Happy 250th!!

Another sluggish week, but I am getting back into the sewing groove.  I realized that part of my problem is that I do not have work prepped to go when I don't want to think about what to do.  I know I will need a lot more applique hearts for the blue medallion quilt, so I will work on prepping those.  That is something I can prep and sew even if the sewing table is mostly covered in scrapbook stuff.

Need to prep more hearts.

As much as I have been wanting to finish the New & Improved D9P, I couldn't because I had no where to sandwich it.  We are working on giving the office/guest room more privacy.  This involves changing out the double doors with window panes into a real wall with a real door which involves a lot of dry wall dust in the space where I usually sandwich quilts.  Since we were having family over for the 4th, I took advantage of the lull in work and did a heavy duty cleaning and then sandwiched it before I got distracted with something else.  Whew.

Just need to finish quilting and then bind!

My numbers were not quite right and I had to add a sliver of backing to one side before starting quilting, but l didn't agonize over perfection.  I am just trying to finish.  For a brief moment I thought I'd finish this Red, White, and Blue quilt on July 4th, but after cleaning, cooking, hosting I just ran out of steam.  It was nice to have some down time with family even though I have to remind myself that it is okay to take the down time. 

Little S made cookies!  Yum!!

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 5/7

15 minute days/June = 20/30

15 minute days/July = 4/4

15 minute days/2026 = 148/185

Success Rate 2026 = 80%

No stash movement this week.  

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

Forward Progress

The binding was added and the Red & Yellow Pinwheels are completely finished, but didn't get a new picture.  Teacher E chose that one for a friend and it is already gone.

The binding was red.

I finished taking apart the red & green D9P that I didn't like.  I changed the color scheme to red & blue and that made all the difference.   

Yuck!  Even my perfect backing couldn't make me like this.

There were large blue squares and some neutrals in the random scraps from my MIL.  They were slightly smaller than the red squares, so I did some trimming to make it all fit. I would have preferred a more consistent neutral, but since I am working with what I have I am still very pleased with the makeover on this quilt.

Before the blocks were joined.

The baby blocks are joined.  Whew!  Never doing those again.  The hearts won't work as a next round because they are too big and need to alternate for a better effect.  My next idea is to use 2.5" blocks and mix the blue randomly.  There were some in the original bag, but I will need a lot more, so I can add more shades of blue.  I can adjust the width of the sashing to make it all work.  

Coming together slowly.

With all the activity this week I did not get as much sewing done as I would have liked, but I still made progress.  

2026 15 Minutes to Stitch

15 minute days this week = 5/7

15 minutes days/June = 16/20

15 minute days/2026 = 140/171 

Success Rate 2026 = 82%

I am so close to breaking even!  

  

2026 Stash Totals

Used last week: 3.37 = 3.07 yards for the new and improved D9P + 0.3 for pinwheel binding

Used year to date: 43.79 yards

Acquired recently: 0 yards  

Acquired year to date: 35 yards

Stash movement for 2026: 1.14 more yards acquired than used

Linking up to:

Kate at Life in Pieces 

Donna at quiltpaintcreate 

Frederique at quiltingpatch

Angela at soscrappy  

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.

Design Wall Monday 011314

The pink/purple baby quilt top is finished - you can see it here.  I have some misc pink flowery fabrics from the deep stash that will never see the light of day anytime soon cut into 10.5 inch squares to piece into a nice girly backing.  Just have to get an arrangement worked out for them.

Little S wants to submit a quilt for QuiltFest in Sept 2014.  She knows how to sew, but has to work on her seam allowance.  I had some 8" squares precut for another project that didn't happen, so it was perfect to pull out one day during the vacation when she decided she wanted to sew.  She got one seam done and quit.  But yesterday she just sat down and started sewing away until she had it all done.  I pinned and she sewed.  When I got ahead of her then I cut out the pink flowery squares and I was still close by to supervise.  Two birds with one stone!

She got 4 big 9-patches done.  Make a nine-patch was one of her new year's resolutions so she was super happy.  Then to liven it up a bit, we cut them for a disappearing 9-patch.  So more sewing in the future to get those sewn together to make the top.  There was just enough extra fabric to make a few more pieces so the "sashing" will be the same on all four sides.  This is destined to be a donation quilt through the quilt guild. 

Disappearing 9 Patch blocks on the design floor.

See other design walls at Patchwork Times.