Quilting Secrets Blog Hop (+ prizes)

Happy Almost 2013!

What an exciting morning!  Tonya is back at her Facebook shop Ozark Fabric and Fun Stuff, Bonnie released another clue to Easy Street where we start putting pieces together, and there is a new blog hop at Mrs. Pickles Garden.

Check out the fun tip and techniques and be eligible to win a few prizes for the next 6 days!  Be sure to visit each blog on it's day.

Good Luck!

The Last 2012 Stash Report (week 52)

Here it is, the last stash report for this year.  I will be so glad to start with zeroes next week (unless my box from Tonya arrives before then)!  I had high hopes for 2012 being the UFO busting year.  Alas, fate had other plans.  My grandma's passing really took the wind out of my creative sails and settling her affairs took loads of time.

Now I am starting to focus my attention on just getting some tops done that have been sitting around for years. My resolution for 2013 is to empty my projects boxes of old projects, so I can fill them with new ones, of course.  I may have to do some panto "quilting by checkbook" because these UFOs are really draining my chi. I feel behind on everything that I do some days.

To help me bust my stash and use up some fabric, my mom bought me more fabric for Christmas.  LOL - she bought me 15 yards of white muslin!

I started to take a pic of it all washed and piled, not folded yet, on my sewing cabinet but when I snapped it, it seemed quite dull.  

The muslin will help me use up the red & white charms from a swap, polka dot charms from a swap, and possibly tons of scrappy strips and charms.

One thing that I do not stash is neutral background fabric.  There is about 10 yards of my grandma's unbleached muslin that I have used in several projects.  It's so handy to have around.  But, I had no white fabric.

Now I am off to the races, what projects shall I start next?  Oh - see, there I go!  Gotta get a couple tops together first, then I can start a new project.


We traveled before Christmas to Dallas for DH's family get together.  Well, as DH went to get a part for the truck one morning, I went along with him and noticed sign for Plano.  Well, that's where the Fabric Fanatics shop is, the one that carries only batiks!  So, we stopped and I only bought 3 cuts (half yd each).  I could have done some real checkbook damage in that store, let me tell you!!  There were lovely batiks all at less than $10/yd, bolts and bolts of sale fabric at $7.75/yd - batik heaven!

Today is our 18th wedding anniversary and DH did a good thing.  He bought me this:

It's the TrueCut rotary blade sharpener.  And, it works!  I know that because he sharpened about 10 old blades for me yesterday evening (yes, he gave it to me early).  I put it on my amazon wish list after Bonnie Hunter gave it a good review.  It sharpened those Harbor Freight blades but they are thicker than the blades we get from Fiskars and Olfa.  Now, I can just scrap those and take the loss.

My mom got me this one for Christmas.

It's the manual blade sharpener.  Neither DH or I could get it to work.  Guess there's too much of an "idiot" factor involved.  I think you have to find the way to hold the blade just right for 10 rep's on each side of the blade, more if the blade is really dull.  Luckily, she can return it.

My in-laws got me a new book:

I ask for one quilt book each year and you know, I think I've made one quilt.  It's not that I don't want to make quilts from these books.  My queue of projects is just so long! I may have to take a break on the books, too.

Oh yes, my last finish of 2012:

I completed this before we left for Dallas.  I started it in November 2011 and I truly have no idea what I was thinking.  Look how deep it is!  It's the same pattern, based on the Mill House Inn tote bag, as my spring bag.  I added a zipper and 3 big pockets. I know I wanted it to be big enough to hold gloves and hats and ear muffs.  I just don't remember it being this big!


To the numbers:
Used this week: 1
Used year to date: 32.025
Added this week (purchased/won): 1.5
Added this week (inherited/gifted): 15
Added year to date (purchased/won): 71.131
Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 84
Added year to date total: 155.131
Net used for 2012: -123.106

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports.

Have a Happy New Year! 

Easy Street update - finally!

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

With preparing to celebrate DS's birthday, preparing to be out of town, then being out of town before Christmas and getting back home to get ready for my mom and stepdad - well, not much has happened here sewing-wise.

Yesterday I set up the 6 ft table and started cutting for Easy Street clue #4 (more fgu's - uggh) and clue #5.  I didn't sew a stitch, but I'm ready to!  I like this getting projects cut out and then I can just sit and sew, sew, sew.

There are 145 - 3.5" red squares in that bag above all cut from my grandma's scraps.  Since there was a dress with a gored skirt to cut into as well as some odd-shaped scraps, out came the GO! Baby.  I used a piece of newspaper next to the mat and the squares cut so much better than they did the last time I used this die.  The 3.5" die is the only one I have that didn't cut well right out of the package.

The St. Louis news is reporting that Fontella Bass ("Rescue Me") passed away last night.  About 10 years ago we got to see Ms. Bass perform in a small nightclub here in St. Louis when she joined one of my favorite blue artists on stage - what a treat that was!!

Hope you enjoy this jolly tune!  Check out more Easy Street participants' progress at Bonnie's blog.

Stash Report Week 50

Our family went to the Circus Flora show at the Symphony last night!

Okay - one envelope of fabric that I orderd over the past two weeks arrived.

"An envelope?," you say.  "That doesnt' sound so bad."

Well, there were 7 yards of fabric crammed into that bubbly, padded, priority mail envelope!


Here it is, some navy on white, red, teal, and two black on whites for Easy Street.  The red was really a "just because" purchase and may make into the quilt.  The teal will probably be cut this afternoon and some of the black and white has already been chopped into little triangles.

My new "dealer" (aka source) for this fabric is Tonya from Hillbilly Handiworks.  Earlier this year she started a fabric auction group on Facebook and then made contact with some fabric reps and started selling on Facebook.  The group is called Ozark Fabric and Other Fun Stuff.

If you do Facebook, search for it!  This isn't a fabric store.  She gets what she gets.  She cannot get you the newest Moda line for $7/yd.  Usually she gets one bolt of fabric, sometime less, and possibly several bolts from the same line.  Then, Tonya posts a photo album stating price per yard and how much is available.  Then you leave a comment on each photo saying how many yards you want.  It is first come first served; when a bolt is sold, it's sold. You cannot buy less than a yard and there are rules regarding invoicing for fabric and for shipping.  That's another thing - Tonya ships priority mail in envelopes, medium boxes and large boxes and she knows how to pack in the fabric.  All the rules are explained in documents under the "Files" tab.

I have a confession to make.  I watched lots of fabric being posted before I actually purchased any, being on a "diet" and all.  It is fun to watch what fabrics she gets next.

The fabric that arrived this week is from known companies: In the Beginning, Blank, Quilting Treasures, and Red Rooster.  There are still 5 yards of Robert Kaufmann flannel (@ only $5.50/yd) waiting in a medium box to ship whenever it gets full.  I don't think I paid more than $5.50/yd for anything and several are much less.  If you do lots of sewing for kids or charities, Tonya gets lot of flannel and kids novelties prints.

But that's not all....

My guild had our Christmas party this week.  We played Bingo and each person brought one dozen cookies.  Well, there was a table full of prizes and so many cookies that I lost track of how many boxes were given away as door prizes.  I think only 3 people did not win a Bingo prize, so they got boxes of cookies.  My prize was a Craftsy gift certificate for a free class!  And an EZ 45 degree ruler.  Ladies at my table won gift certificates for services from other members like binding and quilting.


Our president handed out gifts to the officers and she gave us each one yard of this pretty New York fabric from the City Quilter.  Notice that it's B&W!  I'm going to cut off one repeat and save it for the backing and cut the rest for Easy Street.











Speaking of Easy Street,  I've not worked on clue #4 yet.  I've been trying to finish this bag that I started back in November.  No, not last month - November 2011!  With all the craziness, it has been since April that I made a bag and I had to figure what I was doing with this one.  There will be added pockets and a zipper.



Oh yes, I also made 4 of these Little Wallets (Valori Wells pattern) from scraps.  There are 9 pieces to cut but, truly, this is the easiest wallet I've ever made.  Now to sew the snaps on and they are complete.  Each one might use the equivalent of a FQ.

And, I mailed some of these scraps as a surprise to a blogging quilty friend.  I didn't check to see just how much was going out but I know there were 2 FQs so there was at least 1.5 yards in the envelope.

I've cut enough 3.5" squares for a lap quilt and used some scraps for the Little Wallets.  There are still a few pieces in my bins to cut up for the scrap system or for more little wallets, but I am done with these "modern" fabrics.





Wednesday is DS's 6th birthday!  He is so big and such fun at this age, well, most of the time, lol.  We leave later this week for a family holiday get together.  DH is home for the rest of the year, using vacation days that he would lose otherwise. I'm counting on a little help with packing and last minute buying.

How are your holiday plans/preparations progressing?


To the numbers:
Used this week: 2.5 (used and gifted)
Used year to date: 31.025
Added this week (purchased/won): 7
Added this week (inherited/gifted): 1
Added year to date (purchased/won): 69.631
Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 69
Added year to date total: 138.631
Net used for 2012: -107.606

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports.

Have a great week! 

Easy Street update clue #3

This weekend we had nothing planned.  And, since we don't have to host a big family get together (last year was our year), I declared Saturday a no-cooking day.  While DH and DS were playing some iPhone app game, I quietly slipped downstairs and sewed most of the day.



Actually, it was kind of a cutting and sewing weekend.  I cut all the green squares and teal hst's for clue #3.  There are many white hst's but who knows how many b/c I need over 300 and I don't count pieces over 100!  When I run out, I'll cut some more.



The teal hst's came from an unfinished dress that was in my grandma's scrap bag.  There's a finished red dress from grandma's scrap bag that will go into Easy Street.  I'll show you when we get to that step in the mystery.

Check out more Easy Street-ers at Bonnie's linky party.

Stash Report Week 49

Good news...........no additions to the stash!

Physically, there were no additions.  However, I have ordered fabric.  There were some great deals including some fly fishing flannel for backing on the T-square quilt.  I'll share those cuts when they arrive.

On the UFO front, things are going well.  The last bit of cutting for the pieced sashing in the Marti Michel BOM is now done.




These pieces are for 20 square-in-a-square cornerstones.  "Template" is almost a dirty word these days, but these are helpful.  I cut four layers at a time so it really didn't take long to get 80 of those small triangles.  For me, the cost is the issue.  If memory serves, each Perfect Patchwork Template set costs between $14 and $25.  While the system is great and Marti gives such good directions and tips with all her products, it's not exactly budget-friendly and is just more "stuff" to keep track of in my already very crowded sewing space.

Then, I cut 64 two inch green squares, a few more B&W triangles, and a few teal triangles for the third clue of Easy Street.



Here's what the teal looks like before I cut it.  It's from my grandma's scrap bags.  There's more teal coming, along with some black on whites.



I did get a few of clue 3's units completed.  Bonnie calls them shaded four patches.  Each unit measures 3.5" unfinished.

So, what's been keeping you busy this week?


To the numbers:
Used this week: 0
Used year to date: 28.525
Added this week (purchased/won): 0
Added this week (inherited/gifted): 0
Added year to date (purchased/won): 62.631
Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68
Added year to date total: 130.631
Net used for 2012: -102.106

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports.

Have a great week! 

Easy Street Update (clue 2)

This is the first time I've joined in on the Bonnie Hunter mystery fun.  I've watched the last two years.  This time of year is so crazy that it's hard to find time to really keep up.

And, I only thought I had a lot of fabric!  I mean, there are not 3-4 yards of 4 different colors hanging out in my stash.  Whew - that makes me feel better.

So, I've purchased a few black on white cuts as I seem to gravitate to white on blacks (not yet delivered).  I managed to find 2 yards of taupe for the constant and 2 yards of greens (Bonnie's purple).  With using some of Grandma's fabric, there is surely 3 yards of red in this house (Bonnies' apple green).  Teal, however, is not a color that I collect.  I like blue, not teal.  Grandma had a good chunk of teal and I have some leftovers from other projects.

Since I know this is destined to become my leader/ender project for 2013, I am no hurry to cut everything and have it lying around.  Actually, I'm out of project boxes!



Also - the weather was crazy fabulous this weekend.  I walked the dog yesterday while dressed in a T-shirt and shorts!  That's nuts for the midwest in December!!

We got our tree up and lights out, too.  So, I'm fine with getting 3 little FGU's (learned at retreat that this is shorthand for "flying geese units") complete for clue #2.  There are about 24 four patches but only these two have been pressed for the photo.

Check out more Easy Street progress at Bonnie's link up party.

Have a great day!

Stash Report Week 48

Well, I missed yet another stash report Sunday.  We were out of town celebrating DH's birthday watching the Colts beat the Bills.


DH is a huge NFL fan who rarely goes to games.  He'd rather watch on TV and select the games he watches on the NFL Sunday Ticket.  Neither of us had been to Colts game since the new stadium went up.  It was a fabulous place.  Definitely beats the Rams' venue, no wonder they're trying to get the old place remodeled.

Before leaving for Indy, I took my mom and stepdad to one of my LQS's and then to Joanns.  I only bought one yard of fabric, with a 25% off coupon.  I needed some more black on white for the Easy Street mystery, and still do.

Joanns had a great deal on Fiskars cutting tools but the 5 pack blades were all gone by 9:30AM on Friday.  So, I bought a spare cutter.  My first one stopped working a few weeks ago and I've been using one that I gave my grandma a few years ago.

Still plugging away on my UFOs.  Finally finished the last 3 Jacob's Ladder blocks and then put 4 of them together to see the secondary pattern.  You can see why I had to get those stripes going the right way!

There is enough fabric to make another row or column.  I'll have to lay the blocks out on the bed to see which way to go, across or down.


To the numbers:
Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 1

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 0

Added year to date (purchased/won): 62.631


Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68

Added year to date total: 130.631

Net used for 2012: -102.106


Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports.

Have a great week! 

Leaders/Enders

In doing all this UFO work I had been using the 3.5" squares that I cut from the modern scraps as my leader/enders in the featherweight (which really works much better with a leader/ender).



Guess what, all 80 four patches are done for the Fourth of July pattern.  That was with no effort!  I am now sold on keeping a leader/ender project going!

Of course, the queen of the l/e projects is Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com.  Did I tell you that I registered for one of her workshops that is being held in Bloomington, Indiana, at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show in March?  I went to grad school in Bloomington - such a great college town.  And, I knew from looking at her calendar that she is booked through 2015, when I think she's coming to St. Louis.  Who can wait more than 2 years for a great class?

Bonnie's latest mystery, Easy Street, will most likely be my next l/e project.  The second clue posted this morning.  Yesterday, I finally cut a few 2" strips and started on the first clue. Here are my B&W backgrounds and my constant fabric, the taupe.



There are over 200 quilters working on this mystery, per Bonnie's linky post from Monday. Some will have a completed top the day after the last clue posts.  However, I will not be among that number!  Our weekend forecast is for temps in the high 60s - crazy for December in the midwest.  So, my time will likely be spent doing something other than sitting inside at the sewing machine.

If you think you might like to do this mystery sometime, go ahead and save each clue.  Bonnie plans to use this pattern in her next book and will remove it from her site in June.

See what others have been working on this week.  Click over to Confession of a Fabric Addict for a little Friday Whoop Whoop.
Namaste

Housework and giveaway link

Just a quick post.  Here's what gets me through housework.  This gets played so much that when I turned it on this morning before tackling a sink full of dishes the dog sat in front of the vacuum cleaner - she knows!

And.....
Teresa, The Green Bag Lady, is giving away more bags.  Check out her pattern, too - http://greenbaglady.blogspot.com/2012/11/win-shopping-bag-25-winners.html.  Good Luck!

Stash Report Week 46

Fabric has been added....again!  Although, it's only a drop in the bucket, one whole fat quarter.

 
Isn't it cute?  I needed to replenish my B&W and also felt a quick mental health trip to a fabric shop was in order, as a break from housework which is just so stinkin' monotonous.  I went to the closet one that sells Moda just to see these fabrics in person.

My two closest LQS's no longer carry Moda, due to billing/payment issues, so our quilty group assumes.  So, I paid $12/yd at the store that's most proud of it's fabric in our area.  Yep - on the shop hop Heyde's has the most expensive fabric.  However, I only purchased 1/2 yd - half to keep and half to swap.  I didn't ask what they charged for their pre-cut FQs.  My Moda fix is over and I'm ready to go back to my LQS's!

Here are some things that came into the house when I was trying to figure out my photo problem.  First up up is part of what I received from my partner, Deanna, in the Flickr Monthly Fabric Swap Group.

 
We swap four FQs (or the equivalent), chocolate/candy, and a small notion item.  I say part because Deanna sent some lovely scraps and I've already put them in their appropriate bins.  The chocolate, of course, was devoured almost immediately!

Here are the pretty FQs that Toby gave us at retreat.  Love these!

 

Also at retreat, quilty friend Cheri (aka "the iron lady") made us all these cute snap bags.


And, they have pockets inside - adorable!



Cheri also found a tin of hot chocolate that she gave me.

Where did she ever find "Farmgirl" cocoa?  LOL!  DS definitely gives this two thumbs up, with marshmallows, of course.

This week I have been plugging away at my Jacob's Ladder blocks.  I have 7 more to make to reach the total of 35.  Rather than put it away to work on something else, I might as well keep at it and then I won't have to figure it out again.



To the numbers:
Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 0.25

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 0

Added year to date (purchased/won): 61.631

Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68

Added year to date total: 129.631

Net used for 2012: -101.106

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports. 

Turning a corner

I found it!  My sewing mojo!

It has been coming and going since my grandma's death.  This week I talked to the building inspector to discuss getting a demolition permit to take down her house.  Things are happening at the farm, too.  Fence rows being cleared and new fences going up.  And I manage it all from hundreds of miles away.

So, there were days when I needed to just "be."  And sitting at the sewing machine didn't fill the void.  Even our retreat didn't really do the trick.  What really did it was this past Sunday.  After sewing all day at Charla's house on Saturday, I wanted to keep going.  Finally, I got an entire afternoon just to sew in my own space and watch some Netflix and listen to Pandora.  I've done time at the machine each day this week, except yesterday which was unusually busy.  I can't tell you the last time that that happened.

The other corner relates to my quilting.  That is something that began at retreat.  I finally picked up an old Marti Michel BOM.


It's a UFO because the setting kit includes pieced sashing and cornerstones.  After working on 12.5" blocks that had up to 52 pieces, I was not interested in spending tons of time piecing the setting kit.

It just seemed like such a daunting task!

I always wondered how quilters could get such large quilts with small pieces together in so little time.  Now I get it - you cut and cut and cut, then you sew and sew and sew, and it all comes together.  It obviously doesn't come together in a day but it doesn't take months and months and months unless you stop working on it.

This week I've been working on another UFO.  I need 35 twelve inch Jacob's Ladder blocks for a quilt that I sketched out on graph paper about 5.5 years ago, while we were finishing our basement.  I made about 10 blocks.  Then the stripes got the better of me and I just put it away, let other projects take priority.  This is what I've been working on all week.


I cut all the stripe triangles and have been chain sewing like crazy.

See what other have been doing this week - check out the Whoop Whoop's!  Oh - and Sarah has a giveaway for you, too!

Fell off the wagon...again (stash report week 45)

The computer gets me into more trouble! I've been staying out of the quilt/fabric stores and only buying supplies. I mean, I have only one in store purchase in a quilt shop for 2012. But, a great birthday gift from Leona's Birthday Club and a sale at the Fat Quarter Shop brought 6 more lovely yards of fabric into my house.


All batiks, of course, from the FQS batik week sale. Can't pass up Hoffman batiks at $5.50/yard. At least when I do buy I don't pay full price - not in 2012 anyway!

 Still no finishes. I did get DS's six extra large Dresden plate blocks together for a twin size top. It measures about 62x93 atm. Now to get the back pieced. 

We had a lovely sew day yesterday at Quilty friend Charla's house. In an attempt to finish up some old UFO's, I worked on a Marti Michell designed BOM from 2009. The blocks have been done for a few years now but the sashing and cornerstones are all pieced. The past few weeks,in the company of good friends, I've cut about 300 pieces with Marti's templates and have the sashing sections ready to put together. Now to the cornerstones.

Karen and I worked on getting 2.5" squares together for our guild's Bingo game in December. We needed 25 different fabrics for each square.


Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 6.0

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 0

Added year to date (purchased/won): 61.381

Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68

Added year to date total: 129.381

Net used for 2012: -100.856

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports. 

Stash Report Week 44

It's been 3 weeks?!  Amazing!!  Guess I needed a break.

I still haven't solved my photo issue, so this will be short.  There have been no finishes but I did work on several projects this past week.  That is because quilty friends and I had our annual retreat at the St. Louis Star Inn last weekend.  

I worked on some old projects that just need to get finished:  Jacob's Ladder blocks started in 2007 and the Marti Michell (i.e. templates) Cider Mill BOM started in 2009.  

They did not get finished but progress was made.  However, I did finish piecing the giant Dresden plate blocks for DS's twin size quilt.

Just last night I started putting the yellow and black "T" square blocks together.  I laid 54 of them out on the spare bed thinking I could take with me to retreat, but it just seemed too daunting to be able to keep them in order.  So, I left them.  Our spare room is too small for me to set up the card table so I put the featherweight on a wooden TV tray next to the bed and started getting them together.









Toby Lischko, quilt designer and owner of the Inn, gifted us all with 2 FQs and I dove into her "free scraps" bin for the equivalent of another, so I added a teeny bit to my stash since the last report, all batiks of course.


Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 0.75

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 

Added year to date (purchased/won): 55.381

Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68

Added year to date total: 123.381

Net used for 2012: -94.856

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports. 

Stash Report Week 41

Howdy!

I missed my usual stash report post last week.  There is no excuse other than needing a break from routine.  I seem to have a love-hate relationship with routine/habit.  On the one hand I crave the continuity and predictability.  On the other hand, the routine becomes monotonous and quite dull.  Just goes to show that, like my grandma (and probably yours too) said, "be careful what you wish for."

My last two Saturdays have been nice breaks in the routine, however.  Last week some our quilt guild members met for a day retreat.  I've been a member of our guild for about 4 years but hadn't done anything besides attend meetings and work the quilt show.  There are several small groups in our guild that meet monthly either in the evenings or in the day.

Evening activities have never been a favorite for me, even as a school kid.  It seems all my life I've gotten up early and been "on" all day ("nap" is not in my vocabulary).  Evenings after dinner are the time to kick back and relax.  This has been especially so with a small child in the house, which also explains the lack of attending day group meetings.  Then, there's DH's work schedule and rush hour commute to take into account.  Another confession, as much I enjoy sewing, I'd like my social life to include something a bit more exciting, too, like going out to enjoy some live music or hitting a happy hour once in a while.

A day retreat was just right (daytime hours = not tired from the day) and home to spend the evening with DH, whom I really only see a couple hours out of each day, at most.  I worked on DS's Dresden plate blocks.  There are only six but those are some long seams.  Each block measures about 30" and it just takes time to get the circles pinned for sewing and the two borders ready for attaching.  Maybe I will get back to this today.

At last weeks' retreat, when I couldn't look at any more 1" border strips, I put the background together for yesterday's applique workshop project.  The workshop was all about using a blind hem hand stitch for freezer paper applique.  We learned some good tips.  I keep thinking ahead to how some embroidery stitches could really dress up this piece. First, I have to finish some more applique.

For reasons that I cannot identify, my handwork got put aside for the past few months.  Maybe it was the change in our schedule with DS starting kindergarten.  I don't know.  I did manage to get back to my hexies this week.  Those little things are so relaxing.

I've had one addition to my stash.  At the day retreat I won the door prize!  I'd love to show them to you but Blogger won't let me link to my Flickr photos, like it did for my last post.  Sorry! - I know no pics makes for a very lackluster post.


Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 2

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 

Added year to date (purchased/won): 54.631

Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68

Added year to date total: 122.181

Net used for 2012: -93.656

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports. 

Sept fabric buys

Sept fabric buys, a photo by farmgirltransplant on Flickr.

Here's a quick look at my new stash additions to go along with this week's Stash Report.

Batik Dresden plate

DSC02958, a photo by farmgirltransplant on Flickr.

Some progress was made this week on my son's Dresden plate quilt. The centers are in and most of the outer pieces are cut.

I will be going to a sew day that my guild is sponsoring next Saturday and I hope to get the blocks done then.

Have a great day!

Stash Report Week 39

I went to the big annual sale at one of my LQSs.  When this shop has a sale, it has a sale!  The shop is very small and when more room is needed, well, things need to go.  And they go to the customers' advantage at incredibly reasonable prices. Some of the larger pieces had sizes marked on the bags but several did not.  So, when I got home, I started measuring.

I came home with assorted scrap bags.  Since there have been two batiks BOMs at the shop lately, there are lots of batiks here.  There's just a tad over 9 yards of batik loveliness.

At this month's guild meeting I won a cute stack of Benartex squares as a door prize (approx. 2 yards).  Then, quilty friend Joyce brought along some more of her scraps and, being the weakling that I am, more fabric came home with me (approx. 1.25 yds)! However, I did take the stringy strips and small cuts - trying to keep the numbers down.

Wish I could post pix for you but Blogger says I've reached my limit and the URLs to my Flickr account wouldn't work.  Sorry!  This is going to be one boring blog with no photos!  Update -- here's a photo in another post.  Maybe I wil figure this out, eventually.


Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 19.5

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 1.25

Added year to date (purchased/won): 52.631

Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 68

Added year to date total: 120.181

Net used for 2012: -91.656

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports. 

No Quilting Here

With our lovely fall temps dipping into the 50s nightly, I knew there would be no sewing.  There are all kinds of chores to get the yard and flower beds "put to bed" for the upcoming winter months.  In the spring I love getting out and doing the yard stuff, knowing that there will be beauty in the payoff.  In the fall, it's a bit different.  I still love getting out in weather that doesn't take my breath away after our nasty summers, but the payoff is a long way off.  What I do now will help my plants in the spring.

First up was getting the house plants in.  They can stay out until the temps dip below 50.  The first ones in are the phalenopsis orchids.  They always get new bark in the fall for two reasons: (1) they usually need it after hanging around our deck and (2) it gets rid of any little critters that might come in with them.  Yes, I have had toads in the house who made their homes in a potted plant! Once upon a time I had about 20-25 orchids.  They take a lot of care!

DH built a special table and we bought the grow lights and I got them to bloom here and there.  Time and other interests, and a pest invasion that decimated several of the bright light lovers, won over and now there are 9 orchids on my table in the basement.  They are all phals - the easiest.  These are the ones seen most often at Lowe's, etc.  They require less light than most other orchids and can tolerate drier and cooler indoor climates better then other varieties.

The large one is from Grandma's funeral.  The blooming one is new.  It was $3 on the clearance shelf at Lowes.  It was in good shape - see those silvery green roots that look like worms - that's the sign of a healthy orchid.  At first the roots freaked me out a little.

I bought another from the clearance shelf and the blooms were so pretty (see them in the collage below?).  However, I knew what I would find.  To keep the plants from drying out, orchids in the stores are usually potted in moss in plastic pots.  Well, that's fine if the plant truly dries out between waterings.  If the orchid does not dry out, then the plant is overwatered and all that moisture from the moss and the plastic causes the roots to rot. Sure enough, it has no roots left.  I removed the bloom spike and have been misting it's leaves, hoping to get it to generate some roots - we'll see.

However, the Christmas cactus are still out.  They tolerate temps down to 40 and those cool nights help them develop buds so they will be pretty around Thanksgiving.

All the other plants either got top dressed with some new soil or completely new homes.  It's always a challenge to find places for them.  With all the stuff I've brought home from Grandma's house and the rearranging we've done, well, it's been fun this time around!

Then there's the outdoor plants.  The poor butterfly bush was top heavy and the wind blew it over and sort of split it in two.  It was leaning so I've tried moving it.  It was hard to get lots of roots so I'll be doing lots of watering. I took off all the old and new blooms so it will concentrate on growing roots rather than reproducing.

The variegated liriope is divided and in two new spots.  The ivy is trimmed. The weeds are pulled. The tomato plants are now over the back fence into the wooded ravine.  Are you tired yet?  Oh - and DH prepared the front and back yards (about 40 feet -lol!) and put down some grass seed.

I dug about 5 holes in our yard yesterday, a yard where you cannot dig more than one shovel full without hitting a %&^$ rock!  Uggh - I so have dirt envy for those who do not live in the "armpit of the gardening world."

"Miller time!" (It wasn't Miller, but it was beer) And, we had Chinese food - yum!!

I have more pics and I finally learned how to do collages and guess what - Blogger says I'm out of storage space.  Uggh - I dont earn money with this blog so I really don't want to pay for a place to keep pics.  One more thing to think about,  but like Scarlet O'Hara, I'll think about it tomorrow.

Stash Report Week 38

Howdy!

As predicted, I did little sewing.  The fall weather is just too nice to spend it sitting in the house.  This quilter likes to be active.  Here's a link to what's been going on this week.

This pretty little Dresden plate got a bath.  It came from Grandma's. I think Grandpa's first mother-in-law made it, a Mrs. Alexander.  I will have to get her full name from the obituary index the next time I'm home. I could email the library, duh.

For some reason Grandma kept it draped over the back of a recliner in her living room for years.  Everyone that sat in that recliner left a little something behind and it had some really dirty spots. Of course, I didn't think to take photos until it was soaking. It looks tons better!!

I used one sample pack of Vintage Textile Soak.  It's a small quilt, cot size maybe, so it fit into my kitchen sink and stayed there overnight.  I didn't think the water would ever run clear when I rinsed it yesterday morning.

We have a qualified quilt appraiser in our guild.  I'm going to have her appraise this Dresden plate and this lovely Pickledish.  Look at that binding!

Grandpa's mother made this (my step grandfather, that is).  Her name was Mertie Zimmerman and all I know about her is that she was a young widow with two sons who always had a needle in her hand when she sat down. I know some of her grandchildren and need to ask them about her.

I still haven't purchased any fabric but plans are brewing.  I don't how much longer I can hold out!  However, I did get new stuff to play with this week.  Leona sent me an envelope of batik scraps - yummy!

A few pieces have been pulled for an applique class I will take next month.  There are some neutral scraps.  It is so hard to find neutral batiks - at least at my LQSs.  I haven't looked closely but my guess is there's a yard here.  So my numbers change a little.


Used this week: 0

Used year to date: 28.525

Added this week (purchased/won): 0

Added this week (inherited/gifted): 1

Added year to date (purchased/won): 33.131

Added year to date (inherited/gifted): 66.75

Added year to date total: 99.881

Net used for 2012: -71.356

Please click over to Patchwork Times and see other stash reports.