Sunday Stash Report Week 19

Just when I thought things were going to slow down, things heated up again!  But it's been a good week - we finally got the new software at work doing what we want it to do, I've gotten a handle on the paperwork at home, my 2-day scrapbooking crop was successful and I only have 6 sleeps until my big trip to Italy!

Not much sewing this week, only 3 more Red and White blocks:

I thought I didn't add any fabric this week, but when I was tidying up my sewing room, I came across this kit I bought my birthday weekend and forgot all about.

It's called Word Play Made Easy and makes a 48" x 54" quilt, just perfect for a wallhanging or the kidlets.

I may make it a bit larger with some fat quarters I have on hand from the same line:

So, no finishes this week but I have to add some.  When I get back from my trip, I see some power sewing in my future - I want to stay out the red!

Used this Week:  0 metres
Used year to Date: 45 metres

Added this Week: 2.5 metres

Added Year to Date: 43.9 metres
Net Used for 2012: 1.1 metres

I doubt I'll have any time for sewing this week, but I'm going to post about my trip here so it will make it easier to scrapbook when I get home.  I've only been to Europe once before, Scotland specifically, so I'm looking forward to soaking up some history and sun!

I've starting packing:

I'm taking 1/2 as many clothes and twice as much money ;o)

But I'm already dreading leaving these sweeties!

Zoey - almost 11 months - pic taken today

And Alex, 3 1/2 - he is growing so fast.  Here he is playing soccer with his 5-year-old-today second cousin and other 5's today at the birthday party!

He is going to be a tall boy, and is already very coordinated for his age. He was kicking that ball over the heads of the others with no trouble!  And fast too, he could outrun them all!

To see how others are doing managing their stash, check out the links at Judy Laquidara's blog at http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/05/06/stash-report-week-19-2012/

Just Takes 2 and a UFO

I'm making some progress on my Just Takes 2 blocks.  I have them all printed out, but reading on their website, it appears there may some issues with sizing on the foundation blocks.  I thought I noticed that last night when I was looking at one of the blocks and trying to figure out how to rotary-cut it instead.

Because I'm doing these blocks during my "stress-relief" time, so far I've been focusing on the easiest ones that can be assembled using pre-cut strips and rotary cutting techniques.  So far, this is what I've accomplished this week.

There is one thing I'm not crazy about the instructions - it's hard to figure out the finished size of some of the smaller HST and QST pieces so I can adapt them to rotary cutting using the Easy Angle and Companion Angle.  For the most part, they are there but buried in the instructions.

I'm not a big fan of the "Cut it Big and Whack it Off" club.  The best thing I've ever done for my piecing skills was participating in Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt-along this past year.  I have gained so much confidence using the right tools and speed-piecing techniques. 

Here's my finished Pinwheel block -

(The block is straight - it's just the camera angle.) On the top, you can see my UFO leaders and enders.  I've even manage to start assembling a few blocks for that quilt as well.

Here's how I'm working with the Just Takes 2 blocks so far.  First, I cut a WOF strip from each colour (Kona Ruby and Bella White) in each of the following sizes:

1.5", 2", 2.5", 3", 3.5", 4", 4.5"

I had actually started out making little kits for each block, but quickly realized that I was using alot of the same size strips.  If I need an odd-size, such as 3 3/4", I just trim up a piece of a 4" strip.  There aren't many odd sizes, so I'm not worried about waste.

I'm also making a spreadsheet to track which blocks I've done, the name of the block and the inspiration quilt from the Infinite Variety show.  I plan on buying the catalog when it comes out and it will be great to have my references organized. Did you know you can download an app for your iPhone to view the show?

So far, I have bought 3 yards of the white (from fabric.com) and 2 metres of the red (from Hamels, my local quilt shop).  I didn't want to order the red online as I am very picky about what shade of red I like.  I prefer blue-reds, not orange-reds, and Ruby fit the bill!

All organized in my project box, all ready for the next blocks - which I'm off to do a couple more!

Sunday Stash Report Week 17

Happy Earth Day!  I had a couple of finishes last week, but didn't do a report because I had a weekend away.  Which led to  some more adding!  I hosted a scrapbooking retreat across the line in Monroe, WA, which had the added bonus of letting me visit some quilting shops.  I didn't go to as many as I would like, but still added to my stash.

Used this Week:  1.3 metres
Used year to Date: 45 metres

Added this Week: 6.5 metres

Added Year to Date: 41.4 metres
Net Used for 2012: 3.6 metres

One of my finishes was the binding on my Orca Bay quilt - the fastest finish ever in my quilting life!  And also the biggest quilt I've done!

I used a freckle dot in white on black for the binding - it came out perfect!  The backing is a red flannel with a black swirl and it was quilted with a variegated thread by Rhonda at Quilted Cats Hideaway.

Here's a close-up of the back and the binding:

And the finished quilt - I tried to pin it to the clothesline, but the new pins I bought won't hold a facecloth, let alone a quilt!

And the other one was the binding on this little quilt, folded in half it fits perfectly in the playpen when Zoey comes for a sleepover.

The binding matches the pants of one of the little overall girls.  I normally prefer a darker binding, but I already had this from the kit, so I used it up!

And on to the additions - a total of 7.25 yards, which translates to 6.5 metres.

Some odds and ends for card-making, a sharpener for rotary cutter blades (I hope it works), some 1/4 yd. pieces to add to my stash for future Bonnie Hunter quilts, a yard of Walk in the Woods to add to my Aneela Hooley collection, and 4 yards of a cute seersucker line to make some sundresses for Zoey.  I just had to pick up that shirt piece, it reminded me of Bonnie's love of shirts in her quilt-making.

I'm going to make this dress for Zoey, I made one last year for a niece and I loved how it turned out!

I am feeling very stressed and in a time-crunch these days.  Not only do I have to do my taxes by the end of the month, I have to take 3 courses to renew my mortgage broker license this week, create a couple of photo book projects that I have credits for, and work full-time, but I also have to get ready for a long-anticipated trip to Tuscany, Italy!  (I know, such a hardship!)  This trip has been in the works for almost 2 years, a group of friends and I have rented a private villa half-way between Florence and Sienna for two weeks, then 3 of us are taking a train to Rome for 5 days and 4 nights.  I just have to get through these next two weeks of stress, and then I can relax.

One of the ways I am relaxing is taking anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour each day and playing in my sewing room.  I have a leaders and enders project on the go, while I tackle a few new things of play.  This is what I accomplished in the last week.

I've been tackling that pile of samples and bolt-ends I bought for my birthday, stripping them into 5" strips first (good to create charm squares from), then down in 1/2" increments from there.  I got this idea from Bonnie Hunter, of quiltville.com fame, and her Scrap-User's system.

This is just a small portion of what still has to be stripped.  Anything larger than a Fat Quarter doesn't get stripped.

Against my better judgement, I started a new project.  This one doesn't have a deadline but it is very special to me and I've wanted to do this one for a long time.  It started with a T-shirt my mom used to wear to work.  She worked at Sears and when they launced the Christmas catalog (back then it was in August or September) everyone would wear their Christmas sweaters, vests, etc.  Because it was so early, my mom would get a kick out of wearing this T-shirt and getting a laugh out of the customers.  When mom passed, this is the only piece of clothing I kept.  Last year, I started dreaming up a quilt to honour her love of Christmas and sense of humour.

I saw and bought a panel of "The Grinch who Stole Christmas" last fall, and started planning and sketching out a preliminary design.  I backed the T-shirt with lightweight fusible web, then trimmed out the panel.  Because of the sleeve holes, it came out a funny shape, so I added wonky flying geese to square it up.  It measures 19" square and will be the centerpiece.

I'm also going to add words a la Tonya Ricucci.  I picked up her book "Word Play" last month.

Here is the selection of fabrics I might use so far.  The dots are from the Dr. Suess line, another of Mom's favourites.

I've been doing leaders and enders, so I'm making progress on my Thangles quilt (without using the Thangles).  I've done about 20 of 288 HST's so far.

I also finally got around to piecing some of my "Just Take 2" blocks.  These are blocks 28, 31 and 32.  I've been making up little kits for each block, using rotary-cut strips as much as I can, rather than cutting individual blocks like the patterns call for.

And last but not least, a few more hexies.  I'm up to 67 of 270 now, and since I plan on taking this project to Italy with me, I need to prep some more flowers and punch some more cardstock.  So far, I've been able to make each one different, no duplicating the centre/petal combo.

Have a great week!  I'm going to be working hard the rest of the day on taxes, courses and photo books (and fit in mowing the lawn before I need to buy a goat!).

Look out, Washington, here we come!

Besides being a quilter/sewer, I also love scrapbooking - so much so, that I am a Creative Memories consultant.  Twice a year, I organize a retreat at a lovely place in Monroe, WA, just 2 1/2 hours away (not including sitting at the border).  Our motto is eat, sleep, shop and scrapbook! We love to help the local economy - we can usually find really good deals.

I have an ulterior motive - I can visit all those terrific fabric stores between here and Seattle.  Look out - here we come!

Sunday Stash Report, Week 15

Happy Easter or Passover, whichever you celebrate! Where has the time gone?  It's been four weeks since I did a stash report - how did that happen?  Okay, I confess - I do know why I haven't added things up. 

Hi, my name is Terri and I'm a fabriaholic. (And I didn't want to admit it)


I got done in by our local Sewing & Crafts trade show, and the fact it was my birthday seemed to have granted me permission to buy, buy, buy. 
So - drumroll - please!

Used this (4) Weeks:  3.6metres

Used year to Date: 43.7 metres

Added this (4) Weeks: 18.25 metres

Added Year to Date: 34.9 metres
Net Used for 2012: 8.8 metres

Even though there hasn't been a lot of sewing, at least it's still in the positive.  It's been a busy 4 weeks, as it is and it's income tax prep time and the mortgage market has started to heat up here in the Lower Mainland of BC.  Good thing, because I have a big trip coming to pay for!


One of my favourite booths is Quilt Essentials.  They have a huge table with piles and piles of fabric scraps, bolt ends and manufacturer samples and it's like sharks having a feeding frenzy. I wish I thought to take a picture - it is so much fun!  I bought 2.75 lbs of fabric.  At roughly 2.5 metres per pound, I got about 7 yards of fabric for just $38.  Regular prices here run about $13-$16/m ($12-$14.50/yd) so $5.50/yd was a terrific bargain, especially when it included some new designs that haven't even been released yet, including Kaffe Fawcett,  Michael Miller and Moda fabrics, and much, much more.  I did give up a yard of Sweetwater's Hometown to another lady, as I had just bought one the week before (it was probably the bolt end from the bolt I bought off of at full price).

 My other favourite booth is Hamel's Fabrics.  They are located in my hometown and my first stop for any fabric or notions I want to buy.  I always stop to say hi to the ladies working so hard and see their displays, as they are usually different then what I see in the store - they do a lot of trade shows across Canada and have a huge internet store.  Because they were so busy, I made a stop by the store on my way home to buy what I wanted and I got another 7 metres (7 3/4 yds) - a finishing kit for these blocks!

I posted about these blocks here.  They were a Thangles Block of the Month project, and I finally finished them off - 24 6" blocks.  

I'm not sure what I was thinking but I was surprised when I opened the instructions and discovered I had to add another round of HSTs to each block:

I have to say I was both dismayed and relieved - I hope they will help improve the contrast on the block, I'm still not thrilled with how the smaller blocks have turned out but it will get finished, come hell or high water.


Over the last few weeks, I've made some other purchases.  I purchased a metre of Sweetwater Hometown, a 1/2 m of Sherbet Pips, the cute little puppy on blue & some polka dots for bibs, and 3 other Fat quarters.  No pictures but my total purchases over the last month came to a whopping 17 1/4 metres!


But I have had some finishes.  I made this cute little skirt for Zoey from an old Moda honey bun I've had hanging around.  I think it was Oh, Cherry.  

I also made 2 baby bibs and a blanket from flannel backed with minkee for my niece's baby shower.  Again, no pictures yet - they're on my sister's camera.  I made another bib for my daughter's friend as well.  The bibs used some of the puppy dog fabric I picked with, with adorable brown polka dot ties. Perfect for little boys!


Today I'm hand-sewing the bindings on two quilts, the small one in my previous post and my Orca Bay!!  I picked it up at the quilter's, Quilted Cats Hideaway, on Wednesday and I'm saving the reveal until that binding is down - all 336 inches of it!  It finished at 77" x 87", perfect for the double bed in the grandkids' room.  And I just had to add another metre to my purchases - I forgot I picked up a cute freckle dot in white on black for the binding. I also finished a small chair "rug" for my dog to lay on when she lays on the spare chair in my sewing room.  She doesn't shed but at least it will keep it clean for visitors. Again, no pics - I must get better about that!


It's a beautiful, sunny warm day so after finishing spring-cleaning my kitchen, I'm off to my daughter's for a non-traditional Easter barbeque!  I'm really happy I don't have to cook!  Have a great one, everyone and thanks for sticking with me this far.  I don't always respond to comments (between 3 jobs and life, I read more than I post) but I appreciate each and every one!

I'm a roll - I won again!

I am so thrilled!  I received my own copy of Tokyo Subway Map, courtesy of Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson!  I had to make a deal with myself not to start it until I've finished a couple of current projects first. Here's a picture of the finished product, you can order your own from Elizabeth's shop for 40% until Sunday - check her blog post for details.

Thanks so much, Elizabeth - I can tell you put a lot of time and effort in your design!

Sunday Stash Report, Week 11 - A very busy week! (my totals are at the bottom!)

I've been slacking on the blog front again, work has been busy and I've been exhausted when I get home.  I even went to the doctor's to make sure there's no underlying reason, but other than my iron levels being on the low side of normal (which is typical for me) everything is okay. I've even managed to lose 15 pounds over the last year, and bring my blood sugar levels down.  Diabetes is a concern, and there is a family history of both types, and Type II is very prevalent once we hit 50.  I walked away with the usual instructions:  exercise 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week, cut back on the carbs, get more protein (that's a struggle for me, because I'm not a big fan of meat).  I'm sure I'll start feeling better now that Spring and more daylight is on the way.

Despite not reporting in last week, I did good not adding too much to the stash this last two weeks, even after a visit to Jo-Ann fabrics in Bellingham, WA, just across the border and about 45 minutes from my home (not including the wait at the border - which was almost an hour this time).  I had remarkable restraint and I only bought 1 yard of a beautiful teal batik, and 1/2 yard of PUL for a special project.  On the way home, I stopped by my LSS, Hamels and picked up a Charm Pack of Little Apples by Aneela Hooley.  I also got this when I was at Jo-Ann's!

I've been coveting this book and any of Bonnie Hunter's, so when I saw this on sale for just $12, I had to pick it up. I have another special project planned that involves Christmas fabric and an old T-shirt. Total fabric added this two-week period, once it was converted, was only 2 metres. 

Fabric used this two-week period was mostly in the last couple of days.  I finally finished quilting a flimsy that has been sitting around for about five years (well, only as a flimsy since July, but a UFO before that). 

My incentive was this cute little girl who came to spend the night, along with her cousin.  She's not quite crawling and the wood floors make it a challenge.

My girls and their husbands were getting together to celebrate my youngset daughter's 27th birthday, so I got the kidlets overnight - such a hardship ;o).  I can't believe my baby is getting close to 30, after all I'm only 39 - right?

I needed something to put in the bottom of the playpen for Zoey, so I managed to get this quilted and trimmed up just in time.  It was made with a panel called Wash Tub Club and features little overall-ed SunBonnet Sue's doing her weekly chores (like Monday is for washing, etc...)

I took this picture while I still had some daylight and before I was finished quilting it. I'm starting to get more comfortable with machine quilting, and moved out of my in-the-ditch comfort zone, and tried circles!  They were so easy and I love the effect on the back.

I don't want this quilt to be densely quilted, and I forgot to keep the wrapper for the batting, so I hope it will stand up.  The largest unquilted section is the four-inch square where each of the blocks are. I wish I knew what the batting was because it gives a really nice quilted effect, nicer than Warm and Natural.

Since I never counted that fabric out before, both the top and the muslin backing amounted to 5.5 metres. 

Since I made something for Zoey, I had to make something for Alex. My daughter brought back a cloth-book panel back from New Zealand when they went there for Christmas, and although he's past the cloth-book stage, it was a very cute book about animals in NZ.  I made it up last night and surprised him with it this morning. Another 0.6 metres out the door!

But that isn't all I got done this week! 

I pulled out my Farmer's Wife blocks again, and redid Block 6.  I didn't like the contrast of my first one (the blue one), and I'm much happier with the second.  The only thing is I seem to have forgotten how to foundation-piece and it's a little shy on some of the seams, but I'm not redoing it again!

I didn't stop there - I found this cute pattern by Monica Solorio-Snow - The Happy Zombie.

I pulled out that Charm Pack of Little Apples I just bought, and some Bella Solid Gray and put together these cute blocks.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this.  4 charm blocks make 2 - 6" blocks, so I'll get 20 blocks out of one charm pack, assuming I use the ones with a white background (not sure if I'll do that).  This one may become a table topper, a doll quilt or maybe I'll just have to pick up another charm pack or two!

And last but not least, the special project I bought the PUL for (this might be TMI for some people).  One of daughter's is allergic to every sanitary product she has tried.  Only recently, I became aware that some people have been making their own (why didn't I think of that!) so thanks to the internet and google, I found lots of patterns and instructions, but ended up making my own design.  The only holdup I have now is finding the right snaps to use.  A friend gave me some plastic ones usually used for cloth diapering, but I don't have the right snap pliers, so I'm not sure if my usual technique of hammering the crap out of it will work.  I've made two sizes for her to try, and then we'll try some more and see if they work better for her than the store-bought type.

Need to work on my topstitching skills!  But overall, they turned out good.  I'll put the snaps on the wings and she can snap them around her panties.  She loves the bright coloured one (sized bigger for night), I lean to the more discreet, but since she'll be the one wearing them, I'm going through my stash for fun, funky flannels.  The night one has 9 layers of flannel, the day one has five, but neither of them seem too bulky.  So, probably 1/2 metre of fabric, mostly scraps used!

Huge numbers this week - if only they could all be like this!

Used this Week: 6.6 metres

Used year to Date: 40.1 metres

Added this Week: 2 metres

Added Year to Date: 16.65 metres
Net Used for 2012: 23.45 metres