My DH laughs at me because I have weird "quirks" that I do while I sew and/or quilt ... just wondering if I am the only on out there?

1) Got a sewing calendar for 2011 and went through the entire calendar and picked a project I liked more than the one they picked for today because I wanted something fun and easy to do and did not like the project they had for today ...

2) All of my WIPs and UFOs go in the same drawer in my sewing room so that I know where they are ...

3) If I have big projects going at multiple times then all the items needed (fabric and thread and patterns) live in tidy little toteboxes until they move out and are either finished or moved into the WIP/UFO drawer

4) I sew barefoot ... can't seem to sew in shoes or socks ... but I will often wear one sock on my left foot (I sew with my right foot)

I am sure I have several other little oddities but that is all I can think of at this time ... ANYWHO ... I am off to make cute little baby blocks :) Time to go dig into the stash :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! May this year bless you all with swift needles and even stitches :)

Happy New Year Gecko girl, and best wishes for the little 'bun in the oven'! Can't wait to hear the good news of the birth.

I sew bare footed, keep ufo's in plastic bags that sheets etc come in and start all kinds of projects everytime I read a magazine or get a catalogue :)

Well, I'm with you on most of these. Except, I keep all of my thread in two plastic totes so that I can check on all of my colors. I have a fear of running out of thread! And instead of one sewing drawer for my projects, I have a whole closet with shelves and the plastic tote boxes are stacked in there, labeled with the project name and recipient! I can sew in socks, but not shoes! I wear sandals to classes so that I can slip them off under the table when I sew!!! So you don't sound "weird" to me!!

Happy New Year to you too!
I think we all have our own quirks :D:D:D

I too sew barefooted, don't know why or how it started but cannot feel the rhythm when I have socks for shoes on.

I sew barefooted or with a sock on if it is cold in the sewing studio. Also keep projects together otherwise the fabric gets used. Have lots of projects started but am trying to make a New Years resolution to not start any new projects (except for ggd quilt) until I finish at least one UFO.

mltquilt

I have to have my slippers on. But I do keep all the stuff for a perticular quilt all together. I like organization, so I am forever folding fabric going through drawers etc. Actually, I think I get more moving stuff around than I do sewing!! LOL

Hmmm I don't know if I am organized or unorganized, I have certain fabrics grouped together for Ruben's lap quilt, Uncle Dan's quilt, MIL, quilt, Nino's quilt. Some are bagged and tagged with patterns, some aren't! I throw the scraps into a trash can and go through it later to sort through. The room I use is suppose to eventually turn into a guest bedroom. I think the patio could accomodate our guests LOL


After I am done with my living room quilt, I will start on Jojo's heart quilt, I've got plenty of heart fabric to make her a pretty special quilt in honor of my son.

I LIKE your quirks...sounds to me like you are very organized. That is my New Year's resolution - get my life (especially my sewing room) organized. Happy New Year to all!

I love the patio idea. I had a daybed in my sewing room. Decided it my sewing room and if anyone wanted to stay they would have to sleep on the hide a bed sofa in the famiily room. Don't get to many guests anymore anyway. HEHE I wonder why!! It is OK as I hate to cook anyway!!

You seem perfectly sane to me...lol. I want everything organized, all fabric in a container for each project...if its for a certain quilt it is put away along with all it's coordinating fabric and supplies for that project and labeled. If its a WIP or UFO..it has its own container. I even have to have the fabric folded straight when I leave the store.I want the person cutting it to fold it nicely and place it in the bag ..not stuff it.I have taken fabric and refolded it in front of them and ask them to please do the same...SO it's not just you..its all of us SANE QUILTERS...lol

Hey, I resemble that remark! LOL

I always have to push my glasses up to the top of my head. I see better close that way. DGD sews with sunglasses on the top of her head. Gotta be just like grandma.

I'm with you on #3 & 4 ....can't sew with shoes either :) I have a toy rack that has plastic bins - bought it for the grandkids and ended up keeping it - all wp's and ufo's have their own plastic tub. The rack is full - the ufo's are out of hand <sigh>

I sew barefoot too. even drive my car barefoot some days. shoes aren't something i like to keep on my feet for long.

I sew barefoot too :-)) When a project starts to come together I put all of the pieces in a labeled plastic bin in case I get distracted by a new idea. Did I mention I have a *lot" of plastic bins LOL

Diana

You sound perfectly normal to me!

You're not quirky, you're organized. I also don't sew in shoes. I don't like the weight of them on my foot. When I was taking quilting classes I also wore sandals so I could slip them off.

That is sooo cute!!

I actually learned how to drive barefoot LOL guess that doesn't say much for Alabama huh! When I was younger we use to spend every waking moment of vacation either at the beach (25 minutes from our house) or the river (15 minutes from our house) and since I was the oldest ... I was the driver :)

It is a PAIN to put on socks and shoes with sand all over your feet .... SOOOO flip flops are easily removed :)

My DH says I'm quirky, too, but with all things, not just sewing or quilting.

I need to clean my sewing room between each new project or else I just can't bring myself to start it.

I have two DDs who are learning to sew and quilt so I HAVE to color coordinate the tools/notions or I go nuts. If the tools/notions are blue, they're Mommy's. If they're pink, they're the girls' (which means we support the breast cancer awareness campaign a LOT) and if they're purple, they're fair game. We can't always find notions in these colors so if they're the orange pinking shears or the yellow quilter's measuring tape, then the girls know to ask first. Also, my hand sewing/on-the-go sewing kit has all red tools/notions that go in my red tote bag so if we find a red notion lying around we know where it belongs.

I also use a hand-me-down quirk from my Gram. As a child I would spend hours in her sewing room, watching her sew and playing on the floor. She always said, and still does, that a good and proper sewing room always had three things in it--candy stashed somewhere, a button box and laughing children. I'm happy to say that this is a quirk that I stick to very closely, even though I'm dieting...it just means that DH and the kids visit more often to taste the new candy I've set out for them. :D

I too have to start each project with a clean sewing room. I also clean everything up when I am done for the day as there is now way I am going to start in the morning in a disorganized room. Call me anal or whatever but it is what it is!!!

We all have our own quirks! I also sew either barefoot or sockfoot as it gives me more control. I turn the foot pedal backwards and use my toes rather than my whole foot on the pedal. When I start a new quilt, I organize all the pieces into ziplocs and label them. They then go into a nice decorative box so I know where everything is and it is kept neat and tidy when not in use. I use our diningroom for my sewing room, so I try and keep it neat as it's the first room people see when they come into our house!

I can 't sew with shoes on either. I do wear socks though.
I clean up my sewing room frequently. It'll be neat and then I start a new project and create chaos as I create.
I keep projects in plastic bins or bags with the fabrics, thread, pattern. I have ones that I only work on when I travel. Hand project that I can do while visiting or in the car while hubby drives.

I do 2, 3 & 4 (are we clones??). I sew with my left foot though.

happy new year

My father once started to mimic me (in fun). I did not realise that my feet 'dance in time with the rhythm of whatever I am doing - it became a constant joke that my feet would be moving in time with my hands - I'm sure others can't cut anything unless the tongue is held 'just right'.

I sew barefooted and with as little clothes as I can get away with. I like to finish a project before starting another.

Me, too. I buy the plastic boxes in groups at BJs and Sams and each one has a project in it. I have more than enough stash and projects to last the rest of my life and still find new ones when the new magazines come out. My sewing rooms are upstairs and my husband only rarely comes upstairs (bad knees) so he has no idea of the size of my stash. LOL I also wear sandals to class to sew barefooted and often other ladies laugh and say they prefer to sew barefoot also.

Oooooo, good idea. I am going to try the backwards pedal. I am always accidentally lifting the needle by pressing on the front of the pedal when I don't mean to.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

I sew barefoot, w/ socks or mocs on , but I curl my toes, do the same thing driving for the gas , not the brake. Have done that about 40 yrs now.
Not many wip or ufos at this time. Fabric in totes labled.

I do not call these quirks. I called it being organized. Except for the sewing barefoot, I call that one being able to control the speed of the sewing machine.

Hey, you are too funny Jim. I also have to have my fabric folded neatly before leaving the store. I thought I was just funny about that. I can not stand to have my fabric handed to me all jumbled up.

I get laughed at a lot because I can not sew with my left shoe on. I have more control when I am barefooted.

You can always tell if I have been sewing. My bottom lip is chapped as I keep licking it. Not the top lip, just the bottom. I try to stop myself when I realize I am doing it but it isn't to long before I am doing it again!!! Makes me soooooo angry!!

ODD???? I don't think you've got odd quirks!!! I do just about the same thing -- especially sewing barefoot. It's the only way to hang on to that darn foot peddle!!!!

Did you ever think of using Double Sided Tape for a sole on your foot??? I may give that a try. LOL

I keep my chapstick with my sewing kit AND use it to thread my needles. Works great there and on the lips. Cherry flavor only, btw!
And I sew barefoot, curling my toes on the pedal (in the car too!), keep my projects in plastic tote files, and refold my fabric in the shop (can't stand wrinkled, misfolded fabric). Oh so anal am I!