calendar quilt challenge

Hi all. Today is day 2 of the stash sorting. Hopefully I'll be done by noon. When I figure out how to download the pictures from my new camera and then how to upload them here, I'l send you a picture... too bad I didn't think to take a picture before I started... just envision 4 trashbags full of fabric and scraps sitting piled on the floor :<} I was talking with my husband before he left for work this morning and he made an unsolicited offer to construct some kind of shelving unit to store my stuff on. That was a nice surprise! I'm thinking maybe some kind of cubicals. That way I can have one cubical for each stash color and use other cubicals for books, magazines and UFOs!

I think I've decide to make 2x6 strips to sew together and to start with I'll pick from one color per week. As time goes on I'll pick a theme fabric per week, like florals or geometrics or whatever. Once I have a bunch made, then I'll choose a border/sashing color to stitch them all together with. I'm also thinking about using fabric pens to write the date for each week on each bloc (Jan 1-7, 2009)and some thought or comment for the week. I though briefly about hand embroidery (don't have an embroidery machine), but I'm teaching a applique quilt starting at the end of the month and that will take up a lot of my time and I don't want to stress out over trying to complete two hand projects a month.

The other chore I'd like to accomplish today (well maybe just start on it) is to take my quilting machine off the frame and clean/service it and also move all the boxes of fabric and stuff out from under my machine to be sorted and labled. I want to tighten all the screws and re-level the frame before putting the machine back on. I have a closet full of other crafting projects and supplies that I've done over the years that I'm going to donate to a local brownie troop so I'll be able to store some fabric and stuff there. And if I label the boxes before putting them in the closet I should hopefully be able to find what I want when I want it without having to search forever. I recently purchased fabrics to coordinate with others that I've been collecting for a quilt I want to make so hopefully in all the organizing I'll find the original fabrics.

ok... off to work!