Sunday, April 23, 2017

Sunday Stash Report, Week 17

During my "hiatus", I made a Bionic Gear Bag that I haven't shared yet. If you haven't heard about this bag yet, you really should check it the website at Sew Much Nicer!



It is a fabulous bag that can be used to store just about anything, and there is going to be larger version available soon. (I also bought the baby BGB variation as well). Sally also offers video workshops to teach you how to put this together at Sew Like a Rockstar.


They were really helpful adding the pockets and putting the side panels on.

There is also a free pattern for a small dish that attaches to the bag with magnets, that can be used for Wonderclips or as a thread catcher. Free is right up my alley!


 Of course, to make a coordinated one, I had to buy new fabric!  I got 4.35 metres, but rest assured the bag doesn't take that much - if you do the bag all in one colour it takes 1.25 yards or 1.15 metres. In fact, the pocket linings used scraps that I had on hand. I also shared with a friend, so 2.3 metres were used right away.

Added this week: 4.35 metres
Added this year: 33.05 metres
Used this week: 3.3 metres
Used this year: 21.8 metres
Added/Used this year: 11.25 metres

The extra metre was used by my grandkids!  The kids wanted to sew one morning after a sleepover, so we made some doll/stuffie blankets.  Alex is eight, and sewed his all by himself, even putting the backing on envelope style. I just had to show him how to line things up.


Zoey (5 1/2) finally overcame her hatred of moving parts, and assembled her top with a little assistance. She wouldn't let me take her picture though. Mya is 2 1/2 and not afraid of anything - she wanted to just jump in and do it by herself. Since she's never done it before, I had a hard time holding her back, but we managed to get it done safely without running over little hands. She was so proud of herself.


I have a few more things I did during my hiatus, but I'll save those for next week.

Linking up with Judy's Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Sunday Stash Report, Week 16 - Where have I been?

I haven't been anywhere - just in blah-land.  My oldest daughter, son-in-law and grandson (who live in a 2-bdrm suite in my home) were gone to New Zealand for 5 weeks, and although I had great plans, the poor weather and work kept me down.  Since they got home, I have been in my sewing room every day, listening to the sounds of a full house again and enjoying spending time with them!

An pre-order I placed in January finally arrived. I couldn't resist this fun print "Burly Beavers" being Canadian and all!






Of course, while I was at the shop, Dinkydoo Fabrics, I had to buy a few more things - so I stocked up on mini-Pearl Bracelets, and a new book, Quilt Lab - using math and science in quilts. It is a brand-new shop in Pitt Meadows, BC, having an online presence for about 6 months and now it has a bricks-and-mortar store. The downside is that it sells it fabrics in yards, not metres, so I have to remember that when comparing their pricing and buying fabrics.  Otherwise, it's a nice little shop, focused on modern fabrics.


I bought 6 yds of flannel to make pyjama pants for my sons-in-law and grandson for Christmas, and some cotton versions for the stash.  Love the thermos and woodgrain. 6 fat quarters of pearl bracelets and a 1/2 yd bundle of free Christmas prints (opening special) rounded out my purchase of 9.75 yards. Converted to metres, I've added 8.9 metres to the stash.

Added this week: 8.9 metres
Added this year: 28.7 metres
Used this week: 1.5 metres
Used this year: 18.5 metres
Added/Used this year: 10.2 metres


My daughter wanted her quilt queen-size, so I added another 4-patch border to my En Provence quilt. This used up another 1.25 metres of aqua/teal and white and I am finally running out of aqua and teals.

I'm hoping to make another good dent in the stash next week. I'm working on 3 quilts celebrating Canada's Sesquicentennial (150 years), on for each of my grandchildren. I'm using the Falling Charms pattern by MSQC. It's simple and makes good use of the charm packs that I was able to get. I still have a jelly roll that I'll probably make myself something with.


And I have this big bin of scraps to trim down, so while I'm doing that, I'm going to cut strips for Scrappy Trips by Bonnie Hunter and this pretty quilt by Brooklyn Quilts.



Her version used Anna Horner prints and small rectangles 2"x3", but then I saw this version which inspired me to use up my 2 1/2" strips.  My rectangles are 2 1/2" x 4 1/2", which will finish at 2 x 4 and make quick and perfect quilts for the kids' campers.