3 Months left in the year

I just had the best visit with my Mom. Every time she comes to town we have such a great time sewing, shopping and catching up on all our new projects.

We finished a bunch of tagged blankets, made some fabric appliques, and went to town making placemats and table runners. I wish I had taken some pictures.

I did finish and mail out my Fall Mini Swap to Talia. She requested not cutsey and overtly Halloween and small! I am not sure if it was the heat wave we were having here in NoCal or the fact that the leaves are not starting to change, but I was not feeling in the fall and went with more of a primitive look with fallish type colors. I wasn't feeling fancy, but took my inspiration from antique doll quilts.

Hope she likes it!

3 months left in the year to finish my goals....wonder if I will finish them? Suppose I should go check to see what my goals were?!?

Susan

An Update

So many things have been going on, and blogging has not been getting the attention it deserves! I started writing this so I could have a place that I could record for my self (and any one else reading) my thoughts, inspirations and progress. Now, six months later, I have done next to no sewing in 3 months! It's not that I have not been inspired by things, I have. It is not that I haven't had a lot of time, I could make some more time. I guess it has been a lack of motivation, of get up and go.

What have I been working on....

Well, I did make a few Mini Quilts. The first one, I made for Sophie, for her first birthday. It was her first doll baby quilt. She plays peek a boo with it more often than using it with her dolls, but I love seeing it draped on the little chair in the family room.

I also made a Mini Quilt for a swap that I was involved in with the HGTV message board. In this swap, hosted by Holee, we were to make a quilt that said "Summer" to us. It was up to the maker the pattern/color--summer was our only guideline. My partner, abxkris, made the best mini. The intricacy in the paper pieced star was amazing, and she mimicked the swirl pattern on the fabric in the quilting.


In return, I made my interpretation of the "summer" theme. I am a pretty traditional quilter. I like half square triangles, points matching, flying geese and civil war reproductions. So, I picked a super traditional patter, but made it in bright batiks. I love how it turned out. I think beach ball when I see it, but I think Ryan thinks I am a bit crazy!


What else have I been up to....

I did make a few tissue packs/wallets for hostess gifts, and have been exploring using my Cricut to cut out applique shapes. My mom (Karibbean Quilter) and I have been working on a way for her to be able to cut easily and accurately sealife/island motifs to applique on t-shirts. Still working out the kinks, but getting closer.


I did drop of 3 quilts at the long armer two weeks ago. The first was a top my Mom made with various patriotic fabrics. She did a great job of fussy cutting the sayings and pictures. We decided that it was busy enough and she did not need to add any borders to the quilt.
The second quilt was a top that I had finished up last year. It is a take 3 pattern using doggie fabric. My mom is going to give it to her friends grandson. I think it will be perfect!

The 3rd quilt I dropped of was a Thimbleberries quilt that I started in 2007. My dear friend Doreen, and I were a part of Thimbleberries Club and of course had to make (or start) all of the quilts offered that year. I was so proud how we used our stash for most of the fabrics in this quilt and I think the top only cost me about $15.00 to make. Since we are about to make some housing changes in our lives I thought this would be a good quilt to get quilted.


So, how am I doing stash wise you might ask...
I really have not bought anything. Honestly, I have gone to a few quilt shops but have been so busy, that I have not really done any buying. My mom and I did pick up some fabric at Checker for her business, but seriously, I was good!
What have I used....Not alot, but I'll report anyhow. I am guessing that the two minis used about 1 and 1/2 yards of fabric. I would have guessed less, but there were a ton of half square triangles and those eat up fabric! I'm guessing that the hostess gifts used about 2/3 yard total and the Cricut samples used about 1/3 yard.
To the bigger numbers....
The Take 3 used 2 yards, and the House Quilt used (according to the pattern-this seems like alot though...) 8 yards. Backing fabric was 1.5 yards for the Doggie Quilt, and The TB House Quilt backing used 4 yards.

So that brings my totals to....
Fabric in this period- 0
Fabric in YTD- 32.8 yards
Stash used this period...18 yards!
Stash used YTD- 52.4 yards

Net: -19.6 yards!

Have not reported in a while.

I think the saying "When it rains it pours" just might be true. Luckily for me not everything has been bad, but just things seem to be happening right on top of each other and I have gotten hardly any sewing done. I also have not done alot of buying too so that is a good thing.

I also made a few wallets for her. Not a huge stash buster but .4 yards were used for this!

We also made plans for a few braided table runners and I gave her some fabric to use on another quilt. I think I will allocate about .75 yards for this give or take. Not a ton, but she can use the fabric and I was not. I would much rather see the fabric being used.

I also worked on a table runner for her. It uses .75 yards. I have not finished it yet, so the borders and the backing will add some more. I have this at home so hopefully when I finish I will take a picture. I used left overs from the quilt Mom made me, "Demento Box" (play on Bento Box cause it drove her crazy...see I told you she was creative!). Anyhow it is a gorgeous yellow and blue and green butterfly/willow print Maywood Studios put out a few years ago. It is some of my favorite fabric of all time and I knew this would be perfect for a table runner.

Now the purchasing...

I have to admit I have been pretty good. I did get .5 yards of 1930's prints at a shop on Saturday that was having a sale. Not too bad because the shop was having 20%off all fabric!
And I honestly think that is it for the past few weeks! Amazing!

Now for the report....

Fabric in this week: .5 yards
Fabric in YTD: 32.8 yards

Fabric used this week: 3.4 yards
Fabric used YTD: 34.4 yards

Net Fabric: -1.6 yards

(back in the negatives!)

Stashbusting Report

Ok, so I am several weeks behind.  Honestly, I have not fallen off the band wagon.  Just been super busy.  I have been to Virginia and New York and am headed back to New York tomorrow.

Ok, so in the past few weeks I purchased 31/3 yards of fabric.  Mostly it was for the Bear in Farm House project I am working on.  I needed a bit more in the light gold department and did purchase the dark green batik to use for the border.  The picture of my progress so far is in the post below.

Other than that...I have used up not as much as I would have liked, but some is better than

 nothing.

I made this neat potholder for a dear friend on the HGTV message board.  I over analyzed how to make it, so Ryan drew me a heart and I went from there.  It turned out really cute.  I can not wait to make some more for family and friends.

I did finish my Mini Quilt for the swap hosted by Holee (I will link her blog in a few).  We each had a partner and asked them their favorite colors, but it was pretty much up to us as to what we made.  I made this black and while flying geese mini for my partner, Ali.  I knew she really liked black and whites and I love to make flying geese.  Each of these flying geese measure 1x2 inches!   I was surprised at how fun it was to make.  

Ali made me the prettiest mini that just screamed spring.  I love all of the romantic florals that she used, and accenting it with the birds.    She did such a great job of melding my taste of fabrics into her style of quilting.  Isn't that how quilting friendships should be?

Here are the results...

Fabric in this week: 3 1/3 yards
Fabric in YTD: 32 1/3 yards

Fabric used this week: 4 1/3  yards
Fabric used YTD: 31 yards

Net Fabric: +1 1/3 yards

Bears in Farm House Step 4

Here is my Bear's in the Farm House step 4.

I love how this quilt is coming along and I hope that Daniele and Luke love it too!

I am quickly becoming attached to it.  Most of the fabrics I collected on Ryan and I's vacation to Oregon in the summer of 2006.  We went to several wineries and were even able to see the Sister's Quilt Show.  It was a great trip full of many wonderful memories.

The next step should be the conclusion and I hope to get that finished soon as well.  Only 3 more borders left.  Judy wasn't kidding when she said that she loves borders.  

Bears In Farmhouse Step 3

For Step 3 of Judy L's Bear's in the Farmhouse quilt along we had to use the 192 half square triangles and form 12 blocks.  I finished by 12 blocks tonight.  I did have to purchase a about 1/4 yard total of the light gold to have enough, but the rest was from all from stash.

I hope that Daniele loves her Bear Paw Quilt!

Stashbusting Weeks 8 and 9

This is a two week report because last weekend I went down to my inlaws house in Virginia. Ryan and Sophie left the day before and I went down the next day. I missed them terribly and must have been missing them too much because I cut part of the block in an entire queen size quilt wrong! I was starting to sew the blocks together and I noticed that the particular unit was a half an inch too small! I was besided my self, as the quilt was a kit that my Mom got for me out of the Quilt Shop Sampler Magazine from 2006! Three years ago, and there was no way that I was going to be able to replicate those fabrics. Put the project away for the night and thankfully came up with a creative way to piece the unit so it is not so noticable. I finished 8 blocks so far...
It is a fat quarter quilt that will ultimatly bust 34 fat quarters and 3 yards of borders. I have all of the "b" strips sewn together and hope to get the top completed by next week.

I did get the middle of the leader and ender project completly put together. I had no yardage of anything that went with the quilt to finish it off so I did buy 2 yards of a beautiful brown Thimbleberries print to use as an inner and thicker outer border. I still have to piece a middle border. I will pick up this leader and ender project when I won't get it confused with my current project! I did use a fat quarters worth of fabric to finish up the middle.

Last week I did make a trip out to see my dear friend Doreen while she was working at Crisitina's Quilt Shoppe where I used to work as well. We spent about an hour catching up and I was pretty bad in that I bought 3 yards of Moda Black fabric and two half yard pieces of beautiful orientals to go with my Michelle Obama prayer quilt. My mom is so good hers is already pieced! While I was there though I fell in love with an Alexander Henry print for a One Block wonder print. I was good though and did not buy any....a week later, 4.5 yards arrived at my house. Doreen did not want the fabric to sell out. I did buy her two yards of the Bernina Batik, and need to get that in the mail to her.

I did finish the 192 half square triangles all from stash (1.25 yards!) and did use a quarter of a yard to make fabric labels.

So....

Fabric in this week: 10.5 yards (eek!)
Fabric in YTD: 29 yards

Fabric used this week: 2 yards
Fabric used YTD: 26.67 yards

Net Fabric: +2.34 yards