Design Wall Monday

Grawlix

Stash Report Week 5

Used this week (yards)              .25

Added this week (yards)          2.75

Used year to date (yards)         1.50

Added year to date (yards)       4.63

Net year to date total                 3.13

Heavy.  Sigh.  And sadly, the time I am spending on the sample quilt counts for nothing stash-wise.

Do those blocks look like "Bouquet Baskets"?

NO!  I put them on the wall and thought those don't look right and it's because they aren't.  I wondered why I hadn't cut those large triangles when I was doing all the cutting the first time.  Well, H-E-L-L-O,  I did cut white ones, they were just at the bottom of the stack!

Color Palette Overload

I poured the Goldfish into this little bowl and right away thought of Design Seed, which explores color palettes.  I set the bowl on this piece of batik to see how it would play.  Not bad but then I remembered the two pieces of batik I just got for the batik BOM.  Red and Yellow.  That might be a spectacular combination!

Too late though.  The Goldfish were gone.

The Hurrier I Go, the Behinder I Get

I had the bottom piece of batik and had to buy a piece to coordinate, fps, but I really like the way this turned out.  Not quite as it should have though because I was in a hurry and did this:

 

Most of you will notice that these two pieces trimmed from the lining are not the same size.  It's kind of awkward when you are boxing up a bottom and so I moved my ruler to the wrong side of the seam and... oops!  So then I had to re-do the boxing part and ultimately that made it deeper.  Which really was okay since this size bag is called a project bag rather than a gift bag.   Nevertheless, I could hear my mother's voice in my ear commenting on if I wasn't always in such a hurry.  I know some of you are laughing at that because you have seen me cut and sew and I am very much slower than everyone else.

I had some ripping out to do on the casing too but only because I ran out of bobbin in an awkward spot and I thought it  would look better to just do it over.

Of course I had a problem with this little guy too.  I had already made one of these bags and so was screaming along on this one.  Sewed the lining turning opening closed, settled the lining inside the bag and then realized I hadn't boxed the bottom and it was too late to go back and fix it because I already had the casing done.  Grrrh.

Guess I need to make a few more  :-)

Design Wall Monday

Nothing on the wall but I did make this little cutie yesterday.  I just needed a change from the big hard wallet that I have been using.  It has two flaws, I work up a sweat trying to remove my driver's license and it is too big for a pants pocket.

There are three pockets in this wallet and because it is out of fabric, I don't think it will fall out of my pocket.  No big investment here, I had everything I needed on hand and not enough fabric was used to even count in the stash busting!
 

Stash Report Week 4

Used this week (yards)            1.00

Added this week (yards)          1.63

Used year to date (yards)         1.25

Added year to date (yards)       1.88

Net year to date total                  .63

 

Will work harder this week so I can get a negative ytd total.  Even one pillowcase a week will help and fps I have some already cut!  I hardly work this week so I can make it happen.  No excuses.

Over Confident

Do you see the problem?  Oh yes, MORE THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH OFF!  Plus, I still ripped out two times while assembling the unit on the right.  The instructions say to cut 4 1/4 inch squares then cut diagonally twice.  I think I will try it with 4 1/2 inches and see if that turns out better for me.  I did check my seams on this and they measure pretty spot on but may be off just slightly enough to compound a difference but more than a quarter of an inch seems (hahaha) like a lot.

Stepping into the shower and will try to re-gather a positive attitude about this block.

Block 1

This is listed as block 1 in the book we are using for the next block of the month class at the store.  We will not be using this as the first block however because no one would come back for the second block!  Because we have changed all the colors, it makes following the directions in the book rather tricky.  An understatement.  I was about to open a vein with my rotary cutter!  After ripping out stitches on the second set of quarter square triangles for the second time it finally dawned on me to lay out the pieces in the block on a mat.  Really, why it took me so long to think that through is a bit troubling.

And mats are mobile!  You can cut at your cutting board, lay out the pieces on the mat, sew units together, iron on the mat or move the mat to the ironing board then return to the sewing machine.  Rinse and repeat.

Whew!

Design Wall Monday

One pillowcase and an embroidery WIP.  Heather and I have a little embroidery challenge going, one per month.  She is doing a bigger project but all of my blocks will be pretty much the same size and amount of stitching.  These are pretty fast but I do notice a difference in the stitching which is better if I am wearing my glasses rather than my contacts.  Makes sense since if I am doing a lot of reading, I prefer to wear my glasses.

Stash Report Week 3

Just a little drawstring bag.

 

 

 

 

 

Used this week (yards)              .25

Added this week (yards)            .25

Used year to date (yards)           .25

Added year to date (yards)         .25

Net year to date total                    0

This would be a great plan for the year, added and used each week the same!  Ha!

Design Wall Monday

This is the same quilt from last week, in fact this is last week's photo.  I have the top finished except for the appliqued flower and the plan is to have it ready for quilting tomorrow.  This is a Moda Bake Shop pattern by Natalie Bonner.  It uses a layer cake and so there is minimal cutting.  I say Yay! to that!

Today I will focus on the BOM quilt, now that some semblance of order has returned to the sewing room.  I feel very fortunate to have an entire room to devote to fabric related happiness.  Still don't have all the fabric in that room but I'm getting there!

Stash Report Week #2

Used this week (yards) 0 Used year to date (yards) 0 Added this week (yards) 0 Added year to date (yards) 0 Net year to date (yards) 0
No change from last week.  I have a sample quilt to piece for the next Block of the Month class at the store and that will keep me busy for a some time and since there is a deadline, I should be able to keep from thinking too much about other projects and consequently fabric purchases!  Add to the mix that I am rearranging the sewing room, so I haven't even been able to do any sewing!

2012 UFO Challenge

1	Freebird			jelly roll strips sewn together in groups of 5
2	Winter Blues			fat quarters gathered
3	Terry's yard sale blocks			blocks done, sashing needed
4	Buggy Barn Chickens			flimsy
5	Baby Farm			kit
6	Buggy Barn Christmas			blocks done
7	Kafe pickle dish			barely started
8	City Park			flimsy
9	QOV dog quilt			fabric gathered
10	Chrysalis MBS			fabric gathered
11	Lawn Chair quilt			strips done, half of columns sewn together
12	Color lines			jelly roll acquired

I think I can probably find some other projects to fill in the time when flimsies are off being quilted. ROFL

*Judy picked number 5 for this month*

Stash Report Week #1

Used this week (yards) 0 Used year to date (yards) 0 Added this week (yards) 0 Added year to date (yards) 0 Net year to date (yards) 0
The really nice part of this is that I don't really have to face reality by counting the yardage currently in the house.  That would be seriously debilitating.

2012

A new year.  I usually verbally protest the hoopla surrounding the New Year because I have always associated a new year with September and the beginning of a school.  Not that I am a teacher or even going to school but perhaps it’s just the potential and promise in the air when school starts.  New teachers, new classmates, new things to learn and it doesn’t matter if it’s elementary school or university, the neighborhood here positively hums with excitement.

This year I am excited to start a new year right now!  I’m not sure why exactly but maybe it’s because I feel like I have made real progress in my goal to simplify.  Maybe it’s just because the sun has been out for two days in a row!

I was hoping to move to this year’s word right now but with our four legged visitor for the past two plus weeks, chaos has reigned and even the simplest projects seem overwhelming.  Yesterday I relaxed my vigil and took my eyes off the little guy.  Mistake. 

So there will be a two week delay getting everything as I would like it.  Nothing to stress about.  I won’t start clenching my teeth at night again.  I really want to focus on what’s ahead. 

My favorite blog, Patchwork Times, is written by Judy Laquidara.  Judy starts out each year with a UFO challenge.  If you want to participate you pick out and number 12 unfinished projects.  Judy draws a number each month and that’s the project you work on and hopefully finish once and for all.  This year there is also a color palette challenge each month and of course the Stash Report each week.  I want to play along with Judy!

When I checked this morning, Judy had the Stash Report up.  That was easy, it’s the first week so everyone is starting off at zero.  I set up my spreadsheet.  I went back to Judy’s blog and there was the color palette challenge.  The wheels started spinning.  Again I checked the blog and my goodness she had picked the UFO number!  A bead of sweat broke out on my upper lip.  I stepped away from the computer.  This was going to be too much.  I walked into the living room and gazed at the fabric cabinet.  Then I counted the quilts that were in it.

Seven finished quilts.  Plus one that has already been given away, one that was sold, four that are hanging in the store and for pete’s sake, the one on my bed.  Fourteen finished quilts in 2011.  Okay then bring it on 2012, I can do it!