Quilting Mom's Blog

January Review

2012-02-01T21:22:00.002-05:00

After all the sewing I did in December, I didn't find myself up in my sewing room or down in the basement as much this month. I had a total of 20 1/4 hours and got a lot done:
- Quilted, trimmed, added, and started sewing the binding down on Michele's quilt
- Cut back for my 60 degree quilt top so it is in the queue for quilting
- Loaded and quilted Mom's 3rd Girl Scout quilt
- Wrap dress for Jenna's doll

- Cut and pieced together three scrap bags and sewed up one
- Minkee bear

- Tree block for my beemate
- First snowman block for my trees & snowmen quilt
- Finished the service quilt top
- Made an iPad cover

I set a few goals for myself in January so that I would get done those things that I really wanted to finish. I had lots of luck getting those things done and realized that I may need to return to my practice of setting monthly goals, so here are the ones I've set for February - my theory is that these are the things I really want to get done so that if I finish them, then I can work on whatever I want (in January it was the new iPad cover).

February goals:
- Fabric frame and send cross-stitch baby announcements
- Make snowman block for trees & snowmen quilt (my own little block of the month)
- Quilt 1-2 tops on my HQ
- Start working on my Q1 PIG from my bee PIG challenge.

Hope you had a great January and have lots of fun plans for February.

Stash Report - Weeks 3 & 4 2012

2012-01-29T17:15:00.003-05:00

I didn't post a stash report last week because I didn't really have much to share. This week, I added a little fabric, but I also have a finished top! Over the past two weeks, I used fabric by cutting out a few scrap bags for pet beds, and by adding two border to a quilt top. I had to buy the 2nd border - this quilt is for a guy friend of mine and all the possibilities I had were too floral to work well for him. I wound up finding a stripe on the sale rack last weekend and got the top finished this weekend. The pattern is called Rough Around the Edges and is from the 2011 Perfect for Pre-cuts magazine (borrowed from my mom).

Fabric added last two weeks: 2 3/4 yards
Fabric used last two weeks: 3 3/4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 8 1/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 5 3/4 yards

Net fabric used (added): (2 3/8 yards)

I will make up for my additions as soon as I make the back for this quilt! I also have a few projects on my to-do list for February that will use some stash, so hopefully by the end of next month, I will be in the positive!

I am doing great on my pattern usage so far though -- 3 used and none added yet this year. At least something's going in the right direction!

First Man in the Forest

2012-01-27T21:53:00.001-05:00

I just finished the first snowman block that will go in the "forest" I showed earlier this week. I think he's pretty darn cute and now I am really looking forward to making him a friend (or two) in February!

My Little Forest

2012-01-23T16:31:00.002-05:00

I had a couple small finishes last night, so I was thinking about what to show today when it dawned on me that I haven't shown you the blocks that I have gotten from my bee-mates over the past few months.

In my bee, each member hosts the group at her house one month per year (we meet twice each month). When it is your month to host, the other bee members make you a block of your choosing. Technically, you're supposed to make a sample block to show what you want, but we've really gotten away from that in the last few years. If you do make a sample block, then you wind up with 12 blocks (yours + 11 from the other bee members).

When I hosted last fall, I didn't have a specific quilt in mind to work on and I really didn't want to start another UFO, but I knew that I did need to work on the quilt for my college roommate and her husband. I don't have a full plan for that yet, but it will be a snowman quilt and I plan to put trees between the snowmen, so I asked the bee to make me trees. I asked them to make blocks that 1)really look like trees, 2) have a blue background, and 3) are 6", 9", or 12" finished. I have gotten most of the blocks in and thought you'd all enjoy a picture of them.

In November, our hostess asked us to do the same for her, so I got to try my hand at making one of my own tree blocks. I got this put together last night and it was really easy. I may have to make a few more for the quilt I am making.

Next up is starting to make the snowmen. I have the pattern for this month picked out and I plan to work on it tonight. I am really looking forward to having this quilt come together - it should be fun to see what happens since I have only a very loose plan!

Stash Report - Week 2 2012

2012-01-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

I did a little better this week than I did to kick off the year last week. First off on my list was to get some quilting done. I've had 4 quilts in the queue for a while now and had to get moving on them. First up was the memory quilt I am making with my friend Michele from her mom's old sweatshirts. I got it loaded with a very thin batting, but was still a little apprehensive about how the needle would like going through those thick layers. It turned out fine - I had a few skipped stitches near the end, but I think that had more to do with the age of the needle than with the layers. I took it to work day on Monday and got the binding attached as well, so now just need to sew it down and add the label.

Next up was work day - Jack joined me and we were the first ones there (and the only ones for almost an hour!). Jack set to work getting his things set up while I got mine set up.

After I got the binding on the quilt above, I set to put my blocks into a finished top for the quilt I am making for my friend who was deployed last year. It worked to my advantage that I had labelled the blocks well when I took them off the design wall, and they went together quickly. This was such an easy quilt to put together and I love the look of it. I just need to add the borders now. It is sitting on my cutting table just waiting for my attention.

I also got the back cut for a top I finished a while ago and started on some clothes for Jenna's dolls. After I got home that night, I loaded up my mom's third Girl Scout quilt and got to work. I quilted it over two nights and got it back to her mid week. I think this is the last GS quilt that I will be quilting.

Overall, it was a great week including a guild meeting and some late night sewing last night. I used a little stash in the process and moved along 5 projects. Here's my report for the week:

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1 7/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 5 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 2 yards

Net fabric used: (3 7/8 yards)
Here's hoping I get back into the black by month end!

2012 Goals

2012-01-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

It has taken me a while to get my goals for this year documented, because I have been waffling quite a bit. The past two years have been filled with UFOs for me - mine & Lois' - and, while I enjoy finishing a project any day, I am ready to move on from UFOs, at least a little. So, without further ado, here's what I am setting out to achieve this year:

1. Balance starting new projects with completing UFOs by keeping my running list of UFOs steady at 15 or less. The only UFO I feel like I must finish this year is the cross stitch stocking for my nephew, as he is already 3! I am not going to join in with Judy's UFO challenge this year because I just wasn't feeling it. Instead, I plan to keep my UFO list from growing by setting this ceiling (let's see how that works!).
2. Make another charity quilt with Lois' scraps. I really enjoyed this last year, and there are so many precut scraps that I can easily use them with a Bonnie Hunter pattern.
3. Continue stashbusting and pattern tracking. I am going to give myself a bit of a break this year and not try to report every single week, especially if there is no change. Rather, I will report when I have something worthwhile to share.
4. Make real progress on Steve and Michelle's quilt this year by making snowman blocks each month. I went through my mom's snowman patterns the other night and grabbed more than enough to be able to build my own block of the month.

5. Quilt about 20 quilts on the Avante, and stretch myself on at least 2 of them (that means no allover/panto, but custom quilting).
6. This one's the biggie for me, at least mentally. Move from my current sewing room to the basement and get settled into my new space. It is time for Jenna to have her own room, so I will be working toward packing much of the current stuff (read junk) in our storage rooms and moving my quilting paraphernalia down there. I am not sure how I will set it all up yet, or how it will work, but it will be the biggest change by far this year.
7. Have some fun with my bee's PIG (Project in a Grocery Sack) challenge and work on 4 projects that have been in the queue for a while. We will run this challenge as we did our UFO challenge last year and will draw a number each quarter and work on that project. My projects are shown in the picture below and are:

Rolling Stones (top left from a magazine w/fabrics selected sometime in 2009)
Sunflower from Sisters (kit on the top right, purchased in 2008)
French Braid from Shipshewana (Oriental jelly roll + kit, bought in Sept 2010)
Wonky Trees (a shop-made layer cake that I bought at the 2009 quilt show!)

I will keep the goals in my sidebar and will update them throughout the year. Hope you have plans for a fabulous year ahead too!

Stash Report - Week 1 2012

2012-01-08T10:35:00.001-05:00

I am pretty sure that you're not supposed to start your year this way....but I had an opportunity I couldn't pass up. My mom works for Terri Degenkolb of Whimsicals, and a few weeks ago, Terri gave my mom a big bag of fabric that she didn't want any more. After I put together several bundles for guild door prizes, my mom let me go through the bag and pull out anything I wanted. I had a good time. This is what I wound up with.

The same night, I popped open a little kit to make a Minkee bear, so I used a smidge of fabric with that, but it isn't done yet, so I don't have a picture to post yet. I hope to finish it up this week, and then can show a picture next week.

I do have a couple pictures from shopping over the last few weeks. I hit a couple shops over the holidays and picked up a few things. Here are the purchases. The first is a few notions from Back Door Quilts, and the second is a pattern and a couple cool fabrics from Crimson Tate.

I also was the lucky winner of a blog giveaway in December from Susan Brubaker Knapp. I have followed her blog for a while and am amazed by her awesome work. This is the bag I won.

Here's the official reports for this week:

Fabric added this week: 5 3/8 yards
Fabric used this week: 1/8 yard

Net fabric used (added): (5 1/4 yards)

The good news is that I have a back to make this week, so that should point me back in the right direction! Hope you had a great week with your stash!

December Accomplishments and some pictures

2012-01-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

Last month was a great one for me - not only did I get to enjoy the holiday, but I also had a week off with the kids, three sewing days, and lots of energy to finish up projects - most of them before the last minute! Here's what I got done in my 37.75 hours of December sewing (which I believe is a record month for a non-retreat month).

- Cut 12 bags for the local shelter. Our bee sewed them into bags and they were delivered to the shelter in mid-December, full of items for a new arrival.
- Made back for, loaded, and quilted the comfort quilt for our bee mate Barbara. It was gifted to her at the annual bee holiday luncheon. ...And just realized I don't have a picture of it!
- Made Curvalishish binding, sewed one side by machine, and hand stitched three sides.
- Made 1 pet scrap bed.
- Made show block for my mom and president's block for our guild's 2011 president.

- Finished 4 tea towels (but only took a picture of 2, I guess!) and one on-the-go organizer for neighbor and teacher gifts.

- Loaded and quilted Lois' Indian Pottery wall hanging.
- Fabric book for our neighbor Evan.

- Put together the quilt top and back for my friend Michele's memory quilt.
- Loaded and quilted a baby quilt for Terri D.

- Made a pillowcase for Lois' Oriental Stars, and handed over that quilt and several others to her family.
- Finished Great Mom cross stitch (and it is going to be a real toss-up whether I hang this in the kitchen or the bathroom!)

- Wonky Stars top
- Made stretching cat cross-stitch into a pillow/wall hanging for Jenna's new room.
- Had a friend over and taught her how to quilt on my HQ and watched her complete her first machine quilted top.

- Finished all the blocks for my QOV quilt.

Wow, what a great month! It hardly seems like some of the things done early were in the same month. I have several quilts in the queue to quilt this month and a few projects that I want to keep making progress on, so I hope that January is a good month too, although with returning to work, I am sure it won't be quite as productive as December!

2011 Goal Review

2012-01-02T22:19:00.000-05:00

For the last few years, I have posted quilting goals and I find them really helpful in keeping me on track with what I really want to accomplish. I think I did pretty well for 2011, and am looking forward to 2012. Here's the review of my 2011 goals. Later in the week, I will share my 2012 goals as they are still ruminating a bit.

2011 Goals:
1. UFO Reduction - My goal was to reduce my list by at least 8 projects and I started with 21 projects. I ended the year with 14 UFOs so fell short by 2, but am really pleased with all I got done on the UFO front this year. I enjoyed participating in Judy Laquidara's and my bee's UFO challenges and I finished 8 of the Judy L. challenge items, and all 4 of the bee challenge items (although I did put the final stitches of the last one in the quilt tonight - I am counting it as done for this report!).
2. Make a charity quilt - I really enjoyed using precut fabric for leader/enders and this quilt moved along really quickly. It is finished and in my sewing room awaiting a label so that I can donate it.
3. Continue stashbusting and add pattern usage to my weekly reports -- Done, you can see my year-end report on both here.
4. Work on Steve & Michelle's quilt - I asked the bee to make tree blocks for this quilt and I also did some work in EQ to figure out this one. Not as much as I'd like to have accomplished, so you will see this in my 2012 goals too!
5. Quilt 20 items on the HQ - not only did I hit this goal, but I also upgraded to a new machine. On both machines, I quilted 24 items this year.
6. Make a QOV - this quilt has a specific recipient, and I am making good progress. All the blocks are ready to be put into a top and I plan to do that at my bee workday next Monday.
7. Make three projects from existing patterns or kits - Done - I completed my snap sack wall hanging, one hour baby blanket, and the top for the wonky trees.
8. Finish at least four cross-stitch projects - Done - I finished 6 and made good progress on the biggie - the stocking for my nephew. I had to make a conscious effort to split my time between sewing and stitching to get this one finished and I am glad I did.

Stash Report - Week 52

2012-01-02T21:38:00.002-05:00

I didn't get online yesterday to post my stash report because I was feeling a little under the weather after our big new year's eve party (yeah, that would be the one at my house with my husband and parents playing Wii into the wee hours - crazy, aren't we?), but I did want to finish out the year.

I used a little fabric last week - first was test fabric for a friend who came over and used the HQ, and then I put the back together for the memory quilt I made with my friend Michele a few weeks ago. It is even loaded on the frame now and just waiting for me. I should be able to get to it a little this week.

I also did a little shopping - stopped by a new shop downtown called Crimson Tate. I picked up a couple FQs and a pattern. All in all, I am happy with where I ended the year on both my stash usage and my pattern usage. I have a lot of projects in the queue that I want to work on this year, and I think I will continue to track both my stash and my patterns so that I can monitor how I am doing on both.

Fabric added this week: 1/2 yard
Fabric used this week: 5 yards

Fabric added full year 2011: 48 5/8 yards
Fabric used full year 2011: 126 3/8 yards

Net fabric used in 2011: 77 3/4 yards

My numbers last year were very close to those this year -- 44 5/8 added and 137 1/2 used, so my new was 92 7/8 yards - I guess I am pretty consistent!

Patterns wound up at -2 for the year -- I bought 17 and used 15 this year. Not too bad.

Hope you had a great year with your stash and look forward to another one!

The Two Year Report

2011-12-30T17:54:00.000-05:00

It almost doesn't seem possible that it has been two years since my friend Lois passed away, but it was two years ago this week. We still think about her often, and her name comes up at just about every bee meeting (mostly because I am asking people to help finish the UFOs!). I still see fabric and think she would like it, and I still have a lifetime worth of her fabric available for my use.

I think I reported earlier in the year that our group officially hit the half-way mark on finishing her UFOs and I was able to give another big group of them to her sister earlier in December. Marti came to a party and got to meet several of the bee members who have worked on her projects, and it was great to hear her cheering on the Colts (in their first win of the season) just in the same way her sister used to cheer for them.

The stack of projects to take to Marti

Here are some pictures of what was finished and given to Marti in the latest round.

Petal Play from a workshop with Joan Shay

Las Vegas Trip Photo Quilts (x2)

Back of one of the LV Photo quilts - she'd made the penguins and flamingos to go with the quilts.

Flying Geese vest that we think may have been for her mom (based on the size).

Schnibbles wall hanging.

Bow Ties hanging in the show

Oriental Stars with most of the team who worked on it

The pace of completion should really slow now, as there are only a few more that are near a completed state. One has been quilted and is waiting for binding, two small ones are awaiting quilting, and one almost-finished top needs borders then a back and quilting. The rest are mostly very early in their construction and have only a handful of blocks made. My prediction is that this year will find 4 or 5 more completed, but I will still look forward to working with her fabric, meeting her sister for dinner, and working as motivation hits on completing the projects that Lois had started. It has been quite a journey since the day I brought the first load, then the second home. I am so glad to have my dining room back in shape and a system in my basement. I still haven't merged my fabric stash with what I inherited from Lois, and to be honest, I am not sure when or if I will. But I do know that I have grown so much as a quilter in the past two years and I owe so much of it to her. Thanks Lois, and I hope you are enjoying watching it all!

Stash & BDSI Report

2011-12-27T14:38:00.001-05:00

I haven't stopped to take time to post with the holidays and time with family, but I do have a little stash usage to report and I also did some sewing yesterday along with the Boxing Day Sew-in crowd.

In the stash side, I had a good week. I made a pillowcase, finished gifts for the kids teachers, made a Christmas wall hanging, and cut out the parts for a new quilt. All of this makes my stash report look pretty good!

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 5 7/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 45 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 121 3/8 yards

Net fabric used: 76 yards

And, since the wonky trees was a pattern in my stash, I get to count it as a pattern used, so now I am at -1 pattern for the year. Not sure that I will get to zero by the end of the week, but I am glad to be just barely in the hole!

Last night at about 9 pm, I finally got to my sewing room and finished up a UFO. It is a pillow/wall hanging for Jenna and she will get it when she moves to her new room (my current sewing room) this year. I have some basement cleaning out to do before I move out, then we will paint and she'll move in. I made it so that it can have a pillow form put in it or it can be hung on the wall, so we'll see what her preference is when we get there.

After I got one marked off the list, I started a new quilt, one of the items on my goal list for the year. I know I won't have it totally done by year end, but would love to have the top put together. I have 8 blocks made and will show pictures later this week when I have a little more done. For now, I am heading back to make a little more progress while the kids enjoy a little tv and all their new toys!

I Love Work Days

2011-12-22T20:46:00.001-05:00

No matter when I can fit it in or how I have to finagle to make it work, I just love a day of sewing with friends - my favorite kind of "work day." This morning, I put Jenna on the bus, then dropped off Jack and my mom and I headed up to our friend Kathy's for a stress free day. For the first time in a really long time, I didn't have anything I felt like I "had" to work on, so I picked out a kit from my stash, fabric for a new quilt, and stuff to make clothes for Jenna's dolls.

We were a little delayed arriving due to some support shopping we had to do for Santa, but we had luck at the first place we stopped, so it didn't take up the whole morning. When we arrived and got settled, I pulled out the kit. It consisted of 3 FQs and a pattern to make a 12 1/2" block. Somehow, I managed to make it bigger than planned, and by early afternoon, I had a small wall quilt top finished. It is about 12x20 instead of 12" square, but I really like it and already have an idea of where I will hang it when finished.

After that, I started the process of pressing and cutting out fabric for my next quilt, one of the ones on my to-do list for the year. I will be surprised if I get the top done before year end, but it sure feels good to have it cut out! Here are all the fabrics that will make it up. As of late afternoon, they were all neatly sliced into 10" and 5" squares with the extra fabric folded up and ready to return to the bins.

I ran out of time to start on the doll clothes, but there is no rush for them. I left at the end of the day feeling energized about my quilting and generally in a better mood than I have been in the last few days. Tomorrow even gets better as it is my last day of work for the year :D Looking forward to my next sewing day next Thursday!

Stash Report - Week 50

2011-12-18T10:34:00.001-05:00

This week was a great one for my quilting - did a little bit of everything - hand sewing, piecing, quilting, and binding. The highlight of the week was Friday, when my friend Michele came over to put a quilt top together. Her mom passed away just over two years ago, and I told her at the time that I would like to help her make a memory quilt from her mom's clothes. As she went through the clothes, she didn't find much cotton, but did locate sweatshirts that her mom had worn every holiday season, and the plan was hatched. We started on the quilt just a few months after her mom passed away and she had a really hard time cutting into things. After a year and a half, she was ready to work on it again...and then it took us several months to find a day we could work on it.

We started Friday morning with 8 sweatshirts and one cardigan. We cut the designs off each side of the cardigan and appliqued them onto the back. That became the center design, and then we trimmed and cut and figured out how to make them all fit. She had also pulled fabric from her mom's kitchen chairs and curtains, and we used them as sashing. Add a border to make it all come together, and we had a finished top by the end of the day.

I will get it on the frame in the next few weeks after I make a back for it. I am really looking forward to getting it done for her to enjoy the rest of the winter.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1 3/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 115 1/2 yards

Net fabric used: 68 3/4 yards

Pattern usage also got a boost this week, as I made my first teacher gift, so now my net pattern usage for the year is at -2.

Hope you had a great week with your stash!

Tree Shopping

2011-12-17T20:10:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we headed to Dull's Tree Farm to pick out and cut down our Christmas tree. Having grown up in the big city of Houston where trees are trucked in from far away, I had never been to cut down a tree before. It was a cold, but clear day and we haven't had any measurable snow yet. We started with a quick picture of us in present boxes, then the kids sprinted down the hill to the trees.

This farm kitty met us as we entered the tree area and was happy to get pets from the kids. They were surprised to meet a cat so friendly to strangers.

Everywhere we looked, we saw beautiful trees. We kept pointing to one, then another. My Mom and Dad made their choice first and Mike cut theirs down, then we decided on one for us. Mike made quick work of that one too and we took them both back up, got them wrapped, and headed home.

The kids were excited to get the tree up and decorated. I love the excitement they share about decorating the tree and how much fun they have pulling out the ornaments each year.

The tree is so fresh and the needles so soft. It is a White Pine with longer needles. It did take a dive one night this week, and now that I look back at the pictures, it doesn't appear that it was really straight in the tree stand from the beginning! It is back up and stabilized now and the kids had the joy of decorating it a second time! After our great experience this year, I can definitely say we will be headed back to the tree farm next year!

Drinking the FMQ Koolaid, Part 2

2011-12-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I shared my experiment with using Leah Day's free motion quilting designs on my Janome.

As if that wasn't enough, I decided to quilt my Q4 UFO, Curvalishish, with a different FMQ design in every piece of fabric (except the borders and sashing). I started with Bubble Wand in the first border and it looked pretty bad. I went back later and added a little more stitching to take away some of the bobbles, but the second border with bubble wand is sooo much better. Of course, I did this one after quilting 50 different patterns! The fabric I used in this quilt was really busy and the backing is busy too, so there are a lot of places where the quilting didn't show up (thankfully!). Here are a few places where I could get a good picture:

Matrix on the top, Sea Algae in the blue/green fabric that you can barely see.

Chevron on the top, a poorly executed version of Gentle Flames on the bottom - and even though it doesn't look at all like Leah's, I like how it turned out!

Bubble Wand in the border (the second try!):

Here's the full quilt, and this picture is still full size, so you might be able to see a few of the designs if you click on it to open it full size.

In general, I found doing any of the designs that called for echoing or even distance between lines really hard with the HQ. The pivoting designs and stem based designs were a little easier than some of the others. Over the course of the quilt, my pebbles/bubbles got a lot better. I am glad I tried it, and I was able to use almost all Beginner to Intermediate designs. I bypassed several on the first row or two that I came back to later!

Hope you've enjoyed this little trip through the designs and I hope you will give at least a few of them a chance too!

Stash Report - week 48

2011-12-11T09:39:00.001-05:00

I had an unexpected week in my sewing room which started with some organization of a pile of fabric. In doing that, I found some items that would make quick Christmas gifts for teachers and friends, so I got started on my holiday sewing last weekend. I can't show pictures of much of it yet, but I have 2 gifts done and 2 more in progress.

By the end of the week, I was itching to get back downstairs and do some quilting, so I pulled out one of Lois' UFOs that was almost ready. I got the back made, found batting that was the perfect size and threw it on the frame Friday afternoon. It only took me a little over an hour to quilt and I trimmed it up yesterday so it is ready to bind. Now, the only problem is that I think the binding is already made and waiting somewhere, but I can't seem to find it....I will search later today and if I can't find it, then I have strips leftover from the top that can be used for single fold binding.

Here's a picture of the finished quilting - I had quite a few thread breaks at the top, but it got better after I unwound a bunch of my bobbin and started fresh. I used King Tut on the top and bottom line in the bobbin and it was probably the best tension I've ever gotten with that combination. Sorry it is sideways, the picture won't load correctly - just turn your head to the right a little :)

So, here's the stash report:
Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 3 7/8 yards
Fabric added year to date: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 113 7/8 yards

Net fabric used: 67 1/8 yards

Pattern usage remains at -3. I am using a pattern for one of the Christmas gifts, so I should be at least 1 closer to 0 next week!

Drinking the FMQ Koolaid

2011-12-09T11:25:00.001-05:00

Over the past few months, I have pushed/forced myself to expand my quilting skills by trying new patterns. It is so darn easy to stick with the stippling and loops that I can almost do in my sleep, but I wanted to try some new things to see if I might find something I like to add to my skill set. Like many of you, I have been following Leah Day's blog since almost the beginning. I have one of her books and have asked for the second one for Christmas and I do use them a lot for inspiration.

A few months ago, when I started to prep my Evening Flight quilt for quilting, I decided that it needed specialized quilting, so I went to the blog for inspiration and decided to use a couple of her patterns -- here they are (each name is linked to her blog post about the design, but the picture is my attempt at it):

Etch-n-Sketch (a looser version of it):

Tree Bark

Matrix

Cobwebs in the Corner

The hardest of the designs I tried was cobwebs in the corner. I had to practice on scrap fabric for a while before I was brave enough to do it on the top, but I am really pleased with how it turned out and love the black and silver thread I used for it.

I found the patterns to be fairly easy to do - they are by no means perfect, but I am so glad I stepped out on the ledge to try something new. In a few days, I will share my experiments with Leah's designs on my HQ Avante.

In the meantime, if you haven't been following, take a few minutes/hours and stop over at Leah's blog to see all the great designs and videos she has to share. It might just pique your interest too!

Stash Report - Week 47

2011-12-04T10:50:00.001-05:00

I have no pictures to show for it, so you'll just have to trust me that I used all this fabric in the past week! I gave some birthday FQs in my bee, made another pet scrap bag, and cut out 12 kits to make fabric gift bags. Each Christmas, our bee makes welcome bags for a local shelter that contain basic supplies for a woman coming into the shelter who may only have the clothes on her back. Last year, we started making the bags from fabric so they are reusable, and my stash is a great source for the bag fabric! This year, I pulled all 12 kits from the floral tub of fabric...and hardly made a dent in it! Guess that means there is plenty for a few years to come.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 9 1/4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 110 yards

Net fabric used: 63 1/4 yards

No changes on pattern usage, so I am still at a -3 for the year, but I am hoping to change that in the next couple weeks as I work on some doll clothes for Jenna's dolls and teacher gifts.

Hope you had a great week with your stash!

November in Review

2011-12-03T13:36:00.001-05:00

I had a good month in November. I took a little time to relax and come down from the quilt show and wrap up my last few commitments as our guild's program chair. It feels really good to be done with my volunteer jobs so that I can spend a little more time sewing (in theory!) and enjoy meetings a little more.

My plan for November was to focus on quilting. I really wanted to get a couple things done and guess what -- I did! Here's the list of my accomplishments during November, in my 15 1/4 hours of sewing/quilting:

Quilted Mom's second Girl Scout quilt
Bound the blue squares charity quilt
Made a new top at the jelly roll race with my bee
Loaded and quilted Curvalishish with 50 different quilting patterns!

Finished quilting, bound, and labelled Lois' Schnibbles UFO, which was also my Judy L. UFO challenge item for the month.

Finished stitching my cupcake kit

In December, I have more plans for the same - three quilts are in the queue and I have a few behind that as soon as I get backs made. I am also itching to do a little piecing. I will have a bit of a chance, as I always make the kid's teacher gifts, but maybe I will get going on a new quilt or table runner too.

Stash Report - Week 47

2011-11-27T15:45:00.001-05:00

My quilting was minimal this week - worked on binding a small top and have that done, just need to add the label and sew down the hanging sleeve. This week, I am hoping to finish quilting the one that has been on my frame all month and making a back for the next one to go on the frame. I did get in some time for stitching this week and finished up this little project that will go in my kitchen window. I also have another one that says "Pie" so they will be put in opposing corners of the window....although it may be a while before I do the other one.

Fabric added/used this week: 0/0
Fabric added/used year to date: 46 3/4 yards / 100 3/4 yards

Net fabric used: 54 yards

Patterns in/out year to date: -3

Hope you had a good week with your stash! Stop by Judy's blog and check in on the other reports too.

Stash Report - week 46

2011-11-20T22:25:00.001-05:00

Just a quickie report this week - not much news and I spent the morning napping and the afternoon on a girl scout trip with Jenna. I finished the quilting and added the binding to one of Lois' UFOs this week, so had a small amount used. Pictures to come soon when the binding is sewn down.

Fabric added/used this week: 0/ 1/8 yard

Fabric added ytd: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used ytd: 100 3/4 yards

Net fabric used: 54 yards

Hope you had a good week with your stash!

October Report

2011-11-15T21:35:00.001-05:00

I know, it is already the middle of November, but I haven't yet posted my monthly recap (or the quilt show). I was all ready to write a post about how October really wasn't a good month between quilt show, busy at work, and being the GS troop fall product sale coordinator, then I looked at my list of accomplishments, and guess what? I got a lot done! Here's the list:

- Finished my Convergence top, which was my UFO for October. Still need to make a back and quilt it, but I am happy with the progress I made.
- Made my Lovely bag which is intended to carry my computer but has only carried stuff to bee and guild so far.
- Loaded and quilted my blue stars charity quilt. I have decided after using the panto "Sorrel" on two or three quilts that I really don't like it. I am looking to trade it for something else, at least 8" wide. There is nothing wrong with it, but it just isn't my style. If you have a panto you don't care for and would like to do a swap, let me know!

- Finished my Halloween quilt in time for it to get into the show and on TV!

- Made labels and sleeves for all my show quilts.
- Bought fabric, quilted, bound, and gifted a baby quilt for my niece and nephew's baby shower.
- Picked a jelly roll and sewed together my strips in preparation for the Jelly Roll challenge with my bee.
- Made a quickie baby blanket for a co-worker's shower.

I had 22.75 hours of quilting, plus three full days at the quilt show and it was one heck of a fun month. I hope November brings me just as much to blog about (if I can get on the ball and actually write up the posts)!

Stash Report - Week 45

2011-11-13T09:49:00.001-05:00

Before we did our Jelly Roll Challenge this week, I wanted to get a UFO marked off my list (before adding a new one!), so I put the binding on my charity quilt. It feels really good to have this one finished, and I will donate it this holiday season to a local women's shelter. I already have my sights set to make another one next year and know which pattern (and which size of Lois' pre-cut scraps) I am going to use. I am already looking forward to it.

The rest of the week followed the same theme and I continued to work on UFO's. The first was adding some blocks to my red & white quilt -- with these, I am 25% done (not bad for two years...maybe I will get this one done for one of the kids' graduation!).

After that, I pulled out my UFO for this month, which was partially quilted. I finished all the quilting inside the borders, so another night at the machine (I am quilting this one on my Janome 6600) should finish it out. I am really hoping I can get this one done in the month of November.

Next up, actually up simultaneously, was loading my Q4 UFO on the Avante so I could quilt that one. I have challenged myself on this one to quilt a different pattern in every 1/2 block. I have 50 to fill and finished 20 yesterday in just about 2 hours. I am using patterns from Leah Day's blog for this one and learning which shapes and styles are easy on the longarm and which are not.

All that setup to tell you that I didn't use a lick of fabric this week, nor did I add any, so my year to date totals remain:
Fabric added year to date: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 100 5/8 yards
Net fabric used: 53 7/8 yards
Net pattern usage year to date: -3

One last thing before you leave....I entered a quilt in the weekly themed quilt contest on The Quilting Gallery. My entry is a quilt I made for my nephew to celebrate his return from Iraq. Please stop by and take a look at all the quilts and vote for mine (Nick's Swirling Stars) if you like it.

Off to the races

2011-11-08T22:52:00.002-05:00

At our bee workday on Monday, we had a jelly roll challenge/race. We had planned for a while and were set to start after lunch. In advance, we prepped our strips by sewing them all together and winding a couple bobbins. I decided to use a Bali Pop for my challenge, I pulled out the brightest one I have, as last spring I was really wishing to have something bright and cheery on the couch by about the middle of March. Jack was our photographer during the race.

Here are all the strips ready to go!

Round one....sewing the longest strip sets we've ever sewn!

Somewhere in the midst of the frenzy of sewing!

The finished tops :)

Here's a full album of pictures from the afternoon so you can see up close if you want. Please remember that our photographer for much of the afternoon was a first time camera wielding 4 1/2 year old!

Stash Report - Week 44

2011-11-06T09:53:00.001-05:00

Wow, 6 days into November already! I still need to go through and post my quilt show pictures and my project recap from October, but today is for the stash report and it is always nice to have a little good news :)

I prepped a Bali pop for the Jelly Roll challenge quilt that I am going to make tomorrow at our bee workday (we're all doing them!), and while I was working on that, remembered that there was a baby shower at work the next day - yikes! I threw together a quick baby blanket (cotton top/flannel back) and was ready to go in time for the shower -- this is where a stash comes in really handy!

I didn't get too much done the rest of the week, except for quilting the second Girl Scout quilt for my mom (and third I've quilted overall). I had a little fun on this one and quilted words into the bottom border. It only became hard when I had to dot the "i"!

My mom and I took a quick trip to Illinois with the kids yesterday to visit Threads of Time, a shop and retreat center. I found a great book there to make clothes for Jenna's dolls, so my pattern purchases took another hit, but I do plan to get back to neutral by year end.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 4 3/4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 100 5/8 yards (woo hoo - past 100 yards!)

Net fabric used: 53 7/8 yards

Net patterns bought/used year to date: -3

Hope you have a great week with your stash!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:13:00.001-04:00

Stash Report - Week 43

2011-10-30T19:16:00.001-04:00

My report is late in being posted today because I had a long, lazy morning after three full days of working at the guild quilt show, and then we headed to a Halloween party this afternoon. It was an amazing show and the quality of quilts was just spectacular. I am really lucky to be in a guild with so many other talented quilters.

I will post pictures in the near future when I have some time to cull through them all - most likely, I will post a few of my favorites and then a link to an album with all of them.

Today, just a quick picture and a stash report -- I did fairly well despite there being 18 vendors at the show! I did a little shopping and added a few patterns and a few precuts and one kit to my stash.

Fabric added this week: 4 7/8 yards
Fabric used this week: 5/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 46 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 95 7/8 yards

Net fabric used: 49 1/8 yards...back below 50! I am just hoping I can end the year above 50 :)

My pattern totals took a bit of a hit since I bought two new patterns, so now I am at a -2 for year to date pattern usage. Not sure if I will really surpass the 0 mark since my plan is to focus on UFOs through year end to achieve the goal of reducing my UFO volume by at least 8 projects. Time will tell though.....

A Quilters Journey

2011-10-28T21:38:00.001-04:00

What an amazingly great day today! Our guild show, A Quilters Journey, opened at 10 am this morning and it was rocking...the aisles were full, the quilters were shopping, and oh, my, the quilts are gorgeous. Every time I walk the main path (and that is a lot!), I see another quilt that catches my eye. Our guild is really lucky to have so many talented women and men (there are just a couple of them, but they do great work too). Warning...I did not resize any of these pics so they might take a bit longer to load.

I was thrilled to have two of my three judged quilts place in their categories. The first was Lois' Oriental Stars, which won a 3rd place ribbon in the Group Quilts category. There were 7 of us (including Lois) who worked on that quilt and it is really great to see one of her quilts recognized. Even better was that her sister Marti came to see the show today and I got to show off the quilt to her too!

My Autumn Splendor also got a ribbon - an honorable mention, which I was thrilled to receive in one of the largest categories in the show. You can see in the right side of the picture that there is another from the same class hung in the next spot.

But, the biggest highlight of all so far is that I got to do some publicity for the show on a local television show earlier this week. We prepped a whole page of questions, and I was ready with all these facts about the guild and the show, then didn't get a single one of the questions they prepped! I was able to think on my feet pretty well though and I had a great time. Wish I could spend every day talking about quilting!

You can go here to see the interview => http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/indy_style/a-quilter%E2%80%99s-journey?ref=scroller&categoryId=10022&status=true

More pictures to come at the end of the show!

My version of quilt in a day

2011-10-23T20:26:00.001-04:00

Many of us know about a quilter who claims to be able to make a quilt in a day. Now, I've done pretty well before at retreats with finishing a top in a day, but never a whole quilt! This weekend, I did my own version of a quilt in a day. I picked out some fabric on Friday afternoon to make a baby quilt for my niece and nephew's baby shower, which was today. Rather than bother with piecing, I found a fabric that worked great for them, as they are big pet lovers. Last night, I loaded it on the frame, quilted it with topsy turvy hearts, and trimmed it up.

I bound it by machine today and ran out of fabric from the backing, so did two strips of backing fabric and two strips of a Moda marble called Orchid. I think it turned out great and she really liked it.

Stash Report - Week 42

2011-10-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

Another week, another report. This week my total focus was on getting 6 quilts labelled, lint rollered, sleeved, packed, and dropped off for our guild show this Friday and Saturday (info here on the show). As of Monday night, I had 6 quilts to label and lint roll, two quilts to sleeve, and one quilt that still wasn't finished quilting!

Amazingly, I got them all done and dropped them off yesterday morning. It feels great to have them all dropped off and now I just wait to hear the results of judging (I have three that are being judged, including on of Lois' UFOs). My fingers are crossed!

After I got done with all that, I finished the quilting on my charity quilt, then loaded and quilted some new fabric I picked up on Friday for a baby gift. I have to get it bound this morning as the baby shower is this afternoon!

I don't expect to use much new fabric in the coming week, as I sent my sewing machine (the main one) off to the spa for routine cleaning and maintenance. I figured it was a good time with the show because I won't have much time for sewing in the next week, and when I get it back I should be pretty inspired.

Fabric added this week: 2 1/2 yards
Fabric used this week: 4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 41 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 95 1/4 yards

Net fabric used: 53 3/8 yards

I also bought a new pattern this week so I am back at a net of 0 patterns used this year.

Hope you had a good week with your stash! Check out all the other reports at Judy's blog.

Our busy autumn day

2011-10-16T20:31:00.000-04:00

What I should have been doing today was making sleeves and labels and finishing the quilting on my last quilt for the quilt show, but the kids don't really appreciate that, so instead we headed out to the pumpkin patch with my mom and our neighbor and her baby.

It was a great day to be outside - not too warm, not too cool - and we all enjoyed the tractor ride out to the patch, selection of pumpkins, obligatory picture by the pumpkins each year, and apple cider slushies on the way out.

Stash Report - Week 41

2011-10-16T09:40:00.000-04:00

This was really a quite boring week for stash reporting, because I didn't spend much time sewing. I am working on finishing up my quilts for the quilt show in 2 weeks and quilting one of my UFOs on the Avante. It is all moving along, but fairly slowly. This week, the only fabric that went out was for a birthday fat quarter.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1/4 yard

Fabric added year to date: 39 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 91 1/4 yards

Net fabric used: 51 7/8 yards

Pattern usage remains the same at a net of 1 used for the year.

I hope to have some pictures coming this week as I get all my quilts labelled, add their sleeves, and get them into their pillowcases for quilt drop off next weekend.

Stash Report - Week 40

2011-10-09T09:31:00.000-04:00

I started the month off well and worked on not one, not two, but three UFOs this week! I got my convergence quilt into a finished top, finished my new bag (which is now a computer bag instead of a purse because it is so big!), and made some progress on my red and white quilt which I haven't worked on in ages. It felt good to get all of those projects moving along.

Here's a picture of my finished bag - all that's left it to put a covered button on it so it can close at the top. I will pick one up next time I am at Joann's (was there yesterday, but didn't read the instructions well enough to realize I needed to pick it up at the same time as my grommets!).

All of these projects helped my stash report this week. The only addition to the stash was an FQ from a bee mate that she hand dyed. It is a gorgeous raspberry piece and I will have to find the perfect project to fit it into.

Fabric added this week: 1/4 yards
Fabric used this week: 2 7/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 39 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 91 yards

Net fabric used: 51 5/8 (yay! past the 50 yard mark)

Hope you had a great week too! Stop by Judy's blog to check out the other reports.

Join me in supporting Regina

2011-10-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

My friend Regina has launched an effort in tribute to her mom, who passed away earlier this year. Please join me in making and sending some four patches to Regina.

From Regina's blog:

The concept is simple - Make a 4 Patch... Make a Donation... Make a difference.

How to Help:1. Make light-dark 4 patch block(s) using 2 1/2” squares (blocks should finish at 4 1/2” square). Use any colors you like for your “dark” but please try to use white or ivory for your “light.”
2. Send the finished block(s) to:

4Patches4Hope c/o Regina Arlauckas, PO Box 363 Churchville, NY 14428

3. Please consider making a $4 donation for each block you make to the American Cancer Society via the link at The American Cancer Society or enclose a check to the American Cancer Society with your blocks. (Please do NOT enclose cash and be sure your checks are to the American Cancer Society.)
4. The goal is 1000 blocks and $4,000 by February 28, 2012.
5. Received blocks will be assembled into “comfort quilts” and donated to the Anderson Medical Center in Anderson, SC and the Pluta Cancer Center in Rochester, NY.
6. Each block donated will enter your name into a drawing for “participation prizes.”
7. Donations of backing fabrics, batting and services are also appreciated.If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Here's where you can check in on Regina's blog and keep track of this project's progress => http://thequeenbeesbuzz.blogspot.com/

Work Day Work

2011-10-05T21:36:00.000-04:00

On Monday, our bee had our monthly work day. This month, due to some repairs going on at the place we normally meet, we met at Kathy's house instead. She has an amazing sewing ~~room~~ floor (seriously, she has a whole basement!) and we fit 8 members of our bee in the space. Jack came along with me and totally immersed himself in Legos for the day. He and I both got a lot done :)

I started by working on one of my UFOs that isn't even on one of my lists this year - my red and white quilt. I sewed 25 more squares together to make 50 more 1/2 square triangles. I need to make a total of 480 HSTs and have about 180 done...lots of work still to go! After I got that done, I started working on my newest purse, which is so big, I think it will wind up being a computer bag! All I have left is to finish the sides (obviously) and insert grommets to put the handles through.

I have also been working this week on my UFO for this month from Judy's UFO Challenge. She pulled #5, which is my Convergence quilt. Last you saw it, I had finished the center at retreat with my mom.

Each night this week, I've added a border and now the top is done! Now I just need to make a back, quilt and bind it. I really am hoping to get it done by the end of the month.

Stash Report - Week 39

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

For the last few weeks, my focus has been on breaking in my new HQ Avante, so the focus hasn't been on my stash. Luckily, my mom has been helping me out. She is mentoring Lois' great niece Mallory on her senior project, which is a quilt. Last week, they got the backing cut, so it makes up the most of my stash usage. I also finished my market bags on Friday night and had just a little stash used for the handles. The addition is the last of my birthday FQs...maybe this will be the last stash to enter the house this year....hmmmm, will be interesting to see!

Fabric added this week: 1/4 yard
Fabric used this week: 2 yards

Fabric added year to date: 39 1/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 88 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 49 yards -- let's see if I can get past 50 next week!

My pattern usage stays steady at a net of 0 patterns used...I almost bought a magazine today at Joann's but resisted....aren't I good?

Hope you had a great week with your stash!

September Review

2011-10-01T18:22:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe that September is already over! I told you when I posted at the beginning of the month that it was going to be a good one and it was. In addition to a major addition to my basement studio, I got several projects finished that I really wanted to have done and we went on a great family camping trip at my sister in law's farm.

On the sewing front, the biggest news of the month was the upgrade of my midarm from an HQ16 to an HQ Avante. I quilted the last quilt on my old machine and three projects on the new one this month -- here's the total list of quilting and sewing finishes from my 15 hours of sewing time in September.

Baby blanket

Comfort quilt pillowcase (and gifted the comfort quilt)
Quilted, bound, and attached a hanging sleeve to Lois' bowties
Quilted and finished my Market bags, a UFO from last year

Loaded and quilted a rail fence quilt for Kay
Loaded and quilted my mom's Convergence quilt

On deck and most important for October is getting my projects ready for the quilt show - I have two quilts that need hanging sleeves, one that needs to be finished (quilting is partially done), and labels for all of them. I am planning to quilt another one or two projects this month and have a sewing day Monday, so hope to get some piecing done on a new purse and maybe a new project too. Hope September was good for you too!

Fifty Percent

2011-09-27T22:09:00.001-04:00

I bet, Lois, that you would never have expected us to finish any of your UFOs beyond the few quilts you had specific plans for, but guess what - we've gotten to the 50% mark! 27 of your UFOs completed and given to your family (or ready to be given)!

I took some time tonight to update the spreadsheet I started after inheriting all your fabric and projects and was just thrilled to see that so many projects are finished. There are four others waiting in the wings to be quilted and I hope to get them done over the next few months, but boy is it exciting to get this far!

Here are some pictures of what we've finished lately:

Your Petal Play wall hanging from the class with Joan Shay

Two picture quilts from a trip to Las Vegas a few years ago (I never knew you with brown hair, so it had to be before Jenna was born!). I found the flamingo and penguin paper pieced blocks with them and couldn't figure out why until we remembered that there are penguins at the Flamingo hotel in Vegas, and you must have stayed there. They made their way into the backs.

Wool crazy patch blocks - you'd made four, but with no note of what you intended to do with them and no additional pieces cut out, so mom made the executive decision to make them into pillow covers.

Oriental Stars - I think I showed this one before - we all remember the day you came to work day and cut this out and are glad to see how it all came together. This one will be entered into judging at the quilt show because so many of us from the bee worked together to get it finished.

Bowties - I asked for help on the blog to put them together in the best layout and got some great feedback. I went with the majority for this layout and allover quilting - the last project I finished on the HQ16. This one will also go into the show for display.

Hope you approve of how we're finishing them and I know they will be enjoyed by your family!

Stash Report - Week 38

2011-09-25T20:53:00.001-04:00

It is a late stash report this week because I didn't turn on the computer until just a few minutes ago and I am also catching up from last week! I had a good week and between myself and my mom, got a lot of fabric used. I quilted my first project on the Avante - a two-fer. I am making a set of Market Bags from a Terry Atkinson book and quilted them both at the same time. I am hoping to get them done this week. The great news is that I used Rainbows thread on them and I had heard that it didn't work well on HQ's but I didn't have any problems with it and it looks great! I thought my tension was a teeny bit off the whole time I was quilting, but when I took it off the frame, it looked great :D I am sure I will have tension challenges ahead of me, but am glad not to have them on the first project.

I also count a pillowcase and a yard of test fabric which I put on the Avante when it was being set up. Mittens is now snuggling on that fabric and seems to approve of the test quilting.

My mom gave me the biggest boost this week though, as she took a bolt of muslin home and cut all of her hanging sleeves for the quilt show out of it and also used it to finish 4 pillows from wool blocks Lois had made. We didn't really have enough to make a top from them, but they will look good as pillows. Mom and I are each going to keep one and will give the other two to her sister for her family.

I did add some fabric and a couple patterns this week (pictured below) - all were gifts, but I still count them. The Miranda Day Bag kit is from a friend in my bee, and the book is a birthday present from one of my friends who doesn't quilt, but has a good eye for picking out quilting books! Also included in the picture are the bow tie quilt w/binding finished (will show a picture soon when I do an update post on Lois' UFOs) and a cross stitch that mom gave me for my birthday.

Well, that's all the chatter -- here's the official report:

Fabric added last two weeks: 2 1/8 yards
Fabric used last two weeks: 6 3/4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 38 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 86 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 47 1/4 yards

Patterns used/added this week: 1/2
Net patterns used year to date: 0

My Jedi

2011-09-20T20:28:00.000-04:00

Today was my day off (I work 4 days/week) and I had a great day with Jack. Before Jenna started first grade, I was a little apprehensive about how a whole day with Jack would go because he plays with her so much and is so needy when he doesn't have his playmate! I am happy to report that we're having a blast and really enjoying our days together. Today, the schedule included errands, vacuuming, laundry, watching a little PBS Kids, having lunch at school with Jenna, Wii, and then a little sewing. You can tell which parts of the schedule were at his request and which were at mine!

To keep Jenna occupied when I was sewing, I kept an art bag in my sewing room that she could only play with in there and she loved it. Jack could care less...so today, when we headed upstairs, I suggested that he bring up a few Star Wars characters to play with. He did and kept himself very busy for about 30-40 minutes playing with them, then asked if he could help. He was a great helped cutting threads for me, then wanted to play with the scissors. I set him loose with my scrap bag and a pair of scissors and he had a blast. Before long, he told me he had made a belt to hold his lightsaber.

Don't you love the 4 1/2 year old imagination?

I told you it was going to be an exciting month

2011-09-16T15:02:00.001-04:00

Sunday morning, I quilted my last quilt on my HQ16. It was the August UFO and one of Lois' that was just in blocks when I found it.

After I got the quilt off the frame, I took it apart, vacuumed the floor and got ready for Tuesday when my new toy arrived. Here's what I am playing with now!

It is a new HQ Avante with an 18" throat. So far, I have only quilted a test piece on it, but love it already!

Stash Report - Week 36

2011-09-11T09:25:00.000-04:00

~~Since I didn't use any stash this week~~, I figure I could at least share some pictures of a finished project. Okay, I figured out after writing this whole post that I did use some stash this week, because I finished up a baby blanket (will post a picture later because it has the recipient's name on it and I know her mom sometimes reads the blog)!

I sewed the label onto the comfort quilt that I made this week so it is ready to gift. I pulled greens and animal themed prints from my stash and then had to purchase a few animal prints to finish it up (they were counted when I made the blocks last month). I decided when putting it on the frame that I wanted an all over pattern and that this would be a good quilt to try something new. I practiced for a few minutes, then took off with the Paisley design from Leah Day's blog. Here's a closeup of the texture that it gave the quilt.

I had all kinds of problems with the tension on this quilt and tried just about everything, but at the end of the day, I think I have a bad bobbin. Here's a distance picture of the back (not showing you up close cause you'll see the evidence of the tension issues ;)

All in all, I really like how it turned out and would definitely make this quilt again. I think it would be fun in holiday fabrics too.

Hope you had a great week!

Fabric added/used this week: 0 / 2 1/4 yards
Fabric added/used year to date: 36 3/4 yards / 79 3/8 yards

Net fabric used: 42 5/8 yards

Pattern usage holds steady at 1 used for the year.

August Report

2011-09-04T23:09:00.002-04:00

I decided to forgo the stash report this week as there is nothing to report - no in, no out, no patterns bought or used. The quilt I loaded on the frame last week is patiently waiting for inspiration and the one I am working on quilting upstairs is starting to show some progress. I will unveil both as they are finished.

In August, I started the month with a sewing day with me bee and ended the month with a sewing day at Shiisa Quilts. It was a good month with 25 1/2 hours of sewing (woot woot!).

I finished the following projects:
- Made two quilt backs - comfort quilt and charity quilt
- Made a spool tree for our guild's shop at the quilt show
- Trimmed, added binding, and outsourced the stitching of the binding on Lois' Oriental Stars quilt
- Loaded, quilted, and bound the green/animals comfort quilt.
- Loaded and quilted mom's red & white flowers quilt.
- Finished a UFO - the Buttons & Blooms tote bag
- Took a color selection class with Mickey Depre
- Put together the jelly roll hexagon top

September is gonna be fun....trust me!

Stash Report - Week 34

2011-08-28T08:23:00.001-04:00

The birthday celebration continued through this week, as I hosted and celebrated my birthday with my bee on Monday. For each member's birthday, all of the other members give her a fat quarter. My request was for dark blues with tone on tone or small patterns, and I got a great selection of fabrics.

I also gave a couple FQs to other bee members, so there was a little tiny bit of yardage out.

Fabric added this week: 2 1/2 yards
Fabric used this week: 3/4 yard

Fabric added year to date: 36 3/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 77 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 40 3/8 yards

I also finished a quilt top yesterday, so can count another pattern as used. So far this year, I have used or donated 11 patterns, and I have added 10 patterns or books to my stash, so I am up one for the year!

This is the Opposites Attract quilt from Heather Mulder Peterson's Sizzling Sixties book. I used a jelly roll of Charisma to make it, and plan to give this as a gift when I get it quilted.

Hope you had a great week with your stash! Read more reports over at Judy's blog.

Week 33 Stash Report

2011-08-21T21:07:00.000-04:00

Well, I had a great week but had a little backslide when it comes to the stash report! I worked this week on quilting a top for my mom that is about 1/2 done and should be finished this week. I was hoping to get it done during the week, but Jack is having a really hard time going to sleep in the evenings, and the whirr of the HQ adds to it. I am going to have to focus on quilting before bedtime or weekends for a while, I think. I have two more quilts to load right after this one, so I am hoping the evening situation will improve this week.

So, since I couldn't do a ton of quilting this week, I spent several hours working on the cross-stitch stocking I am making for my nephew, and I got one of my newest UFOs finished. About 6 weeks ago, I had the chance to be a stunt sewer/pattern tester for Terri Degenkolb of Whimsicals, but I really failed at it! I got started on the pattern and gave her some feedback, but then got waylaid with work and wasn't able to finish it before she had to go to print. The good news is that the only problems I ran into when dong the rest of the pattern were 100% user error (that's what I get for sewing something new when tired!). Here's the result - a tote bag from her newest line, Buttons and Blooms.

I did add a little fabric this week - I placed an online order last weekend so that I can make a new purse, and also went to the Ice Cream Social sale at Quilts Plus yesterday. I picked up a couple yards for pillowcases, a quilt back, and another piece I just liked. At $4/yard, it was tough to come home with only this!

The end result for the week is:
Fabric added this week: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric added year to date: 34 1/4 yards
Fabric used year to date: 76 3/8 yards

Net fabric used: 42 1/8 yards

Stash Report - Week 32

2011-08-14T14:17:00.000-04:00

Not much to write about today in regards to the stash report. I focused this week on finishing the quilting on the comfort quilt I am making. It gave me all kinds of problems and I wound up using two different needles, three different threads in the bobbin, and believe I might have a bad bobbin. When I threw it on the frame last week, I thought I'd be able to finish it in an evening, but that didn't happen at all! I will post a few pictures when I get the binding on, which I hope to do today. I am happy overall with the quilt top, but the back is pretty yucky looking - some eyelashes and several places where the top thread pulled through to the back and got wrapped up in the bobbin thread. I haven't had this happen before so am wondering if it is a bobbin issue or a thread issue. For the next top I quilt, I am going to use a fresh bobbin and use the same thread in both the top and bobbin. Fingers crossed that it won't give me as many problems, because I still have that and two more quilts I want to get quilted by the end of this month.

In stash news, I was very happy to clean up my stash last weekend and in doing so, found a cut of Kaffe Fassett fabric in Lois' stash that I can't envision myself using, so I gave it to my friend Stephanie who has quilted two of the UFO quilts for her family. My pattern usage isn't detailed below, but remains at a net of 0.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric added year to date: 25 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 76 3/8 yards

Net fabric used: 50 1/2 yards

As I finish up my report this week, I feel compelled to write a word about the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair last night. I had never been to a State Fair before I moved to Indiana, and have been almost every year since I moved to Indiana. We have always so enjoyed our days there and loved seeing all the fair has to offer. I was very sad last night to see the events unfold and hear of the injuries and deaths and my thoughts go out to the families of the victims, the responders, and the onlookers.

Stash Report - Week 31

2011-08-07T08:36:00.000-04:00

I showed earlier this week my progress with stash busting at my bee's monthly work day, and that's just about all the sewing I got in. I did get a quilt loaded on the frame which I will get to today, and yesterday while the whole house was napping, I got two huge piles of fabric put back in their bins. It really makes the corner of me sewing room a lot more inviting :)

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 5 5/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 25 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 73 3/8 yards

Net fabric used: 49 1/2 yards

Pattern usage remains the same at a net of zero. I am eyeing two patterns that I want to make up so hoping to get to them after all the quilting I have lined up - 4 quilts right now that I want to finish this month...guess I better get off the computer and start quilting!

End of one month, beginning of another

2011-08-02T21:35:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe another month has passed, but this one went quickly because I had not one, but two vacations! I need to post about each of them...but until then, I will report on the paltry bit of sewing that happened between them. I started the month on a tear to finish up my Judy Laquidara quilt and got the final stitches in the binding the night before I left for Houston. Between Houston and PA, I got the fabric selected and blocks made for a comfort quilt, which I finished on Sunday -- well, the top is finished at least. I only had 10 1/4 hours in the sewing room, but that's not bad for being gone half the month and crazy busy the other half!

Yesterday, I had a great day at work day and got all I wanted done and a little more. My primary goal was to get backs made for two tops I've finished, the comfort quilt, and the charity quilt. I had a couple helpers "playing quilt" on the charity top.

Our bee also made little Christmas trees for our guild shop at the quilt show which is coming up this fall. Here's Jenna working with Mom and Debbie.

If you live within a few hours of Indianapolis, it is a great show to visit. Basic information about it is here on our website, and if you'd like a chance at winning the raffle quilt (pictured on the website), I'd be happy to help you acquire a ticket.

Next up is quilting away. I have these two quilts and two for my mom lined up and ready to go as soon as I have the time and energy - it ain't gonna be tonight!

Stash Report - Week 30

2011-07-31T17:48:00.000-04:00

Well, I really should have posted my stash report this morning given how awesome it is this week, but I have been doing all the mundane tasks required when you return from a week long family vacation. We spent last week in the lovely state of Pennsylvania...I will share stories and pictures later this week. While I was gone, my mom was cutting into my stash for three different things and she made great progress in my stashbusting (probably the best week of the year so far). She cut up 4 yards of fabric for scrap pet bags, helped Mallory, Lois' niece, pick out fabric from her late aunt's stash for her senior project (Lois would be so tickled that she's making a quilt!), and started working on a graduation quilt using some of my moda marbles.

While she was doing so well, I had the chance to visit Quilt Odyssey, a nice show in Hershey, PA. I added a little to my fabric and pattern stash, pictured below. The snowman pattern is a present for my mom, so I didn't have to count that one :)

Fabric added this week: 1 3/4 yards
Fabric used this week: 13 1/2 yards

Fabric added year to date: 25 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 69 3/4 yards

Net fabric used: 43 7/8 yards...not to bad for half way through the year, and I am planning to work on a couple backs this week, so it should look even better next Sunday!

Since I added a pattern, my net pattern usage is back to zero. 10 in/10 out or used for the year so far. I am hoping to finish the year with a positive number, even if it is just 1! Add that to my goal of reducing UFOs and it is hard to do...but I will keep working on it...I feel a new purse coming on soon!

Stash Report - Week 30

2011-07-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

My goal this week was to buy a little fabric so I could get the top together for a comfort quilt. I have tons of greens, but found that I had fewer animal/pet prints than I originally thought. I paired fabrics, pressed, cut, and pieced last weekend so that I could know exactly what I needed to buy. I liberated my mom of 3 FQs and added three from the LQS. I used them all in the same week, so it was a good trade.

Fabric added this week: 3/4 yard
Fabric used this week: 3 1/2 yards (didn't get to the back yet)

Fabric added year to date: 24 1/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 56 1/4 yards

Net fabric used: 32 1/8 yards

I also get to add a pattern to my usage this week, so I have now used 1 more pattern than I've bought this year - yay! I have a couple others in the lineup, but it probably won't be until late August at the earliest since I have a long list of existing projects I want to work on/quilt in August. Hope you had a busty week too!

Design Wall Monday - July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T09:24:00.001-04:00

I started work on a new quilt this weekend for a little girl whose daddy passed away in an accident a few weeks ago. Her favorite color is green and she loves animals, so it was the perfect opportunity to pull out some of my novelty prints. I have 6 more blocks to make and hope to have the top and maybe even the back together this week.

The patterns is Barbara's Antiques by Debbie Caffrey. She came to our guild several years ago and I picked it up from her sale table. So glad to finally use it!

Stash Report - Week 29

2011-07-17T09:21:00.001-04:00

My stash report took a brief break last week because I packed a couple suitcases and took the kids to Houston to see where I grew up. We stayed with family and friends, ate a lot of good food, and swam in the pool a lot. We had a great time, and before I left, I finally finished my Judy L. quilt - got the binding sewn down on Tuesday night and I am so happy with how it looks - I am definitely going to put this one in the quilt show later this year.

I didn't do any other sewing leading up to our trip and didn't go to any quilt shops while in Houston (whew!), so the stash report would have said nothing added, nothing used last week. This week, I started a new quilt top which will be a comfort quilt for a little girl whose daddy passed away recently. I got six blocks made Friday night and am planning to head upstairs after I write this post to make another six. I am using novelty pet and animal prints, so had to borrow some from my mom and might have to pick up a few others today so I can make the quilt a nice size. The good news is that whatever I bring in will be cut up right away :)

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1 1/2 yards

Fabric added year to date: 22 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 52 3/4 yards

I am still at the same place for patterns - net of 0, but I am using one for the comfort quilt, so as soon as the top is together, I will be in the black :)

Seven Years

2011-07-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

That's how long it has been since our tent saw the light of day. Many years ago, my husband and I met up with my college roommate's family for a camping weekend. On Sunday morning, there were gale force winds and in the middle of a nice sleep, our tent ripped open. It actually ripped from the seam line all the way across one side of the floor. As Michelle looked out their camper, she couldn't figure out why Mike was sleeping with his legs out in the open! Needless to say, we packed up camp quickly, threw the tent in the back of our Jeep and moved in with them in their camper. We camped a couple times after that with borrowed tents, then took a hiatus from tent camping while we were raising babies.

We started talking earlier this week about going camping and I decided today to pull out the old tent and see if I could repair it. I picked up a tent repair kit and got to work ripping out the tent "binding" along the bottom edge. I loaded my machine with a denim needle and nylon thread and pulled the table into the middle of the room.

The repair job didn't take too long at all, and by mid afternoon, we found the canopy and set up the tent in the backyard so it can air out for a while. Now that it's all fixed up, I am craving smores!

Another month bites the dust

2011-07-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

Boy, did June fly by! I have a feeling July will do the same as I have two trips planned, the first beginning this Wednesday. I am packing up the kids and taking them to experience Houston in the summer. I think I am a little crazy for going when Houston is at its hottest, but the fares were good and I am looking forward to seeing lots of good friends and family.

I got a lot finished this month, which really feels good! I had a good month from start to finish and spent 19 1/2 hours sewing (not counting hand sewing binding in front of the tv, or in the car!). Here are my accomplishments:
- Finished the top and backing and loaded my Judy L. quilt on the frame. I made good progress but fell just shy of finishing the quilting in June.
- Pieced the last set of hexagon blocks for a "work on it when I am out and about" quilt. I haven't taken any pictures of them yet, but plan to when they are on my design wall.
- Quilted and bound my snap sack quilt, and gifted it to my good friend Jen to hang in her ultra modern Philly home.
- Finished the back for Lois' Oriental Stars and outsourced the quilting of it.
- Quilted my friend Kathy's Girl Scout quilt
- Put binding on a small wallhanging UFO of Lois'

I also took a few minutes this weekend to update a couple of my sidebars. My UFO gadget shows my progress to date and adds the three projects I've started on this year but not yet finished. My 2011 goals is also updated and I think I am making good progress on them. I have a drop in project (one that I didn't plan or expect to make -- a comfort quilt) that I want to get done quickly in July, then I plan to start working on the QOV. I've picked out fabrics and a pattern so hope that I can get started on it later this month or early next month. I am also hoping to get one quilt quilted this month so I can stay on top of the "to be quilted" stack.

Judy L. picked #2 for this month's UFO -- which is getting a top together for me. Not sure how much progress I will make on it, but if I don't work on it, I plan to work on one of the others on my list. Our bee UFO for the quarter is #4 which is my market bags that need to be quilted and assembled. I may not work on them this month, but sure do plan to get going on them before the end of the quarter like I've done with the previous two!

Hope you all had a great June, happy and productive July to you all!

Stash Report - Week 27

2011-07-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

This was a great week - I started with the goal of quilting my quilt from Judy's class last year, and finished with it sitting on my couch just waiting for the binding and hanging sleeve to be sewn down. I was worried about finding a good binding because I ran out of practically every fabric in the quilt (or at least didn't have enough left to make the binding), so I headed to my stash and found two fabrics that I thought could work. Both looked good, but I liked one better than the other. I got the binding and hanging sleeve made and put on yesterday, so now I have 336" of binding to sew down before I head out of town on Wednesday. I better get binding!

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1 1/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 22 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 51 1/4 yards

Net fabric used: 28 7/8 yards

Pattern usage remains the same, net usage of 0.

Stash Report - Week 26

2011-06-26T11:20:00.001-04:00

I didn't think I would have much to report this week when I wrote my stash report for last week, but then I decided to put a quilt back together and start on a new project, my stunt sewing project. I didn't finish the stunt sewing project, so don't have anything to show on that yet, but I did use a fair amount of fabric between the two.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 4 1/2 yards

Fabric added year to date: 22 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 50 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 27 3/4 yards

Patterns used remains at a net of zero.

This week brings quilting of my Judy L. quilt and then the process of finding some binding that will work for it since I've run out of all the fabric that I used for the borders! I also plan to keep going on my stunt sewing project so hope I can show you that before next week too. Hope you have a great stashbusting week!

Swimming in Orientals

2011-06-20T16:06:00.000-04:00

I hadn't planned to have a design wall Monday post today since I didn't have anything of note to show...but then I got a good hour of sewing in while Jack crashed on the couch and finished a back for one of Lois' UFOs. If you haven't heard of Lois before, she is the quilting friend who passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2009 and left me her stash, complete with 56 UFOs. With the help of my bee, we got through lots of them last year, but we have been moving a little slower this year since we finished three big ones for nieces and nephew. Earlier this year, Kathy, who I quilted the girl scout quilt for over the weekend, put the borders on this one, so all it needed was a back.

Lois was always one for scrappy backs and she had two full rolling cart drawers full of Oriental FQs and quarter yards. I decided a scrappy Oriental back would be perfect for this quilt. As the mood struck me, I pulled fabric and pieced it together. I decided last night that this would be a good back to finish this month since I have challenged myself to use my Janome for only quilting, binding, and piecing backs this month (no new blocks!). With a couple hours work, I got it all put together. The middle has quarter yard pieces with half yards on the ends and the sides are FQs.

I even have a friend who said she'd be willing to quilt this one, let's hope the offer is still good :) The question I have for all of you is whether I can use a black batting with this. A couple of the stars and the inner border are lighter in color, so I am not sure if the batting would really show through or not. If you have an opinion or some experience, please let me know! Lois had lots and lots of black batts, and so far, I have only been able to use part of one, so I'd love to be able to use another one on this quilt if it will work without showing through.

Stash Report - Week 25

2011-06-19T18:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I guess it is about time that I posted my stash report...no news is good news, I guess. I did get a top quilted for a friend this week, so had some progress, just no stash usage. I need to load and quilt my Judy L. quilt this week and am also thinking about putting another back together for one of Lois' quilts. I started on it a while ago and need to get back to it, because another friend told me that she would quilt it :) I have a couple of quilts ready for her sister, but would like to have another big one to pass over.

Here's the one I quilted - another girl scout quilt. I did freehand loops and flowers with Isacord variegated on the top and Bottom Line on the bottom. I really liked this combination and didn't have problems with balancing the tension, which I seem to have a lot with other threads when I use bottom line in the bobbin.

So, the official reporting:
Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric added year to date: 22 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 45 5/8 yards

Net fabric used: 23 1/4 yards

Pattern usage remains the same at a net usage of 0.

June FNSI

2011-06-17T20:50:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the Friday Night Sew-In and I have plans to finish quilting this top for my friend Kathy. I loaded it about 2 weeks ago but just started the quilting on it last night and got three passes done. I think it will take four more which should be somewhere around an hour if I don't have any issues.

Once I get that done, then I will likely have a date with the couch. I have another quilt to load and quilt and bind before the end of the month, and it's gonna be a stretch, so if I get a second wind, i just might load that one.

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

I am a few weeks behind in posting this, but we had a wonderful, busy Memorial Day weekend and I thought I'd share some pictures. I also wanted to throw in a family-centric post since so much (all) of my posting over the past few months has been related to quilting and I have a few readers who enjoy the family posts more than the quilting ones :)

We started the weekend by attending the 500 Festival parade - Mike went down early and secured us a great spot on the street. My mother in law, and our friend Richard and his mom Sara joined us for the parade. The kids loved it as always, and sought refuge under Sara's umbrella when it got a little too warm.

On Sunday, while everyone else in the city was attending or listening to the Indy 500, we headed south for the day to the outlet mall. I had gotten a couple coupons in email and knew that there were good sales going on. We got great deals on shoes (3 for the price of 1) and Jenna enhanced her wardrobe for the summer. She is in a school where they wear uniforms and, since last fall, had grown out of most of her prior summer clothes. She changed into her new dress immediately when we got home and loves it! While Mike and the kids were waiting for me and mom to go through a few stores, the kids found this truck to drive and had a great time taking turns as the driver.

On Monday, we rounded out our weekend with a trip to the ballpark downtown - I've always told people that it is named after my family :)

I taught the kids to take off their hats and put their hands on their heart for the singing of the national anthem, and I think they did pretty well.

It was a looonnnggg game, not because there was anything special going on, but because the kids were restless. They must have walked around the park 5 times and were hungry every inning! As we left the park in the 7th inning, we walked by the table where the team mascot Rowdie was signing autographs and taking pictures. Jenna wouldn't have anything to do with him, but Jack was happy to take his hat, his sister's, and give Rowdie a hug!

After all that, we came home, showered, and crashed. It was a great long weekend!

Stash Report - Week 24

2011-06-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

This was a great week for busting. I got the back made for the quilt top I finished l last week and I cut up a few scrap bags/pet beds.

My mom also came last night and took some FQs for a quilt she's working on, but she took a bunch to audition and is then going to pick from there, so I will hold on counting those fabrics until she decides which she wants to use and which she wants to return.

I also finished up a little quilting this week on the quilt I asked for your advice on here. Regina told me about these cute flowers, and even though I dismissed them at first (sorry Reg!), I kept thinking about them and decided to give them a whirl.

I am really pleased with the result and just have to sew on the binding and gift it this weekend. So, Regina, let me know what kind of fabric you need to add to your stash and I will send you a little thank you for the idea! I've got just about everything except repros and 30's.

I did have a little stash sneak in this week. My mom works for Terri Degenkolb of Whimsicals Designs and she has written a new pattern for a bag that she wants a couple people to test so she sent some fabric home with my mom for me to be a tester. Here's a sneak peek of her next line!

So, all in all, my report turned out like this:
Fabric added this week: 2 3/4 yards
Fabric used this week: 7 5/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 22 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 45 5/8 yards

Net fabric used: 23 1/4 yards - finally past the 20 yard mark!

Pattern usage remains the same at net of 0, but I will have one to add soon once I get some blocks put together into a top.

Hope you had a good week with your stash!

Stash Report - week 23

2011-06-05T09:48:00.000-04:00

My single focus this week was getting my version of Judy's Morning Sunrise finished, and I put the 9th border on yesterday, whew! I had most of the fabric already cut, but had to dig into a little for the black and final green borders. Next up is making the back, so that should help my report in the next week or so. My goal for the rest of the month is to use my 6600 only for backs and quilting so I can get a few things closer to finished.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 1/2 yard

Fabric added year to date: 19 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 38 yards

Net fabric used: 18 3/8 yards

Patterns in/ used remains the same: 0

Hope you got something done this week too!

The top is done!

2011-06-04T12:34:00.001-04:00

Hooray, hooray, I just put the last borders on my quilt top from Judy Laquidara's workshop in Indy last year. This was the first thing I made for me from Lois' stash and I was in love with the blocks as soon as I made them. This quilt is not difficult in piecing, but the construction tested all my skills, including the addition of 9 borders, one of which was pieced. I ran out of fabric at border number 4 and the project was stalled...but my mom found the fabric in Paducah this year. I came perilously close to running out of the green for the last border and had to piece it like crazy to make it work. Judy made her quilt rectangular, but I decided to make mine square because way back when I thought it would make a good fall table topper. Once I started on it, I knew I never wanted to risk food being on top of it and I totally underestimated the size it would be with all the borders. The finished size is about 86" square, so it is big!

Here's a picture of it laid across our king sized bed.

And here is a closeup of one corner so you can see all the borders.

Next up is quilting the top that is on my frame and get a back made for this so that I can load it and quilt it next. It is my UFO for this quarter, so it needs to be done by the end of the month.

May in Review

2011-06-02T20:29:00.000-04:00

It seems like the first 2/3 of May screamed by, then it finally slowed down in the last part of the month. Despite not having a lot of motivation this month and having a quick trip to Germany for work, I did get a fair amount done.

Here's the recap from my 15 1/2 hours of quilting:
- Quilted and bound my cupcake table runner (UFO #8)
- Quilted and bound my holly jolly Christmas table runner (UFO #9)
- Made a quick preemie quilt for a teacher at our childcare center
- One leaf block for a beemate
- Finished the top for my blue and white charity quilt
- Loaded my friend Kathy's quilt top on the HQ
- Added 4 1/2 borders to my Judy Laquidara quilt (I was so hoping I could report finishing this one, but I ran out of steam over the weekend to get it done)

This month, my UFO for Judy's challenge is already done, so I have a "free" month, although I have plans on the schedule for every weekend this month and that's when I usually get my quilting done. My goal is to focus on backs and quilting in June so that I can get a couple more UFOs knocked out and a couple newer projects on their way.

Memorial Weekend Stash Report

2011-05-29T17:55:00.000-04:00

This was a slow week for the stash, but I am working hard this weekend to get the remaining borders on my version of Judy's quilt (last shown here). I have 4 down and 5 to go, but I think I may not have enough fabric for the last border (yes, I might run out of fabric for this quilt again! The first one I ran out of the was the black accent/border and my mom found some for me in Paducah this year), so I may stop before her last border on her pattern. I am mainly looking at it each round to see if I would be happy with it stopping there...if not, I keep going.

I only had one FQ go out this week for a birthday FQ exchange, so the report stays largely like last week's:

Fabric added this week: 0 yards

Fabric used this week: 1/4 yard

Fabric added year to date: 19 5/8 yards

Fabric used year to date: 36 1/3 yards

Net fabric used: 17 7/8 yards....getting closer to that 20 yard mark, which I hope to pass in the next few weeks as I prep a couple backs.

Pattern usage remains the same: 0 net used

Ideas Please

2011-05-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

So, blogger tells me that there are over 50 of you who read these posts when I put them out - wow! thanks! And now I need your help.

A couple months ago, I finished this cute little snap sack top and I have it all basted up and ready for quilting. I even stitched in the ditch between the blocks and the border, but now I am stuck. Gol' darn stuck. I have been perusing through the designs over at Leah Day's blog, and like several of them, but just can't decide what to do. I want something that will be more on the minimal side than on the heavily quilted side. I am not good with feathers, so can't even contemplate them, but I am fairly adventurous outside of that. I am open to one design in the blocks and another in the border or something that goes all over.

Please leave me a comment with your thoughts! Oh, and by the way, the top is only about 12 x 20, it's a little sucker and I will be quilting it on my Janome 6600. And I tell you what, just to sweeten the pot a little, how about I pick out a little fabric to send the person who gives me the idea that I wind up quilting? So when you leave me a comment, let me know your favorite color or fabric type (batik/oriental/etc) so I can pick out something you like!

Another finished UFO

2011-05-25T07:30:00.001-04:00

I was really glad when Judy pulled #9 this month for the UFO challenge, because I knew that, even with a trip for work in the beginning of the month, that I could get it done! I put the stitches into the binding today and now I am ready to put it with my Christmas decorations and look forward to having it on my dinner table this holiday season.

I made the top a couple years ago, when the HQ was new and I wasn't confident enough to quilt anything, so it got shuffled away for a while, waiting to be quilted. I can't recall the name of the charm pack now, but I think it was the first one I ever bought. The pattern is called Jingle Jolly Runner from Happy Zombie Quilts (a free pattern!).

Here it is testing out my table!

And a closeup of the quilting - freehand loops and holly leaves.

Design Wall Monday

2011-05-23T07:30:00.001-04:00

Ages and ages ago, I asked some of you for help in setting some bow tie blocks from my friend Lois, who left me her stash (and stack of 56 UFOs). In going through the stash boxes, I found a ziploc bag with a huge stack of blue and cream squares, so I decided to stick them by my sewing machine for some easy piecing when I was tired. From the beginning, I planned to make them into a charity quilt and last night, I got that top done! I have fabric pulled for the back and will make it sometime in the next few weeks or months and then will pass it on to a local women's shelter for use in one of their beds.

Stash Report - Week 20

2011-05-22T11:50:00.000-04:00

It was a great week for my stash! I had a plan last Sunday to get my charity quilt top finished so that I can focus on finishing the quilt from the Judy L. workshop I took last year in my guild. It is my 2nd quarter UFO with my bee and I really need to get going to get it quilted and bound by the end of June, which is sneaking up on us quicker and quicker.

In addition to cutting borders for both the charity quilt and the Judy L. quilt, I used a little fabric for a block I made and gave my mom a big hunk of Kona black for a quilt she's going to start on.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 5 3/4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 19 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 37 1/4 yards

Net fabric used: 17 5/8 yards

Last night I finished the top for the charity quilt, and here's a sneak peek. I will show the whole top tomorrow for design wall monday.

I am counting a pattern used for this top - I adapted a pattern in the book called Jack and Jill quilts by Retta Warehime. It was gifted to me a couple years ago and there are some really sweet quilts in it. Mine is an adaptation of the one in the book called Root Beer Float.

So 1 pattern used this week and 0 added brings me back to even for the year on pattern usage.

Stash Report - week 19

2011-05-15T10:07:00.000-04:00

It was a really piddly week for me. I got a little sewing done but really not much. Last Sunday, I put the binding on the two table runners I quilted recently, and later in the week made a super simple preemie quilt for a teacher from our child care center who had a baby girl last weekend way too early.

I had people at my house and guild this week, which chewed up a couple nights and then I was just feeling lazy, but I did bind a little and did some cross stitch, so I don't feel like a total slug :)

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 5/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 19 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 31 1/2 yards

Net fabric used: 11 7/8 yards

Patterns in/ out this week: 1/3 - bought a Nancy Odom book at the guild meeting, but also donated three l patterns to the guild for our shop at the guild show later this year, so net pattern usage is improving ever so slightly to -1.

Number Eight

2011-05-08T21:48:00.001-04:00

Even before Judy pulled #9 in this month's UFO challenge, I knew I just wanted to get #8 finished. I had pieced it earlier this year and wanted to quilt it. At the very end of last month, I got it prepped for quilting and when Judy pulled #9 on the 1st, I knew I could probably get them both done this month, so I went ahead and quilted it. This is why I love table runners - less than an hour from loading it to unloading it! I quilted swirls because I wanted something with a little more oomph than loops or stippling.

I had already made the binding, and found time today to attach it by machine to the front and the back. Now it is ready to adorn my table the next time we have a birthday to celebrate!

And, isn't this backing fabric perfect? I had it in my stash and couldn't think of a better use for it!

Mother's Day Stash Report

2011-05-08T16:49:00.000-04:00

Nothing in/nothing out/nothing added/nothing used, so the numbers remain the same as last week.

Fabric added year to date: 19 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 30 7/8 yards
Net fabric used: 11 1/4 yards

Patterns added/used: -3 for the year

Most of this was due to the fact that I was in Germany for the week for a business trip. We did have one afternoon to explore a little, so here are a few pictures of the sights in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Hope all the mothers, mothers-to-be, and those who wish to be mothers are having a wonderful day. I've been spoiled by my kids and spent time with my fantastic mom who got me into this whole quilting ~~hobby~~ obsession. I couldn't have asked for a better quilting mentor and cheerleader or a better mom!

Review of April

2011-05-02T09:43:00.000-04:00

April was a really busy and productive month for me sewing-wise, and actually work wise too! The month started off with a sewing day when Jenna had a sick day. It was a kick-start for me to get several things pulled out and started/finished/worked on. Here's what I accomplished through the month:
- Quilted Lois' Las Vegas #2, made and attached binding to #1 & #2, and outsourced the hand stitching.
- Bound a prequilted panel I bought early in my sewing days and sent it off to Quilts for Japan
- Quilted "At the Park" panel for a neighbor's new son.
- Snail's Trail block for my bee mate Kathy
- Finished quilting, bound, and sewed down the hanging sleeve on my Esterita Austin quilt (Feb's UFO)
- Made my coupon clutch to replace the one I lost
- Basted and started quilting the snap sack quilt I made at the end of March.

I wound up with 19 hours in the sewing room, which is a good month. Plus, I went to the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati and had a great time with several of my bee friends from here, and seeing my blog friends from there and further away. It was great to reconnect in person with people you usually type with and see some wonderful quilts!

I am returning to part-time work status this month (hooray!!!) so will be working 4 days/week instead of 5, and am hoping that will help me get a few more things finished. It will also allow me more time with the kids, which will be good for all of us!

Stash Report - week 17

2011-05-01T09:52:00.001-04:00

Another fairly boring week for the stash. I had a little come in to help me out with one of my UFOs (I had run out of the fabric ages ago, but my mom found it at Hancock's in Paducah - yay!), and a little go out to back a UFO and a project I started earlier this year. I am hoping to quilt the UFO today and it would just line up perfectly if that's the number that Judy pulls for her UFO challenge this month.

Fabric added this week: 1 yard
Fabric used this week: 1 yard

Fabric added year to date: 19 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 30 7/8 yards
Net fabric used: 11 1/4 yards

I did finish a coupon clutch this week from this pattern on Moda Bake Shop. I lost my old coupon keeper a few weeks ago so I googled and found this cute pattern. I used a charm pack of Posh and like how it turned out.

Patterns added/used remains the same: -3 for the year

I am headed out for a trip for work this week but am hoping to get some UFO/WIP progress made today. And I am really looking forward to finding out what May's UFO will be....I am hoping for 8 or 12.

February/Esterita project done!

2011-04-26T21:22:00.000-04:00

Well, I am only two months behind, but I've gotten my Esterita Austin project finished! It was the UFO Judy pulled for February, and I worked on it quite a bit then, a tad in March, and made myself finish it up this month before starting on the April UFO. It is hanging on my design wall now and only needs the hanging sleeve stitched down. Overall, I am really happy with how it turned out and enjoyed learning this technique...not sure if I will do it again, but maybe with the right picture, I'd think about it.

Here are some of the close ups of quilting - I tried a few different patterns and enjoyed expanding my repertoire, but I sure do like the speed of quilting on the HQ a lot more!

Stash Report - Week 17

2011-04-24T08:31:00.001-04:00

I did a little bit of everything this week, but don't have any pictures to prove it, so you'll just have to trust me. I sandwiched and started quilting my April UFO, finally sent out the fabric for a giveaway I did last fall (!!), put blocks together with my mom and got them most of the way into a quilt top....before we ran out of fabric for the final sashing strips, finished the binding on my February UFO (better late than never), cut out a little coupon keeper, and started adding sashing to the blocks for my charity quilt.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 3 1/2 yards

Fabric added year to date: 18 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 29 7/8 yards

Net fabric used: 11 1/4 yards

I am about 25 yards behind where I was at this point last year, but I am okay with that since my focus this year is really on getting through UFOs.

Patterns added/used this week: 0/0
Net pattern usage: -3
I didn't think about how to count free patterns on the internet....I am not technically buying them sot they aren't adding to my stash of patterns, but I am not using something I already have, so I guess I won't count them as added or used, unless any of you can give me a good argument for counting them as used!

And since you read this far, you are rewarded with a happy easter picture from my family. I hope all of you who celebrate Easter or Passover enjoy your holiday.

About Jill's Question

2011-04-23T15:06:00.000-04:00

If you haven't been following along with Jill's Year of the PIGs posts, you're missing some great blog posts and responses about how people get PIGs, sewing areas, etc. I keep meaning to post an answer to Jill's questions, then forget about it/get busy and don't get around to it. Today, both kids are having play dates here, so I have some time where I need to be visible but not terribly involved in what's going on - the perfect time for a blog post.

This month, Jill asked: What part (or parts) of the process of making a quilt are your least favorite? The part (or parts) that you just dread and that make you throw your projects back into the dark recesses of your stash closet? Have you found any tricks to break the cycle of being held up on the parts that aren't your favorite?

I've been thinking about the answer to these questions and I think that it has changed for me over the past few years. In the beginning, getting a quilt ready for binding (including making the binding) was what did me in every time. I would get a quilt back from the quilter, put it nicely in my sewing room, then let it sit for ages before I'd pull it out, square it up, and make and attach the binding. I didn't mind the hand sewing piece - it was all the stuff that had to come before that. In order to break myself of that, I think there are two things that I've changed. First, I now make the binding when I finish the top. I find that when I finish the top is the time I am just about most excited about the quilt, so I have the energy to make the binding. I've also gotten a lot more experienced at making and attaching binding and making the ends meet, with the help of a little reference book my mom gave me when I was a new quilter (posted about here) that has a fantastic page on ending your binding. Second, I now put the finished quilts right on my cutting table when I finish quilting them so that I have to pay attention to them before I dig into something else. Sometimes this doesn't work, but most of the time it does.

So now, probably the thing that makes me turn a project that I am actively working on into a UFO is just boredom...or maybe not boredom, but interest in something new. It seems that I have sooo many things that I want to make that I just want to get going on the next thing, even when I am not finished with the last thing. That's why I have so many items to work on for the UFO challenges I am participating in this year! I usually do feel really good when I finish something up, but as soon as I do...the desire to start something else comes back! I suppose I will always have to walk that fine line between too much in progress and too much to do, but I don't mind so much....that approach will work for me until I run out of floor space and storage room!

Stash Report - week 15

2011-04-16T23:28:00.000-04:00

Not too much activity this week as I was working on stuff either already cut or quilting to finish up a UFO. I did cut a couple bindings and started cutting sashing last night for a charity quilt.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 7/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 18 5/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 26 3/8 yards

Net fabric used: 7 3/4 yards

Pattern usage for the year remains the same - I am in the hole by three.

The plan for this week is to work on quilting my April UFO and sewing the sashing onto the blocks for the charity quilt. I don't have any evening commitments this week, so hope to make some good progress.

Mission Accomplished

2011-04-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

After I posted last night, I headed right up to my sewing room, changed out the foot on my machine and got going on the quilt I wanted to finish. I had a solid hour of quilting left complete with one bobbin change and one drop of oil to make the machine sound a little happier. I got the quilting done and promptly moved on to the binding, and now it is ready (along with the hanging sleeve) for hand stitching. I am seriously thinking about requiting one spot because my tension was really loose, but even if I do that, it should only take about 30 mins and I think I will be happier in the long run.

Sorry for the wonky picture, blogger won't upload it correctly. I'll show it right side up when I finish sewing the binding!

FNSI

2011-04-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

I am joining the Friday Night Sew In momentarily and hoping to finish some quilting on my Janome tonight. Wish me luck and join in!

Stash Report - Week 14

2011-04-10T11:06:00.000-04:00

Well, Judy fell off the wagon this week and so did I! It was actually a good week for both busting and adding to the stash. I started off the week with a day home with a sick little girl, so I spent a lot of the day sewing while she was swimming. I added binding to three quilts (one baby, two wall), and pulled fabric for another baby quilt - a panel I bought a long time ago. I quilted it up this week too and found binding for it but haven't had a chance to prep it and put it on yet.

After all that good work at the beginning of the week, I headed over to the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati, OH with a van full of friends. I was so good on the first day and only bought two things - both presents for other people! On the second day, I bought a lot more....everything which is in the picture below!

The red fabric (4 yards!) is a backing for a quilt I am working on for my sister in law. It is an on and off project that I am doing when I have a sewing day, so it might not be busted soon but I have a specific purpose for it. The layer cake and the little 2.5" square packets were on sale at The Fabric Shack and I just couldn't pass them up. I will make up at least two of the square packets for my guild small quilt auction. The blue piece in the back is for a baby gift (a fabric book), and the purple batik is to make a cover for my new iPad, which also arrived this weekend. I also added 4 patterns (1 in a kit form) to my pattern stash -- yikes!

Added this week: 10 1/4 yards
Used this week: 3 1/8 yards

Added year to date: 18 5/8 yards
Used year to date: 25 1/2 yards

Net fabric used: 6 7/8 yards (I am pleasantly surprised that I am still in the black!)

Patterns added/used this week: 3/0
Net patterns used year to date: -3

I guess I better sign off this computer and get working on finishing up some projects so I can bust some more stash!!

My mess of a design wall

2011-04-04T09:32:00.000-04:00

I haven't done a design wall Monday post in a while, although even if I did, it would be the same thing week after week since the UFOs on my design wall haven't been touched in at least 4 months (except for 1 of them). Here's my mess:

And explanations of everything, starting on the left:
- Blocks from a buck-a-block from 2008? I got them all put together in 2009, and even played around with how I might finish them, but nothing has driven me to work on them yet.
- Two snowman blocks from last year's Bunny Hill BOM. I have the fabric and patterns ready for the other 10 and will get back to them someday.
- Two labels ready to go on quilts that have been done for a long time but not labelled.
- Across the top & middle are two market bags that are on my UFO list to be quilted and finished. The long thin strips are the handles and the large pieces the bags. I have lining pulled for them and will work on them when their number is pulled.
- My little snap sack top that I finished last week, sitting half on top of a wall quilt my mom finished for me last fall. I need to hang it up down by my HQ.
- Halloween wallhanging - this is my UFO for this month and needs to be quilted and bound.
- The green squares on the right are machine quilting practice. I may put them together one day into some type of charity top of may just give them to the cat...time will tell.

So, there's my mess! The only item I expect to change this month are the two little ones on the bottom, unless I get another project to the stage where I need to lay out the blocks!

Stash Report - Week 14

2011-04-03T10:47:00.000-04:00

This week was spent mostly binding and quilting, but I did get a little piecing in too. I took Thurs/Fri off work and took the kids with me to a sewing day on Thursday. I got this little snap sack top together and also worked on a WIP that I will show when I get to design wall stage...it is pretty boring in its current format.

I loaded and quilted the second Las Vegas quilt last night and got them both trimmed up so hope to get binding made today.

I am also going to work this week on getting some quilting done on my Janome so I can wrap up my UFO project that was picked in February and start on the one for April! I am going to the Cincinnati show at the end of the week and really looking forward to it, so that might impact my incoming totals.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 5/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 22 3/8 yards
Net fabric used: 14 yards

Patterns added/used this week: 0/1
Net patterns used year to date: 1

March Recap

2011-04-01T13:25:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of the month, I told myself that I wouldn't do anything except finish the UFO for the quarter (my Five Easy Pieces quilt) and finish February's UFO from Judy Laquidara's challenge....after I made myself a new purse! Here's the results of what I told myself:

- Finished my Claire purse in Bliss fabrics
- Quilted and bound Five Easy Pieces (this is second on the list but took me all month to quilt and the last week to bind! I'll get a full picture on Monday b/c I will be able to lay it all out)
- Made 2 bad snails trail blocks (they look fine, but were supposed to be 12 1/2" and turned out 11 1/4")
- Quilted the Girl Scout quilt for my mom

- Loaded and quilted the first Las Vegas quilt (one of Lois' UFOs and this is a part of the back, will save the front to show when it is bound and its twin is done too)

- Cut out and pieced a snap sack kit for a new home present for a friend who moved into her new home last year

I spent 18 hours in the sewing room/at the frame, and probably another 5-6 binding, but I don't count that time because I am usually watching TV then too. I didn't make any more progress on Feb's UFO and I didn't even pull out March's! I hope to get back on track this month!

I am going to go out on a limb for April and say that I will get two projects quilted upstairs, one or two downstairs, and start on a new cross stitch...we'll see how well I do!

Stash Report - Week 13

2011-03-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week, my primary goal was to get the binding on my Five Easy Pieces quilt so that I could get it finished by the end of the month. I trimmed and sewed it on last night and I have almost one full side of it hand stitched now. My goal is one side per day so I will be done with it by Tuesday!

I also got a quilt my mom asked me to quilt loaded and quilted this week and it will go back to her today. It was so nice to work on a quickie - quilting done in 45 minutes! I did a freehand loops and flowers pattern and really enjoyed the freehand quilting, since it is soooo much faster than a panto. I used Signature Trilobal Polyester in the top and didn't have any of the issues I've had with this thread in the past, and Robison Anton in the bobbin. It took a full bobbin and a partial one, so I only had one stop in the whole quilt.

All that I used from the stash this week was the fabric for my binding.

Fabric added this week: 0
Fabric used this week: 3/4 yard

Fabric added year to date: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 21 3/4 yards

Net fabric used: 13 3/8 yards

No change on the patterns this week, so I am still at a net of 0 patterns used for the year.

Rogue FNSI

2011-03-26T14:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Jill posted that she was having her own Friday night sew-in and I decided to join her, so we had our own little party last night, albeit in different states!

I had one goal for the night - to get the binding on Five Easy Pieces. In order to do it, I pulled my sewing table away from the wall and put another table behind it to give the quilt something to rest on.

It took me about an hour to get the binding on, so now I just have to hand sew 424" of it! I am hoping to do about a side a day so that I can have it done by the end of this month.

After that, I grabbed the orientals I cut out last week and figured out how many I'd need to make the back for one of Lois' UFOs. I had prepped 7 1/4 yard cuts and 4 FQs, so decided that I would put all the 1/4 yards together to go down the middle and then have FQs on either side of them. The back will have as much variety as the front! I still have to find a few more fabrics in the Oriental drawer to get the back finished, but it felt good to start on it.

I will be working on the frame tonight, and hopefully will make some progress on my binding, as soon as I can find my binding thread (I use hand quilting thread when binding most of the time, and I can't find my spool of navy!).

Hope you had a productive Friday night too, even if it was a rogue one!

Stash Report - Week 12

2011-03-20T09:33:00.000-04:00

Not too much exciting news in the stash report today, because I posted my exciting pictures last night.

I spent most of my time this week quilting, rather than cutting or piecing, but I did have a little stash usage as I prepped some fabric for blocks and backs.

Fabric added this week: 0
Fabric used this week: 2 7/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 21 yards
Net fabric used: 12 5/8

I am about 10 yards behind my net usage last year, so hope to catch up in the next few months. As soon as I start pulling backs for my UFOs, I will have some volume to add!

No change on the pattern front this week -- still have net used = 0 for the year.

Major Progress

2011-03-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

Yahoo, yahoo! The quilting's done! I have two projects in the midst of being quilted - one on the frame and one on my Janome, and tonight, I finished the one on the frame, my Five Easy Pieces quilt. Here are a couple pictures of the quilt on the frame -- this is where I stopped last night because I was too tired to go on without making lots of mistakes.

The panto is called Bayside by Lorien Designs. I have used it on several quilts now and I thought it would be good on this one because it would add some curves to all the square edges. I used Tuscany wool batting and it was wonderful - just the right loft for the quilt and I think it will be warm in the winters. I had to go up a needle size for this quilt because I had lots of breakage for the first several rows. I didn't like having the bigger holes from the bigger needle, but after I changed, I didn't have any thread breaks, so it was worth it! The top thread is Superior Lava, which is becoming my go-to thread for tops, and Bottom Line in the bobbin.

I took the quilt off the frame and brought it up to see it all. The first picture shows some of the texture from the quilting, and the second is more true colors.

Now, I have to bind it - hoping to finish that by the end of the month. The binding is a moda marble in dark blue, and I think it will go well with all the colors.

Mittens approves!

Stash Report - Week 10

2011-03-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

Short report for a boring sewing week. I did a little quilting early in the week, but have been busy every night since then, so my room has languished and the cat has loved sunning in my sewing room chair. Let's hope for a finish or two this week.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric added year to date: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 18 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 9 3/4 yards

Patterns in/used this week: 0/0
Net patterns used 2011: 0

Stash Report - Week 9

2011-03-06T16:31:00.000-05:00

No rush to post my stash report this week since I totally moved in the wrong direction for both patterns and fabric. To my credit, I end the week with a finished project (so at least I didn't add to my UFO list!).

I finished the purse (Claire by Lazy Girl Designs in Bliss) that I cut out last week just in time to take it to the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show on Friday. My mom and I went down to see the show, sell raffle tickets for our guild quilt, and do a little shopping. I was doing well until the last hour of the day and then decided that I just had to buy a couple new things.

I don't expect any busting this week, as I continue to work on my first quarter and February UFO projects...with any luck, I will get lots of quilting done. I will need to cut binding for both of them, so that should be my next bust, but may not happen for at least another week.

Fabric added this week: 2 1/2 yards
Fabric used this week: 0 yards

Fabric added year to date: 8 3/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 18 1/8 yards
Net fabric used (at least I am still in the black!): 9 3/4 yards

Patterns added/used this week: 2/1
Net patterns used ytd: 0

Speedy Month

2011-03-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

Boy, did February fly by! I was really busy at work through the first three weeks of the month and between long hours, work that came home, and just being generally wiped out by the end of the day, I didn't get too much sewing done. I did work on my two UFOs that I am trying to finish up -- the bed quilt is loaded on my frame and I plan to start quilting it this weekend. The Esterita Austin workshop project is now backed, basted and about 1/3 quilted. I realized late last week that I wouldn't get it done by the end of the month, so started a new project instead ;)

Here's the list of what I got accomplished in February -- I had 12 3/4 hours in the sewing room.

2 Japanese Lantern blocks & Navajo Star for last year's guild president
Pillow for my brother and SIL (still need to mail it!)
Finished all the blocks for my pending charity quilt
Stretching cat cross stitch (to be finished into a pillow for Jenna's b-day in late April)
Loaded Five Easy Pieces on the HQ
Cut out Claire purse
Backed, basted, and started quilting my Esterita project

I am planning lots more time this month and hope to get my two UFOs done, make progress on my #1 UFO item for Judy's challenge, and finish up the purse. That should be enough to keep me busy for a while.

Stash Report - Week 8

2011-02-27T09:46:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that another month of this new year is almost over. I have been plugging away at my February UFO and got it all fused, sandwiched, and have about 1/3 of it quilted. I most likely won't get it done by the end of the month, but am well on my way and hope to finish it within the next month. I have the right spot to hang it in my house, and I am anxious to get it up there. Here's a sneak peek of my progress.

On Friday night, I went up to my sewing room needing to work on something different. I wound up cutting out a purse and hope to get started on assembling it today or some other time this week.

My bed quilt still sits on the frame waiting for me to give it some attention...maybe this week will bring the start of that too...but maybe not!

Fabric added this week: 0
Fabric used this week: 1 1/2 yards

Fabric added year to date: 5 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 18 1/8 yards
Net fabric used: 12 1/4 yards

Patterns added/used this week: 0/0

Net patterns used ytd: 1

Stash Report - Week 7

2011-02-20T10:07:00.000-05:00

I didn't get much time in my sewing room this week between a busy week at work that came home in the evenings and some cross stitch on the couch. I finished my second cross stitch of the year (yeah!), a simple outline of a stretching cat for Jenna's birthday in late April. I have the fabric to make it into a pillow and now need to find an evening to do that after she's asleep.

I did get the back to my Five Easy Pieces quilt loaded onto the frame, so can count that as busted. I hope to load the top and batting today and get started quilting it this week. My mom is hoping I get started too, as she is almost done with a quilt that will go on after I am done with it.

In addition to the back, I finished up the blocks for my blue and white charity quilt (pics to come when I get the top together), and counted the Orientals I shared with a few friends for a comfort quilt we're making together. So, all in all, it turned into a good week for the stash report!

Fabric added this week: 0
Fabric used this week: 4 yards

Fabric added year to date: 5 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 16 5/8 yards

Net fabric used: 10 3/4 yards (yay, past the 10 yard mark!)

Patterns in/used this week: 0/0
Patterns used year to date: 1

Twisting Away

2011-02-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

Sometime last year, I picked up one of those twister patterns for the quilts you make with a nine patch, then you put the template on the nine patch, cut pieces out and resew it. I had seen them before and none really appealed to me before I saw the one I got - a mini template.

After a few weeks, I decided to pull scraps from the quilt that I made for my friend Sara a couple years ago and make what I could. I thought I would be able to pull together 20 or so scraps, but it turns out that the ones I had were just shy of what the pattern called for, so I wound up with a 9 patch. Here's how it looked when I started.

Next up, you place the template across the intersection of the fabrics, then cut out the pieces following the template. Once I was done with that, I was left with a holey piece of my original nine patch.

You sew the cut pieces back together and they make a really neat pattern. I finished mine off with a border and backing from my scrap bins and then quilted it with a pattern from the Free Motion Quilting Project. I used some Rainbows thread that I ordered on sale and I really like how it looks. I did learn that really busy fabrics (like the one in the lower right of this picture) and stripes don't work so well for this pattern and also that you don't want to use one that is the same as the border on the outside of the nine patch because it gets lost. Good lessons for next time!

Last week, I showed this at show and tell at my guild meeting, then handed it over to the coordinator of the small quilt auction, so if you really like it, you can purchase it at our show in October! It really was a fun little project to work on and I think I'd make another one in spring colors as it would make a nice bright wall quilt for the dreary days before the flower start to pop out of the ground.

Stash Report - Week 6

2011-02-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

I had high hopes to get the backing I bought last week busted this week, but it wasn't to be. Instead, I spent time working on my UFO for Judy's challenge. I also worked on an impromptu project - a pillow that will be shown after it is received by the giftee, and made blocks for the charity quilt I am working on. A fairly slow week in the sewing room, but no fabric or patterns added!

Fabric added this week: 0
Fabric used this week: 1 7/8 yards

Fabric added year to date: 5 7/8 yards
Fabric used year to date: 12 5/8 yards

Net fabric used: 6 3/4 yards

Patterns added/used: 0/0
Net patterns used ytd: 1

Fingers crossed that I can get the fabric on the frame this week and pass the 10 yard mark.