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To making more money,

Shasta McLaughlin
The Extravaganza Craft Productions
www.extravaganzacrafts.com

By Marilyn Bohn

I quilt, I am a quilter, I love quilting, and I love to quilt. Quilting has enriched my life in ways I never dreamed of. I have learned interesting facts about history because of quilts. I have made a ton of friends; and I have traveled because of quilting opportunities.

To make quilting fun and to be able to start and finish projects with the less amount of stress and to avoid hunting for tools a well-organized sewing room is a must. Here are tried and true ideas and tips on how to organize a sewing/quilting room, no matter the size. If you use the room for other purposes such as an office, craft room or even a bedroom organization can create more time for you to focus on sewing and quilting.

1. Have your sewing machine, ironing board, and cutting table arranged so they are easily accessible. Get a system going so you can take fewer steps between the iron and the sewing machine which will save time and you will be more efficient. Or if you don’t have room for all of these in the same room just think you are getting exercise going from room to room rather than saving time.

2. Use baskets or other gadgets fabric and quilting stores store sell to store your tools in. Place them next to where they get the most use. Be sure to put them back in the same container after using them as this will save a ton of time. If you store your tools in a room different from where you sew, containers make it very easy to transport the tools to where you need them and then they can go back to be stored with a minimum amount of effort or time.

a. For example, place the tools you use at the ironing board near the ironing board. This could include a pressing cloth, spray bottle, pin cushion a small pair of scissors and a measuring gauge. I purchased an ironing board cover with measurements printed on the cover.

b. Next to the sewing machine you’ll need a pin cushion, scissors, seam ripper, waste basket for threads, or you can tape a plastic or paper bag to your sewing table for the threads. Also keep extra thread and bobbins near the machine. A magnetic board to hold the project directions is very helpful. I love my Side Winder portable bobbin winder that I keep on my sewing table.

c. At the cutting table have available a rotary cutter, rulers, cutting mat, pencil, pen, a note pad and pin cushion. Cutting directions for your project can start out here when cutting and then can be moved to your sewing machine area when you start to sew. Either tape them on the wall or pin to a curtain or attach a small magnetic board on the wall to hold them.

3. Sort your fabrics by color and then organize within color group such as batiks, novelty, florals, flannels and homespun. Or organize by lights, medium, and darks within the same color. Clear plastic boxes/bins work well to hold and contain fabric. When replacing fabric put it back where it belongs, this saves time and frustration later. If you store your fabric on shelves you could label the shelf with the type of fabric that goes on which shelf.

4. Vinyl project bags with zippers are great to use for short term storage. The plastic bags with zippers that sheets and other bedding come in also work for storage and are a great way to recycle. They can hold a project, strips or a kit. They are easy to grab and go if you have a project you are taking to a class.

By organizing your sewing room or sewing space in a way that your supplies and tools are easy to find and are convenient for use you’ll have more fun and more time to sew rather than spending your time hunting for what you need. It takes time to get everything like you want it but it will be worth it.

Happy sewing/happy quilting.

Other ways that arts and crafts make these times better for us all.  They give us a job and income that only we control (job security).  They also give our local economy a boost as the more money we make selling arts and crafts the more money our city, county, and state will have circulating in it.  So buy local handcrafted items and enjoy selling them for your health.

Can Quilting Really Promote Good Health?

May 2005 – La Mesa, California – Around the world, there is an increasing awareness of the health benefits derived from participating in various forms of art.

In hospitals across the US, doctors, nurses and patients are discovering that participation in the arts – including quilting, dancing, listening to music, and working with beads, clay and collages – is beneficial to the healing process, and in staying healthy. As a matter of fact, last year more than 300 health and arts professionals gathered in Alexandria, Virginia for the 13th annual conference of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare (SAH). This group is slated to meet in Alberta, Canada in June 2005, and will combine its conference with Partners in Healthcare.

Stories abound of patients suffering from cancer, ALS, Diabetes and stress-related diseases, whose recovery has benefited tremendously from their participation in various forms of art. Once considered on the fringe of healthcare, the arts are being used by a growing number of healthcare institutions around the globe. Here in the US, the University of Washington Medical Center uses art in its entrance to create a friendly, welcoming environment and reduce the stress of actually walking in to their hospital. Quilts, paintings, sculpture and musicians scattered throughout the hospital continue the theme of relaxation and reflection through art.

Frequently patients are given directions to offices or labs with references to sculptures or the Healing Garden. Nurses are known for taking a piano break, and providing soothing live music in the corridors. Artists work with patients teaching them new art skills so the patients can express themselves creatively during their stay in the hospital.

And what’s the Quilting Connection?

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare sponsors the Healing Gardens Quilt Show, a collection of 27 quilts made by Northern Virginia Quilters. These quilts are currently on tour and available for members to display in their healthcare facility. Each quilt depicts a plant currently under study or being used as a potential source of cancer-fighting drugs. This display uses art to educate people about a healthcare issue.

While men and women find joy in making “happy” quilts – baby quilts, wedding quilts, graduation or friendship quilts – many find relief in making quilts that depict life’s tragedies such as divorce and death. A case in point is the AIDS quilt project which now contains more than 44,000 quilt panels; each panel memorializes the life of a person who died of AIDS.

And, if quilts and making quilts can be helpful in healing, won’t it be helpful in preventing illness?

It must! Advice from healthcare professionals around the world includes engaging in constructive, creative activities as well as contemplative activities. Quilting is all of that. During the planning and construction of a quilt, all of your contemplative and creative talents are tapped into. As a matter of fact, many quilters report that they get completely “lost” in their quilts time and time again, thereby providing relief from life’s stresses and promoting good health.

So, the next time your spouse or other family member asks you about your quiltmaking activities, just say “I’m doing it for my health!”

© 2005, Penny Halgren. Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who hosts www.How-to-Quilt.com, Inspiration and Education for Beginning Quilters, and seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to have a positive learning experience.