Sunday Stash Report--Happy Birthday Nick!

New numbers this week.  

Stash in this week--17.5 yards
Stash added YTD-- 61.5 yards
Stash out this week--12.5 yards
Stash out YTD--12.5 yards

Stash is ahead 49 yards!

My purchases this week were 16 yards of wide muslin to dye for backing.  Its already dyed and matched to tops!  1.5 yards for a bag my friend Lorri2Rs made for me!  

Bag, bowl holders, and block

Chicken fabric inside bag

The bag and bowl holders are made from "special" fabric.  I am NOT a morning person.  If you enlarge the pic the fabric is coffee cups with the sayings "Good Morning" and "Wakey! Wakey!" under them.  There is chicken fabric.  I LOVE chicken fabric!  A block for an upcoming sew day Lorri2Rs and I are attending.  Lorri2Rs can whip out a bag in no time flat.  I LOVE my new bag!  Thank you Lorri!  (she even made my block for me!)  The bag pattern is a Kwik Sew Ellie Mae Designs K118.

Hand sewing the binding was finished this week on the PInk 30's Uneven 9 patches.  12.5 yards out.

Uneven 9 Patches and 30's blocks

The pink quilt is made from blocks I rediscovered while organizing my sewing room a few months ago.  

My purchases have been used to back tops I'm quilting.  Eventually they will be completely finished and my stash report will look much better.  Please see everyone's Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.

Lorri2Rs and I are residents of the "Workhouse on the Prairie".  She is visiting me and we are hard at work sewing.  Lorri2Rs is upholding the tradition of the Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies and toiling tirelessly.  She was the "Ironing Fairy"--she pressed two backings for me.  Today she helped me load another top on the Princess.  She's sewn a binding on a king size quilt she's finishing and working on a medallion quilt.  The weather today was rain/sleet/snow and now wind.  There is no where we need to be so tomorrow will be MORE SEWING! 
 
Happy Birthday to our Son in Law Nick!

Mason, Nick, Laura Beth, and Asher

We are so lucky to have Nick become part of our family!  

 

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Last night I finished quilting Trail Mix--

Woohoo!!  Another one bites the dust!  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Timeshttp://www.patchworktimes.com/2015/01/26/design-wall-january-26-2015/.

Weekly Goals--

Sew binding on Trail Mix
Sew binding on guild QOV
Load a top to quilt
Make a binding for Honeysweet Pinwheels
Make a binding for Summer Nites at the Lake
Make a binding for Cheddar Delight
Finish piecing columns on Tangerine 30's
Make binding for Pat's Purple Wall Hanging
Sew on 5" challenge
Pick border for Bricks and Stepping Stones
Make backing for Album Quilt 

Okay, enough variety--how many hours are there in one week?? Six tasks involve binding--that's a good thing.   No, I'll never get it all done, but I can focus if I have a list.

Have a great week!

Sunday Stash Report

Another week, another 21 yards.   Lorri2Rs took me on a road trip, and I found fabric on sale.  It jumped into my cart and BEGGED to come home with me.  

Christmas fabric!  Lorri2Rs and I are going to use our "virgin" wedge rulers and make tree skirts.  Or maybe something else?  Well, I plan on tree skirts!  No Christmas fabric in my stash anymore so when I found a good selection on clearance I took it as a message from above (store PA system??) and bought a wide assortment.  I challenged members of Stashbusters to join me in using the Wedge rulers so many of us bought with good intentions.  Do you have one?  Would you like to join me?  I'm planning two tree skirts by Christmas! 

My new numbers are--

Stash in this week--21 yards
Stash out this week--0 yards
Stash in YTD--44 yards
Stash out YTD--0 yards

Stash is ahead 44 yards!

But things are looking up.  I'm quilting Trail Mix and sewing the binding on the Pink Uneven 9 patches.  HoneySweet Pinwheels is quilted too.  Woohoo!!  See everyone's stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday and Other Stuff

One more blue block for January--

The eight dark squares are the blue.  The rest is odds and ends--scraps!

Liz also made blue crumb blocks set with red for January--she doesn't have a blog so I'm posting them here--

Liz's Blue Crumb Quilt

Liz is the Queen of Crumb piecing!  Please see everyone's Rainbow Scrappy Posts at soscrappy.

I took some pictures while at the Iowa Sweat Shop.  This is a pic of a few of the Iowa ladies--

Gina, Sue, and Lorri

Gina and Sue are sisters--they sit in the center of the room--they are our entertainment!  But they also sew hard.  Here is a quilt Gina finished piecing--

Gina's Album Blocks

Don't you love album blocks??  Gina has the largest stash if half of what she says is true.  Lorri and I are going to visit her to verify this.  (And we're gonna take pictures!)   Sue has been working on her HoneySweet Pinwheels quilt--its done in school colors, I think for an auction/fundraiser.  Lucky is the person who wins this!

Sue's School Colors Quilt

My sewing machine is getting a workout this week.  More piecing on the tangerine top and other assorted jobs.  The guild's QOV and my HoneySweet Pinwheels are quilted and tonight Trail Mix was loaded.  A while back I bought some "flawed" wide flannel fabric.  I thought I would show you the flaw--

The Flaw

Every 20" or so you might see the random thread in the cream flannel.  You have to really LOOK to find them.  Gives it a slightly tweedy look, and the flannel is great to quilt.  Yes, for $5.99@yd I can live with it!  108" wide.  Its not a loose thread--its woven right into the fabric. 

And you might have seen this vintage exerpt from a Singer publication--

I doubt that will ever be me!  

Its warmed up, maybe in the 50's tomorrow.  The snow is disappearing.  Spring is right around the corner.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  

 

Design Wall Monday

The tangerine 30's on the wall (floor).

I worked on the strips until I ran out of tangerine pieces.  The picture looks out of proportion but I was standing on a chair and I HATE heights so this is as good as it gets!  3 of the 4 columns are almost done and the strips are all pieced for the 4th.  I made lots of progress on these while in Iowa.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork times.

I just got home and will post my weekly goals tomorrow.   It was a great weekend!  

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

I've been working on my Stashbusters 30's challenge.  I have the 4 pieced columns done.

 

There is blue sashing around the columns and a simple pieced border yet.  Please see everyone's design walls at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Quilt Pink 30's top

Piece another 30's quilt columns

Make binding for Summer Nights at the Lake

Work on 5" charm challenge

Make binding for Island Chain

Sashings on Two Lips blocks

Load another top on Princess

There--variety for the week!  I've using "just one thing" as my mantra.  Even if I don't have time or feel like doing something--pick one thing and work on it.  Invest 15 minutes.  The little moments really help.   A few days ago I made labels for my project boxes (clear plastic boxes and baskets) so that I could identify their contents without removing them from the shelf.  I had been out of label tape and remembered when the office supply store was right beside the Dollar Store.  More plastic boxes at Dollar Store and labels from Staples.  A Win-Win!  

This weekend I'm sewing with the Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies.  Better take my vitamins and rest up.  It is SO MUCH FUN!!  

Challenges--do you do them?  Do you enjoy them?  What was the best challenge you every participated in?  I'm doing the UFO challenge on Stashbusters, the "use your 30's stash" on Stashbusters, and a challenge among friends using 5" charms.  Oh, and Rainbow Scrappy Challenge!  I like that none of these requires buying anything.  You can customize the challenge to fit your style/ideas.  But I really liked the challenge with the Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies--we all used the same free pattern and worked on it.  Lorri2Rs--maybe another group project?? (Lorri2Rs organized the last one).

Hope you're keeping warm,  -3F here.    Spring had better hurry up!  

 

Sunday Stash Report Week 2

This week I bought 23 yards of fabric.  Two are backgrounds for my 30's challenge quilts and one is to replace the pink background I used in the Uneven 9 Patches top.  Buying fabric I'm not using in a current project is something I try to avoid, but the price ($2.49yd) was too good to pass up.  

Bought This Week--23 yards
Bought YTD--23 yards
Used This Week--0 yards
Used YTD--0 yards

Stash is ahead 23 yards!

Please see everyone's Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday

Two more great granny/album blocks this week.  The color for January is blue--

Not much sewing has been done this week.  Spent a few days with Laura Beth and family, the weather was nasty.  No school due to -35F wind chill or blowing snow.  Please see everyone's RSC at soscrappy.

At times we were unable to see the neighboring houses.  We stayed in and made cookies!  Mason and I were able to run errands one day, our last stop was for ice cream--

My goals have been fleeting thoughts!  More 30's strips have been sewn together but that's it.  I'm heading to the sewing room right now!  This is Stashbusters retreat weekend and I'm all for more sewing.  

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

This top is ready to quilt, its a QOV made by my guild.  

Its comes neatly bagged with backing, binding and pressed.  Please see everyone's design walls at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals

Quilt QOV
Sashings on 30's blocks
Sashings on Two Lips
Cut more strips for 30's challenge
Make Island Chain binding
Make Cheddar Delight binding
Make Summer Nites at the Lake binding

These are only GOALS, not a to-do list.  I work on whatever appeals to me.  Or a different project!  I check it often, sometimes that's all it takes to remind me of a project.  

Today I bought fabric for the 30's challenge on Stashbusters, some solid background for two projects.  I didn't want white, picked a light blue and a tangerine.  A few months ago the color orange was discussed and how much Nann and Nancie had liked it in a quilt.  I love orange so will make myself an orange quilt.  Soft orange.  

Snowing and cruddy outside.  

Driving Home

Knee deep snow on our sidewalk

It warmed up as we drove, +4F! Heat wave!  Its going to be about -8F on Wednesday. Good weather to stay inside and sew.  

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday and Motivation Update

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge is where I dig through my scraps.  I started with some strips that needed frogging.  Bits and bobs left from previous projects.

Frogging and Pressing pile

Then searched my partial strip box and scrap box.  I made these--

January Blue blocks

More album or great granny blocks!  Yes, I made these blocks last year for Rainbow Scrappy Challenge and I liked them so much I'm making them again for 2015.  They satisfy my need for multiple fabrics in all sorts of colors but organize them into a quilt anyone would love.  There is nothing more fun than digging through the scrap box unless its digging through someone else's scrap box!  Thank you Angela for hosting this challenge!  Please see everyone's posts at soscrappy.

Goals this week are--

Borders on Island Chain
Borders on Raggy Flower top
Sashings on Two Lips blocks
Sashings on 30's blocks
Christmas Irish Chain piecing
Borders for Bricks and Stepping Stones

The 30's blocks were supposed to be these--

2012 Rainbow Scrappy Challenge blocks

They are blocks from Rainbow Scrappy Challenge in 2012. They are hanging out on the design wall waiting for sashing.  But these blocks were insistent they were next--

Pink Uneven 9 Patches

The last of the Uneven 9 Patches set with pink!  I don't know where the pink came from.  I am not a pink person.  Laura Beth is having a boy.  But somewhere sometime in the future I predict a pink quilt will be needed.  Thank you Kat for the EQ setting and to Pat for her suggestions on the border.  I was planning juvenile fabric for the border and she said "no, pink with a bit of green".  She was right, it was a good fit.  

Tops were measured this week and written in my handy dandy notebook.  I note whether or not backing is made and if binding is made.  They are pressed and stored in the closet like this--

Top, Binding, and Backing

Ready for quilting!  This week two backings were pieced and two bindings made.  It was a good week.

The weather is going to turn frigid cold and windy.  Where is spring?  Please, someone tell me its right around the corner!  

2015 Guidelines

Refold/organize ONE cube/spot in my stash per month

Work on ONE UFO per month and move it One more step towards completion.  (add borders, set blocks into a top, etc)

Any piece of stash less than 9" WOF goes into the scrap box to be recut into usable units--noodles, 3.5" x 6.5" bricks, 5" charms.  

Finish a UFO before starting a new project (this one is a bit iffy)

I plan to participate in Design Wall Mondays, Stashbuster's UFO Challenge, Rainbow Scrap Challenge and other internet fun.  Even Stash reports!  I may not post to each one every week--but I enjoy them. 

I plan to make quilts for donation and for family. 

I will participate in internet fun.  

I will remind myself its the PROCESS I love the most!

 

 My word for the year is ENJOY

My goals for 2015 are the same as 2014.  I like my goals!  I like my word!  I ENJOY quilting--why else would I do it??  Avoiding "Magpie Syndrome" helps.  Planning my starts is the key.  Put that new project on a list, think about it.  Pick fabric to use from my stash.  Resize it maybe.  I often take notebook to bed and draw diagrams, do math with a calculator.  I finished at least 12 big quilts this year.  I reduced stash by 89 yards while adding some new fabrics.  I still have quilters ADD, I flit from project to project.  A recent line of conversation on Stashbusters is how doing "just one more thing" really works.  Maybe you don't have time to tackle a big project, but you can wind bobbins.  Press some fabric.  Refold/put away stash.  A binding project is kept near my recliner, maybe I can only sew one needle's work of thread.  It all adds up!  

 

Have you thought about where you'd like your quilting to take you?  What you like best?  How about a bucket list?  I can't talk about a bucket list too much!  Have you made one, or started one from it?? Don't think its too hard, or I'll do it "later".  Try a practice block before committing to it.  Ask another quilter for help.  But, above all else, ENJOY what you do!!  And be yourself!

 

I wish you all a Happy New Year!   Lori