Every Day for the Month of May Report

I started May off with a challenge to myself to do something sewing related every day.  I had not sewn regularly this year because of work overload and I was really needing to.  My challenge started off well.  I got my sewing area cleaned up.  I made myself work on the never-ending hexagon project.  I did some hems for a friend and learned to make a tiny rolled hem in the process.  I worked on the BOM project and got inspiration. And at last I was motivated to start on a fun project - but in a reasonable size.

Did I do something sewing related every day?  No.  But I only missed 4 days and those were all for good cause -  end of the school year exhaustion and job hunting.  So I think my overall goal of getting myself back into the sewing room and focused on something did work.

I also got back into blogging which does help me stay accountable.  I got caught up on my Stash Reports and Friday Finishes.  I can see a direct correlation between not sewing and adding to the stash, so I am very happy to have fabric moving the right direction again.

My summer break has started and I am excited that I am already motivated to sew and craft and don't have to take the first month to clean and organize like I did last summer.  Here's hoping for a good, relaxing summer of sewing and crafting.

Sea Glass at the Beach

This quilt turned out amazing.  It is definitely one of my all time favorites that I have made.  It challenged me and I met the challenge - mostly.

My job this past school year was as associate teacher.  My lead teacher's daughter was expecting her first child.  They knew it was a boy and her theme was beach, but not nautical.  I poked around the internet to see what ideas were out there for quilts in sea glass colors.  Quite a few it turns out.  I liked the movement of the Snails Trail variation of Storm at Sea.

I went with my normal MO - make it up as I go along!  I started with the Snails Trail blocks.  I watched quite a few tutorials and realized that there is definitely no right way or best way or easiest way to make them.  So I just started with the center and worked my way around until it was pleasing to my eye.  I had to trim them square at every step, which was very time consuming, but ensured that the "curves" were smooth.

Then I figured out the sashing using my tri-rec rulers.  I didn't get the side points very accurate, but they are consistently not accurate if that counts!  I had run out of some of the colors I used in the Snail Trail so had to add more scraps into the mix, but I think it came out okay.

Lastly, were the corner stones.  Which took a few tries to get the right size, but once I had the correct center square they were easy.

Playing with a layout for the center.

Once the pieces were made the center all went together easily and the movement that I wanted is definitely there.  The border was harder because I wasn't sure what I wanted.  I ended up with piano keys which took about every last scrap of anything remotely a sea glass color.

Before scallops.

Then the corners which were a spur of the moment idea that worked once I got the math right.  I think the uniformity of the corners tidies up all the scrappiness of the rest of it.

 I had no idea how to quilt it, so I just did a giant spiral with the walking foot.

I have always wanted to make a scalloped border.  I finished a quilt for a friend once that already had the scallops cut, but this time I had to figure out the spacing on my own.  I marked and cut the scallops after it was quilted and it was relatively easy.  The binding was the same fabric of the star points and the edge of the corners and is just the right touch.

All in all I am very pleased with how it came out.  My sister who doesn't usually make comment on my quilts even said she liked it.  That is high praise.

Extra diamonds on the back.

I gave it to my lead teacher and she was pleased.  She later said her daughter liked it.  This is one of those situations where I don't know if it will be appreciated for its value as a quilt or not, but it is what I felt I should do.

Little S and I went to the beach to take pictures.  It was a windy day, but I love the way the colors show against the sand and sky.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to show off finishes.

Last Stash Report for May

Fabric In: I'm up to THREE weeks in a row I went to the Thrift Store and DID NOT buy fabric.  Again, there was nothing much good for quilting and the little bit there was was overpriced.  Since College E has been home we've been going thrifting Saturday afternoons when she gets off work.  It's nice to have company and I think that makes me a bit more picky as well - a witness!!

Fabric Out: I made Edward a few months ago, but this week I upgraded his wardrobe and finally gifted him.  rabbit with wardrobe - 2 yards
I made a few small blocks but nothing far enough along to count out.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - good reading!

Fabric Purchased Since Last Report - 0 yds

Fabric Purchased YTD - 46.20 yds

Free to Me Since Last Report - 0 yds
Free to Me YTD -  8.75 yds

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 2 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 21.82 yds

Fabric Movement -  33.13  stashed 

Price/Yard YTD - $0.64 / yard

This was the last week of school with kids and that is always busy.  One day I was just too tired, but then other days I made myself work for just the 15 minutes and it was just what I needed.  I was pleased to get as much done as I did and hope that this summer brings more finishes.

Days spent on sewing related tasks this month: 23/25
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 23/25
Percentage of time on task: 96%

Linking up to QuiltPaintCreate and Life in Pieces to stay accountable.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

In the midst of working on two 60-hour professional development courses I decided to make a stuffed rabbit.  Not just any stuffed rabbit, but Edward Tulane.  In the spring our class was reading "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" and it seemed like having a "real" rabbit who changed as the book progressed would make it more interesting for the class.

Edward as himself.

Thankfully I found a rabbit panel at the thrift store just before I started looking at patterns.  Actually, the sewing helped keep my sanity during the early weeks of the courses as well.  The panel included a dress and pantaloons, which I used as a loose idea for the various changes of clothing for Edward.

Edward as Susanna

The pants made from a handkerchief was the most fun.  I used a real handkerchief!

Edward as Jangles

 The kids seemed to look forward to seeing what Edward would look like each day.  One little girl asked me if I re-colored the clothes each day.

Edward at the end of his journey

Fast forward to the end of the school year and I remade the dress to be the right color for the story and I found the book on CD at the book sale at the local library.

I hope next year's class enjoys him as much as this year's class.

I got it all packaged up and gifted Edward and his wardrobe and the CD set to my lead teacher as a thank you.  It is one of her favorites and seemed appropriate.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to share finishes.

Inspiration from an Unlikely Source

I have been trying to figure out what to work on as a Leader & Ender project.  I wanted to do something that was more intentional than just sewing squares together because I had a lot of them.  Although I have done that before and ended up with a beautiful quilt. 

X Marks the Spot in progress 

I have been looking at books and blogs and tutorials and nothing really jumped up and said, "Make me!"  Until tonight when I made myself sit down for 15 minutes of sewing.  It was a really, really long day with lots of extra stuff thrown in.  (The end of the school year is like that.)  I would normally be in bed at this time, but I was mindful of the fact that I had already taken a "day off" from sewing this week and I didn't want my numbers to go too low. 

BOM goal!

I took out the last BOM packs that I had since I knew they would be easy and would also get me working on that BOM UFO.  I had joined Jo over at Jo's Country Junction for her 2018 BOM Challenge and was able to keep up until I got a new job.  These were actually my sister's BOMs when she thought she wanted to make a quilt a million years ago - before she realized she could get me to make quilts for her! 

Anyways - I started sewing the block, which was super easy since it is precut and realized that that block would make a perfect Leader & Ender for me.  I have lots of random triangles of various sizes and random squares and plenty of strips if I run out of precuts.  So I think I will work on making up some kits of this block from my miscellaneous pieces and see where it leads.  As an added bonus, the BOM block instructions include the dimensions of each piece even though it is all precut.  So I don't even need to math it out!  Win Win!!

Stash Report 051919

Fabric In: Two weeks in a row I went to the Thrift Store and DID NOT buy fabric.  This week there was nothing much good for quilting and the little bit there was was overpriced.  Easy decision.  Whew!

Fabric Out: Just a little bit out for the sewing class at the library.  Gingham to practice sewing straight lines and also fabric for the pillow covers.  1.23 yards

Fabric Purchased Since Last Report - 0 yds
Fabric Purchased YTD - 46.20 yds

Free to Me Since Last Report - 0 yds
Free to Me YTD -  8.75 yds

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 1.23 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 19.82 yds

Fabric Movement -  35.13  stashed 

Price/Yard YTD - $0.64 / yard
Heading in the right direction - slowly, but surely.  I was sewing all week but just working on blocks and I can't count them out until I get all of the blocks done for that particular project.

I did well this week.  Just little bits most days, but I got 1 whole hexagon block finished and 2 of the 4/6 blocks.  Only one more whole block to go.  I need to work on a final layout to determine what last color I should include.  Those little bits of time do add up.

Dark green, gold, and turquoise are from this week!

Days spent on sewing related tasks this month: 17/18
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 17/18
Percentage of time on task: 94%

Linking up to QuiltPaintCreate and Life in Pieces to stay accountable.

Super Carnival Quilt

For the 6th year I made an auction signature quilt for Ms. D's class.  My idea this year was to make hour glass blocks as the alternating blocks in greens since that is her favorite color.

The weekend before I started making them I found a great piece of super hero fabric at the thrift store.  Perfect.  That could be the backing and borders.

On the same day, but at a different store I had found small cuts of bright solids which turned out to be the same colors as in the super hero fabric.

I quilted it with a bright variegated thread in double lines around the seams.  The quilt went together pretty quickly which was a good thing since I was still in the throes of 120 hours of professional development.  The kids loved it.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to show off finishes.

A Clean Table is a Happy Table!

I cleaned up the sewing room yesterday from Little S sleeping in there this weekend and in the process I got a few things prepped so that it is easier to sit down and work for 15 minutes without having to put too much thought into it. 

Because the table was mostly cleared off I didn't have much trouble making a bit more space to cut 3.5 yards of 72" wide felt.  I like it clean so maybe I will keep it this clean and find other places for the odds & ends that accumulate.

Thankful for a large surface. 

My lead teacher is changing the bulletin boards to have felt backings and it was so much easier to cut the felt to the right size on this giant table rather than with scissors in the classroom.

Oh, that it could stay this clean!

After I finished cutting I sewed up the hexagon I had prepped yesterday when I was cleaning!  Woo hoo!  The perfect project after a long day.   

The green hexagon joins its cousins.

With last night's cleaning & prepping and today's cutting & sewing I am going strong with the goal of something sewing related Every Day for the Month of May!

Mothers Day Stash Report

Fabric In: I exhibited extreme self-control last weekend.  I went to my favorite thrift store after a CPR training class over in that area of town.  There were several pieces of fabric that I was interested in, but nothing I needed.  The giant number 55 from last week's stash report kept flashing before my eyes! So it put them back and only bought the 25c zipper.  The zipper drawer is not full yet, so that was safe!!

Fabric Out: Last week I caught up on fabric in for 2019, this week I'll catch up on fabric out.  

March - Ms. D's Carnival Auction Quilt  The signature squares had already been counted out in 2018 when I gave them to the class to design.  5.03 yards for the setting squares, borders, backing and binding.

Super Quilt

April - Burp cloth set for one of Little S's teachers who is expecting. 0.8 yds

For a baby boy.

We didn't know the name so we went with the last initial. 

April - Sea Glass Storm at Sea for Baby Z.  This quilt is near the top of my all time favorites.  I'll write a detailed post about it in the near future.  8.16 yds

Sea Glass

April - Garment Bag style Cover for College E's Fancy dresses - 2 yds

May - Pillowcase for my Carnival Auction Experience winner - 1.1 yds

May - Starter fabrics for the Carnival Experience winner - 6 FQs


Fabric Purchased Since Last Report - 0 yds
Fabric Purchased YTD - 46.20 yds

Free to Me Since Last Report - 0 yds
Free to Me YTD -  8.75 yds

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 18.59 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 18.59 yds

Fabric Movement -  36.36  stashed 

Price/Yard YTD - $0.64 / yard

Making progress, although it is 5 months worth in one report, so it seems better than it really is!!  Eleven more days of school, then the numbers will come down a lot faster - I hope!

I did pretty well this week.  I missed Friday because of sheer exhaustion from work and the arrival of College E for the summer and Grown Up R for the weekend, but overall I stuck with it and sewed a minimum of 15 minutes each day as challenged by Kate over at Life in Pieces.  Since I am starting my year with the month of May my numbers are a little off, but that's okay.  As long as it keeps me on track.

Days spent on sewing related tasks this month: 10/11
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 10/11
Percentage of time on task: 91%

Linking up to QuiltPaintCreate and Life in Pieces to stay accountable.

Saturday Sewcial

Today was the first sewing class at the library since the fall.  The library had to move while it underwent repairs and there was no where for the sewing class to meet in the temporary location, so we had a long break.  That was good for me to get a chance to adjust to my new job and to reflect on what we had done in the sewing class and see what direction it should take this time around.

In the midst of prepping for the sewing class I found out that Grown Up R was going to come home for the weekend for Mothers Day.  What a nice surprise!  So I quick adjusted the class time to be when the girls were out at a movie and I asked the library to limit the class size so we would have a better chance of getting finished on time.

Two of the participants came to most of the previous classes.  Another one was brand new.  Three was the perfect number to be able to attend to everyone.

We made patchwork pillow covers with an envelope back.  The two sewists with a bit more experience made 9-patches with the 5" squares and were able to finish their project.  The newer students chose to do a 16-patch with 3.5" squares and just got the top finished.  She had more to learn since she had never touched a machine before. 

They all did a great job.  I wanted for them to focus on threading their machines and work on a uniform seam allowance.  With the small group we had today they had a chance to get all of their personal questions answered, so it was successful.  I hope they have enough confidence to go home and practice.

Next class is mid-June.  What fun easy project can we do next?  Something red, white and blue would be good.

Bright Hexagon Quilt Finds the Perfect Home

I made the Bright Hexagon Quilt a while back when Little S saw the design and I figured I could make it with what I had on hand.

I tried to sell it in a few craft shows and on Etsy with no luck.  In all honesty I am not good at selling what I make.  It is much easier for me to give it away, so not selling it didn't break my heart - or the bank since it was all from stash.

Fast forward a few months and the Bright Hexagon Quilt is still sitting waiting for some attention and a co-worker is expecting a new grandson.  There is a lot more to the story but the bottom line was that I really felt like giving the quilt to her was the right thing to do even though the baby-to-be was several states away, it might be a while before she saw him, and he truly did not need a thing.  I tried to talk myself out of it because she might take it the wrong way.

In the end, I couldn't get over the feeling in my heart that she needed the quilt.  So I wrapped it up real pretty and gave it to her.

Oh my.  It was one of those times that I could not anticipate or explain, but boy was it the right thing to do.  The look on her face and the story she told me - I'll never forget it.

Before I didn't worry much about selling a product.  Now I really don't.  My sewing ability is something I need to use to bless others.  This quilt was a big reminder of that to me.

Linking up to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to share finishes.

Sewing Experience

Today was the day that my offering at the Spring Carnival Auction got "cashed" in.  My Carnival Experience was a 2-hour sewing lesson with a pillowcase as the product.

The little girl was not one of my students, but is in a class down the hall.  A while back she had bought herself a "kiddie" machine which it turns out you don't even need a bobbin for.  She was so serious about sewing that her mother bought the auction package for her and a real sewing machine.  We waited for her sewing machine to arrive so that the lesson would be more practical.

Sewing the accent band to the top.

The machine has tons of fun stitches and at first she wanted to test them out.  But then we got settled into the basics - making a bobbin, threading the machine, the "spider" (which I teach early on in all my classes), and seam allowance.

Wrong sides together for the first step of the flat-felled seam.

As she went along, she got straighter and straighter.  There was just one short stretch that needed to be unsewn and resewn, but I did that.  I rarely have kids rip seams on their first try.  They need to fun stuff to start off with and get hooked. 

Tada!!!!!!!!!  I love the colors.

Yesterday was Day 7 in my goal of something sewing related Every Day in the Month of May.  Last night I worked on the preparations for this class as well as a bit of sewing on the hexagon quilt. 

Day 7 was the first day I have had to really make myself sew.  But I realized that if I have something ready to go - the never-ending hexagon project - I can just sit for a few minutes and be done.  I don't mind at all.  It is so therapeutic, but the thinking about everything else I should be doing is what slows me down.  Once I have sewn a bit I am relaxed and ready for anything - maybe even making a new resume.

Today was Day 8, and I did plenty of sewing today!!  It has been a while since I have taught sewing and I realized how much I enjoy it.  It combines my two favorites - teaching and sewing - and kids!