Sunday Stash Report, Week Five - in the middle of a major move!

Nothing in again, but some significant yardage out! I got rid of a minimum of 10 metres out (acutally more, but I quit measuring), mostly flannel and minkee I've been saving hoarding to make rag quilts.  I know I will never get them done, so off to my sister the bags went, with more to go.

 

Added: 0 metres

Added Year to Date: 0 metres  

 

Destashed: 10 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 12 metres

 

Added for 2015: -12.0 metres

 Total spent YTD $0.00 = $0.00/metre

 

Not a whole lot of sewing has been going on around here. I have set up a temporary sewing station this weekend, because it's been driving me crazy not to have a spot as my sewing room is torn apart.  As soon as I finish this post, I'm going to get caught up on my Project of Doom blocks.

 

 

(The toys from the spare room need to be sent to my other daughter's or will end up in Alex's bedroom.)

 

I am in the process of downsizing my living area by half.  My daughter, her husband and son are tired of living in a townhouse, and I was considering selling and buying something smaller and easier to maintain, so originally I thought we might trade homes, but they have a lot of stairs and I know in a few years, my knees would hate me.  They then came up with the idea of splitting my house and making an up-and-down duplex! I love it because I love my neighbourhood, but will have help with the expenses and maintenance of my home.  And a single person certainly doesn't need 4 bedrooms and a separate rec room.  What we each lose in square footage will be offset by them gaining a yard (almost 1/5 acre), babysitting, for me, the security of having others in the home as I get older, help with the yard work and we will definitely save money.

 

And as far as getting along, we have shared my home in the past when they were saving to buy the townhouse.  They lived here for 1 1/2 years, and their son was born while they were here.  He is now 6 and is so excited to be moving to Gramma's house!

 

Now I have to move my sewing room to the upstairs spare room, plus add my scrapbooking supplies to it.  The room is basically the same size but configured differently, so I am going through everything and getting rid of a lot!

 

So this is the old room - I've already moved a large IKEA Expedit shelf upstairs, so this is mess I haven't been able to work in.

 

 

I had to keep the spare bed up until this weekend, but now I can take it down.  It was mainly for the grandkids when they slept over, and now the other grandkids will be able to sleep in Alex's room when they have an overnight visit. 

 

 

 

This new room has a bigger closet with an organizer system so that will go a long way to help hide the stuff!

 

 

Hopefully, by next weekend, I'll have it put to rights and all will be back to normal!  In the meantime, I need to add to these...

 

I'm saving the final trimming for when I have the blocks ready to put together, so if I've skimped a little I have some fudging room.  

 

Linking up to Judy's Stash Report linky party - see what else others are up to with their stash.

Sunday Stash Report 2015 - Week Two

Happy New Year, all!  I've started off the new year with a good start - nothing in, but a few yards out! 

 

I've worked out a trade with a fellow Project of Doomer who makes 3D pieces.  I'm sending her a bundle of fabric strips good for titles in exchange for a few items such as an embroidered Chocolate Frog box, including the chocolate frog!

 

 

(Kirsten's finished product)

 

Added: 0 metres

Added Year to Date: 0 metres  

 

Destashed: 2 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 2 metres

 

Added for 2015: -2.0 metres

 Total spent YTD $0.00 = $0.00/metre

 

Like last year, I am going to track my spending.  I found that really help rein in my acquiring of new stash.  Now I've only been buying what I need to finish a current project.

 

I managed to get started on my Project of Doom.  Since we are only doing one block a week as part of the quilt-along, I should be able to keep up. 

 

I haven't trimmed it to the final size of 10 1/2" yet, as I plan on embroidering the book titles. Because I don't have an embroidery machine, I'll be doing this by hand.  I may attempt to stencil some titles or use fabric pens as well.

 

 

My goal is to do this quilt completely from stash.  I'm also going to use some fun fabrics in it.  This block has silver lame, purple satin and a shimmery fabric for the crystal ball. Wish me luck!

 

Check out other quilters' stash reports at patchworktimes.com

 

The Project of Doom - a Harry Potter quilt!

Starting January 7, 2015!

 

 

 

I'm a huge bookworm, and have been all my life. By the time I was eight, I had read every book in the children's section of the base library (I'm a military brat). You can bet the Harry Potter series would have been my favourite back then, and I still enjoy re-reading it now. As a family, we discovered HP when the second book was launched. My daughters and I actually stood in line at midnight for the release of the last two books, and I bought 3 copies, one for each of us so we could all read at the same time! 

 

 

The Original Project of Doom designed by Jennifer Olenstein of www.sewhooked.com and www.fandominstitiches.com. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ofenjen/7124552875/in/set-72157627330821067 

 

My grandson Alex is almost (but not quite) old enough to start reading the books. He has loved being reading to since he was a baby, and is now reading chapter books on his own (although he still loves being read to).  He turns seven in September, so I figure by Christmas of this year, he'll be old enough to understand the fantasy world of Harry Potter.  It would be so fun if I could give him a quilt along with the first book. I plan on reading it with him and we could cuddle under the quilt.

 

The original Project of Doom was presented in 2011 by the designer, Jennifer Olenstein, and is foundation paper-pieced.  I love making blocks like this, mainly for the accuracy and I've wanted to do this quilt for a while now.

 

I had even made a smaller block in the summer in the hopes I would get inspired to start, but now Jennifer has recently announced a sew-along for those who missed it the first time around. I've joined her Project of Doom group on Facebook and excitement has been building.

 

 

My first part of a future block

 

I saw some examples with black backgrounds so I decided to try this gifted piece of fabric to see how it would look.

 

 

The Monster Book of Monsters by Eva Willet

 

Some people have been working on the blocks before the sew-along was announced, and the group is filled with so many variations and adaptations. I love the fake fur on the Monster book - definitely something I want to copy.

 

Others have added to the bookcase border, things on top, on the sides and even "feet" on the bookcase.

 

 

Dobby by Peggy Gonzales

 

Peggy printed Dobby on a piece of fabric and added him to the side of her bookcase. She has been kind enough to share the file through the Facebook group, I encourage you to join the fun!

 

I've been struggling what I'm going to use for the background (which forms the back of the bookcase. The original was done with a light brown/beige fabric, which was in keeping with the idea of a wooden bookcase, but I have been really struck by the way most of the objects stand out against a black background.  Since I have resolved to try and use my stash as much as possible, and inspired by the block I made in the summer, I finally decided on a blue-black mottled fabric, with two different gold prints.  I have enough between the two, so if I carefully plan my blocks, I can use the same print for an entire row of blocks and make it look like each row has been "wall-papered" differently.

 

 

Both fabrics together.  I'll use the starry one when I need more contrast for some of the darker blocks (hat, glasses, caldron) and the horoscope one for lighter blocks or smaller chunks of background.

 

 

 

 

The closeups show the mottled effect of the background - that should help with those darker blocks.