...how is your month of June going so far? Are you having lovely June-like weather where you are?... Well, our June in Vancouver has been somewhat of a disappointment so far, with too much cool and rainy weather. I have to say that I always look forward to June because I do have a lot of older varieties of roses growing in my garden and June is the month when they are at their peak; so of course, a warm sunny June makes their flush of blooms and heady fragrance that much more special!
On the other hand, the lousy weather of late may not be such a bad thing for me because I've having to spend a lot of time in my basement lately... Let me explain: our house was built in the early 1930's and is in desperate need of a kitchen update which we have finally decided to go ahead with this work; as part of this reno, we're planning on using an adjacent bedroom to enlargen our dining area which means that we need to build a new bedroom for our oldest daughter in the basement and, while we're at it, why not an adjoining hangout area for the kids and a proper laundry room?!...
Now, while this all sounds great, you have to understand that I, along with all my fabric, have pretty much had free reign over all the basement space since we moved into this house, about 10 years ago... Being like I'm sure a lot of you who are reading this now, a very avid (and absolutely incurable) collector of fabric, I have amassed quite a mountain of the stuff! So, what I have to do now is move it all into the only room which is finished in the basement which then becomes my workshop and which, mind you, is not a shabby room as it has french doors which open onto a back garden patio, which could be made into more of a feature despite being under our main floor deck if only I had the time!... But, there is still the small matter of squishing everything into a smaller space...
Luckily, I have a husband who is super handy with power tools and is willing to build me some shelving units; we've come up with a design on caster wheels using reclaimed wood (I will show you some pics soon). At the moment, I'm in the middle of sorting through my masses of vintage sheets; when I first started collecting these a good 10 years ago, I pretty much bought everything I saw, no matter how threadbare. So now, I'm sorting them by pattern and, if I have several of the same pattern, I'm only keeping the ones that are still in good shape. Although I totally love "hanging out" with my fabric, this is no small feat given all that I have to sift through!...
All this work has been hanging over my head for a while now and my family has started to lose faith in my ever getting around to doing it, so I've had to push it up the priority list (you know the kind of list I'm talking about, right?!) and push some things down the list such as, very sadly, blogging (hence, the reason for my infrequent of posts of late)...
However, I have made lots of progress in the basement in the last few days and I hope to have some photos to share with you of my new space shortly... OK, what do you think? Wouldn't all this fabric look great in a simple patchwork?!... That's all I can think about as I look at these photos... Oooo, I can't wait to be done with all this sorting and sifting because I'm itching to start stitching a patchwork!... 'Talk to you soon and I hope your month of June is filled with the scent of gorgeous roses wherever you may be!
Hello, looking a your 'stash' makes me feel less guilty about my small amount! You are very lucky having all that loveliness surrounding you! Hope all the renovations go well :)
Posted by: Ada | June 13, 2012 at 11:35 PM
Can you see me? I am green, like ogre Fiona... What a stash. This job of sorting and organizing must be pure bliss. I am so envious. If you EVER have the thought of selling small FQ bundles of it in your shop I am the first to jump on it. Love love L♥VE all your floral prints... Just to let you know. Good luck with your big reno. job. Sounds like a big adventure. And I can't wait to see what patchwork you will come up with it. Can't fail on that one. It can only be success and love! ♥ Annette ♥
Posted by: My Rosevalley | June 13, 2012 at 11:42 PM
Wow sounds like you have a big job on your hands there (not just the renovations!). I have never thought of looking for vintage sheets before but what a brilliant idea - I might have to start trawling our charity (thrift) shops now, all the best, Jane x.
Posted by: Jane D | June 14, 2012 at 12:31 AM
Oh my, what fabulous fabric. It would take me an age to sort it, I'd be spending far too much time stroking it.
Our June is more like October, where is the sunshine? I don't like it hot but a little warmth would be lovely.
Look forward to seeing your new workroom and your patchwork.
Carol xx
Posted by: Carol | June 14, 2012 at 12:38 PM
All of those changes sound like they will be great in your place! I love your house. Good luck with the sorting - oh my that is a lot of fabric to get through. Maybe some needs to live at the cottage for summer sewing?!
Posted by: krista - Poppyprint | June 14, 2012 at 05:13 PM
Oh, so that's why the slim pickings in the vintage sheet department!
Ha ha. (I'm doing a vintage sheet duvet cover at the moment, hoping to summer up my bedroom)
Love, love, love your selection!
From Becky,
fellow Vancouverite, sympathizing with you about the cold and rainy weather.
Posted by: Rebecca | June 22, 2012 at 07:36 AM
Wow! They are simply awesome! I Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for this wonderful post. I hope to see more posts in the future.
Posted by: Arena animation academy | June 27, 2012 at 12:19 AM
What a n incredible stash. I'm so envious.
Where do you find such lovely pieces of fabric?
tinyinc
Posted by: tinyinc | July 01, 2012 at 01:42 AM
Have fun! I imagine that's as exciting as it is daunting. :)
Posted by: erica K | July 19, 2012 at 04:10 PM
Verkligen din blogg är mycket intressant .... den innehåller stor och unik information. Jag njöt att besöka din blogg. Det är bara fantastiskt .... Tack så mycket för aktien.
Posted by: Nike Brand Shoes | August 06, 2012 at 01:56 AM
The reliability and effectiveness of castor wheels might be drastically stricken by weather conditions. Too much heat or cold can expose the castors to moisture which cause corrosion.The main aim of castors is to try to make moving much easier, as a result if this no longer holds true, the castors are deemed not worth it.
Posted by: heavy duty wheels | September 05, 2012 at 10:54 PM
Drooling... what a happy place with all those gorgeous flower fabrics!
Just found your blog - love the look and feel!
Posted by: Janet Bocciardi | November 01, 2012 at 10:26 AM
What a lovely stash! I'm guilty as well but I've been going through mine and taking the fabrics I don't think I'll ever use and making a nice rag rug out of them. It growing slowly since it takes time to strip the fabric and piece it together for crocheting. I lov e the cheerful vintage colors and the crochet edges you did on the pillows. Beautiful!
Posted by: Rubee | March 21, 2013 at 04:44 PM