Ins and Outs (Stash report week 31)

On a hot day, a trip to the mall and the Build A Bear Workshop (to build a dog)

Greetings to you!  Staying cool?

This week was pretty quiet on the sewing front but I still have things to show you.  The lethargy was still with me and that is not conducive to sitting at the sewing machine.

However, I did get a bit of hand work done - these two little 3/4" polka dot hexies.

I've used most of the petals that I basted about a month ago so I need to cut a few more this afternoon.

Check out more flower garden s at Pigtales and Quilts.

I've been playing catch up on the Clover and Violet embroidery QAL, working on block #3.  Hope to finish this one and get #4 started this afternoon.

Since Borders is closing, I went to see what early Christmas shopping I could do.  But the first big sale I saw was 40% off the magazines.  There were exactly 2 quilting magazines left on the shelf so I bought Irish Quilting.

I don't generally pay more than $6 for a quilt mag so the sale brought it into my comfort zone.  Several kids books and puzzles also came home with me and are now tucked away in the basement.

A few weeks ago I picked up some mags off the sale table at the library for $.50 each.  At that price I just buy and look later.

The only fabric that came in this week was a win from Toni at The Quilting Pirate.  There are 21 batik charms here - aren't they pretty?

Finally, I gave 12 FQs to our guild's charity committee.  They like finished projects but they also make up kits and have sew days.  I kept thinking that I would make a top and then reality hit - I have too many UFOs and too little time.  Sewing is a hobby after all, so I decided to get rid of the guilt that swept over me every time I saw those FQs and donated them.

This week's numbers:
Used this Week:  3 (gifted)
Used year to Date: 46.5
Added this Week: 0.5
Added Year to Date:  75.425
Net Used for 2011:   -28.925

Head over to Judy's blog for more stash busting reports. Have a great week!!

Little finishes

Happy Weekend!

It's still hot and the lethargy caused by the heat continues but I did manage to get some handwork done this week.

 Like these little hexies.

Click over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict for more Woop Woop finishes.

One reminder, if you are a new quilter and would like to join the Wantobe Quilter giveaways over at Sew We Quilt Stash Manicure, you can enter here.  Just send me your name, a phone number, and email address and I will send them along to Madam Samm.

Want to win some quilting supplies?

Calling all Wantobe Quilters? 

"Hello friends and followers, I would love to welcome you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over here. ( http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com)

 They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks. 

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it...From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter. 

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too...Tuesday and Thursday are days for us..

All you have to do is give me your name and phone number 

and email sew I can submit this to the organizer, because if you win

anything I can win something too. 

All you have to do is be my follower and a follower

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That is all! There are over 49 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER! 

( p.s you will not be eligible to win anything if you do not register

with a blogger where you see this message)

How Does Your Garden Grow and Stash Report Week 30

Fishing at Papa's house.

Are you keeping cool?!  It's a hard job these days, isn't it?  Through the powers of social media, some of my high school classmates (all 88 of us - lol) got together and bought one of our classmates with health issues an air conditioner.  It was rather amazing that it all happened during the course of a day with all of us spread around 3 or 4 states!

This week we met my husband's sister and her family about 2 hours away.  My BIL was taking some classes so they made a little vacation out of it.  While in the car and sitting about, I got one polka dot hexie completed. Check out the How Does Your Garden Grow sew along at Pigtales and Quilts.

My nephew is 7 and just learned in cub scouts how to hand sew.  He started a hexie, too, and got half of it done before we headed home, sew I left him thread and needle and 3 more petals to finish it up.  I started them for him so we may have to skype so I can show him how to start the petals himself.  Isn't that cute?!  His sister also wanted to sew but she's not yet 4.  Guess I will need to get a couple projects ready for their December visit.

That's about it on the sewing front.  The heat just makes me want to lie down with a good book when I have a few free moments.

I did complete two pillowcases.  One for my nephew in soccer fabric. I had doll quilts for my niece so I needed something for her brother.

And one for my son in the horse fabric he selected at the LQS. Doing them together took me less than 2 hours, from cutting to end.  Wouldn't have taken that long if I hadn't done so much "air" sewing.  Really wish my machine told me when the bobbin is empty!

However, I did get a start on putting together a 3rd bed size top. I'm digging into the UFO boxes for piecing projects as I have too many projects that need quilting to allow myself to start another piecing project.

This is the Scrappy Friendship quilt pattern that a magazine sends out with it's subscription solicitation (Fons & Porter, I think).  My Viking dealer set up the fabric swap - trading something like 120 6" squares, maybe more than that.  I chose to set all my 5" HSTs in a pinwheel setting.  Before borders it should finish about 80x80.

Earlier this summer I participated in two charm square swaps.  I thought maybe I had counted it "out" when I mailed off my charms but apparently I did not, thinking it would be coming back to me anyway. One red and white swap hosted by Sew Many Ways (125 charms).

And one polka dot swap hosted by Sewing in the Wendy City (80 charms).

This week's numbers:
Used this Week:  2
Used year to Date: 43.5
Added this Week: 0
Added Year to Date:  74.925
Net Used for 2011:   -31.425

Head over to Judy's blog for more stash busting reports. Have a great week!!

9 patches done!

After almost 6 years, the 6" nine patches are done.  Apparently I had the necessary 57 some time ago as I have 62 of them. 

After I started them, I took a machine strip piecing class and the hand work got set aside.  As more and more UFOs piled up, the hand piecing was almost forgotten except on road trips.

                                                                              Once the alternating squares are cut I will have 4 bed size quilt tops that are ready to come together for the next step.

Head over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict for more Friday finishes - WHOOP WHOOP.

How does your garden grow sew along.

Head over to Pigtales and Quilts for a new sew along - How Does Your Garden Grow! Actually, you don't have to do hexies, any shape will be fine. Love her quilt that she used for the button!

Thearica has set up a tab for the flower garden sew along at the top of her blog. We will show our flowers on Sundays, which will be convenient for me since that's the day I do my stash report.

Here are the ones I've done so far.  I like doing them, nice handwork project and a great way to use scraps.  I really like the 3/4" pieces, but the larger 1" pieces are nice, too.  You can see the size difference in this pic.

After doing a few I decided to focus on polka dots with white centers.  Sew, I'm begging friends for 2"x15" strips of their polka dot fabric leftovers.  That's enough to do one flower.

We have a day trip planned so maybe I will have a new one to show soon.

Stash Report - Week 29

Wheweee!!

I noticed last summer - the heat really affects me in my middle years.  It makes me so cranky.  I get so tired of being so sticky, so wet, and so overheated - ugghh!!

The hot weather doesn't seem to bother the butterflies.

That translates to:

By the time I am done doing all those things I have to do - out the door walking the dog by 6:30AM, getting the boys out of the house, running errands with a preschooler in tow, and all that kitchen stuff (which I really dislike), cleaning, laundry - uggh!!  I've had it!!

I want to curl up with a book and sleep a million years!!

In other words - I just don't feel like sewing - anything - by hand, by machine.  I'm too pooped to sew a seam.  Sew, my UFOs are still UFOs - waiting for inspiration to hit.

Aahhh (deep exhale)!  Now, all that said, I actually have a project to sew this week.  One day this week we will be meeting my sister-in-law and her family who will be a couple hours away while her husband is on a business trip.  I have two doll quilts for my niece but nothing for my nephew.  Sew, I picked up some soccer fabric at Joann's to make him a pillowcase.

Thought I would get to that today, but we decided to be gluttons for punishment and do one last outdoor activity before the heat advisories kick in.  We went to the World Bird Sanctuary, which is in a heavily wooded area very near our home, the shade did not help - not today.  DS enjoyed seeing the birds fly in the show!  We did too. This raven closed the show and is named Lenore.



Last night was Sew Down at my LQS.  I was so tired!  The only thing I did was cut and piece my Civil War blocks for my monthly guild meeting. They are my first basket blocks.

Then I squared up a few of my 9 patch blocks, ate some chocolate chip cookies, sewed a few honey bun strips together, and ate some brownies before I threw in the towel and came home early.

This week's numbers:
Used this Week: 0
Used year to Date: 41.5
Added this Week:  1.25
Added Year to Date:  74.925
Net Used for 2011:   -33.425

Head over to Judy's blog for more stash busting reports. Have a great week!!