High Hopes... (stash report week 35)

...for this week!  For the first time since spring, I can concentrate on some quilting projects.  Since I've been doing the stash report, DH has been asking questions like, "so, how many quilts do you think you could make with the fabric you already have?"  Hhhmmm...a hint?

Also,  hoping that my step brother and his family in Virginia are ok.  He lives near the coast and the Potomac River.  We just had dinner with him this week when he was in town for business and he got home just in time to prepare for Irene. I've been searching for news of his town/county.

back to some quilty things....

Here's my flower garden addition.  Next week it may not be all alone, we'll see. Stop over at Pigtales & Quilts to see some lovely flower garden additions this week.  

One thing I got done this week was some cutting.  If you remember all the fabric my friend, Joyce, gave me last weekend, well DS gave me a break one afternoon this week and I started cutting.

I think there are over 100 charms here. This includes most of the fabric from Joyce and from my polka dot FQs.

I also cut a few 2" strips for my flower garden.  From the strips I cut rectangles 2.5" long.

Then I grabbed my scissors and sat down with my hexie template.  Yes, I can use squares but I don't like the looks of the squares on the back so I trim off the corners.

Now I have quite a pile of hexies to baste.

Our early morning sun does not help my photos.

I also got a start on my Clover & Violet QAL block #5 after spending about 4.5 hours at the pool yesterday. (For $23 admission we meant to get our money's worth.  Plus, DS was having a ball and tried a little swimming on his own!)

Once home, I needed to prop my feet up and relax - all that pool time wore us all out!

We have a new quilt shop opening in our area on Sept. 6th, "Merrily We Sew Along."  The owner already has a shop in Springfield, MO, that I've visited so I also have high hopes for a new personality as far as LQS's go.
Here are the numbers for this week - no change whatsoever!  At least I didn't buy anything!

This week's numbers:
Used this Week:  0
Used year to Date: 47
Added this Week: 9.25
Added Year to Date: 92.425
Net Used for 2011:   -45.425

Head over the Judy's at Patchwork Times for more stash numbers.

Lots of work (and Stash Report week 34)

I'm running a little late today.  Last night was sew down night at my LQS.  The owner had afternoon plans but left us a key so we could open up and start without her, wasn't that nice?!

As a result of an unusually late night, I got up a bit late so my quiet morning time before DH and DS woke up was cut short, very short!  That means no time to compose a blog post.

All of my free time this week has been spent working - for money, that is.  Sew, not much has happened in my sewing space or in the gym.  I have been walking the dog so at least some physical activity took place.  This afternoon, after a little family time, I'm heading to the gym to get the adrenaline flowing and stretch out.

In the evenings, too tired to do anything else, I managed to kick my feet up in the recliner and do a few hexies.  I finished up the hexies for my Inchy Swap Partner, which I will show you next week after she gets them.

And here's one for my little flower garden.  I also ordered some more 3/4" paper pieces. Check out more pretty flowers at Pigtales & Quilts.

Look at all these dots!  My quilty friend Joyce brought some polka dots for me to select from her stash last night.  There were some big pieces in her bag!  I cut some 1/4 yards or FQs of most but check out that white with purple dots near the top - it measures 1.75 yards. There's 9 yards of fabric there!  THANK YOU, Joyce! Hhmmm...Santa may visit Joyce a little early this year!!





I will make hexies from these prints but I will also use them to make this pretty, and huge, 24" block from Lily's Quilts.

Earlier this summer I joined a polka dot charm swap.  I have 80 charms which will make 5 blocks.  16 more charms will do another block.  There will also be a scrappy dot border on the sides to make it a bit wider.  This is one of those long range plans - I have lots of quilting to do before I piece this top!






 Here are my Civil Was BOM blocks that I got done last night.  The pattern is called Rolling Stone.

These are some blocks for our guild's charity committee.  I have no idea what they're called but we were instructed not to trim them.

My other evening activty continues to be embroidery.  I haven't worked at all on block #5 of the Clover & Violet QAL but I did work on this sampler.  It's from a new blog called We Love French Knots by Bari J.  She has included how-to videos - woohoo!

Check out more fun crafts at Sew Many Ways.

Love my little origami bag for holding my stitchin' stuff!

There's a new blog for quilting readers begun by Miki Willa - Quilters, Books and Bindings.  The idea is we read a book, discuss it on the blog, and create a quilt inspired by the book that we also share on the blog.
Years ago I belonged to a reading group and enjoyed reading new things, reaching outside my comfort zone.  Please check it out and join in the fun!

This week's numbers:
Used this Week:  0
Used year to Date: 47
Added this Week: 9.25
Added Year to Date: 92.425
Net Used for 2011:   -45.425

Next weekend I start quilting!!!!!!!!

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

At it again... (stash report week 33)

Hollyhocks survived the heat and bloomed, too.

First off - we had lovely weather this week.  Mother Nature turned the tables in our neck of the woods.  We even turned the AC off for a few days and enjoyed nightly lows in the 60s - in August!

So, to celebrate the cool temps, the high today predicted to be about 83 degrees, we will be staining our deck.  We didn't get it done this spring since it was so wet.  DH isn't very happy about it, but, it has to be done.  DS, who is 4, can't wait to help.  I just hope he doesn't get more stain on himself than on the wood - yeah, right!

With life and other events, I didn't personally add to my flower garden this week.  However, I did receive one flower and some paper templates from Jane of Want It, Need It, Quilt It as a "welcome" package to the Inchy Hexagon Swap. 

I've been working on flowers for my partner in the swap - one down, one to go.  I'll show them to you after they arrive at their destination.  Head over to Pigtales and Quilts for more flower gardens.




The fates are conspiring against me!  A new Joann's opened near me and the Grand Opening was this week.  Then, there are lots of sales and I've been able to resist the online sales, but my LQS had it's annual FQ coupon - 20 FQs for $25 (can't pass that up, right?!).  So...I added a lot of fabric this week.

I tried to fill some gaps in my stash by getting yellows and oranges.  Let's not forget the polka dots - even a dot batik.  The large batik cuts are actually half yards, substituted for 2 FQs.  Apparently a FQ got dropped somewhere b/c at checkout we counted 16 and here there are 15 - oh well, still a great deal.

One advantage of a metro area, I live within 15 miles of three quilt shops, two Joanns, and two Hancocks. With the Joanns Grand Opening I stood in line 3 days and twice was among the first 100 in line and got two $10 gift cards.


One of those days I met a local artist who does photography and painting, especially nature but also portraits.  We had a great conversation passing the time and exchanged blog addresses - please take a moment to check out Barabara's blog and her web site and say "hi."
 

With coupons, etc., I paid about $2.85 for a king size Mountain Mist Cream Rose batting (102x120), in anticipation of some big finishes once my consulting gig slows down in a couple weeks.

I felt and judged and bought some cuts of fabric at Joanns.  The 2 yards of brown will be border and binding fabric for the Scrappy Friendship Quilt (most of which is Joanns fabric).

Of course, the gray and navy polka dots 1/2 yards are for hexies.  They are also to get me 16 more charm squares for a project I will do "one of these days" with the dotty charms I received in a recent swap.

Sew, here's the damage!!!!

This week's numbers:
Used this Week:  0
Used year to Date: 47
Added this Week:  7.75
Added Year to Date: 83.175
Net Used for 2011:   -36.175

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

Friday - Whoop Whoop!

Here's block #4 of the Clover & Violet embroidery 101 QAL.  I think there are 6 different stitches in this one.  It needs a little button for a perch on the birdhouse but I will do that later.  Now to trace block #5!

If you like embroidery, or want to learn some more about it check out a new blog called We Love French Knots.  There are free patterns and there's a giveaway, just follow the title link!

Speaking of giveaways, here's another:

Stray Stitches is celebrating her blogiversary by giving away thread, buttons, a quilt pattern, an applique book and some Ty Pennington fabric.  Ends Aug. 14th at 8PM PST.

Head over to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to see more Whoop Whoop finishes.

Have a great Friday!  Our weather has done a "360" - we turned the AC off two days ago.  It's about 70 degrees right now!

Where am I? (stash report week 32)

The excessive heat advisory left us Friday.  We went to the park for the first time in weeks with real temps below 95 degrees and the heat index below 110 degrees.  It was still hot but not AS hot.  Then it rained!  WooHoo!  I haven't watered the garden in 2 days now and the rain barrel has been refilled.

The heat is coming up again today.  If the above pic is any indication, it will be a steamy one.  Where do I live - the rain forest?  There is condensation on the outside of all the windows.  The dew point is 77 degrees. Can you say "steam bath?"

Glad we did most of our tax free shopping yesterday.  Missouri has a 3 day state sales tax holiday to "celebrate" back to school.  Not everything is tax free and not every municipality in the state chooses to waive its local sales tax and the state lists all these communities who opt out of the tax free holiday on a web site, so we know where to save money.  It includes shoes, clothing, computers.  So, I am now composing on a MacBook Air that my husband bought on sale and sales tax free, saving about $200 buying it this weekend as opposed to buying it last weekend at the Apple store in the mall.

We've had two PC laptops in the past 6 years, which I use for my consulting, and which have both lasted about 3 years before giving out - batteries quit working (even new ones), wireless connections going haywire.  DH assures me that this one will last more than 3 years.  It's so cute - I have FQs pulled for a laptop sleeve.

Well, you're not here for a weather report or for a new computer update, are you?  On to the quilting stuff!!

Here are my little flowers for this week.  Receiving 4 hexies in the mail from the Inchy Swap got me motivated (this post).  I've been cutting and basting and digging in my scraps/stash and getting a these little cuties together.

Head over to Pigtales and Quilts for more pretty flowers (and they aren't just hexies).







 Are you signed up for the Wantobe Quilter campaign over at Stash Manicure, 5 days of prizes this week through October?

If you are a blogging quilter, you just leave a comment on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  If you are not a blogging quilter, or if you are just starting out on your quilter adventure, here's what to do.

Yesterday afternoon my de-cluttered sewing space was calling my name.  I made an origami bag to hold my embroidery threads for the Clover & Violet QAL.  After all that folding of 18" squares my bag turned out to be mighty small, about 6".

There are tutorials for these little bags everywhere, but here's the one that I used because it had nice step by step pix.

The only thing I need to do is add the cording - I don't even have any ribbon in the house to use.  Isn't that always the way?  We have all this "stuff" in the house but the one little thing you need to finish a project you don't have!

As soon as I feel like cluttering up my newly tidied sewing space, and wrestling with 4 yd and 6.5 yd cuts of fabric, I will start getting the setting kit ready for my Victory Quilt.  I finished the last 2 blocks this week, finally (this post).

Nothing was added to my stash this week - WooHoo!

This week's numbers:
Used this Week:  0.5
Used year to Date: 47
Added this Week: 0
Added Year to Date:  75.425
Net Used for 2011:   -29.425

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

Small tasks accomplished

This was the last block to piece for my Victory Quilt (Eleanor Burns) that I started as a BOM in 2009.  The Y-seams were daunting, although I did the first 3 in the sewing shop, so I had a little help in the beginning.  Then, I miscut the handle pieces at retreat, way back in January, and didn't bring any extra fabric with me, so back into the box it went.  Finally, when I realized that I am so close to getting 4 large quilts to the "ready to sandwich" stage, I figured I needed to get this baby done.

Turns out poor "Fala" also needed some finishing touches, like stitching around the fusible and giving him a nose, mouth and an eye.  Now, I am ready to cut the setting kit - my favorite kind - simple sashing and cornerstones! 

Then I will have to make decisions about the border.  The swag border with stars in the book is lovely.  Just not sure I will like this quilt enough for all that work.  You see, lots of fabric has been brought into my house since 2009 when I purchased a FQ bundle from Connecting Threads to make this quilt.

That's when I made my lasting vow not to buy fabric for a big project online unless it's a line that I've seen in person.  I was disappointed in the fabrics b/c they were a bit duller than expected and with 2-3 light exceptions, they were all of medium value.  I had to buy some additional darks to make the blocks work for me.  So, some plain ol' borders might be just the thing for this quilt, but I will wait until it's together to decide.

One of these days I might get the hang of photographing my quilts/blocks.

Sunday evening I finished embroidery block #3 for the Clover & Violet QAL.  I am working on block  #4.  Trying not to fall behind - the stitching is rather relaxing.  It's fun to play with the perle cotton.

Now that my sewing space, i.e. the basement family room, is clean - I feel creative.  While my house won't make it into Better Homes and Gardens, the clutter really makes me tense and grumpy.

Thanks to my DH, who is home with a cold, for letting me do a little more this afternoon while he played video games with DS!!!!

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

Look what came in the mail!

Aren't these pretty?! 

They are from the Inchy Hexagon Swap for July...

These are from Narelle, all the way from Australia.

...and August.

These are from Leslie, all the way from Canada.