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.

Snow weekend! Sunday Stash Report, Week 6

Nothing in, nothing out makes for a boring report but there has been sewing going on. It has been snowing steadily since Friday afternoon, and as of this morning we officially had 77 cm (30 in), with more on the way. What better way than to spend the time sewing!

I've been slowly plugging away at my En Provence blocks, and being distracted by requests for more insulin pump bands, fixing stuffed animals, making Valentines placemats and sewing with my grandson!

Alex and I have been working on and off on his dinosaur for almost a year now. I only worked on it when he could help and stopped when he lost attention. He has learned how to use a pattern, cut it out, sew on the machine, do the running stitch and the whip stitch and stuff the pieces. This weekend was the final stuffing and adding the details, such as the spots!

Voila! Snaggles is finished!

He sewed every one of these spots himself!  It is wonderful to see his patience grow and learn to problem-solve without getting frustrated like he did in the beginning.

He is so proud of himself!  (Brr, he makes me cold just looking at him! This is one hot-blooded kid).  He is wearing his new insulin pump band as well.  Love this kid!

Pattern for the dinosaur is Menagerie by Lier at ikatbag.comikatbag.com. 19 stuffies from one basic pattern - it is full of ideas and very well-written.

Tomorrow has been declared a snow day - good thing, because I can't find my car!

Since I never counted in the fabric for the stuffies, and the insulin pump bands are recycled from old T-shirts, I didn't have anything to count out. Next week will definitely be different!

Added this week: 0 metres

Added this year: 19.8metres

Used this week: 0.00 metres

Used this year: 1.00 metres

Added/Used this year: 18.8 metres

Linking to Patchwork Times Sunday Stash Report

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

Christmas sewing has begun!

Every year I resolve to start Christmas sewing in July, and every year I procrastinate until November. Why be different this year? Never mind that I've had to deal with a possible job loss (now resolved with a promotion and a raise, instead of a layoff) and the resulting depression/anxiety. I'm slowing starting to feel like my old self, so what better therapy then the sewing room.

Shark pencil cases for Alex and Zoey - free pattern from www.patchworkposse.com. I still have to hand-sew the lining in, and add the button eyes, but that I can do in front of the tv later this week.



The first of nine pillowcases has been made, filled and sent to Alberta for my newest niece, 7-month-old Eloise.  The rest will be filled and given on Boxing Day at our extended family gathering.  Read more about our tradition here.

The rest are cut out and ready to go. 

Alex has been bugging me to learn more about sewing, and has asked for a sewing kit for Christmas.  I think I'm going to make one up for both him and Zoey, and teach them the basics in the new year by helping them make their own stuffies. I know I'll do most of the sewing, but they sure will have fun!

I bought the pattern, Menagerie from ikatbag.com in preparation.

My favourite is a bonus one, not shown on the cover, the Squid!

(Photo credits - www.ikatbag.com)

In the meantime, I enlisted his help in cutting fabric for some more I-spy quilts.  With 3 new babies in the family in the past year, it's time to get those started.  We needed to add to the collection of 5" squares to choose from, so he helped pick through my latest acquisitions and scraps.  He learned how to safely use a rotary cutter, and how to use a ruler. 

So serious.

Success! He was so proud of himself. We got the first one laid out, making sure all 99 charms are different, and in an alternating pattern of light/dark.  Next, he'll help sew them on my Featherweight.

Once I'm finished this last batch of I-Spy quilts, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all my novelty prints.  I probably have enough to make about 10 more quilts!

I also have a new long-term project distraction.  I'm making another mystery quilt, Shindig Mystery from Hillbilly Handiworks, this time all English paper-piecing.  This piece will measure about 36" across when I finish the remaining 6 points. I could choose to finish it at this point, The First Dance, or complete the full quilt, about 65". 

I have lost track of my fabric purchases, so I am bowing out of the Stash Reports for the remainder of the year.  Next year, I'm really going to try and challenge myself once again to get through the pile of UFOs.

Throwback Thursday - Day 3 of 31 days of blogging

One of my other crafty loves is scrapbooking, so much so that I was a Creative Memories consultant for 17 years and now a Close to My Heart consultant.  I host weekly workshops which are generally well-attended, but sadly my own scrapbooking efforts have also fallen off the wagon. 

 

Last night, I had a workshop and started going through pictures to add to some pages I had already decorated!  I came across these lovelies of my sweet grandchildren:

 

 

August 2011 - Alex was almost 3, and went to his first Airshow.  Smart parents got him ear defenders, and even though it wasn't raining, he thought the umbrella was fun!

 

 

Lucky Gramma got to babysit this little sweetheart!  Zoey was 2 months old and spent the day with me.  It took me about a dozen shots to get this beautiful gummy smile! 

 

Now for the best news of all!  Grandbaby #3, a little girl is on her way!

 

 

 

Zoey is going to be a big sister in October.  My daughter is due the day after what would have been my mom's birthday, we are all so excited! I'm not taking holidays this summer so I can have time off to help out once the baby arrives and daddy goes back to work.

 

To my US friends, have a great long weekend!  To all the rest of you, only one day left until the weekend!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 20 and some Pattern Testing

I was overly optimistic the last time I reported in, and not spent much time in my sewing room.  I did get to work on some pillow covers for my daughter, but they aren't finished, and from her leftover fabric so they won't count.

 

So nothing added, nothing out:

 

Added this Week: 0 metres

 Added Year to Date: 64.1 metres 

 

Destashed this Week: 0 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 22.55 metres

 Added for 2014: 41.55 metres

 

Total spent  YTD $294.20 = $4.59/metre

 

I did get to do a little pattern testing for Kristy of Quiet Play.  I think she is the queen of foundation piecing and has a huge collection of patterns on Craftsy, including Lego Star Wars figures. 

 

 

(note:  the gray is not striped, it is a Bella Solid but didn't photograph well)

 

I decided to do a little fussy cutting and cut into the last of my scraps of this:

 

 

to create this:

 

 

on the license plate!  It came from the double-decker bus and measures less than 3/16" wide finished.

 

 

I also fussy-cut swirls from a white-on-white to make the headlights!  It gave them the perfect depth.

 

 

I'll make my block into a pillow for my daughter and her husband, and incorporate the images from the scraps into it somehow.  They went to London on a delayed honeymoon a few years back, and stayed in the old Parliament buildings right next to the London Eye, so it will be a fun memory pillow for them. 

 

Yesterday, Alex and I did something new -  we visited a movie set!  A movie starring Danny Glover and Rob Lowe is being partially filmed in our town, it's working name is "Monster Trucks" so it sounded perfect for a five-year-old's field trip.

 

  

It's amazing how many people it takes to do one little car chase scene.  After we watched them set up the camera (on the left), we got shuffled back, and back, and back to the point where we couldn't see anything, so we went around the corner:

 

 

Alex loved seeing the big trucks (these were the security forces chasing the monster trucks).  The license plates were all from North Dakota, and one of the building was renamed as Anderson, so I guess our town will be representing the fictional town of Anderson, ND.

 

 

Finally, after much waiting, the monster truck blows through (that little green truck between the tree and the black truck).  Alex learned that there is a lot of waiting around, and didn't think he'd like to work in the movie industry, that is until he saw this camera car!

 

 

He thought that would be fun to drive!   

 

 

Sunday Stash Report, Week 16

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I posted a blog post.  That's the longest I've gone since I started blogging 3 or 4 years ago.  One thing I've discovered, blogging gives me motivation to sew, then I have something to write about, even if no one reads my posts.

Only one small purchase in all this time, 1 metre representing two cloth books that I'll make for Christmas presents.

Added this Week: 1 metres

 Added Year to Date: 63.1 metres 

Destashed this Week: 0 metres

 Destashed year to Date: 22.55 metres

 Added for 2014: 40.55 metres

Total spent  YTD $284.20 = $4.76/metre

It's been a busy month - our guild was featured at the Creative Stitches show this year, I was only able to volunteer one day because of work, but it was a long day!

Then we had a special sew-in with a very special visitor!  Ron Swanson dropped by, along with his maker, Monica Solorio-Snow aka the Happy Zombie!

This quilt made the rounds a while back, and even visited the set of Parks & Recreation - you just have to read Monica's description of that for a hilarious belly laugh!

Monica is a great lady, and a lot of fun!  I was lucky enough to sit across from her during the sew-in and get to know her better.  I was even inspired to pull out a test block that I did based on one of her designs (Funky Wrench - a free tutorial here) and start a new project.

I got eight of these 6" (finished) blocks done - all are made with 5" charm squares with grey backgrounds (Bella grey and feather).  I want to pick up some charcoal and finish a few more for a cute baby quilt.

I've also been busy in the garden.  We've had a later spring then usual, so I'm late getting my early plants in, but last weekend was so beautiful I was able to some done.  Daisy enjoyed the sun as well!

And yesterday, we went to one of the local farms for an Easter egg hunt and see the baby animals.  

Zoey - 34 months old

Alex - 5 1/2 years

We had dinner last night, so it's a quiet day today for me.  Taxes, some scrapbooking and maybe some sewing tonight!

Happy Easter to all - hope your day is wonderful, whether you spend it with your church, family or by yourself.

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