Wall O'Wool

This is the Expedit shelving unit from Ikea, which we have had for years. We put on the wheels right when we assembled it the first time. A day which will live in infamy. But we survived it and over the years it has graced our old kitchen and current living room, filled with decorative elements, and even a bookshelf stereo. But in my studio it was put to perfect use to hold my yarn bins. Recently we moved it to the proposed walk-in closet, and now that Dave is in there painting, moving it around while he gets to the walls, the wheels have finally decided to bite the dust.




So to get it out where it can be de-wheeled, we unloaded it onto this rolling shelving unit. I was amazed at how perfectly everything fit, with even more space available on the top shelf. Hmmm. Now I am thinking that this will remain the yarn wall and I will have to find another use for the Expedit. Like for shoes? Nope, I don't have that many, but I do have that many sweaters, and would rather they are on a real shelf than in the hanging bag I now use. The other drawer unit in this picture holds scarves, hats, and sweaters that need to be unknitted, as I never wear them.
In short, the more things I think will be housed in the walk-in closet, the fewer hanging shelves I seem to need. 
This was the dream arrangement. Now, meh?

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On a completely different note, I got this great email from a reader that I thought I would share:

Dear Melody,

           I am so inspired by your work.  I have done some fusing and have encountered all the typical frustrations – which fuse to use, edges fraying, pieces lifting, having to stitch the edge down, etc.  I always admired the work of the CSOF (Chicago School of Fusing) and now, thanks to you & your blog, I know some of the secrets of how you all get your remarkably clean designs!

            Watching the Make Me a Quilt progress is fascinating, but seemingly slow to my impatient self. I wanted more!  Since I am new to blogging (I only started mine this past August Cherry Quilts) and following blogs, it took me a bit to realize you had a HUGE archive in addition to the fabulous tutorials.  So I took myself back to the very beginning of your blog and have been working my way forward in time, reading each and every entry.  What a treasure trove of information and insight!

            Since starting the archive reading, I have been itching to get down to my sewing area and start fusing. Last evening I made it up to the QAWM 2012.  THANK YOU!!!!  I mean really – THANK YOU!!  The step by step fusing lesson with clear pictures showing your work was the last push I need to get fusing! It’s like I have my very own Melody workshop in my house, and since I never got to attend one when you were teaching, I am thrilled. If I want to do some more fused work, I want to do it right technically so I can on focus on the art and letting myself go.

I have been quilting for about 12-15 years.  Most of my work is traditional based with my own twist – I design on graph paper with color pencils, don’t follow patterns, preferring to figuring out how to get what I want and the easiest way to get there. I like the Amish influence, some modern work and art quilts.  What I haven’t done is allow my artistic side free rein, overriding the logical side that needs to control most everything.  And you are helping me do just that. Somewhere along the way, I stopped drawing, unless it was on graph paper.  Now I know I need to draw everything that floats around in my head, in a plain white sketchbook (which ironically, I have a small stockpile of) and something is bound to feel right to start the fused art quilting off on the right foot.  Working small and potentially in a series, may be the way to get me to stop the internal censoring.  

Thanks again for not writing a book but posting a whole library online instead. Will there be a QAWM 2014?
Anita

From Me: Yes there will be a Quilt Along with Melody all of  February 2014.

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And now, here's Tony!