Wednesday, January 29, 2014

SNOW DAY

Southern Maryland had about 5 inches of snow last night.  Not a ton but since I live at the bottom of a hill not sure I will venture out today.  This is the view out the back of our house.  I would like to go out to a planned luncheon but at 15 degrees outside maybe staying home is the way to go.


I made this quick and easy (3 hours) baby quilt yesterday.  I placed the colors exactly how the pattern called for but think it looks a little wonky.  Oh well, once quilted and bound I am sure it will be cute.  The pattern only called for 3 fabrics, think I will make this again but use 4 fabrics instead.


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Rails

Finished sewing all the rail fence block/rows together and it made a top about 47 x 55 so not a bad lap quilt size.  Since I only have enough of the fabric to make a binding I am not going to add borders.  Can't decide what if anything I have to use for a backing so this will just season on my finished top shelf for awhile.


Monday, January 27, 2014

Design Wall Monday - January 27, 2014

I didn't accomplish much during the week but by the weekend I was on a roll.  I did get the zebra strippy quilt all quilted and the binding sewn on.  Just waiting to hand off to my binding fairy later this week to do the hand work for me.  So nice I have a deal with a friend to quilt her quilts and she does my bindings.  


Currently on my design wall are my rail fence blocks I have been working on.  All have been sewn into rows so it won't be long before I get all the rows together into a top.   Nice to use up that FQ pack that I have had forever!!


My quilting goals for the week are to finish this quilt top, make at least 5 blocks for our batik quilt (making a few at a time between other projects) and quilt at least one quilt I have waiting in my stack.  


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday Stash Report - January 26, 2014

Was still under the weather most of the week so didn't accomplish much in reducing my stash.  Now feeling lots better so hope to have major fabric usage this week.

I did make a backing and get the strippy baby quilt quilted and bound yesterday so at least I have something for my report.

Fabric used this week:                     3.5 yards (backing and binding for strippy quilt)
Fabric purchased this week:            0

Fabric used YTD:                           15.5 yards
Fabric purchased YTD:                   0

Have a great productive week and stay warm.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Design Wall Monday - January 20, 2014

Well in all honesty I just slapped these on the design wall so I would have something to take a picture of.  I have not sewn in the last few days and nothing was currently residing on the design wall.  This is a project that I do a few blocks at a time because it is eventually going to be a queen sized batik quilt for our bed and I get easily bored with it.


Still have bronchitis so going to keep my goals for the week simple.  Quilt at least one customer item and lay out all the blocks for my scrappy red/gold and blue quilt.


Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sunday Stash Report - January 19, 2014

Well this week brought a relapse of my bronchitis so I didn't get that much sewing in.  I did get a little strippy quilt top I had cut out sewn together but thats about it.


Here is a close up of the zebra, I think it is cute and fun and would make a great baby quilt for either a boy or a girl.  


I also got a group quilt for a sick friend quilted this week and a couple of customer table runners so the week wasn't a total loss.  

My current stats are:

Fabric used this week:  2.5 yards (strippy quilt top)
Fabric purchased this week:  0

Fabric used YTD:  12 yards
Fabric purchased YTD:  0 yards

Kathie

Monday, January 13, 2014

Design Wall Monday - January 13, 2014

Yesterday I was in the mood to start a new quilt but didn't know what to do.  I looked at all my bundles of fabric that I have together for specific quilts and nothing jumped out at me.  I think I was just in the mood to power sew and not think about it to much.  

Finally tucked away in a drawer where they have probably been for six years or more I found a stack of FQs just waiting for a project.  Decided now was the time to use them up so cut them all into 2 1/2 strips and started making rail blocks.   Nice to use up some of the older fabric and get my power sewing in all at once.  



My goals for this week are to get a customer table runner and quilt quilted and to get all the blocks done and this quilt top together.  


Sunday, January 12, 2014

Sunday Stash Report - Week 2

I have been fighting bronchitis so didn't accomplish as much as I would have like this week but I did manage to get the Patriotic Bear quilt all together, quilted and even the binding put on by machine, only the hand work left to do.


I also cut out a strippy quilt yesterday but that yardage will not be measured until the top is finished.

My stash is extensive but am going to see how long I can go without buying any fabric.  When we were faced with closing our LQS I went through my stash and found fabrics that I had purchased over several years but had not made into anything because I didn't have any "go with" fabrics for them.  Before our going out of business sales I shopped the shop and found blenders to go with my fabrics and tied them up into nice little bundles just ready for me to start a new project at anytime.    Here are about 10 of my bundles waiting and ready to go.   I guess the challenge will be coming up with patterns that use that amount of fabric and only use 4 or 5 colors.

Here are my bundles...


My stats for the week are:

Fabric used this week:  7 yards (bear quilt top, backing and binding)
Fabric purchased this week:  0
Fabric used YTD:  9.5
Fabric purchased YTD:  0


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Tuesdays Project

With it only 10 degrees here this morning and still fighting a head cold I definitely wasn't going to leave the house,  I loaded this 1930's fabric customer quilt on the frame and got it quilted.  I have not done a quilt with 30's fabrics in several years but seeing several lately makes me think it is about time to make another one.


The quilt was nice and flat and square and a pleasure to quilt.  All quilts are definitely not created equal.

Kathie


Monday, January 6, 2014

Design Wall Monday

I was hoping to start sewing these blocks together yesterday but appear to have come down with a cold on top of part of a cold that I had left.  I didn't even know that was possible.  Anyway, I did get a small quilt quilted but then a nice long nap sounded better than putting these blocks together so part of them are still sitting on the design wall. 

The Patriotic Bear fabric I got on a trip to Lancaster PA and the other fabrics were all from the shop we used to have, most of them Freckles fabrics by Northcott.  My favorite blenders, I was so sad when they discontinued them.  


This week I hope to get this quilt top done and the binding on the Mikado panel and hopefully get another quilt on the frame.  

Have a wonderful week.

Kathie 

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunday Stash Report

This is my first Sunday Stash report in about two years.  We had purchased a small quilt shop and ran that for 20 months before we had to make the decision to go out of business.   I have a living room full of thread and fabric that we are slowing selling in an Etsy Store and my husband has started selling off his vintage sewing machine items also on Etsy.

For those 20 months I just didn't have the time to keep up with the stash report or the Monday Design Wall updates.  Now that our business is all home based I am looking forward to participating in both activities again.

This is a picture of part of my current stash (minus a cabinet of nothing but Christmas fabrics).  With left over fabric from the shop also in my living room I shouldn't have to buy fabric for a long time but looking forward to seeing how much I can use up this year.


This week I have worked on several projects, made blocks for a baby quilt and a few blocks for a future batik quilt for our queen sized bed and quilted a wall hanging for a coworker of my husband.  The only project to the point that I am going to count yardage is the panel wall hanging quilt.  Panel, backing and binding used approximately 2 1/2 yards so my stats for this year are.

Fabric used this week:  2.5 yards
Fabric purchased this week:  0
Total fabric used 2014:  2.5 yards
Total fabric purchased 2014:  0 yards


Kathie

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year

A friend of mine Shelly, that passed way to young, always used to tell us to do on New Years Day what you hoped to be doing the entire year.  Ever since she said that on New Years I put something in the crock pot for dinner and spend a lot of the day sewing, quilting and also spending time with my family.  All things I want to do plenty of this year.  

So this New Years Day I quilted a Northcott Micado panel for one of my husband's co-workers.  Just need to make up binding and get that and a hanging sleeve on for her...


Then I made up the first few blocks for a Patriotic baby quilt.  I love the way it looks woven where all the sashing pieces intersect.  


What did you do with your New Years?

Kathie