Patchwork Playground

More Farming

2012-01-26T07:54:00.000-05:00

I finished my January blocks and I wanted to post a few more tips. This is block #55 Linoleum.

4 light 1 1/2" x 2 1/2"
4 dark 1 1/2" x 2 1/2"
5 dark 2 1/2" squares
8 light 1 1/2" squares

Place the light squares on the corner dark squares and chalk or draw a line corner to corner. It is easier to do the stitch and flip method than to use the templates. We are going to sew on the line.

Since these pieces are so small, I cut away the excess of both pieces (the background and the square) after I pressed. I pressed my rail pieces toward the red to help line the little signature blocks up.

Take care to get the angles going the correct way!!

If you need a closer look, you can always click on the picture to make it larger

The bowtie block (#10) is made in a similar fashion.

4- 3 1/2" squares
4- 2 " squares

Place the squares on the inside corner of all the squares and chalk a line on the diagonal. Sew on the line and trim away the excess.

I trimmed away both the background and the excess of the square fabric 1/4" from the stitch line. I pressed the dark squares toward the larger square, and the light squares toward the small square. This helped them to match up when sewing the 4 patch together.

Remember PINS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. These pieces are only going to get smaller. Pinning will help things match up nicely.

I have the first 8 blocks sewn, and they all measure 6 1/2". It is wise to measure after each addition of fabric to make sure you have the correct seam allowance. I really chose a lot of yellow in the first 8. Good thing I have over 100 more to even things out.

These are my colors for the quilt (thank you Nancy and Char) I am picking my colors from the bucket. I think this will give me plenty of variety. Since I am making this quilt in two colorways, I am planning on making baby quilts with the brights (20 blocks each).

Grab your Farmer's Wife book and get sewing!

Farmer's Wife has begun!!

2012-01-22T21:56:00.001-05:00

Let's start off easy in the month of January with the following block numbers:

2 Autumn Tints
4 Basket Weave
10 Bowtie
29 Economy
48 Homeward Bound
54 Kitchen Woodbox
55 Linoleum
73 Rainbow Flowers

I have a few hints for block numbers 29 and 54

#29 Economy

1 square 3 1/2" square
4 triangles cut with Easy Angle with a strip width of 2 5/8"
4 triangles cut with easy angle strip with 3 1/2"

The first picture shows the difference in the markings between 2 rulers. The ruler on the right is the Olfa Frosted and the markings are the FINISHED SIZE; the ruler on the left is the Easy Angle, and the markings are the UNFINISHED SIZE. I just want you to be aware of the difference.

I like to trim off the second dog ear like shown in this picture. It helps to line things up when joining pieces.

Start by adding opposite triangles to the center square. It helps if you crease the center square and line up the point of the triangle with the crease. After the first round of triangles are added, the square should measure 4 3/4".

Add the remaining 4 triangles to yield a square measuring 6 1/2"

54 Kitchen Woodbox

1 square 2 1/2"
4 triangles cut from a 2 1/2" strip with the easy angle
2 pieces 1 1/2" X 2 1/2"; 2 pieces 1 1/2" X 4 1/2"
2 pieces 1 1/2" X 4 1/2"; 2 pieces 1 1/2" X 5 1/2"

Use the picture at right as a guide to lay out the pieces for this block. Join the 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" strips to opposing sides of the block; continue by adding the 1 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces of the same color. Measure your block to make sure it is a 4 1/2" square! Adjust your seam allowance if necessary.

Next add the remaining 1 1/2" by 4 1/2" pieces to the block

Center the 1 1/2" by 5 1/2" pieces and join to the unit

Place your easy angle ruler on the joined pieces lining up the angle of the ruler 1/4" from the corner. Line up the lines on the ruler with the top and side to make sure you are trimming the unit on the correct angle. Trim all four corners.

Line up the 4 remaining triangles and finish the 6 1/2" block.

Hopefully this will help you with any questions you may have had for the first blocks. If you need a tutorial on any of the other blocks listed, let me know. If you click on any of the pictures, it should make them larger so you can see better.

Gingerbread Fun

2011-12-03T17:27:00.001-05:00

Our local library was handing out gingerbread houses to be decorated and judged. My kids jumped right on it because there were great prizes. I stayed out of the way (besides helping them locate additional supplies). One of the rules was that all the pieces in the kit must be used. This turned out to be a tricky requirement. I was amazed at their creative ideas and how well they were able to execute them. Delaney decided on a beach theme for her house. She was able to transform the peppermints into coconuts and bikini tops. I think she did a fabulous job.

Sydney waivered on what she wanted to do, but then settled on a train theme. She was going more toward Polar Express. She put a lot of time into making the train cars and the tracks. She had to cut out all the little dots and squares the covered the cars. I thought it was a great idea to use the peppermints at wheels.

And the snow became the smokestack.

Gavin went to town decorating his house, and he settled on a sweet theme. I just love how the ice cream cone turned out. At the last minute he came up with the idea of putting the gingerbread man in the cocoa pond. I was really impressed by this idea.

After the kids were all putting so much time and effort into their houses, I decided I better do one. I spent the first the first week debating on how I wanted to decorate mine. Anyone that knows me knows that I do better with a deadline. The first idea I came up with was straws for the roof. After that, the creativity started flowing. Long ago quilt group did a swap with 1000 pyramids. I did all the cutting with my Accucut. In the center of the die was this beautiful little hexagon that was essentially a little piece of everyone in my quilt group. How could I throw away these beauties? What on Earth would I ever do with 10,000 or so of these? They have been aging in a container in my sewing room for over a year. I devised a plan! I was going to have a house with a cobblestone path. The next thought was to have one side of the house be stone. My girls quickly squashed this idea and said the whole house needed to be covered. The fabric for the base was a piece of leftover backing. The tree is made from a scrap of fabric gifted to me and I added light brite pegs for lights. It was a very fun project but I spent way too much time on it when I should have been doing other things. It was quite time consuming to line up all the little hexagons perfectly. I learned a few things about myself along the way.

I had lots of pieces that I had to use. I didn't want windows in my house, so I used these pieces as the gate. I didn't want to pay the price for modge podge, so I used equal parts of Elmer's glue and water. I applied with a brush and put several coats over the fabrics. I selected several selvages from my basket and cut just the dot portions. I sewed them together to make the garland. The gingerbread man was cut with my Sizzix, but the rest of the foam pieces came in my kit.

Eleanor do you see anything special about this window?? There is that dreaded piece of fabric that started your title as cheetah girl!!! It just fell out of the container and asked to be put on the house. I picked a special spot under the window.

Another Oldie

2011-11-14T09:57:00.001-05:00

Many years ago when my group was making charity quilts, a challenge was issued to make a second quilt from the scraps of the first quilt. I did start it, but the flame burned out. I am in the mood to finish it up, but I need your help. This quilt is U-G-LY. It needs a lot of help. It is those big squares in the middle. Obviously I didn't quite have the log cabin concept at the time. Please help me find a way to salvage these 12 blocks before I decide to trash them. These are some of the ideas I came up with.

Slash the blocks into 4 equal pieces vertically and horizontally; rotate 2 of the blocks 90 degrees and sew them back together
cut them into wonky 4 patches and add a narrow black sash (perhaps 9 patches or just vertically?)
cut them on the diagonals and sew them back together so the stripe forms a square (problem with this one is that not all the stripes are going the same direction).

Thanks for stopping by. I can't wait to hear all your suggestions. Please check out Patchwork Times for more inspiration on design wall Monday.

Bright Scraps

2011-11-10T12:38:00.002-05:00

I wanted to post a picture of the other charity quilt that I completed. These are the lonely 9 patches that lived on my design wall for many years. They were there so long, they were invisible to me-just part of the wall. I ran out of black scraps so I couldn't put the sashing on all 4 sides. If anyone asks, it was part of the design. My DH picked the binding fabric. It will move on to Eleanor this afternoon for handstitching and a label. I used flannel leftovers for both backings to make them nice and soft. After backing 2 quilts, I still can't get the drawer shut.

Baby Quilt

2011-11-09T13:34:00.001-05:00

My friend Eleanor (and resident binder) asked if our little group of quilters would be interested in making small baby quilts to help out a charity that she donates to. How could I turn her down? She happened to hit me at a great time. I was in the process of clearing off a table a scraps. I had a pile of white fabric with bright dots (no surprise there since I am know to have a dot fetish). It turned out to be just enough. I have one 10" strip left. I based my design on the strip o'hoy pattern from G.E. Designs. The white was left over from a string quilt and the pieces were already 2" wide and assorted lengths. I pulled out my graph paper and calculated the measurements. This little quilt used one hundred four 2" squares, but that didn't put much in my container. I should have made it a little larger, but I didn't have enough white. It finishes at 29" square.

Have you ever had something hanging on your design wall that just sort of become part of the wall? You know, the type of thing you pin over to the side out of the way, and before long you don't even notice it's there. Well the 9 patches in this next charity quilt were probably hanging there for 5 years. I just happened to see them out of the corner of my eye and decided they needed to find a new home. I am sure when I made them I had a vision, but that is long gone, and the blocks will be shortly too. Come back tomorrow to see another finish.

Another Finish

2011-11-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

It was really a push to get this one done, but I had a deadline. I didn't have time to take pictures before I gave it away, but I did manage to get the label on it. I love how it turned out. I made up the pattern after seeing off track on the Cluck Cluck Sew header. I don't know what the sizes of her strips are, but I used 2 1/2" I love how the little bit of black and white jazzes it up. I decided on scrappy binding. I tried a black and white, but it was too much.

This quilt was made for a girl that my daughter clogs with. Her family moved and she will no longer be clogging with us. It was a very emotional for all the girls. They have been together for a lot of years. All the girls signed blocks and I put those on the back.

When we gave her the quilt, it initiated a group hug. At first I wasn't sure if she like it, but then I realized she was trying not to cry.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T09:48:00.000-04:00

I missed a sewing weekend in Shipshe, but I had a great time trick-or-treating with the family. It was worth it! On the way home from exercise on Saturday I saw the sign- Rummage Sale. I found the perfect shorts for her costume. You know I am the queen of last minute. I couldn't believe that they had 2 boxes of belts and no suspenders. Being inventive, I took my roll of elastic and sewed in into the shorts for suspenders.

Delaney wanted to be a nerd, and I think her costume turned out well.

Mason wanted to be a Popeye, but he settled for a clown at the last minute

Gavin just got dressed up for fun

Sydney had her face painted at the library. They did an amazing job!

Here's the three youngest together and looking happy about it! What a fun evening together as a family. Sydney didn't join us because she had other plans.

A first for me

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is a customer quilt. She wanted 60 degree diamonds in the border. I am sure there must have been an easier way to accomplish this, but I wasn't able to figure it out. It was difficult to make it work out when I went around the corners. I struggle with marking light fabrics. I have heard horror stories about marking pencils, so I only use school chalk. I did freehand leafy design in the middle and did SID on the skinny border.

Where I've been

2011-10-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have to apologize for my sparatic blogging. I have been a lot busy with the new crew. This is all of the day time crew. I have one little one that I put on the bus, but she isn't here very long. These little ones keep me hopping! Every day is an adventure. They all look so innocent in the picture. Can you tell which one give me the most problems? The 2 little ones on the floor are just two months apart.

This little guy is just 3 months old. I was afraid what would happen if I put him in the picture with the other kids. They all love him just a little too much!

Quilt Shop Rant

2011-10-21T18:09:00.001-04:00

I am currently smitten with several lines from French General. I really wanted some, so I went online at www.quiltshops.com and did a search for fat eighth bundles. I have NEVER had any problems with any fabric purchases online. I promptly ordered on September 30th, and waited an waited for it to come. I of course ordered several other things as well. When it didn't come after almost 2 weeks, I sent them an email to the address on their website. Still I waited and waited and no communication. I received my order a little over 2 weeks after it was placed. Hurray! The fabric was beautiful. I purchased 5 yards of one piece of fabric for backing. When I measured it to piece the backing....4 yards and 17". UGH!! Ok, it was on sale so couldn't complain too much. 1/2 yard shortage was only $2.50. I don't even know what possessed me to measure it. I have never once measured an online purchase for accuracy.

I decided I would email them (once again to the address on the website). I waited 2 days and heard nothing. On the 3rd day, I decided I would call them and let them know that the email address on the website didn't work correctly. This is where it starts to go South!

When the store clerk answered the phone, instead of talking to me, she was talking to a customer at the shop. She asked to put me on hold. My patience is still doing well, but it is declining. When she comes back on, I explained the sistuation. She is still only half listening to me and is still talking to another customer. Good Grief! She rudely says, "so you want a credit". I explain that it isn't really worth processing for $2.50, but I wanted to let them know that their email wasn't working correctly. She blurts out (no other way of putting this), that I am probably in her spam folder. What?? Why would you put customers in the spam folder, and wouldn't you check that daily? (just makes good business sense to me). She once again asked my name, and told me she would check on this. Her words were- "I'm really busy, we are shorted staffed today can I check on this. Would you like me to call you back?" Umm- I'm really busy too! Currently I have 6 childen under 3 running around my house. I politely said sure (Even though I was done with this shop), and gave the clerk my number. That was on Wednesday- Never did hear a peep and that was 3 days ago.

That $2.50 that I was short wasn't as important as the fact that I didn't have enough fabric for the project at hand. Is is so hard to say SORRY? I completely understand how this could happen, but at no point in the conversation did she tell me sorry for the mixup. The total on my order was over a hundred dollars, and it was obvious that they do not want or need (because they are so busy and under staffed) any future business. So, Bits 'n Pieces Quilt and Fabric Shoppe in Pelham, NH (www.bnpquilts.com), I am sorry you don't love me! You can rest assured that there are a lot of other online fabric shops out there that love me, and they love the way I continue to build my resource center.

If you made it to the end of this lengthy post, thanks for letting me vent. I feel much better now that I have voiced my opinion.

Cold and Rainy

2011-10-21T16:29:00.000-04:00

What to do when it is cold and raining?

Raspberry chocolate chip and pumpkin snickerdoodle. Yum! Now to find a good hiding spot from my children.

Something New

2011-10-17T13:29:00.002-04:00

During my sewing weekend with my friend Tina was able to clear off a few things from the design wall. I have felt a little overwhelmed by scraps the past few weeks, so I began cutting. I have wanted to make a log cabin quilt for a least 10 years. I find it to be the perfect quilt pattern for scraps. I like to cut all my logs to length before I begin. These logs are 2" in width. I have another log cabin cut out from the scraps that don't qualify as brights. Almost all these fabrics were gifted to me from my non-scrap loving quilting buddies. I think I added about 1/2 yard of various blacks from my stash. Sue, Char, and Nancy, if you're reading this post, I am sure you will see a lot of your leftovers in there. Both my girls love this quilt (which is unbelievable in itself).

Waiting Impatiently

2011-09-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

I have been ~~needing~~, ~~wanting~~, obsessing for the Ruby fabric line for such a long time. I think I entered every giveaway that I could find! I didn't win, so I did the next best thing - I bought it for myself. I am busy fondling my new fabric today. Look what arrived just for me. It is going to be used in some of my blocks for my Farmer's Wife quilt. I have about 15 blocks completed. This is a totally new color family for me, so I am enjoying the adventure. There are some great small scale prints in this bundle that are going to be just perfect. The bundle is from this website Green Fairy Quilts, and the solids are from Thousands of Bolts.

The kids did well

2011-08-03T10:25:00.003-04:00

I managed to get this quilt put together this week. The kids in my son's 5th grade class made the blocks with the help of a couple of quilters. I cut out all the blocks and each student pieced one block. I made sure none of the blocks had pieces smaller than 2" finished. It was used in conjunction with a Lewis & Clark lesson. I picked a block from each state that Lewis & Clark went to on their journey. Because there were 20 students, I had to add some additional blocks to represent other things that I thought were appropriate. I hope to have it quilted so it can be entered into the fair this fall. I think the kids will really enjoy seeing their work displayed at the fair. I was pleasantly surprised how straight the sewing was. The students have more difficulties with the pressing than the sewing.

Can't do just One

2011-08-02T09:41:00.007-04:00

Why is it when I do most patterns, I make multiple quilts of the same pattern? I think it is because I like the finished project so much. I really liked the baby quilt that looked like a present and how it turned out, so my wheels immediately starting thinking about the possibilities of color options for it.

When one of my good friends had a baby boy (after 2 girls), none of the boy quilts seemed to fit the family. They are complete sports nuts- especially football. When I was digging into my scrap bin, I came across this lonely fabric scrap. Just 3 strips 3 1/2" wide. Immediately the wheels staring turning and the fabric started flying.

Since my scraps were only 3 1/2" wide, I had to recalculate my measurements, and away I went. I am so pleased with how the quilt turned out for baby Tate. Now lets see if I can actually get it quilted before my kids go back to school.

Study of Pink and Black

2011-04-29T10:43:00.014-04:00

Nothing can refresh me like a new project. I was inspired by a quilt at http://sisterschoice.typepad.com/sisters_choice_quilts/2011/03/all-wrapped-up.html
I just happened to have loads of black and white prints that I have been trying to use up. What a great combination- quick, easy, fun. Who wants to spend loads of time on a baby quilt that it going to be abused. I am surrounded by a baby boom, so I need to have quilts on hand. Char shared her black and white scraps with me that she no longer wanted. I love how my version turned out.

I have had 6 flannel b&w stripe fat quarters for years. They never seem to work for what I want to do, so I was determined to make them work on the back of this quilt. I drew up a plan and went to work. The black was flannel I had on hand as well as the pink. I used every last inch of this pink fabric on the back.

I just love how the pink plays with the business of the black and white prints. Shortly after I quilted this one I checked out McCall's Fast Favorites from the library (http://www.amazon.com/Favorites-McCalls-Quilting-Patchwork-Place/dp/1604680261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304097992&sr=8-1). When I saw this quilt (http://www.mccallsquilting.com/mccallsquilting/articles/americana_home)
, I knew it would work for yet another pink quilt (since I haven't even made a dent in my Black and whites yet).
I set to work on my kitchen counter piecing the quilt while standing in the kitchen. Let's just say this won't be the most straight quilt I have ever made. I have all the blocks made for the second baby quilt.

After 2 baby quilts, I still haven't made a dent in my black and white stash. Stay tuned for quilt number 3 with yellow as the accent this time. It is a quilt from McCall's Quick Quilts March 2010

New Bag

2011-03-07T11:39:00.009-05:00

It's hard to believe that I am ahead of the game. That doesn't happen very often in my world! This my the ISE quilt group will be finishing up the laptop bag that was presented in Quilter's World October 2010 issue. I finished mine the size presented, and my husband's laptop won't fit. I think he is rather thankful for this, as I made it pink and red as a bit of a joke. I wanted to see if he would actally carry it. He's off the hook for now. I guess I would be pushing my luck. He does carry the fabric shopping bags that I made and they are flowery. Since he has taken over the grocery shopping duty, I should probably make him some masculine ones.

This is the bag the group picked for the next quarter. I can hardly believe that I have it done and I have another month! This is a very simple bag, so we may have to do more than one for the second quarter. It is very large, and my daughter has already claimed it for her overnight bag. Notice I found an adorable model who was delighted to model my bag. My friend Sue gifted me the lining fabric. I think it is just perfect.

If you are interested in the pattern, it is in the McCall's Quilting April 2009. The pattern is by Penny Sturges and it is called The Big Bag Theory. I modified the inside to add more pockets, and I did my handles differently.

Off the frame

2011-02-22T19:12:00.005-05:00

This one belongs to my sister Mary. It is from Thimbleberries club several years ago. I am sure she will be happy to have it completed. I used Bamboo batting from Quilter's Dream. I used Signature thread (Wheat) in the top and bobbin. This is a new panto that I purchased because of this blog http://blog.maryquilts.com. She used it often and it always adds nice texture.

These pictures aren't great, but I don't have anyplace to hang a quilt that big, but it won't quit snowing. Hopefully I can take some better pictures of the quilt tomorrow.

On a side note, the best way to capture your quilting in a photo is to have the quilt side lit. This quilt is laying on my bed, and the sun is shining through the window accents the quilting design.

Christmas Party entertainment

2011-02-13T07:25:00.016-05:00

I know, tomorrow is Valentines day not Christmas. I can't seem to get as much done as I think I can. Several people from my small quilt group have asked about the pictures from the Christmas party. At the Christmas party we had a little "roast" for the naive and reserved quilter E. Now E is a very reserved kind of person who happened to have a piece of leopard skin fabric in her stash long ago. Well we (especially me) were quite shocked by this. The group decided that we needed to shower her with some lovely leopardy items to go with her "stash" This became a 6 month hunt for the perfect gifts. The first item E opened was a lovely cape (which she chose to wear around all night)with her initial appliqued on the back. I think it was a nice touch.

She was quite surprised with the first gift and wondered why someone would bring her a special gift. After several more gifts, she began to see a theme.

A leopard mug, a thread catcher, a tote bag, a snuggy, ironing board, a new bra. She never did tell if she modeled these for her husband.

Barb had to hunt for the perfect bra to make for E. I think she was successful. Diane made a special garter for E. She said it was perhaps the sexiest one she ever made. I don't know if E is excited to try it on.

I think this gift was perhaps her favorite gift. Thank goodness her sister was sitting next to her and could explain what it was and how it was to be worn. It was a special bikini made by Joann. Those are the bottoms that she is holding up.

I think all the excitement wore E out. She is looking kind of tired in this picture playing bingo, and there was a report that her belly hurt so much from laughing. E I'm glad you took this so well, and I am glad that you felt the love that went into the roasting.

2011-01-19T08:56:00.006-05:00

This one was supposed to be done for Christmas, but when my deadline moved, I put it off to work on my own stuff. Most of the fabrics were dyed by my customer. I love how it turned out. This is the first quilt I have successfully attached the binding in the longarm frame. I tried it once with one of my own quilts, but I did it a different way and it didn't turn out so well. I was pleased with this one. I was saying my prayers as I turned the last corner. Ellen only left me with 3" extra of binding.

Apple Core

2010-12-02T17:57:00.004-05:00

I have had the Apple Core die for my Accucut for quite some time. I have been itching to try it out, but I have been really lacking time to play with it. I decided to give it a try for a gift exchange that I needed in a hurry. I cut this out last night and pieced it today while the kids were having rest time. It went together very well. I am not pleased with my color selections, but hopefully it will find a happy home.

It still has to be quilted and bound by Thursday. I work better with a deadline. You can even see my new flooring in the background.

Kicking my Bootie!

2010-11-02T17:44:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had a quilt block that just won't work out? I have new admiration for anyone who has completed a dresden plate quilt.

I think I went about this the correct way. I started with a pattern (not one of my own). I gave it a go - three times I might ad - and none of the fans came out to a quarter of a circle. I finally wised up and tested the pattern (after I was the queen of the ripper). After taping the pattern pieces together on the dotted lines (alias stitch lines), I discovered the pattern was wrong. At this point I didn't feel like a complete failure.

I ordered the Easy Dresden template. Guess what? I didn't have good results with this either. It was better than the first attempt, but this pattern requires extreme exactness. If anyone has any pointers, just send them my way. At this point I am thinking my summer banner needs something different than a beautiful sun across the top.

Obsession!!!

2010-10-30T10:47:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I spent the evening doing a very broad search on quiltshops.com for my stripe fabric. I just can't come up with a plan "b" at this point without a lot of unsewing. It's bad when you start dreaming about fabric. I was dreaming that maybe I saved the selvage.

When I discovered the selvage blog (http://selvageblog.blogspot.com/), I started saving my selvages and dreaming up projects to do with them. In addition, other quilters have been gifting me their selvages. Today I decided to dump them and put the dreams to rest. Did I save the selvage or not?????

First - I found all my hidden containers and baggies (there were a lot of them), then I did the big dump. This is what the pile looks like
I feel bad saving these little strings, but they are so pretty to look at that I just can't part with them. I just love all the things I can create with them. My husband will want to get me some help when he sees the pile. Do you see it in there? The stripe, the dreaded stripe. Let me zoom in for a closer look-

It's there!!! My dream was right. I don't remember trimming that off before I demonstrated the Studio cutter to Bonnie. I hope my fabric nightmares will stop. I now have a name. It is from Alexander Henry 2005 and it is from the line "Super Stripe". It came in several colors. I have found some of the colors on the internet, but not this one. If you find this in your stash or at a store in any amount - I am willing to buy or trade. The pieces in the quilt are 1 1/2" big, so scraps will work.

On a Mission

2010-10-25T14:43:00.004-04:00

For the fabric I ran out of to finish the quilt my daughter has been waiting patiently for. I need about 1/2 yard to finish the quilt, but any information on the fabric would be helpful. The fabric I am in need of is the stripe.

Final choices

2010-02-13T16:57:00.002-05:00

Subee suggested a light color, so I added it to the design wall with my med green leaf pattern. I am torn between the green and the light. That is probably because the light is out of my comfort zone!

More Choices

2010-02-11T14:38:00.005-05:00

Well the orange floral was definately voted out. It will go on the back! Eleanor suggested some more colors. Orange without a design (which I don't have). I don't really want to go shopping, so I pulled some more options from my stash (2 green and 1 purple). I think a nice warm brown would also look nice, but I don't have enough of any of those. Do you like any of these choices? Do you see that huge cluttery mess on my design wall? I think a little fairy needs to come and clean.

What Color??

2010-02-10T11:10:00.000-05:00

I am not sure what color or pattern to use for the setting triangles. I cut some pieces from fabric that I had so I could use up some stash (and see how it looked). I open to any suggestions you might have. The 4 patches are 8" finished and the sashing is 2" finished. After the setting triangles, I plan to have 2 borders. Please leave me a comment and let me know what color you think I should use.

How Tall

2010-01-23T06:00:00.002-05:00

How tall is 100 yards of fabric??? It's not as tall as you might think. This was the first order.

I fell off the no buy wagon right after the first of the year. I should have unsubscribed to those "end of year sale" notices. You knew it couldn't last forever didn't you? I did try to stick to a few colors that I knew I needed.

I also went on a thread buying spree with a couple of gift cards from Christmas. I love how all the colors look together. I wanted to get all the colors I needed for a machine embroidery kit that I purchased a few years ago.

Remembering Cathie

2010-01-22T10:50:00.005-05:00

She didn't get to see her quilt, but I know she would have loved it. She's moved on to a better place, but her memories will warm our hearts forever. Cathie was the one that insisted the group must stay together and keep meeting. I'm not sure why she picked me as the leader, but she must have had a reason.

Quiting Progress

2009-12-07T10:24:00.005-05:00

The Christmas rush is here. I have been busy making sure all my promised quilts get done. My quilting schedule has been very limited this year due to my kids being in more activities. These are my most recent finishes. I also finished a beautiful redwork quilt, but I haven't taken any pictures of it yet. It is all trimmed and folded so nothing can happen to it.

The first quilt is a queen size yellow brick road pattern. I love how the feathers make it look more intricate.

The second quilt is a small quilt with applique mittens. I think it turned out very well. I just love the border fabric. It makes me wish I had bought some myself. Then I have to remember that it would just lay on the shelves with the rest of my fabric.

The third quilt is a free pattern from the internet (one of the fabric companies). It was well put together and nice and straight. I love that kind!! I did freehand water on it. I think it makes it look more like a rainforest. I hope the customer is pleased. It was tought to pick a thread color on this one. I went with a variegated thread by YLI. This is the one thread that I have problems running on my machine. This time it behaved well and I only had a few pesky knots to contend with.

Last but not least is a beautiful art quilt that is over 90" long. The customer brought metallic thread for me to use. This is my first attempt with this type of thread. So far it is behaving well. I stabilized the entire quilt first by stitching in the ditch all the sections. So far I have 4 of the rays quilted with the metallic thread. My instructions were to have fun with it.

Distressed!!

2009-11-25T09:18:00.006-05:00

Last night while in a shopping frenzy, I couldn't find the crucial ingredient to my cranberry sauce recipe. After much searching (what did I do before the internet), I discovered that the company is out of business. How could that be? I thought the nice grocery store stocking man was mistaken. I scoured the internet for the recipe. I found a recipe, so I am going to give it a try. This recipe is untested without the Indian Trail sauce, but I am confident it will taste the same. I am often asked for this recipe, so I am passing it along:

Cranberry Salad

Orange Cranberry Relish: Grind with with food grinder (food processor would work also)

1 pound fresh cranberries (or one bag)

2 oranges quartered with seeds removed (with peel)

3/4 - 1 cup sugar

Let drain; refrigerate or freeze (this makes enough for 4 batches)

In large bowl Dissolve 1 large box Cherry Jello (Raspberry or Strawberry will work also) with 2 cups boiling water

Add:

3/4 cup Orange Cranberry Relish (formerly my friend Indian Trail)

2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce

1 can mandarin oranges

1 to 2 cubed apples

1 cup seedless grapes halved

1 can crushed pineapple drained (20 oz)

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Pour into trifle bowl to look extra pretty or a 9X13 container and let set overnight. My kids like to have this year round. I am not a cranberry lover, but I love this recipe.

Selvage Obsession

2009-11-18T06:00:00.003-05:00

I think I am starting to have a selvage obsession. I was at a friends yesterday and I started digging in her trash to pull out selvages. I am always looking for new ways to organize mine. What is your best method? I have mine sorted by color and strung like fish on a thread. Is this nuts or what?? I found out yesterday that I didn't have any pink selvages. I actually thought really hard about running to my stash and cutting some. Thank goodness I came to my senses before that happened! I can't post pictures of my most recent creations yet, because they are Christmas gifts. Have you started saving selvages yet?

My Humble Studio

2009-11-17T13:17:00.008-05:00

Subee asked me some time ago to post pictures of my studio. I felt even more compelled to do so after she revealed all the bolts of fabric she had in her possession. I hope you enjoy the tour. I did clean up before the pictures, but It still has that lived in look. This is the view as you enter my studio. The room is approx. 16' x 28'. I love having the glass doors to let in additional light from the main part of the basement. This is the view to the right of the doors as you are looking in. You can see that my large design wall is full and inviting me to finish a few things. The pink and red pattern is a mystery pattern that Bonnie Hunter hosted. I kept up with the mystery (2 or so years ago), but the quilt has been in rows ever since. The larger portion of my studio houses a second design wall a cutting mat, my Accucut, and the every important "resource center". It is a walkout basement, so I do get natural light. The last picture is what I have stored under my Gammill. All the drawers are labeled and sorted with various projects and lots of "scraps"

This is about as clean as it gets. I can never seem to manage to get all the piles organized at once. If you have any questions or design suggestions please let me know. The flooring is a remnant of carpet from another room. I am still undecided after 5 years on what I want for my flooring.

Great Givaway

2009-10-30T08:42:00.002-04:00

Click on over and check out the great giveaway at Canton Village Quiltworks. I haven't won anything on a giveaway yet, so this would be a great time to start. She has some great quilt market photos to view while you are there.

Scraps, Scraps, Scraps

2009-10-19T08:48:00.015-04:00

While talking with Subee, she mentioned that she has all her bolts of fabric from before scrap quilting. I began to think about whether I would ever emerge from scrap quilts. It all started when I found Bonnie many years ago. I don't know if I can go back!! At first it was a goal to use up all the fabric that I had organized in my scrap bins. Well folks, I have been sewing with only scraps now for about 5 years. I don't see my scraps depleting any and I am OK with that. When I look at planned quilts, they generally don't appeal to me. I may emerge from this at some point, but I don't think it will be any time soon.

I have been pondering something Bonnie said about keeping the scrap bin "fresh". I was failing miserably at this one. There were some real "ugly" fabrics in there that I never seem to grab when making a quilt. These were mostly from my pre-quilting days and before I discovered the wonderful feel of quilt shop fabric. I decided it was time to purge. My children already took care of purging my 1 1/2" bin, so I moved on to the 2" bin.
This is what my 2" strip bin looked like before I started. It was organized, but it was full. It was full of fabrics that were given to me a very long time ago. There were also a lot of fabrics from my rescue mission that I blogged about some time back.

This is the bin after I went through and pulled out all the "what was I thinking fabrics" and "gee where did this come from" and the"wow I don't think I can cut this small enough to be pretty" It is hard to see a reduction even after I pulled out the "not so pretties". Does it look any emptier?

Next I went to my tub of fabrics that I had pulled from my stash.

These were leftover fabrics from previous charity quilts, fabric purchases from before I really knew what I was doing, and perhaps some clearance items that didn't work out so well. I know everyone has these whether they want to admit it or not!

I took this yardage to the cutter and cut it all into 2" strips. Have I mentioned how much I love my Studio cutter!! There was at least 10 yards in this pile. It is amazing how things add up. I decide to make a toothbrush rug with my 2" strips to replace the rug in my kitchen that is starting to show some serious wear. I don't know how far these 20 yards of fabric will take me, but they weren't doing me any good cluttering up my scrap bin. I like to have something portable to do when I am playing taxi mom (currently 6 days a week). At some point this rug will be too large to be portable, but I have it started! Sydney commented that she thought I was going to make a "pretty" rug. Her idea of pretty is color coordinated. Maybe I will be able to convert her someday! I think it will look fabulous in my kitchen. Here is the start. It may take me a year or so to get it completed, but the one I made with my 1 1/2" strips went really fast. I don't want my rug as large as the current kitchen rug. This rug was given to me by my sister when she remodeled her kitchen many years ago. It has had a long and good life.

One 40" strip does about 6" of length on the rug. I'm not sure how far this yardage will take me, but I am sure I can find more to cut up. If I was buying yardage for this rug, it would be quite expensive.

I feel confident that everything in my 2" bin is now usable.

I'm glad it's Friday

2009-10-16T13:17:00.006-04:00

Even the dog is ready for Friday! He is guarding the monkey hoping that someone will come after it and initiate a chase.

I don't know about you, but this week has been really long for me. I think it was the lack of sun that made me tired. My blog has been really boring lately because I haven't found the time (or energy) to turn on the sewing machine. I did try a really good and semi-nutritious smoothie for lunch. My daughter brought the recipe home from school.

Pumpkin Yogurt Cheesecake Shake

1 14-ounce can pumpkin chilled
3 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (I used regular)
1 6 or 8 ounce container low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
graham cracker crumbs to sprinkle on the top!

Dump everything into the blender and process until smooth. Pour into glasses and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs . (It would be tasty with whipped cream added before the crumbs, but that sort of defeats the nutritional value)

Plenty of vitamin A, Calcium, protein, and Fiber. It was a big hit with all the little people at my house today. I will be making these again. Let me know if you try these. I am curious what you think!

Interesting Blog

2009-09-25T13:47:00.003-04:00

Well I happened upon another great blog that I thought I would pass along. If you browse around you will find some nice tutorials and a daily shopping special. Take a look and see what you think. If you need some more fabric, check out the daily special they post on the deal a day button.

http://blog.missouriquiltco.com/

I spy a retreat...

2009-09-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

I know I mostly have local followers of my blog, so I thought I would post this. Hop on over to this blog and check out the retreat that is being planned for next October (yes, 2010). What could be more fun than a retreat in Shipshe. If you go to the hotel webpage, there is a cool slideshow that shows the accomodations well.

http://threadsofmine.blogspot.com/

Lovely Log Cabin

2009-09-23T17:19:00.003-04:00

I am delivering this quilt to my customer today. I had a terrible time with the thread. I used YLI on the top and Aurifil on the bottom. I have used YLI before with success, so I don't know what the problem was. I thought maybe it was a tired check spring, but I quilted 2 more quilts after this one with no problem. It will remain a mystery.

A Finish!

2009-09-22T21:22:00.006-04:00

I have to say, I worked my tail off on this one. Ok, I know, I had the shirts for several years, but when I really decided to do the quilt, I got it done quickly. It took soooo long to trim the shirts and get the logos centered that I hope I never do another one of these. I have to thank my non-blogging friend Char for suggesting that I map the quilt out on graph paper before I started the project. That was a big help, and it helped me to keep things on track. My other non-blogging friend Eleanor hand sewed the binding for me in one day (or I never would have met my deadline). I picked the solid colors from a spool of ribbon my oldest DD insisted I purchase. This was given as a wedding gift to my niece. I thought I would at least get a shocked call, but I was mistaken. I quilted it with a medium stipple. I was nervous that the thread would break or I would have tension problems. Some of the shirts had really thick paint. The quilting fairy was by my side - I had perfect tension and not a single thread break

First Day of School

2009-08-18T07:24:00.003-04:00

Summer has officially ended for the kids. I think they are ready to go back (at least for a week or so). This will be my last year with 4 children at the same school.

Fat Quarter Fun

2009-08-02T12:54:00.018-04:00

Here are the pictures from our day of quilt shopping. We did not empty the boat at a little bit of Lolly's fat quarter sale. We were told there were over 6000 fat quarters in the boat. The boat was a lot lighter when we left. I consider it a rescue mission. The boat may not sink now because we removed a lot of weight. Guess who bought the most? It was so much fun that I think we should make it an annual event. I'm glad none of the pictures showed the total on the cash register.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-08-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

Since I haven't posted in a while, I am just going to give the total since the first of the year.

Incoming YTD: 211.95 Yards
Outgoing YTD: 169.71 Yards
Net Gain this Year: 42.24 Yards

Unfortunately I am currently going in the wrong direction. I hope to do some sewing soon to get into the negatives again.

Damages from Shopping with Friends.

2009-07-31T10:05:00.003-04:00

Sorry I have been absent from blogging for quite sometime. I guess summer and kids have gotten in the way. I haven't been doing much sewing to report this summer. I had a delightful and entertaining shopping day with friends yesterday. I thought I would post the damages of the shopping experience. I was NOT the big winner as far as purchases are concerned. I will update my stash report on Sunday. It will not be pretty, but my purchases are.

Don't ley look beautiful all lined up!

Sunday Stash Report

2009-04-19T21:22:00.003-04:00

I haven't had time for much sewing lately. I have been consumed with taxes. That day seems to creep up on me every year. I don't have much to report, but it is a loss

Incoming this week: 1 yard (3 - 1/3 yards pieces of shirting for the mystery quilt)
Outgoing: -10.5
YTD Incoming: 81.454
YTD Outgoing: 89.182
Net Loss: -7.729

Finally I am going in the right direction. It would be great if I could get my weight going in that same direction as well. Almost 8 yards down- that means roughly 42 yards to go. That's ONLY 3 bolts!

Title is annoying me!

2009-04-06T13:48:00.004-04:00

OK, I have tried and tried to figure out how to make my picture go all the way across the title bar. It's the best it is going to get for now. If anyone has suggestions, please jump right in.

Art Quilt

2009-04-06T10:52:00.004-04:00

It seams like I have been quilting this quilt forever. I am now half way done with it. I like the look of the straight lines close together. The lines are 1/4" apart. This is Ellen's quilt and she does a beautiful job at dying all her fabric and putting the colors together. The circles are all pieced.

This weeks projects are to finish this quilt and write the instructions for step 2 of the mystery. Several people have asked what my color choices were for the mystery. I am using my scrap box of reproduction prints and shirting fat quarters that I had in my stash.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-04-06T10:20:00.003-04:00

A little late, but I was still busting last night. Most of the fabric busted was shirting fat quarters for the mystery quilt. I also gifted several pieces of fabric this week that I knew I would never use.

Incoming this week: 0
Outgoing this week: 5.5 yards
Ytd Incoming: 80.454
YTD Outgoing: 78.682
Net Gain: 1.771 Yards

I am almost back to the big goose egg. It is hard to believe how many yard of fabric I have recorded so far (both in and out)

A customer finish

2009-04-01T08:46:00.003-04:00

It occured to me that I didn't post a picture of the finished baby quilt that I posted a while ago. It was delivered to the customer yesterday. I am very pleased with how the quilting looks. I put Moda snuggle on the back (just like minkee), and it quilted very nice.

There is a great wool tote givaway on http://quilthollow.blogspot.com/. Here is another great giveaway for a jellyroll and a pattern. http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/

Sunday Stash Report

2009-03-29T08:58:00.002-04:00

Well I didn't make any additions this week. The only sewing I did this week is what I posted in yesterday's post. This marks the end of the first quarter, and I am not doing so well with my goal of busting 50 yards. I still have 3 quarters to get it together. I am not going to Paducah this year, so I won't have that temptation. This weeks numbers are:

Incoming Yardage: 0
Outgoing Yardage: 7.11
Total Stash Busted YTD date: 7.27

I am still not at a deficit, but maybe this week.

Tumbler Sample is done

2009-03-28T19:46:00.003-04:00

I have been patiently (ok, I am never patient) waiting to make something with the tumbler die from my Accucut machine. Having the pieces die cut really made everything line up nicely. Each tumbler is 6" finished tall. I would like to make up some kits to sell. I have some leftover fabrics from previous projects of quilt group that would make beautiful quilts. If you're interested in a specific size, please let me know.

I finished piecing the backing for the purple quilt in the previous post. I am working hard to get back to zero on the stashbusting.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-03-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have been keeping track of my fabric purchases, I just haven't posted the damages. These totals include everything since my last post. I have a purpose for most of the items I purchased (except the great bolt of brown). I have some kits made up using the tumbler block pattern. I hope to have my sample finished for the April ISE meeting.

Outgoing Yardage : -42.06
Incoming Yardage: 67.75
YTD Stash Busting: 14.381

Yes, I am aware that my numbers are going the wrong direction. I guess I am personally trying to stimulate the economy. As Mark Lipinski said, "creating an Obamano" effect.

It's a topper!

2009-03-20T08:47:00.004-04:00

Well the top is done. You all know how long it takes me to get things quilted. I hope this one is quicker than most. It turned out much better than I expected. I hope it brings a little sunshine and a lot of memories back to the recipiant. The white fabric with the purple and green flowers was cut from a dress that I found in the pile of fabrics I rescued. The rest of the fabric is going to be donated through Quilt N' Gifts in Bluffton to the Warren Methodist Home. The wood in the background is my girls new dance floor. It was a bowling alley in it's previous life. They enjoy clogging on it and performing shows.

Making some progress

2009-03-19T13:40:00.005-04:00

I can't believe how nice this looks. Even my daughter commented that the ugly fabrics didn't look bad together. This is a little over a 1/3 of the quilt. I am putting it together in 4 patches instead of rows. I like how it goes together like this, but it does take a little planning to get all the seams going in the correct direction. I am not taking the time to pin (especially since most of the materials have some poly in then), so some seams aren't lining up exactly. It is a give for an elderly garment sewer. She won't notice where my seams didn't match.

Rescued Scraps

2009-03-18T07:26:00.005-04:00

I wanted to make a quilt out of the scraps from my rescue mission. I hope the recipient remembers some of the material. Most of the materials are not to my liking, and almost all of them have some poly in them. Last week I sewed the squares into 2 patch units, and Monday I ironed them while my girls were dancing. I organized them last night, and to my surprise (more like shock) they don't look too bad. I MUST finish this quilt as I can't add another project to my unfinished pile. This picture is for Sharon who thinks I need to add my dog to my blog. His collar actually matches the quilt. Since he is sleeping, I guess he approves.

Selvages

2009-02-23T13:14:00.005-05:00

Ok, I know I said I would never do a selvage project. I borrowed the book "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" from the library, and some of the project were really cool. I still didn't feel these projects were for me. I guess my advice is - never say never. I found some really great links and tutorials at http://selvageblog.blogspot.com/ . It is a great place to look for inspiration. I took the plunge when I read this tutorial at http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/09/gifts-to-create-for-christmas-08.html. A checkbook cover! I actually needed one of these! Since I never keep the selvages, I actually had to cut the selvages off of fabric from stash to get enough. I am very pleased with how my project turned out. I think I may venture to pincushions or a zipper coin purse next.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-02-16T08:11:00.003-05:00

Well I busted my purchases this week. I managed to get the baby quilt quilted and the binding on- I still need to do the hand stitching. I also cut the binding kits for quilt group.

Incoming Yardage this week: 0
Outgoing Yardage this week: 12.1
Total stash Busted YTD: 11.3

Baby Quilt Progress

2009-02-11T18:02:00.004-05:00

Here is where I used my purchases. I haven't appliqued the circles yet. Do you think I need more or less circles? This is a commissioned quilt that is modeled after a Pottery Barn quilt. If your wondering, that is my Orange Crush (mystery quilt from Quiltville.com) hanging behind it. It is there as a gentle reminder to me to get going on it.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-02-11T13:25:00.004-05:00

The busting didn't go so well this week (it actually brings my YTD to a gain). All the purchases were for a project I am working on, so they will go away by the end of the month. I actually have the top pieced, but I haven't added the yardage yet. I find it interesting how quickly those little bits that are brought home one at a time add up. I would not have guessed that my small purchased made at 4 stops added up to 8 yards.

Outgoing Yardage : 0
Incoming Yardage: 8.19
YTD Stash Busting: -.792

Who would have thought...

2009-02-03T20:27:00.004-05:00

I would have never thought to turn the quilt 90 degrees. Today I learned that a King size bed is wider than it is long. I am still feeling the amazement of this. I have decided to put another border on this quilt to make it go to the bottom of my pillowtop mattress. The plan (not that this quilt has ever had a good plan) is to repeat the white/color/white border and then add some more 4 patches. I only need 6 more inches on each side to reach the bottom of the mattress. I don't want the white on the edge because it will show the dirt in no time flat. I'm sorry the sun was shining in the window and I didn't get a great picture.

Borders are finally On!!

2009-02-02T13:49:00.005-05:00

This quilt has been about 8 years in the making. The borders have a story all of their own. I like the way it turned out, but I wish I would have made the center a bit larger. It fits a queen bed (which I don't have). My DH thinks I should add one more border. I personally think it has enough borders. I didn't ruin my reputation of being the border queen on this quilt. I put it back away at this stage to decide if I want another border. What do you think?

Sunday Stash Report

2009-02-02T13:47:00.004-05:00

I didn't get much sewing done this week. It was another busy week working on the science fair.

Outgoing Yardage : 5.67
Incoming Yardage: 0
YTD Stash Busting: 7.40 Yards

Coolest Trick

2009-01-28T15:45:00.011-05:00

Sorry about the crazy layout of the pictures, but I can't seem to get them to go how I want them. I will have to read more on this subject. This is the coolest trick that I learned from watching a free video at Sharon Schamber's website. You needle will never come off the thread again!

Make a loop with the short tail of the thread. She recommends never to use more than 12" (maybe that's my problem)

Take your needle and pull it thru this loop (take notice of which thread is on top)

Pull gently on the long tail of thread creating a slip knot

Snug up the slip knot

This was an amazing thing for me. I can't tell you how many times I have to re-thread my needle when doing applique, or when my girls are doing yo-yo's. I tried this and you can't even feel it when you sew. I probably would have kissed Sharon if she had been standing next to me when I saw this.

The reasoning with the 12" - when the thread goes through the fabric multiple times, it wears the thread compromising the quality. This may be a contributing factor to my bindings breaking. I have a habit of making my thread an arms length.

Just Can't say NO!

2009-01-28T14:25:00.011-05:00

I offered to help my SIL clean out craft/fabrics for her 91 year old neighbor. I hope to be that active when I am 91! The van was full when I left. It took me most of today to sort things and get them in order. My goal is to find a good home for her treasures. I would also like to make a twin quilt for her bed with some of the fabric. There were 6 tatting shuttles, a dress nearly finished (just needed the zipper), DMC floss, and lots of crochet cotton, and multiple other items. The girls were excited to find 2 vintage aprons to put in with their dress-up clothes.

I am making some progress on my basket BOM. I have the snowman and the leaves to attach still. I am enjoying the hand stitching so far. I think I will at least make it to block 2.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-01-25T07:26:00.004-05:00

As posted earlier, I made a small purchase this week. I didn't do much sewing this week to offset the damages. The kids had a busy homework schedule. I did manage to knit a scarf during basketball on Saturday.

Sunday Stash Report:

Outgoing Yardage 0

Incoming Yardage 2.239

Total Stash Busted (YTD) 1.731

I stumbled across a free applique (yes, the "A" word) via Randi's blog at (http://allenquilts.wordpress.com). I really enjoy small project that I can pick up and go with while I am waiting for my children. I cut the pieces for the first block last night. It is one block a month. I may not make it past the first month, but it is a darn cute block.

I am doing the starch and press method of applique on the first block. Those darn small leaves are giving me a few problems. I may use wool for those.

Here is the link if you are interested in joining:

http://bunnyhilldesigns.com/dynamic/?page=Free%20Patterns

Who could resist?

2009-01-20T12:52:00.002-05:00

While the girls were clogging, I felt the need for a little fabric therapy. There is a quilt shop about 10 minutes from the dance studio. I received an email from that quilt shop (Quilt n' Gifts) requesting donations of fabric for a local senior group that needed supplies. Considering I had a Gateway computer box full of fabric I was donating, I think I returned home FAR less than I donated. I didn't want to leave empty handed, so I purchased 2 charm packs(on sale), 2 fat quarters (on clearance), and 1/2 yard of City Girl to go with the other prints that I have. I am pleased to move that box of fabric on to a home where it will be used instead of stored.

Sunday Stash Report

2009-01-18T17:23:00.006-05:00

Each Sunday I will post if I have been naughty or nice. I am keeping a running total of the fabric I have purchased and used this year. I have a goal to have a 50 yard deficit at the end of the year. That number seems like a lot to me, but I think it is achievable.

Since this is my first post, I will make it retro to Jan 1.

Outgoing Yardage 6.245
Incoming Yardage 2.125
Total Stash Busted (YTD) 4.12

The majority of the stash busted was for a backing and the binding on the Christmas quilt I posted earlier. Roughly 4 yards downs and 46 to go. How long do you think I can stay on the wagon? Whenever I fall, I fall REALLY hard.

Flu has left the building!

2009-01-16T10:02:00.008-05:00

I wasn't sure if I was going to make it thru. It took over a week before all of us caught the virus and recovered. The weather has been extremely snowy and cold here.

Here is a picture of my first finish of the year. These were the remnants of a large quilt a made a few years ago. I sewed the bining on completely by machine and I am pleased with how it looks. I haven't tried this in several years and I can tell I have really improved. I think the key was to pin the binding all the way around the edge before I started.

I also managed to get the binding sewn on the front of a Christmas quilt that used up some of my "uglies". These fabrics had been hanging around for way too long. I love how the red binding brings it all together. Hopefully I can get the handstitching done before Christmas. I won't move it to finished until the binding is stitched down. I will post a better picture when it is completed. I love how the sun shining thru the window shows off the quilting (even with the shadows).

During the sickness, I did manage to quilt one customer quilt. It is a cute panel quilt, and I am pleased with how it came to life with the quilting. Oh yes, and behind the customer quilt is the infamous bow tie quilt. It is on my list of quilts to finish this year as well. Perhaps someone will chime in with a great quilting plan for me. I have the FINAL border on the design wall so I can stitch the squares together.

Finishing the Year

2008-12-31T08:15:00.003-05:00

This year certainly ended with excitement. The virus on the computer certainly consumed me and added to the Christmas chaos. I think the computer sucked out all my creative energy, because I haven't done any sewing during my vacation.

All in all I must have been very good this year because I received some really nice gifts for Christmas. I think everyone in my family was pleased with the gift selections. When we were doing our returns on Monday, we came across a whole rack of Wii Fit games. It was a late Christmas gift, but my family is very excited to have it. I don't think my body will ever be the same after hula-hooping. It was good for a laugh if nothing else. Sorry no video footage was produced!!!!

When I look back on my goal for 2008 (a year of finishing or getting projects closer to completion), I think I did well. I still have well over 30 UFO's which is alarming! I am going to continue to work on my "loose threads" in 2009. I would like to finish 10 projects this year. This will be a big task for me, but I do have several baby quilts started. This leads me to my next dilemma......

It is killing me not to work on Bonnie's NYE mystery (www.quiltville.com). I have been doing scrap patterns now for several years. I don't know if I can go back to a planned color scheme. As I sip my coffee, I am anxious to get to my studio and start cutting for the mystery. I am still strong (at the moment), and I am sticking with my plan to finish more projects than I start. I may have to weaken when I see step 2.

My second goal for 2009 is to reduce my stash. My plan is to eliminate fabrics that I no long like by either cutting them up or donating them. I got an early start with this yesterday when I put about 20 pounds of fabric in a box to donate to a senior center. My sewing studio is currently a disaster! Even my children asked, "Mom what happened in here". I think I should be banned from fat quarter sales this year. Notice I put the word "should" in that sentenance. I don't think I have that much will power!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy NYE.

Not how I planned it...

2008-12-11T14:46:00.010-05:00

When do my plans ever work? I like how this turned out, but it would have been much cuter with plan "A". The original plan was to knit fuchsia fun fur trim and attach it. Because of my last minute nature, I couldn't find it. Plan "C" and "D" weren't very successful either, but the end result is good. I used strings and scraps of fabric and sewed them together without foundation. I cut the segments with the 10 degree wedge ruler. I love this ruler, but I wish the center hole was smaller. I am going to play with the fat cat ruler ( http://tinyurl.com/6228wt) and see what I can do with that. This skirt is for my mini tree for quilt group (which is tonight). It is amazing what the word "contest" encourages you create. The faux binding is a flange, and I attached yo-yo's to the collar (which was added to make the hole smaller). I backed it with fusible fleece. My number one daughter thought the tree was gaudy, however, she wanted to wear the tree skirt as a collar. The branches were rather sparse, so I thought it needed a lot of decorations (at least that was my reasoning)

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Love the Creativity and cause of this project.

2008-12-08T06:59:00.007-05:00

While reading some blogs this morning, I came across this link (http://www.quiltersofsc.org/artfullbras/artfullbras.htm) for an exhibit "supporting" breast and ovarian cancer. The creativity is amazing. Don't forget to read the names as they add to the art.

I did manage to finish 2 more bags and get the ornaments on the tree. I am taking the minimalist approach to decorating this year. After fighting with the lights last year, I bought the LED lights this year. I hope they last a long time as I never want to take all the miniature ornaments off again.

I already added my goal of 10 quilts for 2009 to the top of my blog. Hopefully this will help diminish the unfinished list.

A Cute little Finish

2008-12-06T08:31:00.000-05:00

I may be done with the first step of recovery from my fear of things not flat. I made this cute little bag from a tutorial at http://ayumills.blogspot.com/. Perhaps it was her great illustrations, but I did actually start and finish it in one day (which is a record for me). It is going to be a gift for Sydney's secret pal. I cut the squares at 2 1/2", so mine is a little bigger than the one in the tutorial. I think it would be really cute with other sizes of handles also. I used fleece for the interfacing.

Energized

2008-11-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

I am feeling a little energized today since I got some quilt time. It was a long week, but I made it to the finish line (Friday).

I finished teaching the last segment of the table runner series for quilt group (ISE). I am pleased with how the color selection turned out. In January we will be talking about embellishments.

Have to Start Somewhere.....

2008-10-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I have been thinking about blogging for a long time and decided to take the plunge. It was really Rosyln (http://www.ros-the-quilter.blogspot.com/) that motivated me to actually take action enter blogland.

I thought maybe this would help me stay focused on finishing projects this year. I am ashamed to say that I have over 30 quilts started.

It will take me a bit to get everything set up and organized, so be patient with me as I start this new adventure.