Sunday Stash Report 2014, Week 3

 

In the fall, I finally joined a guild (Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild) and last week they had a destash event - apparently they do this every January!  I got sick over the Christmas break, so I didn't have a lot of time to destash, but I took a few things and brought home just a few more.

Big news, too!  We are having Happy Zombie (Monica Solorio-Snow) coming in April!  I'm planning on attending her workshop, plus we are going to have a shopping day in Vancouver with her!

 

I actually brought my additions home last week, but since it was still in the bag and unsorted, I didn't count it.  Now that it has been sorted, some washed and measured I can count it in. 

 

There were two pieces of about 3 metres each, perfect for backings:

 

 

I think I'm going to use the one on the left called "Cowpokes" as part of the backing of Celtic Solstice.

 

I'm going to use this panel to practice Free Motion Quilting, then donate it.

 

 

I even have that pink plaid in my stash for a binding!  I might cut the elephants off, and use them in a different project.

 

Then I picked up the pieces of someone else's UFO.

 

 

It's made up of 5 layers of fabric, which have a heavily-stitched design, then various layers are cut out creating a reverse applique.  I think it was abandoned because the last block doesn't look the same as the others, a line may have been missed.  I have a plan to finish it, and call it "One of these things is not like the others".

 

And I finished a flimsy this week:

 

 

This table topper is made from the leftovers from my Butler.  Including the white, it only used .65 of a metre, but all those little bits would normally have been thrown out, so I'm quite happy with it.

 

 

I'll use these fabrics to create a faux-piping (solid), binding (stripe) and the backing will be floral.  The stripe and backing are from Bonnie and Camille's Marmalade line, which coordinate beautifully with their Vintage Modern line that I used for my Butler.

 

I like using traditional patterns mixed with modern fabrics.  This is the pattern I used for my table topper:

 

 

From this pattern by Lori Smith.

 

 

It looks totally different with an on-point setting with plain blocks.  I'm going to make a template of the flower from the backing and either embroider it or FMQ it with a heavier thread. 

 

So, I'm not doing so good on my fabric diet this year, but so far, I have only spent $5 on my acquistions, so at less than 24c per metre, I'm okay with it!

 

 Added this Week: 11 metres

 Added Year to Date: 21.5 metres 

 

Destashed this Week: 0.65 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 6.25 metres

 Added for 2014: 15.25 metres

Now I'm back to the Celtic Solstice grindstone, once that flimsy is finished, that'll knock these numbers back in the positive.

 

Happy Sewing!

 

Terri in BC

Sunday Stash Report, Week 2 of 2014

First up, I'd like to introduce the latest sewist in my family!

 

 

5-year-old Alex made a sleeping bag for his favourite stuffie!

 

 

I bought this half-size real sewing machine a few years back for just $40 at Sears, with the intentions of teaching my grandchildren to sew and yesterday, it became a reality!  I set him up at the little table his mother and aunt used to play at, gave him good lighting and let him practice "driving" without a needle first.  Once he got the hang of using the foot peddle, he couldn't wait to pick out some fabrics (of course, it had to be yellow!) and away he went.  He was pretty good at maintaining a fairly straight line too!  I can't wait to work with him and his cousin on a regular basis.

 

Now on to my Stash Report!

 

Destashed this Week: 3.6 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 5.6 metres

Added this Week: 10.5 metres

 Added Year to Date: 10.5 metres
 Addd for 2014: 4.9 metres 

 

While Alex was working on his project, I was able to work on the binding on this mini quilt.  A little late for Christmas this year, but I can put it away and possibly gift it next year.  It's my second Finish of the year!

 

 

I learned this from a tutorial called Wonky, Wonky Little Stars by my fellow Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild member, Cathy of Blueberry Stitches.

 

As I was making it, I realized it is a variation of Bonnie Hunter's Maverick Stars. The main difference is that the stars are nested.

 

 

Wonky Nested Stars

 

 

Maverick Star

 

The biggest difference between the two is the assembly of the blocks.  You can make Maverick Stars as a nine-patch, and just pile them up.

 

With the Wonky Nested Stars, you have to build up the design as you go.  I may do some as a scrappy project, but I think I would only build the star points and pin them together with the central block until I was ready to assemble the project.  Cathy does a really good job of explaining the assembly process.

 

I also gave away some fabric to my bestest friend, Kim.

 

 

There's about 3 metres in this bundle.  They are from some Moda scrap bags that have been hanging around for a few years, and she needed them to finish a quilt for one of her adopted daughters.  She'll trim off the selvedges and give those back to me (like I need them ;o)

 

I'm trying not to add to my stash this year, but sometimes you just need to.  However, this purchase only cost me $5!

 

 

One of the local thrift stores (charity shop) was having a sale - $5 for as much clothing as you can fit in a bag they provide.  Zoey loves purple, so I couldn't resist this dress:

 

 

And the shirts will be cut up to make Moth in a Window blocks. 

 

 

 The plan is to make quilts for the men in my family for Christmas.

 

One shirt is a nice tan corduroy. 

 

 

I think I might try my hand at making a teddy bear.  I've made small ones in the past, and I think it would be fun to try again.

 

I don't feel bad about cutting up what appear to be perfectly good shirts.  Some have minor flaws, like this ink mark on the shoulder of the tan shirt:

 

 

And at an average of 1 1/2 metres of usuable fabric per shirt, you can't beat the price of 47c a metre (and a free dress)!

 

Happy stashing,

 

Terri in BC

 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

This is my first time posting on soscrappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I love using up my scraps, right down to the littlest crumbs, so this challenge is right up my alley.  The colour for the month of January is blue, and I have lots of those!

 

I've started by rummaging through my jar of cool-coloured crumbs:

 

 

I made one crummy block (3 1/2" unfinished):

 

 

 

I also added another house to my Tiny Houses collection (3 1/2" unfinished):

 

 

 

And a block to my Polaroid collection (3 1/2"x 4 1/2" unfinished):

 

 

 

(Not sure why the solid white looks wavy when I imported it into blogger, it looked fine on my computer!)

 

Next up, sort through my bin of scraps:

 

 

I'm too lazy to put everything away as I finish projects, so I stuff the leftovers in this bin and when I have a few minutes (i.e. bored, unmotivated, etc.) I pull it out and cut them into usable size strips and squares, a la Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User System.  I highly recommend it if you struggle with scraps!

 

To see what others are doing with their scraps, check out this week's links on soscrappy's blog!

 

Happy Scrapping,

 

Terri in BC



Weekend Plans

It's going to be a dark, stormy night tonight (and most of the weekend), so I think I'm going to hunker down in my Quilt Cave and work on finishing some projects.  (I didn't tell you my Word of the Year is "Finish", did I?)

 

I'm going to pull out a few flimsies and get them ready for quilting:

 

Like this one - yes, the applique melons are finished - I'm really bad at not showing my finishes. I'm going to back it with this toile I got in Rome, Italy.  That was during the same time period I was piecing these blocks from the Just Takes 2 challenge, so it will become a wonderful memory piece (and a nice table topper just in time for Valentine's Day).

 

 

Now that the tree is down, I am finally going to baste this tree skirt and see if I can actually get it quilted in time for Christmas this year (I have used it for the last three years as a flimsy - I'm amazed no one has noticed).

 

I'll warm up my quilting bones with a few smaller pieces, like this:

 

 

And this:

 

And try to blast through my pile of flimsies!

 

Have a quilty weekend!

 

Terri in BC

 

Slow Stitching Sunday

A fellow Canadian, Kathy in Ontario, hosts a linky party focusing on hand work.  I can't just sit and watch TV, and want to get off the computer more, so I'm going to join in for an evening of handsewing on Sundays.  Today's project is also my newFO for January!

 

 

 

I've always wanted to make a crazy quilt, and last year I started collecting items of meaning to me to incorporate into one.  This block is not "crazy" in that the base is pieced from several fabrics, but I wanted to use this piece of linen with cutwork that came from my grandmother.  I have several pieces and I don't know if she made them or if they were bought, but when I see them they remind me of her.  This particular pieces had some small holes in the centre so I didn't feel bad cutting into it.

 

 

 

I'm adding the embroidery around the border of the linen.  I didn't have an exact match for the blue, so I went a little darker, then added some beads to the sprays in a darker blue as well.

 

 

Along the bottom of the 6" block, I have added some venetian lace anchored with a bit of featherstitch with green beeds.  The lace flower was added separately, along with a cluster of silver flowers, a silver lead and clear beads.  The silver picks up the silver satin I put behind the cutwork.

 

I'm considering adding stems to the ribbon roses, then adding some more beads as rosebuds.  I'm still looking for a charm piece to add to it.  I'd like to put a watch face on this piece but all the ones I have on hand are too man-ish.  I might have to bust apart an old watch I'm not using any more.

 

Linking up to Kathy's Slow Stitching Sundays.

 

 



Sunday Stash Report, Week 1 of 2014!

 

Thanks to Judy Laquidara of Patchwork Times, I've been tracking my fabric stash in and out for the last two years now, and although I majorly fell of the fabric wagon last year, I feel that it still helped me to finish what I start.

 

2013 – Added 216.75; Used 97; Net -119.75 metres

2012 – Added 104.15; Used 98.3; Net -5.85 metres

 

My used numbers are about the same, and close to my goal of using at least 100 metres each year. It was easier to stick to not adding fabric in 2012, simply because I got laid off in the last four months of the year.  Once I was back at work in early March of 2013, I put in mega hours of overtime (it didn't pay them to lay me off - just sayin'), I didn't get as much sewing done as I would have liked, but was able to enhance my stash with some well-deserved overtime pay.

 

I suffer from a major case of STARTERITIS, so this year's focus will be on finishing some of my many UFOs (my yearly goal), and feeding my desire to start new things by focusing on small projects. 

 

So I feel I'm starting the new year right - with nothing added and a finish!

 

Added: 0 metres

Used: 2 metres

Net Used/Added: 2 metres

 

My first finish of 2014 is my own design:

 

 

I call it my Butler!  I was inspired by the ironing boards on TV tables in blogland, but I wanted mine to be able to hold tools at my side when I sew outside of my home (I go to a friend's often, as she can't easily get out).

 

 

It has 6 pockets, 3 on the front and 3 on the left hand side.

 

 

The right hand side has a snipping bucket, a pincushion and a Velcro strip.  The reverse of the back piece has straps to hold a rotary cutting mat, and serves as a cover for the whole thing when it closed up.

 

 

I added the Velcro strip so that I can add different pockets or bags as I come up with needs.

 

You may see this project again!

 

For more stash reports, be sure to visit Judy's blog for links.