Fun at the Farm (stash report week 44)

The good weather we've been having is not at all conducive to quilting.  Time has been spent doing other things like visiting a corn maze, playing at the park, attending the last preschool soccer game of the season, and general (and much needed) yard work.

Last weekend we went to a corn maze on a nearby farm by the Big River. It was hot in that cornfield at high noon - whewee! This is shot off into the distance, toward the river.

There was also a bounce house, pony rides,

petting pens.... 

a hay bale slide with tunnel,...

a fun ride,....

a horse swing made from tires,....

, and a corn box.

Fun, fun, fun!!

Here is my lone little hexie flower for this week.  I have done some basting but been too tired at the end of the day to hang onto the needle and put any more together.










There have been additions to the stash numbers, but not by the exchange of money.  The good luck fairy snuck into my computer and left some luck behind on my giveaway comments for a couple of weeks.

Not long after the Moda designer blog hop, Deb Strain had a giveaway on her blog related to her willingness to jump out of a plane.  


Check out this post to see if she did it!


I was the lucky random number and she sent along a layer cake,...

..and a panel from her Christmas collection, Nature's Gift.


Deb Strain doesn't just design fabric.  She also sent a long a lovely box of holiday cards and a photo album organizer.  


Aren't these pretty? Love the birds, love the flowers!

Then, I won another FQ bundle from the Green Bag Lady, who just gave away 200 bags in one evening this weekend for a total of more than 18,000 bags - plastic be gone!


These are organic FQs from Monaluna Fabrics.  I think it will work perfectly for the new Clover and Violet stitch along tote.

Here are some Christmas Block Lotto blocks that were turned in at Tuesday night's guild meeting.  Aren't they pretty?


Next month I should have lots more to sort into groups for the drawings at the December meeting.

I took a day, well, a few hours while DS was at preschool one morning, to put together my Clover & Violet embroidery 101 QAL top.  One reason was because other QAL'ers were finishing up and since we started the QAL in May, well, I was anxious to see what it would like so why drag it out any longer?


The other reason was because it felt so good to sit with a large block of time get something done, just concentrate on one thing for a change - very relaxing.  I took my time and did not "unsew" a single stitch.


I understand it is supposed to be colder next week, so I vow here in blogland, to get the bindings on two quilts.  Hold me to it, will you?!  One quilt is quilted and the other is almost completely quilted.  How hard can it be since I put them on by machine these days?


Here are the numbers:
Used this Week: 0
Used year to Date: 49.42
Added this Week: 5
Added Year to Date: 114.57
Net Used for 2011:   -65.15
Check out more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.  Have a great day!!

Fall is here and so is the World Series (stash report week 43)

Corydalis - sweet little perennial that blooms til the frost gets it

Hello!!

Once upon a time I followed baseball, especially Cardinal ball, very closely. Then about a decade ago MLB decided to change everything I had learned and added new teams and, well, now that I live here, I can just keep tabs on what's going on by listening to a few minutes of the news.  However, it is exciting to have the Cardinals in the World Series again, and, to have a big win like last night's game.

On to the business at hand - here's the backing to my former boss's quilt.

As DH watches NFL all afternoon, I should be quilting it, as simply as it is pieced.

Here are a couple hexie flowers.  I liked the yellow one that I sent off in the hexie swap so well that I made one for myself.  Of course, here's another polka dot.

The Clover & Violet Embroidery 101 blocks are all done.  WooHoo!!

Jennie has posted that she may do a smaller stitch along before the holidays.  So, if you'd like to try out some embroidery, check her blog.

I may not get this one together for a while, we'll see.  I have lots of UFOs in the quilting queue.

It's almost time for quilt guild meeting so here are my Civil War blocks.  This one is called "Union."

Not wanting the duplicate "Union" in a 6" version, here's "White House" from Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts blog.

This is the first time I've tried to match stripes.  You can tell - lol!  Oh well!

Finally, here are a couple charity blocks for guild called "X's and O's."








In this post I showed my latest stash additions - 11 FQs! I love FQs!!

Used this Week: 0
Used year to Date: 49.42
Added this Week: 2.75
Added Year to Date: 109.57
Net Used for 2011:   -60.15

Check out more Stash Reports at Patchwork Times.  Have a great day!!

A little heat wave (stash report week 36)

reminiscing

Greetings!!

How was your week?  Mine was mostly slow.  I took the week off from intense, catch up housework and just did the daily chores.  Tuesday morning was mine - Pandora playing, the boys out of the house,  and me crawling around on the floor with my tailor's mat measuring quilt backs.  I got 2 backs together and one small topper spray basted.

Then I hit my usual snag.  I stabilized my quilts with some SID.  It has been so long, since early June, I think, since I did any FMQ.  Once I get started I will be fine but it's the getting started that is difficult.

Then, the heat came back, highs hit 102, and my time was spent watering - uggh.  We had a break from the humidity but the hot breeze just dried out my shrubs and plants.  Even the ornamental grass looks pathetic.  Good news is that it is currently cooler and cloudy so I am keeping my fingers crossed for some much needed rain.

I did not get too much hand work done this week.  No hexies added to my garden but here's a shot of what it looks like so far.

There are more than I thought.  If you would like to give English paper piecing a try head over to Paper Pieces.  They are celebrating National Sewing Month with free shipping this week.  Check out more flower gardens at Pigtales & Quilts.

I am now all caught with with the Embroidery 101 QAL hosted by Clover & Violet.  Here are blocks #5 and #6.  Three more to go.

With an allergy headache all day yesterday, nothing was better than sitting in the recliner and stitching.

I forgot to show you the pretty bag I won a couple weeks ago from the Green Bag Lady blog.  It's home dec weight fabric and the bag is larger than most GBL bags.

It is number 17, 177!  Isn't that something?! Teresa has given away more than 17,000 bags to help save the environment.  I love my little shopping bags.  It seems that those plastic bags multiply overnight.  I never remember to take them to the grocery store with me to put them in the recycle bin so we have bunches of them in the garage.



Here are my in progress quilting projects.

This one is a disappearing 9 patch from Moda Bake Shop that I pieced at retreat back in January.  I will use it as a table topper in my living room.

This one is a simple pattern that used 9 FQs.  I was planning to make it for charity but my mom gushed over the fabric so I figured it will be her birthday present.

This is the first time I've used flannel as a back and it seems to be fine so far.  I have a larger quilt in the queue that will also have a flannel back.

This week it wasn't fabric that got my attention.  It was a sale on these McKenna Ryan "In Full Bloom" patterns that was just too good to pass up.  They usually sell for $11 each.  I got them as a set from Dakota Cabin Quilts for $37 - eight patterns - that's less than $5 each!

Don't look for these on my work table any time soon.  I have to many UFOs to finish up.  Maybe after the holidays I can play with the pretty flowers.

That's it for my week!  I haven't been in a shop for a couple weeks.  We'll see about next week.  One LQS is having a sale to celebrate 24 years in business while the first of two new area shops opens Tuesday.  The second new shop, a modern quilt shop, opens on Saturday.  It will be a high risk week!



My numbers remain the same.

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.
Have a great week!!!