Sunday Stash Report, Week 4

Another metre added, and a metre out!  Next week, I've promised myself that I will have the En Provence top finished.

Added this week: 1 metres

Added this year: 19.8metres

Used this week: 1.00 metres

Used this year: 0.00 metres

Added/Used this year: 18.8 metres

I did make another purchase of sale fabric last week at Hamels.  My friend, Kim, ordered the sale stuff on line, and I couldn't help but add to it. I used the excuse I need another yellow and a soft orange for my En Provence quilt ( 4 - 3 1/2" square of each), which translated to buying a metre!

I added a gray and a green tone-on-tones, for the stash and bought 4 - 1/4 metre pieces in all. I didn't bother asking for fat quarters, as I tend to use strips anyway.

I plan on having the En Provence flimsy done by the end of the month, and that will put a big chunk out! It will be 13.25 yards if I don't add to it. 

I did move a metre out making some doll/stuffie blankets with the grandkids this weekend!

Alex is eight and has been sewing off and on with me for quite a few years. He has now progressed to learning about chain piecing and matching seams, and can operate the sewing machine without me hanging over his shoulder. I was at the ironing board cutting blocks for the girls while he sewed his blocks.

Zoey is five and picked out all her blocks, and for the first time, braved the "noisy" machine and helped feed her fabric through.  She really wanted to use "her" machine, a hand-crank that she has claimed as hers, but we stuck to the Featherweight.  She took off before I could take her picture, but here she is last year when the hand-crank arrived. She likes this one because it is so quiet.

And little Miss Mya got in the act as well. She helped choose her own blocks, but had more fun poking through my scrap basket while I sewed hers up.  She promptly wrapped around her stuffed puppy, and went off to bed. 

Since I was babysitting, I was able to get a picture of her and her messy hair as she was busy pointing out the "otopus" under her hand!

I love that my grands love to craft and sew with Gramma, and I hope we have many years of doing so before they lose interest. They were all proud of their work and couldn't wait to show their parents when they arrived for pickup.

Linking up to Patchwork Times Sunday Stash Report.

Like Judy, I count my fabric out at three stages:

1. When the top is finished, which is called a flimsy.

2. When it is quilted with the backing

3. When it is bound and finally finished.

This gives me an incentive to push a project to the stage. This week, more En Provence!

Have a great week,

Terri in BC

En Provence Progress

I'm so glad I started this year's mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter, and stuck with it.  Just like the first mystery I did (Orca Bay), I've been able to complete all the steps with 10 days of the reveal. 

(Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7 all at once!)

(All that's left is assembling the rest of the QSTs of Step 6 & 7)

I have now finished assembling my first corner block, complete with the outside border!

(The edges are straight - I just haven't done a firm press yet)

(Block before border, at night!)

I love this quilt pattern and think I'll be making it again, as my younger daughter has hinted that these colours would look good at her place. She hasn't received a quilt from me recently, so it could very well end up a birthday present in March!

My plan is to complete the top within a week or two, then send it out for quilting.  I just have too many tops to quilt myself to do this one.

Linking up to Bonnie's Linky Party at Quiltville.blogspot.com

Sunday Stash Report 2017 - Week 2

After-Christmas sales are a killer, just sayin'.  I stayed away from Fabricland's New Year's Day sale, and Hamel's Boxing week/warehouse sale, but fell hard on Saturday!  I had to pop into Hamel's to pick up some of my favourite Bella Solids on their monthly 20% sale (the first full weekend of every month) and low and behold, they had held over their warehouse sale.  When this girl goes down, she goes down hard!

Added this week:

The Bella Solids I came for; aqua, red, silver and cream (1 meter each) to coordinate with my Glowing Hearts fabric I bought in the fall.  These will be used to make Canada 150th anniversary quilts for the grands, and hopefully a lap quilt for me! They don't have a lot of this fabric left, but have ordered more. 

Next the warehouse sale fabrics - at just $4.00/metre, that was more than a 75% discount.  (PS: They still have some listed on their website).

From left to right: 2.5 metres of the pink floral to make nightgowns for Zoey and Mya, 2 metres of the blue to make sleep pants for Alex (and leftovers to stash), .5 metre of a neutral for the stash, and 1 metre of the fruity stripe for my daughter, for the binding of a quilt she is making from the coordinates.

All of their Christmas fabrics were on sale for 50% off, and one of my favourite designers, Sweetwater, latest lines Cookie Exchange was there.  I bought 2 metres of the cookie recipe and 1 metre of the teal to make aprons, and a half metre of each of the rest for stash enhancement.

More stash enhancement: 1.25 metres of the grey snowflake (end of the bolt) and .5 of the silver on grey

And some fillers for existing projects - a FQ of a '30s type print for my Splendid Sampler, and Bonnie and Camille Basics charm pack for Pat Sloan's Winter Solstice project (yes, I started another new project). A charm pack is just over a half-metre, so I'll count .55 in.

Last but not least, I picked up Block 9 of the

This one my grandson is excited about, because it features Puffins from the province of Newfoundland, where his Poppy comes from (my ex-husband). His great-aunt in Newfoundland sent him a puffin stuffie when he was born, and Poppy has been a part of his life since he reconnected with my kids 5 years ago. Newfoundland and Labrador has a special part in my heart, as I lived there as a teenager, in the same place my great-grandmother had lived at the same age in 1905, and I have maintained a close connection with my in-laws since the divorce 30 years ago. Many people in my life, and one of my best friends also comes from there as well, so "Newfies" are a part of my life!

There is the equivalent of about a FQ in these packs, so another .25 in!  I haven't started assembling these yet, but will do so soon.

So the grand total is:

Added this week: 18.8metres

Added this year: 18.8metres

Used this week: 0.00 metres

Used this year: 0.00 metres

Added/Used this year: 18.8 metres

Hopefully, I'll have a good finish soon to add to the done side.  I'm making good progress on my Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt, En Provence and think I'll have it together as a flimsy by the end of the month.

Clues 1, 2, 3 complete; Clues 4 and 6 started, and all the cutting is now done!

Linking up to Patchwork Times Sunday Stash Report

Have a great week,

Terri in BC

2017 - A Fresh Start

Last year was hit and miss in both the blogging department and the quilting/sewing/crafting department. I do so much better when I blog regularly, as then I have to do something in order to blog about it.  I'm committing to joining the following blog reports, etc. so I have a schedule to follow!

1. For the fourth or fifth year, I'm joining Judy Laquidera's Patchwork Times Sunday Stash Report.  Today, being a Sunday is a great start - nothing in, nothing out so the numbers are easy:

Added this week: 0.00 metres

Added this year: 0.00 metres

Used this week: 0.00 metres

Used this year: 0.00 metres

Added/Used this year: 0.00 metres

My goal is stay in the blue this year. It should be easier because my favourite on-line discount shop has shut down.

Judy's blog has turned to more about knitting and recipes, but her Sunday Stash Report has quite a few quilters that link up, and I have found some great blogs to follow through it.

2. New this year, I'm following Elaine Theriault's Crazy Quilter on a Bike Motivational Mondays in order to put some order in my life!  Motivational Mondays is actually a Facebook group, but her blog is filled with some great tips and ideas.  The first step was to identify your Dirty Dozen, or 12 UFOs that you feel you must complete this year.  I have identified the following:

Epic Halloween Quilt

Mom's Christmas Quilt

Splendid Sampler

Vignette

Farmer's Wife

Gramma's Dresden

30's Hexies

Snowman Reunion

Grand Illusion

Vintage Valentine

Sunkissed Snail Trail

Sunkissed Birdie Stitches

Bonus - Santa Advent Calendar

This isn't cast in stone, as I haven't gone through all my UFOs yet, these were only the ones within view.  I know I will substitute at least one, and I will also create more Dirty Dozen lists for future use.

I'm probably also going to create a smaller list of scrapbooking projects I want to complete this year, as I have fallen behind on those as well. Two I know I "have" to finish are my Trip to Italy and 6 Heritage Albums for my daughters and nieces.

3. Just like Barbara Stanbro of Cat Patches, I want to also set monthly goals so I don't lose sight of the small projects and tasks that need to get done as well. And when I say need, that is only for my satisfaction - I like accomplishments!

4. I'm also going to report regularly on Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday report, although I tend to do most of my slow stitching on weekday evenings. Several of the UFOs on my Dirty Dozen list involve embroidery or hand-stitching, plus there will be bindings as I complete them!  Kathy's a fellow Canadian and a lot of the quilters linking to her report are as well, so it's always fun to check out their blogs.

5. Last but not least, I am going to do a weekly weigh-in. With my recent knee injury, it has really driven home the point that I need to lose weight.  I'm only going to report my loss or gain, no need to put up the starting figure!

Now I have to think about what my Word of the Year will be, but "commit" just jumped in my mind, so I'm going to mull it over!

Happy New Year, everyone! I wish much health, happiness and peace to all of you this year and for many more!