Halfway through 2019

It is hard to believe that we are already at the halfway point of 2019.

Fabric In:  Different errands took me near my favorite thrift store several times this week.  Fortunately there was no quilting cotton to tempt me. 

Fabric Out: Lots out again.   I used up ALL the random brown precut squares.  The smaller 4.5" brown plaid squares went into this diagonal layout with additional squares cut from the stash to liven it up a bit.  1.46 yards

The larger 5.5" brown squares had me stumped for a bit since there were only 12 prints and 2 solids.  Then I found a scrap of brown and bright striped fabric in the stash.  That inspired me to add the brights for another D9P.  The hardest part was finding a fabric that would match how the brown stripes and gingham squares "read" light in the overall look.

I think it took me longer to find that particular fabric than to make the whole quilt.  I made the final border as large as I could with the little bit of the inspirational striped fabric that there was.  I never would have thought to put these colors together, but I really like the finished look.  1 yard for top

Backing & binding for the peach & aqua D9P that will go to my niece's baby girl.  2.14 yards

Backing & binding for the scrappy triangle quilt.  This one will go to Jack's Basket.  1.74 yards

And I squeezed in one more top.  A Bricks & Stepping Stones which is a free pattern from Bonnie Hunter.  I did mine in a transportation theme.  Love it.
2.12 yards

Fabric Purchased Since Last Report - 0 yds

Fabric Purchased YTD - 69.55 yds

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

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 8.46 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 47.46 yds

Fabric Movement -  30.84 yards stashed 

Total Spent - $42.50
Price/Yard YTD - $0.54 / yard

Yet another good week.  Slowly working away at the stash.  I really thought on Sunday night that my sewing streak was over after using up the brown squares.  For once I was glad to walk away from the sewing machine.  But when I woke on Monday morning with a migraine but couldn't stop thinking about the math of a Bricks & Stepping Stones quilt I knew I was still in the game!

Kate from Life in Pieces has challenged us to try for 15 minutes each day of stitching. My summer schedule gives me a lot of extra time to sew so I am taking advantage and really enjoying it.  My numbers might seem a little off, but that is because I didn't start the challenge until May.

Days spent on sewing related tasks this week: 7/7
Days spent on sewing related tasks this month: 29/29
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 56/60
Percentage of time on task: 93%

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

Five Friday Finishes!

I have all stages of finishes this week.  Some more flimsies as I work through the various scraps and precuts that are floating to the surface and some real finished finishes!

I took a deep breath and quilted some of the tops I had made over the last few weeks.  I like the piecing.  I like binding.  But I do not like quilting.  They don't finish themselves though.

The pretty peach & aqua D9P I finished first so that I can gift it to my niece for her new baby girl when we see her in Guatemala later this summer.  It is just oozing "little girl", so I think it will be perfect.  I pieced batting scraps to use in this one.

Then I dug into another bag of batting scraps and found one that was the perfect size for the scrappy quilt that started me down this path of using up the random precuts and scraps and making whatever came to mind.  I did not love the plaid backing as much when it was done as when I envisioned it, but done is good.

I also got 2 more tops made using squares from the random scrap drawer.
The smaller brown plaids, which also used additional fabric from the stash to complement the plaid.

The larger brown geometrics which took a bit to figure out, but I am please with the result.  Never would have thought to put these colors together with the browns, but it works.  I found a piece of leftover batting just the right size for this one, so it is next to be quilted.

And I had made another top just because.  I saw Bonnie Hunter's Bricks & Stepping Stones done in bright children's fabric and it gave me an idea.  I had been given some scraps that were a strange shape, but would produce mostly rectangles when trimmed.  Bricks & Stepping Stones seemed like the perfect way to showcase them - and it's a free pattern.  I was able to use all transportation fabrics and solid yellow and it went together very quickly.

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

BOM is Finished

In 2018 I joined the challenge from Jo's Country Junction to finish up a BOM project.  That was just the kind of challenge I needed.  I had a partial set of BOM block precut kits that had been my sister's when she thought she wanted to learn to sew better.  That didn't happen so I got them.

Starting point - January 2018

Of the 12 months I think must have been in the original design I had 11 months and 2 of those were duplicates.  So I was starting at a disadvantage, but that did not slow me down. 

Month 7

I faithfully made the block(s) each month.  They were painless since they were precut. 

On the design wall

I figured out that the duplicates would still work to make up for the months that were missing since they were the same size.  But that still left me with missing blocks, which were the chain blocks for the center, and also missing fabric and instructions to put it all together.  Then I got a new job and it all got left on the design wall for another day.

Plan A - The original layout. 

Fast forward to this summer.  I am trying to finish things and use up what I have.  The BOM blocks were flashing like a neon sign from their prime location on the design wall.  Nothing like a good challenge!  I figured out the chain blocks without any trouble at all.  I had fabric that would work.  It was a relatively scrappy design anyways, so what were a few more fabrics added to the mix!  I also had stash fabric that would work to make the border around the center blocks.  I liked it so far and even did the math to continue the layout as shown in the photo, but the more I worked with it, the less I liked it.

On to Plan B.  Leave out the 8" blocks and incorporate the 6" blocks in another type of border.  After auditioning a few other ideas I thought the blue strip could serve as additional borders without having to sew all the borders strips.  I got the borders and blocks sewn on two sides.  Nope. 

Plan B - Horizontal Stripes - Not liking it.

Something was not right, so I put it aside to think on it.  It was laying in such a way that the blue striped fabric was sticking out from underneath it with the stripes looking like a piano key border.  BINGO! 

Plan C - This is more like it.

That is what it needed.  So I unsewed again and used the stripes vertically as a piano key border.  Since the blue striped fabric was scraps and not yardage this was tricky, but oh so worth it.

Plan B vs Plan C

I really like the finished product.  It is not perfect, but it is a flimsy and that is one step closer to being finished and in use.  I'm good with that.

BOM - Plan C

Then the orphan blocks.  These was one of the months that had a duplicate so there were 4 blocks to work with. I was not going to tuck them away to languish for another year.

No orphans today!

All the right colors were laying all over the room, so I just dove right in and built up a smaller quilt.  I just added each round of borders depending on what fabric there was enough of and what was pleasing to the eye.  I really like the way it turned out.

BOM - Plan "O" for Orphan!

The blue striped fabric scraps were from my mother's stash.  I had no idea what to make with it.  I had seen a few quilts made from triangles cut from striped fabric or strings.  In the back of my mind I thought I'd try something like that.  Well, I had my chance with the corners on the small quilt.  No thanks.  I know that working with scraps made it more difficult, but I think I have that idea out of my system after just four blocks for the corners of the Orphan Quilt.  I like the look, but the technique is just not for me.  At least not with limited scraps.

TA DA!!!!  Just like that, the BOM blocks are something useful.  They still need backings and quilting, but there are much farther along and I have reclaimed the section of the design wall that is most easily within reach.

Another Good Week

Fabric In:  I almost didn't get two 1-yard pieces of neutral fabric at the thrift store this week.  My baseline for thrift store fabric is $1/yard and these were a bit over so at first I put them back.  Then I came to my senses and realized that $1.25/yard for new 100% cotton fabric in a very useful neutral color was a good deal and would get used and I put them in the cart!!

The neutrals that almost weren't!

Fabric Out: Lots out again.  I got the yellow D9P blocks finished, but I haven't been able to find anything in the stash that works well as a border.  1.41 yards blocks sewn together without borders

Now to find a border.

During the the search for yellow border fabric the orphan blocks from my Scrappy Mountains Majesty from several years ago literally fell off the shelf and said "use me!"  So I did.  I figured out a simple layout and quickly made up the few extra blocks that I would need.  I had completely forgotten how easy that block is to make.  Even with making sure I had the mountains going the right way I got them made lickety split.  I added some simple borders and I absolutely love it.  1.39 yards top

One of my new favorites.

 Then I figured since I am using up what is on hand I should do something about the BOM blocks that have been hogging the design wall for over a year.  I joined the BOM challange with Jo's Country Junction in 2018 and got them made, but then stalled until now.  I tried to finish it like the picture, but that was much more complicated than I was interested in figuring out especially since I did not have the kit or directions for completing the quilt as shown.  So I ended up with a layout for a large baby/lap quilt.  I did a lot of unsewing as I figured out how to make the blue stripe work.  2.60 yards large top

BOM - Flimsy at last!

And with the 4 BOM blocks that did not fit in my new layout I made a smaller quilt with the remaining additional fabrics that I had used in the larger quilt.  More details on how all that came together later this week.  1.39 yards small top

No blocks left behind!

At the Saturday Sewcial class at the library we made table runners.  I made a sample that I will give my sister (didn't get a photo yet) and I took stash fabric for one of the students. 2 yards

S chose this stash fabric for her table runner.

I had an extra sewing class on Wednesday at the library with some friends and we made pajama pants.  It was a lot of fun.  College E went along and made a pair of "shorty pajamas" as my grandmother used to say.  0.5 yards

Fabric Purchased Since Last Report - 2 yds

Fabric Purchased YTD - 69.55 yds

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

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 9.29 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 39 yds

Fabric Movement -  39.3 yards stashed 

Total Spent - $42.50
Price/Yard YTD - $0.54 / yard

Another good week.  This has been a long time for me to stay "on task."  I am expecting myself to "crash" any day now, but until then I'll just keep sewing.  No big commitments this coming week, so I am going to keep enjoying my summer and sew as much as I can.  My kind of vacation.

I didn't have any trouble at all getting in 15 minutes of sewing related tasks this week.  Kate from Life in Pieces has challenged us to try for 15 minutes each day.  I am enjoying this vacation sewing.  My numbers might seem a little off, but that is because I didn't start the challenge in May.

Days spent on sewing related tasks this week: 7/7
Days spent on sewing related tasks this month: 22/22
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 49/53
Percentage of time on task: 92%

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

Saturday Sewcial

The beginning sewing class at the library was a lot of fun this week.  We had 2 regulars and 3 new participants (and lots of people watching through the window wall.) 

Working on turning their points. 

First one finished.  I love her colors!

This month we made the famous "Easy 20 Minute Table Runner."  Several of the participants joked about the 20 Minutes!  We did get them done in 2 hours and that was our goal. 

First time using a machine.  She did fantastic!

It had plenty of straight line sewing, which I always look for for the library projects. 

The buttons S picked had gold edges which were the perfect finishing touch.

Precision ironing is a good skill too.

This mother/daughter team had an amazing first sewing experience.

Then forming the point and sewing on a button.  All good things to know how to do.

D got brave and used the rotary cutter herself.

We got in a good rotary cutting lesson as well and several used the rotary cutter themselves to trim their ends after ironing.  Rotary cutting is a good lesson all by itself.  That can be a future lesson if there are enough people who are serious about it. 

Great color combination, especially the shiny buttons.

A good group and a good class.  They seemed to have fun, became more familiar with their machines, and went home with a great finished project.  Woo hoo!!

A Week of Finishes

I was so busy sewing I didn't write about it.  That's a good thing!

With both my hosting the family gathering and the professional development class over somehow I just felt like my summer had begun and I hit the sewing full swing. I took on the drawer of random precut pieces and leftovers.  This was probably the slowest way to work though the stash, but I am attracted to the puzzle of it.  So I attacked the stack of squares - all sizes from 4" - 6".  Smaller squares are in yet a different spot because there are more of the smaller sizes.

Billowing in the breeze.

I had been eyeing the the peachy colored ones for a while (years) and I have been thinking of D9P lately as well, so that was that.  I picked the aqua w/ little peach colored flowers for the border, but had a hard time finding something in the stash to go with that to made the centers of the 9-patches which would end up being the small squares.  The Sea Glass quilt I made this spring really used up a lot of aqua and turquoise from the stash.  I finally decided on this solid bright aqua.  I wasn't convinced it was right as I was sewing, but I love the finished product and how those little squares pop right out visually.  I had to add a few more peachy squares, but otherwise this is all stash.  A backing from the stash is already set aside as well.

Patriotic

There were a lot of squares in the drawer in the blue family.  I went with a diagonal layout on this one and added some touches of red and white.  The red and a single blue square were the only ones I had to add from the stash.  The borders were nothing fancy and finish it up to a nice lap or baby quilt size.

You can sure see where I had to piece the border.  Oh well.  Done is good.

Then there was the curtain quilt.  Technically it didn't come out of the drawer, but I did do it this week.  I was cleaning out the girls' linen closet and came upon a set of lined valances we had not used in a very long time.  Since I was recently informed that purple/lilac was no longer a favorite it was unlikely they would be used again.  They were not in great shape to pass on so I decided to cut up the usable parts.  Since I had been thinking of D9P the fact that they were lined was perfect.  I was able to quickly find a fabric that would be a good border and backing so that led me to the light blue centers.  After I got the center finished it turned out that the border fabric was not so good for a border after all.  I found another purple to use.  It is a little darker than the center, but it works.  Unfortunately there was not enough of the light blue to use as a small inner border.  It isn't perfect, but it is done.

I was really pleased with my stick-with-it-ness on these.  I even got another D9P prepped with the yellows from the drawer.  I think I had truly been hoarding them because they were just so pretty.  So I can work on that one easily enough next week.

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

Fabric is Moving Out!!

Fabric In: Nothing in this week.  Whew!!  I needed a "ZERO" week.

A line full of flimsies!!

Fabric Out: Lots out!  The professional development class I took last week had NO HOMEWORK!!  And I really enjoyed it, so despite the 45 minute drive each way I was not too wiped out when I got home.  So I got to sew each day.  I am concentrating on emptying my drawer of miscellaneous triangles and squares.  Something about the puzzle of it draws me to it even though it is likely the slowest way to work through the stash.  But with no deadlines or definite projects in mind, I enjoy it.

Lilac and White D9P flimsy 2.14 yards

Peach & Aqua D9P flimsy 2.08 yards

Red, White and Blue flimsy 2 yards

I also got another D9P cut out with all the yellow squares, but it isn't sewn yet.  That gives me a "go to" project this week.  I'm not sure what I will do with these, but I am enjoying the process.

Fabric Purchased Since Last Report - 0 yds

Fabric Purchased YTD - 67.55 yds

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

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 6.22 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 29.71 yds

Fabric Movement -  46.59 yards stashed 

Total Spent - $40
Price/Yard YTD - $0.52 / yard

I definitely made progress this week.  If I can keep up this momentum I might get back into the black this year.  If I could make myself finish some of the larger WIPs that would help as well.  Little S will be gone at church youth camp next week and I have no huge commitments so I am hopeful for another good week.

I didn't have any trouble at all getting in 15 minutes of sewing related tasks this week.  Kate from Life in Pieces has challenged us to try for those 15 minutes each day.  Now that school is out I am able to get my 15 minutes in pretty easily.

Days spent on sewing related tasks this week: 7/7
Days spent on sewing related tasks this month: 15/15
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 42/46
Percentage of time on task: 91%

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

LEGO Party Decor from the Stash

We had a LEGO birthday party this weekend.  It was Little S's actual birthday, but 2 cousins also have June birthdays and another has a July birthday.  So we invited everyone to our place to celebrate summer birthdays.

Little S and the boys are very much into LEGOs, so that was the theme.  Of course I had fabric on hand to do an interesting table arrangement.  Little S spread out her box of "Classic" LEGOs as table scatter and we were good to go!

My sisters got a good laugh in with the creative table decorating.  They can laugh all they want.  It was perfect for the occasion and I didn't have to cut into a single piece of fabric.  Every piece worked the size that it already was since it was LEGO the varying sizes were perfect.  My soon-to-be 8-year-old nephew spent nearly the entire time building only taking a break when we were eating at the table. 

Success all around!