Sunday Stash Report, Week 26

Not much progress in numbers this week, but lots of little bits done!  It feels good to get back to sewing again.

Used this Week:  .5 metres

Used year to Date: 46.5 metres

Added this Week: 0 metres

Added Year to Date: 45.9 metres
Net Used for 2012: 0.6 metres

My only finish wasn't even sewing, just pressing and cutting!  I loved paper dolls as a child, but they had fallen out of fashion by the time my kids were old enough in the 1980's and I couldn't find them anywhere.  Now that I have grandbabies, I was thrilled a couple of years ago when I found "Aunt Lyndi's Paper Dolls" fabric panels.  I finally got around to ironing them to fusible pellon, and cutting them out for Alex to play with.  They should last longer than paper, and Zoey won't be able to tear them up. As per usual, I'm linking up with Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times for the weekly stash reporting!

I'm still plugging away on my Thangles quilt as leaders and enders.  As I'm assembling the blocks, I'm finishing the HSTs, only about 16 of 200+ left.  Then I have to start on the cornerstones and sashing.  I wish I had thought of this trick before I had them all cut Fast and Easy Sashing with Cornerstones. 

I couldn't find my Farmer's Wife book, so bad me, I started another project.  I've been collecting batiks for this Judy Niemeyer quilt pattern for a couple of years now, and the strips have been sorted into colour groups, so I finally started.  This is a long-term project so I don't have a deadline for it.  

I probably should have started my Christmas sewing list instead.  While I was cleaning up my sewing room looking for that darn book, I filled my Christmas basket - I'll post more about that later!

Finally, I found my book (under just 2 magazines), and I made the yellow and blue Wrench (Block #111).  Here's all my blocks so far.

I started thinking about sashing, so I could attach them as I go.  I'd love to do a black and white checkboard with bright cornerstones, but in order for the scale to look okay it would have to be 1/2" squares finished.  I made a sample and although I love the look, it would take forever.  

So now I'm on the hunt for a black and white checkerboard fabric with 1/2" squares  - any hints?

More UFOs to show

I started by looking for some lilac or lavendar quilt tops to send to Madame Samm at http://www.stashmanicure.blogspot.com/ for her June banner. (I never sent the photos cuz I realized she wanted finished quilts, not tops).  I found these flimsies with purple in them:

Tree Skirt made from a Judy Neimeyer pattern

Dragon Star, another Judy Neimeyer pattern.  This was done in a class taught by Judy herself, and I learned so much from her.

Like piecing the back from the leftovers (and a couple of extra metres).

I still had some fabric left over, so I made the borders and purchased a wee bit more to make matching pillowcases.

I just finished this flimsey started in 2000, when I started quilting again.  I took a basic rotary cutting class, cuz that was a new tool since the last time I had quilted (back in the 80s).  I loved the tool, the quilt not so much, so it got put aside.



With so many tops, I think I'm finally ready to do more than straight-line machine quilting, so I pulled out an old preprinted panel (which also dates back to the 80s) and got it ready for practice.  It will become a charity donation if I don't mess it up too badly.

At this stage, I've straight-lined on the rick-rack lines and on the lines of the mobile in the center block.  I think praticing free-motion quilting will be a great May for Me project.

December Finishes

I still haven't downloaded all my pics from December yet, but here are a couple of finishes.  On a spur of the moment, Kim and I made microwave cooking bags for our daughters.  A slight miscalculation on my part meant we bought enough fabric to make 8, not 4 and some additions to our stash!

Lined with polka dots!



I even made up this cute recipe card to match:

And this tree skirt I'm counting as a finish because it made it under the tree, but I do still have to back it, quilt it and finish the edge.  It set off my purple and aqua decorations beautifully.  It is another Judy Niemeyer pattern and I picked up a sweet deal and bought four more patterns of hers, for just $17 total! 

I have a lot of UFOs at this flimsy stage, but this I don't count as a UFO yet because I finished the top within the same month as starting it AND it's still at the top of the pile for finishing.  A UFO (UnFinished Object) is one that has been abandoned for at least a year.  Believe me, I have a lot of those!

What got me back on the sewing/crafting track

A few weeks ago, I rediscovered my love of sewing thanks to my friend, Kim! She reminded me of our Judy Niemeyer Christmas tree skirt patterns and fabric that we purchase last year(?) and said she wanted to change her colours.  I've changed my Christmas colours over the last couple of years,too, so off to our favourite fabric store we went. Kim chose purples, pinks and black-purple while I chose shades of aqua and purple.  Both tree skirts have been cut out now and we have both completed Step 1 (Bag 1) of the 8 steps.

3 years ago, I was very fortunate to take a class taught by Judy Niemeyer herself, and I am so glad I did!  My Dragon Star quilt top is done, and the pieced backing is too, and I still count it as one of my UFO's.

Since that day a few weeks ago, I have done the following:
- pulled all my fabric/sewing totes out of the attic and unpacked 5 of them (4 to go)
- finished a diaper bag that I started 2 years ago when Alex was born - I'll put it away for Sarah or a baby shower gift
- added Alex's name to a quilt I started 2 years ago, and have started the final quilting on it.  I hope to have it finished by the end of November

- finished my pink scarf made from this yarn - I'm not sure if it is the colour "Chick" because I bought it in October during the Breast Cancer campaign and the special packaging doesn't give a colour name or number
- made 2 pairs of pyjamas for Alex from start to finish (in just 3 hours, a record for me) from a pattern similar to this one
- started going through my scraps and found Bonnie Hunter's method for dealing with them, so now I'm cutting strips and squares for future scrappy quilts and getting rid of the stuff I'll never use

Now I have to make a list of what I want to finish before Christmas!