share my projects on my blog, and is extremely helpful to me when I am adding new items to my on-line shop.  One of my best investments!