What to do with all the thread

Your thread cabinet sounds gorgeous, John! As for me, I enjoy both the finished project and the process of getting to it. I love having a project in the works -- even if I'm not working on it at that very moment -- and I enjoy seeing the finished product in use.

obvious)

I think all the years of building stuff for sale to other people has let me "divorce" myself from the finished product. I do enjoy looking at those things I have produced, but I am more interested in the "newest" item of interest that is aborning. There is also the ancillary stuff that goes into the making of things. I can spend a whole day sharpening up my chisels and planes, to a fare the well, after using them. I also clean up the shop each time I use it and clean up the sewing room each time I use that place. Maybe it is my obsessive/compulsive nature at play here. But I view the "whole" process as enjoyable and not just the finished product. Not saying that is the only way, but that is what rings my bell.

John

Sounds like a heck of a project, John. Make two while you're at it, and send one to Tucson.

Actually, for me the making of the quilt is the exciting part. Once it is finished and I have a good photo, I am happy to send it on to whatever home it is destined to serve. I'm still more interested in making usable bed quilts, though I have a W...W....WUH in the works.

Cheers to you for all your ideas and fiddling and sewing and sharing.

I had an interesting idea that you might all enjoy. I am taking photo's of each stage of the making of this cabinet and there will be a brief explanation of what is happening and you will be able to see the whole thing from start to finish. They will only be stills but you will see the evolution from a pile of rough lumber to the finished product. I hope you will find it as interesting as still photo's can convey.

John

John: Your cabinet sounds lovely. Your question is an interesting one. As to my own inclinations, I have to say that the process is very important to me. I love selecting fabric, pondering it, and then reevaluating my choices. I enjoy cutting, though it can get tedious if not interspersed with other quilting activity. I greatly like the orderly processing of organizing the pieces for sewing, then chain sewing the units and blocks. Then I find fulfillment in arranging the units into the final design. I like to finish that off and pat myself on the back as I contemplate the quilting. Choosing a pleasing quilting motif is difficult for me, but I like the actual stitching. Finally, I pretty much like the binding process because that gives me chance to ponder how I got to that point, and who will receive the quilt. It is exciting to present the quilt, or to enjoy having it in our home. So, I guess I like the process and the product equally.

I will eagerly watch the replies, and learn more about the inhabitants of RCTQ Land.

Pat in Virginia, USA

John wrote:

.............cut....... Some times I wonder

Not blessed with your skills and tool collection, I simply bought a really good ready-made sewing table. Half of it is a cabinet with nice big drawers, including one with 2 layers of dowels for thread. Gives me endless pleasure to see all that thread lined up in neat rows. I do love an organized storage space! As for sewing, the process is mostly the fun part. I seldom start with a fixed result in mind. There's always a stage when I just want it to be over, mostly around the 2nd half of machine quilting when my shoulders start to ache, but that doesn't last long. Then it's almost a surprise to have a completed project, almost as if it finished itself while I wasn't looking! Roberta in D

"John" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com...

John, you ought to do a book of sewing furniture and accessories that skilled people could make at home! It would be a real contribution. Roberta in D

"John" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...

There's always a stage when I just want it to

I used to have the same thing happen to me when I was doing a long and involved remodeling job. Somewhere about the beginning of the second half of the project, I would have an almost "overwhelmed feeling" with the immensity of the work needed. I found if I took a day off and did something else I would come back with my batteries recharged and buzz through to completion. The quilting process is not as involved as a house remodeling project, so I haven't come upon that same feeling that I used to have. I just found that I leave off interest in the finished quilt and focus on the newest project to be quilted or sewn. Not to say I don't care about finished quilts, but they are over and done and no longer in need of my attention, I guess its the best way to describe the feeling. When people come over and look at the quilts I have done, I can revisit them and talk about them so there is the residual value of the quilting experience. And, ones that I given away are appreciated by the recipients.

John

It's the process. Once the quilt is finished, I detach myself from it so that I can give it away. Otherwise, I would keep everything I've ever made and where's the fun in that?!? ;)

-- Anita --

On Oct 6, 9:19 am, "Roberta Zollner" wrote:

I have thought about doing that. But then I watched my wife go through the process of publishing her book over the course of nearly 5 years. That is a long time to devote to something, if you are not driven by the goal. It might be possible with that advent of internet publishing technology so maybe there is something there. It would have to be something that people could do with the bare minimum of tools and still achieve acceptable results. One of the things I chuckle at is shows like This Old House and others of that ilk. They show the people doing things with about 100,000 dollars worth of professional shop equipment. All of which have the labels prominently displayed so that the donating sponsors can get advertising. If anybody had that kind of equipment, they already would know how to do the things that the show talks about. The average homeowner, is way below that level of tool ownership and is probably lulled into the opinion that they can not do anything without all of those tools so they go out and buy them and then the reality hits that they still can't produce the item they wanted. I would like to do a type of book that relates to the use of hand tools for the making of things. No power tools of any kind. It is one of the areas of woodworking that I have explored from time to time. Some of the pieces of furniture I have done have been built without any power tools at all. Well, yes, the wood was probably delivered to the lumber yard after been cut and transported by power driven equipment, but once I got ahold of it, nary an electron was used. It is particularly rewarding to do something, by the sweat of your brow, so to speak. I am kind of a Luddite, in that respect. I am even thinking of making one of my Bernina mechanicals over into a Treadle Sewing machine by converting it with parts that are available from my Mennonite, Bernina dealer. Now that is Luddite, in the extreme. Taking a perfectly good modern sewing machine and making it a

19th century version of a modern machine. Sometimes I wonder how far I go in the pursuit of the ideal. I guess it is all just good fun. Thanks for stimulating the idea about the book of sewing furniture. It could just happen.

John

You said it so much better than I did, Pat! :)

If you are really interested, try something like cafepress.com. You come up with all the pages in PDF format and send it to them, specifying the type of binding, etc. You publicize it yourself and decide on the price. They don't print a copy until someone orders one. It's a pretty nifty system.

There are some really cool books (and other things) that people publish this way. There is an ABA book that I use to help in therapy for my autistic son. It's an amazing book and there is no published book (by a publishing house) like it.

(NAYY)

-- Anita --

John-I for one, would love to see your photos. i'm always in the market for new ideas for organizing my sewing studio. i just hope my next abode can house all these cabinets and boxes......LOL! amy