Opening the Books on 2019

I love the stash reports because I love the math of it.  In my effort to get the sewing room in order and get back to sewing I am also trying to get my numbers in order so that I can track my progress.

Even though I wasn't sewing much during the first months of 2019 I was still thrifting (it's my therapy!) and getting those "good buys" that I couldn't leave behind.  My base price is pretty low for thrifted fabric, so at least I wasn't breaking the bank and if I end up giving it away that's not a bad thing either.  I think I'm going to track price per yard as I go rather than at the end of the year and see if that is easier this year.

So - in no order whatsoever - here's the damage for the first months of 2019:

Just in case you wanted to know what 55 yards of fabric looks like!!

Fabric In:

BEAM Thrift -
light green -  0.33 yds  25c
butterfly calico - 2 yds  50c
grey linking circles - 1.53 yds  $1
bright polka dots - 2.81  $2
"Kenta" plaid - 6 yds $1.50  (3 pieces, some discolored spots)
misc animal prints - 2.03 yds   $1
solid blue - 3.76 yds  $2
olive green w/ lines - 1.93 yds  $1
aqua flannel - 0.53  25c
pink polka dots - 0.53  25c
super hero - 3.39 yds  $4
solid green - 2 yds  $1
back of white fabric scraps - 0.68  $1
red solid - FQ 50c
aqua chevron - FQ  50c
green/yellow tie dye - 0.24  25c
maroon flannel w/ swirls - 0.39   25c  (misc pieces)
grey grunge - 0.42  25c  (misc pieces)
light blue flannel - 0.28 yds  50c
blue fern batik - 2.09 yds  $1
maroon solid - 3.83 yds  $2

Hospice Thrift -
turquoise flannel - 1.72 yds  $2
white - 1.17 yds  50c
rabbit boy panel - 1 yd   $2.50
aqua w/ flowers - 1.38 yds  $1.75
rabbit girl panel - 1 yd  $2.50
olive green - 0.66 yds  50c
red & peach stripe - 0.75 yds  75c
misc solids - 3 yds  $2.75
orange w/ vine - FQ 50c

Free to Me - 
pink ABC flannel - 0.50 yds  - gift from my sister, who couldn't resist buying it!
solid green - 1.25 yds
pink w/ green swirls - 2 yds
white & brown shirting - 5 yds


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

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

Fabric Used Since Last Report - 0 yds
Fabric Used YTD - 0 yds

Fabric Movement -  54.95  stashed 

Price/Yard YTD - $0.64 / yard

Holy Guacamole!!  I better stay out of the thrift stores.  Doing the numbers this way is much more alarming than having fabric go in and out on the same report.

But it is what it is, so I will leave this report as only fabric in and work on catching up on the fabric out for next week.

In my effort to get back to sewing I also made it a goal to try to work on sewing related tasks for 15 minutes a 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: 4/4
Days spent on sewing related tasks this year: 4/4
Percentage of time on task: 100%

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

Bee in my Bonnet

Every Day for the Month of May - Days 3 & 4

College E is coming home for the summer next weekend and Grown Up R is coming to visit for Mother's Day.  I am so excited to have everybody together, but I am not ready at all.

We painted College E's room a few weeks ago since it was in desperate need of some freshening up.  It is almost back together but not quite.  Since Grown Up R is grown up and gone she no longer has her own room, so Little S will have to give up her room for the weekend.  That puts Little S on the sewing room floor in the sleeping bag.  Most likely they will all 3 end up in the same room talking all night, but I need to be ready just in case.

Less than 2 weeks ago I barely had a path from the cutting table to the sewing machine (yet I managed to make an amazing quilt that I will post about in the near future).  Little by little I have been working to reclaim the room.  Mostly it was just things for school that came in and didn't have a place to go, so there were lots of piles of "future" school stuff.  I got most of it dealt with, but it was time to deal with under the cutting table as well.

Friday after school I took everything out from under the table and worked my way through it.  Since I have recently reorganized other areas of the house there were some things that had a better place to go.  Some things I didn't need to hang on to and some things just needed to be looked at, labeled better, and put back under the table.  I don't know why I never think to take a before photo when I start something.

Halfway through facing north.

Halfway through - facing east.

Today, after I made considerable progress on the things that had nothing to do with sewing but had to get done, I treated myself by finishing up cleaning under the table.  (Don't ask me to clean anywhere else in the house though!!)

After (east) - I can even see the top of the table again.

After (north) - much better

Whew! Now I have no excuse for not getting some real sewing done.  Good thing, because I need to prep a project for a private sewing lesson on Wednesday and make 3 samples for teaching 2 different sewing classes before Thursday.

Random stuff to deal with somehow, but not put back under the table.

I think I was also motivated to do a good cleaning because summer vacation is fast approaching.  I want to sew during the vacation - not clean.  Last year I think I spent a month cleaning and organizing.  I don't want to do that this summer.

All in all, I think this was 2 afternoon/evenings well spent.  I have that bee out of my bonnet and I can move on.

The Carpenter's Star that Wasn't

While we were in Guatemala at Christmas time I helped my mother-in-law prep a quilt for my niece who was expecting a baby girl.  I had just finished the blue Carpenter's Star for baby CW and it seemed like a good idea to make it in pink.

There was plenty of stash to work with.  I did the cutting, my MIL cooked lunch, and the girls helped lay it out and labeled the pieces the best they could.

Thankfully there was an extra bed where it could stay until she got it sewn together.

Unfortunately after we left the layout got mixed up so she didn't continue and made something else.  She is very resourceful so I am sure the quilt she made was just as nice.

I can't wait to get back to Guatemala to see the grand niece and work on this puzzle of a quilt again.

Don't forget to check out the first of the summer giveaways.  

Linking up to Confessions  of a Fabric Addict to show off finishes or almost a finish!

Every Day in the Month of May - Day 2

Day 2 turned out to be easy - the follow up for what I started on Day 1.

Before

I trimmed the remains into squares and triangles.  This was a soothing task while listening to a book on CD.   I got quite a few 1.5" and 2" squares and even some 2.5" squares and short strips, so it was worth the effort. 

After

Now I have a few squares of sea glass colors to work with.  These will go in the drawers of pre-cut strips and squares.

Big Plans for May

As I am working on putting sewing back into my routine I made a few decisions.  Ask me again in a week about those decisions and who knows what I will say, but today they are good.

First, do the summer giveaways again this summer.  In my recent cleaning and reclaiming of the sewing room I have come across more than a few things that I don't need and can share.  A giveaway is more fun that bagging it up for donating.

Second, make the effort to do something sewing related Every Day for the Month of May!  I think "sewing related" will keep me on task since there is a wide range of things I can do that are sewing related.  Cleaning up the sewing room is at the top of the list!

May Giveaway

Every now and then one of the local thrift stores has quilt books.  I will usually "splurge" on a new book since they are only $1 to start with and then on the weekends, which is when I go, most things are half off.  But now I have several books I need to decide if I really want to keep or not.  I paged through a few of them last night as I waited for Little S's band concert to start and made a decision.

 I enjoyed looking through this book a few times, but I do not need it anymore.  I liked the crazy quilt on the cover, but will I make it - not likely.

There are some nice designs, but I never made anything from it and it is unlikely that I ever will.  I already got my money's worth out of it!

If you would like to win this book, please leave me a comment telling what your favorite quilt book is.  I will pick a winner at the end of May.  Make sure to include your email in the comment so I can contact you if you win.

Every Day for the Month of May - Day 1

Before

Hmmm.  There are a lot of things I should be doing - updating resume, updating application, grading papers, cleaning the house, cooking dinner - but none of those sounded like fun.  So I decided on this unsewing project to clear off the corner of the sewing table when the remains of the most recent project land.

After

I loved the colors from the Storm at Sea quilt.  I don't really have many more sea glass colors in my stash, so I decided to unsew the edges of the piano key border that got cut off when I made the scalloped edge.  There is also something a little therapeutic about mindless seam ripping.

So my plan is off to a great start.  Hopefully it will continue to be just as successful tomorrow.

Tasty Tuesday - Carrot Souffle

My mother was very active in her church and participated in a lot of get togethers that involved food.  Every now and then something was so good the recipe got shared.  This recipe from those days.

For Easter I was going to make a cheesy carrot casserole that we like, but got a request for a non-cheese version.  This was easy to make and it held its "poofy" top for the 5-minute drive and an accidental bang onto the counter top upon arrival.

Unfortunately there are no before photos.  This is the little bit that was leftover after a dinner of leftovers the next day.  No prizes for styling, but it sure was yummy.

It was a big hit and I think everyone took some leftovers home.  Even Little S, who DOES. NOT. EAT. VEGETABLES. EVER., took a tiny bite and pronounced it "okay."  That's practically a rave review!

Without further ado....

Jane Maybray's Carrot Souffle

2 lbs cooked carrots
6 eggs
1 1/4 c sugar
6 T flour
3 t baking powder
4 t vanilla
1 stick melted butter
1/4 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place all ingredients except cinnamon in blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour mixture into lightly greased 8 in square baking dish.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

This was pretty sweet.  I would use less sugar next time.

Finally Closing the Books on 2018

I was wondering what to do about the stash report being that I haven't written one on about 6 months.  The stash report really helps me focus on using fabric up and not getting anymore - HA HA HA.  I do love the math of it though.  So I am going to close the books on 2018 even though it is very late.  Then I can start "fresh" for 2019.

Even though I wasn't sewing much I was still thrifting - it's my therapy - so fabric did come in and for whatever reason I kept is all separate since I hadn't reported on it - or used it!  So getting a report wasn't too difficult even though it is low on detail.

Fabric In: 
Thrifting with College E at Thanksgiving I found a bag of 16 - 10.5" squares and 8 unsewn triangles   1.53 yds  $1.50  From the 45 degree angle joins I am guessing these were cut from a "lasagna" type quilt.  I thought about it and figured I could figure out a layout and it would be a bright and cheery donation quilt.

Pink w/ swirls, red solid, blue solid, bears w/ hearts - 3.8 yds  $3.50

Doggy print - Grown Up R asked for a quilt for her dog since I made one for a her cat a few years ago.  This will supplement my few dog prints. 0.41 yds  $0.50

Solid red - always useful  1 yard  $0.50

Cute bright pink - I have made quite a few pink quilts in the last year and this will replenish my diminishing pink stash.  0.65 yds  $0.50

Fabric Out:
Fabric for my sister to make curtains for my niece.  Label said the fabric was from France!  Those will be the nicest curtains on campus.  3.5 yds

Also during the Thanksgiving break I finished the Carpenter Star quilt for my cousin's grandson.   Backing & Binding 3.43 yards

I realized that I did not yet count out the white board "erasers" I made for our class.  25 7" 2-sided flannel squares.  The kids love them and they were the perfect use of random scraps.  0.85 yds

Giveaway - various kiddie print scraps  approx 0.50 yds

Finished the quilt for the Babs, the "GrandDog" at the very last minute before we drove to NC for a visit.  4 yds

Lasagna quilt triangles is a flimsy.  I am thinking to send it off as is to someone who will finish it and donate.  Anyone interested?  I don't have time to work on something I don't love.  I really need to stop buying other people's UFOs!! 1.53 yds

Final numbers for 2018:

Fabric Purchased since last report: 7.39 yards
Fabric Purchased YTD: 128.01 yards

Fabric Acquired since last report: 0 yards

Fabric Acquired YTD: 22.65 yards

Fabric Used since last report: 13.81 yards
Fabric Used YTD 2018: 167.71 yards

Total: 17.05 yards destashed 

Just about break even.  A little bit more out than in!  Good enough.  I'm glad I did the numbers.  It will be interesting to see how 2019 goes since I started it the way I ended 2018 - lots of work and not much sewing.

Linking up to QuiltPaintCreate to keep accountable.