Stash report - week 5 / retreat report

I'm late.......but I was at quilt retreat this weekend working mostly on UFO's or PhD's. And, I was tired yesterday when I got home!

Before retreat I did 3 more of these little boxes to finish up the modern 10" squares.

 

The first retreat finishes were 2 tulip purses. The Kaffe brown with Waikiki interior (Hoffman 1895 #360 - can you tell I like this one - a lot?) is for me. The cream Fandango one is for my grandma as a  Mother's Day gift.

Each one used one yard total.  The pattern has 4 sizes: petite, standard, large and jumbo. The ones I made are standard and a little smaller than I had hoped.  The next one I make will be a jumbo with a flap closure.

They're marketed as 2 hour tulip purses - once you get the hang of cutting out 8 pieces per bag using the template and then fusing every piece to either Decorbond or fusible fleece (yes, it calls for both fusibles), then maybe it's a 2 hour project.  Of course, I prepared the pieces for both purses b4 retreat and I know it took me at least 1.5 hours to trace and cut the fabric and at least another hour to fuse it all and then cut again.

The only other finish I had at retreat was a disappearing 9 patch table topper (from Moda Bake Shop) using 2 charm squares and some yardage.  I used a Holly Taylor line and I had started the 9 patches some months ago so it was also a PhD.  However, since it's not quilted and bound, I'm not counting it in my stash report.

Pinwheel blocks got finished for a Scrappy Friendship quilt - you know - that free pattern that gets sent out once in a while to lure you to subscribe to a magazine?  Well, last January my sewing center organized a class and we all took our 180 or so 6" squares and traded them.  I worked on sewing the HST at last year's retreat and finished all 64 at this retreat. This is another quilt that will be a guinea pig for another method of machine quilting in sections (this post).

I also worked on the last 3 blocks of my Victory Quilt that have been sitting for at least a year waiting on some attention.  This was a BOM at the sewing center in 2009. Two of them are finished.  Had some issues with the bridal bouquet as I do not have any Quilt in a Day rulers and the cutting instructions called for 6x12 QID ruler to cut the handles.  I don't even own a 6x12 ruler of any kind so guess I'll try to find a template online - it's a classic block, shouldn't be too hard, but very frustrating.

While I did not buy any yardage, a quilting friend at retreat gave me some of her scraps.  I'm not measuring and counting scraps - we're talkin' some 2.5 strips and binding and border leftovers. The bulk of her scraps I will take to my next guild meeting for Charity Sharity - a local group that collects all kinds of fabric and distributes it to over 70 groups that use them.

Sew....

Used this Week: 2.375   (2 3/8 yds)
Used year to Date: 7.125 (7 1/8)
Added this Week:  0
Added Year to Date:  10.5
Net Used for 2011:  -3.375

Head on over to Patchwork Times to see everyone else's stash busting progress.

If the storm coming through the midwest is as laden with ice as they say, I might get some quilting done this week to get my numbers in the positive.  Hhhmm, should I be hopeful?! Maybe not - I hate ice - I'd rather have the 12-24 inches of snow that's predicted for our state's northern region than deal with ice.

Some"Be Merry" blocks done.....crazy week!

The snow has fallen here once again.  I love snow, but this time it is getting in the way of my quilt shop time - no Marti & Me Club last night and none this morning as the roads are still not cleared and it is c-o-l-d.  The silver lining is that after traveling for the first 3 days of the week, DH is home and snowbound, which means I get a break from being the only adult in the house and I get to sew - WooHoo!

I'm still working on that post-holiday slump.  That in combination with my consulting business, has kept me from getting as much done as I would like.

an example of records in storage

In my former life, before Dear Son, I was head of the archives department at a historical society.  For the past few years I've taken on some consulting jobs, no more than about 20 hours a week.  Well, I was all ready to sign an agreement for the next one only to find that the city I was going to to work with requires $1M coverage in each general commercial liability, professional liability, and business auto (since they are 2 hrs away).  Whew - had never heard of this stuff before, so since the New Year this month has been a learning experience.  It took a while to find out that such insurance is standard with municipalities.  However, since this requirement was not in the request for proposal that they sent me, I did not figure this expense into my bid, therefore, I am looking at about a 19% reduction in my profits.  Until I spoke with the insurance agent who told me that I could cancel policy when the job was done and get a refund, the cost was going to be 39% of my profits!  Since it was nor in the RFP, I was under no obligation to take the job.  Decisions, decisions - so, I've been a bit distracted to say the least.

Enough of that...sorry to bore you with some of my real life stuff.  On to more fun things!  The best solution for not being in the mood to sew is to hang out with other sewers!  From 6pm til midnight one Saturday a  month, my LQS is open for "sew down" - bring anything you like to work on, that isn't too large I've found b/c space is limited if there are several of us, and a snack to share, no charge.

I managed to select the fabric and get most of the cutting done for all but the last block of the "Be Merry" BOM blocks (some are here and here, too) so I just had to stitch.  That's a good thing b/c a rotary cutter in my hand after 7PM is an iffy thing on the safety scale - I am a morning person.

Next weekend - yes, one week from today, is quilt retreat!  Can't wait!  I love being able to concentrate on projects and getting something done but what excites me most -- NO HOUSEWORK!  No cooking, no cleaning, and no laundry!!