Last year I did 1 tom/1 sf and trained them up a trellis, but the trellis was made from 1/2" PVC and 6" net. The trellis didn't fall, but did become pretty unstable, the one with my cantaloupes did fall and I had melons all over the ground. I didn't do much pruning, just removed the suckers and the odd branch that got cumbersome. I had a good mess of tomatoes last year. This year the trellises are made of 1/2" conduit and nylon netting. I'm hoping to keep it all off the ground this year. Randy

I have my yardage fabric neatly folded, placed on open shelves in a walk in closet, arranged by color. It looks really good. I have my fat quarters neatly arranged in plastic bins, my battings are also on shelves, my tools are organized and easily accessible....:):)You are probably saying "how wonderful of you" don't be so hasty, there is more. My big problem is all those pieces left over of varying sizes when you cut a project. I have some in boxes, some in bags, some just piled in a drawer, some piled on top of the cutting table, and just stashed everywhere. It is on my to do list to do something with this mess but I am at a loss as to what. I started cutting everything into wedges for a specific project, (i forget what the project was, and haven't added to it in a while) so some of those are in a little bin with the special ruler I used to cut. I haven't been quilting long enough to know what is the best size to cut these pieces so they will be useful later, but I have been at it long enough to have a mess of jumbled fabric here there and everywhere.....In fact I was just looking at this mess yesterday, Snow day #2 in the deep south. thanks so much for this QTD, I needed a reminder of this mess and now maybe I will just do something!! LOL After all, this is snow day #3 with no going out anywhere so maybe today is the day....I am inspired. Thanks again....to all of you Murphy

What an excellent question! I ALWAYS: - prewash my fabrics in cold water with a good amount of vinegar and a fistful of Kosher salt. This removes any excess dyes or sizing, or perhaps little buggies or their eggs/kin that could be lurking within the fibers to create havoc in my stash. - clip the corners off my fabric before putting into the prewash. This helps with less raveling (notice I did not say "eliminates"?!) along that cut edge, and it is easy to tell if a fabric has been pre-washed. - dry my pre-washed fabrics until nearly dry, then press flat with a hot iron and fold neatly to fit somewhere within my stash. Depending on the length, it may get folded into neat little packages that look like FQ's so I can line them up in an underbed bin, or folded flat for long borders. - try to buy at least 3 yards of any fabric that I really love and consider I may want it for a border. Since I love single-fabric borders (easier to apply than a pieced one that may not fit after all those seams!), I prefer they not be pieced together. Plus, if the fabric is truly lovely, after cutting off border lengths, I can use the rest at will for piecing. - strive for accuracy in cutting and sewing. That 1/4" thing? Well, that's kind of another story because what is 1/4" to a pattern designer (or printer!) may be different than the ruler/tape measure I am using at home. I feel if all my seams are accurately sewn with what I determine to be the 1/4" seam, they should fit together without a ton of fuss. - try to press all seams with a hot iron as soon as I can, toward the dark side if possible. - keep an open mind about color, composition, fabric ... anything that can stress me out. I find that what someone else might call a "mistake" is just an opportunity for a creative solution. So if my yellow is a little too sunny, perhaps there is a "fix" that will make the finished quilt even better than planned. - strive for straight of grain in my cutting, especially where it counts most: sashings/borders/base blocks. Sometimes you can't worry about that (fussy-cut patches, 8-pointed [diamond] stars, curvy piecing/applique), but if I want a piece to lie flat and be "square", those straight grainlines are magical! I USUALLY: - use a neutral thread to sew seams. I keep a supply of several shades of "white" from snow-white to cream to ecru to tan to beige, into several shades of grey, charcoal, and finally, black. If my quilt has a planned color theme (blue/white, red/white, for instance), I will try to stay with a neutral that is in the quilt for piecing. If it's a scrappy quilt, there's no telling what color my piecing thread is! - try to clip my threads as I go along, although I do sometimes miss one or two. - use hand-applique instead of fusible, mostly because it's my preference and it gives me more control, both artistically and literally. - chain-sew whenever possible. Helps to negate any "need" to clip threads, and there is less thread waste. I RARELY: - use a commercial pattern. I love to design all my own quilts and even if I begin with a pattern/design I like, you will frequently find me changing sashing widths, border sizes, etc., to make it my own. - cut patches/pieces with a pair of scissors, but will do it on occasion. Same for hand-sewing block seams. - clip off the "bunny ears" of triangle piecing. Life is too short .... I NEVER: - use starch. This is a new development in quilting and I had never heard of it until recently, but I can always tell when someone has heavily starched their fabrics when I get a block made by someone else. I love the softness and the "hand" of a really well-made fabric, and to hold fabrics that feel like paper because of heavy starching just makes me ask, "why???" - get too far away from my seam ripper. Harold and I are good friends (yes, he has a name), and he is always there if I have a problem I need to pick out. I have found that if I treat him well, he will treat me and my piecing well, which makes for a better result all around. - met a deadline I couldn't "fudge" more time out of (right, Kate???). - worry about what other people think of the way I do things. This is my art, and if someone doesn't like it, they don't have to look at it. Not that it's hanging in some fancy gallery anywhere ..... Thanks for a great question! Odessa

I've been thinking about this question and even went back to my photo stash to see which quilts I've taken pictures of at shows. Initially I would have said COLOR, but not necessarily any particular color. I think for me it's really more about an intense visual impact. That could be DESIGN or COLOR or the MOVEMENT of pattern across the quilt. I love color combinations that I would not have thought of, but that work beautifully. I'm not immediately drawn to quilts with repeating blocks unless there's something else visually compelling about them. But then the intricacy of the pattern, or the quality of the work, or just the pleasing balance of it all can win me over. Although I don't use them often, quilts with white or black background fabric really appeal to me. Maybe because they make the colors so much more intense. Once I get close enough to check out points and intersections, the quality becomes the focus. And really well done applique still amazes me because I know how hard it is. Especially in a show, I expect points and intersections to match perfectly. Yes, I'm a point snob (even though mine aren't always perfect)!