April Stash Report and Goals Update

A lot of sewing happened this month, using a lot of fabric. On the other hand, a lot of fabric was added to the stash. Surprisingly, more fabric went out than came in. 

A four day retreat resulted in the completion of two tops. I have given them, along with backing fabric and binding, to two of the quilter friends who were at the retreat.  

to Edna

to Judy

At the retreat I also got all the blocks finished for my Almost Postage Stamp quilt. They were already started.

Since I've been home I chased a squirrel. I saw something on Pinterest that intrigued me, figured out the block, dove into my scraps, and made blocks. The good news is I'm having fun making them. The bad news is, my version looks boring. I have a solution, which I'll share in another post. 

I also finished a donation quilt this month. Most of the fabrics were donated, so I'm only counting out the ones that came from my personal stash. 

While at retreat I shopped at their little fabric shop, and a few yards came home with me. Then an on-line end-of-bolt sale caught my attention. Plus, an outing with the girls to a couple of local shops resulted in some purchases, so there was definitely some stash enhancement this month. My finishes and gifts more than made up for it for the month, but I'm still up for the year. 

April Stash Report: 

IN this month: 18-3/4 yards (Retreat purchases, 6 yards. Bernina Connection, 5 yards. Modern Quilting, 1-1/2 yards.  Online end-of-bolt sale, 6-1/4 yards.)

OUT this month: 19-5/8 yards (Navy/Pink LCT variation top, 4-5/8 yards; backing, 3-1/2 yards; binding 5/8 yard. Kaffe flying geese top 4 yards; back 3 yards; binding 5/8 yard.  Urban Jungle Stacked slabs top, my fabrics, 1-1/2 yards; backing 1 yard; binding 3/4 yard)

IN YTD: 32-1/4 yards
OUT YTD: 29-3/8 yards

YTD Net Change: 2-7/8 yards added. 

Since I started a new scrappy project and got wound up in making blocks for it, I neglected some of the other items on my goals list. Oh, well, it's just a hobby anyway, no pressure. 

Goals Update: 

April Recap: 

1. Finish packing for retreat and have a good time there.  YES!!!

2. Make progress on the Postage Stamp project. Yes, got all the blocks pieced at retreat. 

3. Make progress on the Kaffe flying geese project. Yes, finished the top at retreat using Plan D and sashing purchased from Shiela's shop.  

4. Assemble the navy and pink LCT medallion blocks. If possible, add the borders. Yes, finished the top at retreat.

5. Quilt the Urban Jungle stacked slabs quilt on April 11. DONE and donated. 

6. Prep for teaching Dancing Plus in May.  Progress; I still have to send out pre-cutting instructions to the students. 

7. Prep backing for Cherry Jubilee top. No

8. Develop new project using leftover strata. Yes, I've started a project, something mindless I can pick up as time permits. 

Other: 

 - Chased a squirrel: started a scrappy project inspired by something I saw on Pinterest and made 45 blocks for it. 

 - Wrote a pattern for the flying geese top shown above.

The friend I gave the flying geese top to likes it so much, she wants to make a queen size version in autumn colors for a grandchild's wedding in the fall. She asked for the pattern, so with the help of EQ8, I drafted it for her. I had forgotten how much I like writing patterns. More about this in a future post. 

May Goals: 

1. Prep for and Teach a Dancing Plus class. 

2. Finish the Scrappy 5-Patch Plus top. 

3. Prep a backing for Cherry Jubilee. 

4. Work on piecing the Leftover Strata project. 

5. Prep a backing for Scrappy 5-Patch Plus. 

6. Book time and quilt something on the club's new long arm.

Recently, new LED lights were installed in the ceiling of my sewing room. The light is so much brighter in there now and it's much more pleasant to work in there. So much so that I've been spending a lot more time sewing, mostly making blocks for the new scrappy project. 

If I continue to spend that much time in the sewing room, I'll definitely knock out everything on my May Goals list, but those are the priorities for now. We'll see what I can get done in May. 

A New Scrappy Project

I saw something intriguing on Pinterest and I thought it would be a good project for my Scrappy Celebration friends to make next. Here is a link to the Pinterest post.

I sent the girls the image, and one was interested. So I figured out the block:

I raided my scrap drawers for low volumes and darker colors, and cut a lot of pieces. I may have gotten carried away.... So far I've made several blocks. They go together easily and they're addictive to make. 

Here's the original Pinterest inspiration photo. 

Pinterest: Shonda at Calico Flower

You may notice, there are blocks that emphasize the Nine Patch, and others that feature the Plus. I'm trying to keep my blocks as random as the ones in the photo, but if you know me, you know it's hard for me to do random. 

My blocks use 2-1/2" scraps, so they finish at 10". I'm shooting for a smaller quilt than the one in the photo, a 6 x 8 block layout for a large throw. Or if I get carried away making blocks, a 7 x 9 block layout for a twin size. I have more than enough scraps! 

I didn't really need another piecing project right now, but sometimes you just have to chase that squirrel. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Another Retreat Project: the Postage Stamp Quilt

 Another project I worked on at retreat was this Postage Stamp type quilt. The squares finish at 1-1/2" so it's not a true Postage Stamp, but this is as small as I care to work. Here are 32 blocks on the design wall, plus border strips.

Months ago I started this project to use up some of my yellow-green stash. I used my die cutter to cut 2" strips of nearly every fabric in my yellow-green basket, and some true greens. Then I selected some other warm colors and purples for more variety. 

The strips were sewn into strata. Then the strata were carefully cross-cut, again using the 2" die.  I laid out the strips in a checkerboard, and wrapped them up in blocks. I need 35 blocks for a 5 x 7 layout, and I ended up with enough strips for 36 blocks. Each block has 64 little squares. I didn't count the individual fabrics used, but it's a lot. 

I made one sample block and packed the rest up for retreat. With all seams pressed toward the dark fabrics, the seams nested nicely. They'll nest when I sew the blocks into rows and sew the rows together, too. 

I was pleased that I was able to get all the blocks made at retreat. I'll lay them out on my design wall at home and make sure the same fabric isn't adjacent to itself, then label them, and pack them up for a future retreat. 

This quilt will be twin size when finished. Did it make a dent in my yellow-green stash? A bit, but there's still plenty left. At least I can jam the basket into the shelf where it belongs now. 

The outer border fabric in the top photo will also be the backing fabric. It's a tiny olive-on-cream paisley. I bought 9 yards of it back in 2009 but it wasn't the right shade of green for the top it was intended for, so it's been languishing ever since. I'm glad to eventually have a use for it.

Some people don't care for yellow-green and olive shades, but I like the way this is turning out. And it's gender neutral. It will eventually be a donation quilt.  

Link ups: Alycia Quilts 4/18,  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts 4/21

Top Finishes at Retreat

 Retreat was a lot of fun, and I got a lot accomplished. Today' post is about two tops that were partially started and are now finished flimsies. I'll write more about the rest of the retreat another time. 

First up, this LCT Variation top. (sorry for the moire effect in the photo; the navy and white print is a small geometric.)

The blocks were already made, laid out, and kitted up, so all I had to do was sew them together and add the borders. 

The other finish is this top using flying geese blocks made of Kaffe prints with black and white sky. This is actually about plan D, earlier ideas didn't work out. 

Again, the blocks were already made. 

I had a Kaffe jelly roll from someone's destashing sale and I had hoped to use it for sashing, but the prints in it didn't work with the ones in the geese. Thank goodness for the little shop at the retreat ranch, where I found the sashing fabric that worked. Fortunately there were two strips in the jelly roll of the green print that worked for the corner stones.

More about this retreat in another post, including what the other girls were working on.

Link up: Alycia Quilts

 

March Stash Report and Goals Update

A couple of big changes in direction occurred this month. One was a request to teach Dancing Plus in May, which required a demo sample to present at the PCQ meeting in April. The other was a need for a teenage boy donation quilt. Both of those items were accomplished. And they helped my stash report, although shopping and an estate sale canceled out any stash reduction. 

The Stacked Slabs top and its back were made from a combination of donated fabrics and my personal fabrics, so I'm only counting out the amount of yardage that was actually mine. 

March Stash Report:

IN this month: 5-1/4 yards (3 yards purple solid; estate sale, 2-1/4 yards)

OUT this month: 5-1/4 yards (Dancing Plus class sample top, approx. 3 yards worth of scraps. Urban Jungle Stacked Slabs, my fabric, 2-1/4 yards)

IN YTD: 13-1/2 yards

OUT YTD: 9-3/4 yards

YTD Net Change: 3-3/4 yards added. Not moving in the right direction, but that will change. 

Another accomplishment - if you could call it that? - was a failed test block to use up some leftover strata in a future project. It's good to try out test blocks; I learned that that pattern's method of making that particular block is not for me. Instead, I've been thinking of alternative plans to use the leftover strata. 

One of my goals for March was to be trained on the club's new long arm. Training went well and I'm now certified to use it. In even better news, they opened up registration for time slots on the new long arm today and I was able to get a time slot for late next week. Whoo-hoo! 

Goals Update:

March recap:

1. Prep for and teach color classes 5 and 6. DONE. 

2. Prep several projects to work on at retreat in early April. Yes, I have the Postage Stamp project, the navy and pink LCT project that was kitted up months ago, and the Kaffe flying geese project. More than enough to keep me busy for four days!

3. Attend hands-on long arm training. Yes! I'm certified to use the new Innova long arm, and I was lucky enough to get an early time slot when registration opened up. 

4. Continue piecing blocks for the teal project. Yes, made a lot of progress. 

5. Prep a backing for the red Cherry Jubilee top. Not done.

6. Continue working on the scrappy project at social sewing. Yes, although I was only able to go to social sewing once this month. 

7. Participate in Sewing Club's charity project at first Wednesday social sewing. Yes, I made three pairs of little boys' shorts for inclusion in Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. 

Other: Made a small Dancing Plus flimsy for a teaching sample. 
           Made a Stacked Slabs top and a backing for it. 

My teal project doesn't have a deadline, but I did make significant progress on it in March. Since I have a lot of other projects planned for April, it may go into time out for a month. Or if time permits, maybe I'll make another block or two. 

 

April Goals: 

1. Finish packing for retreat and have a good time there.

2. Make progress on the Postage Stamp project.

3. Make progress on the Kaffe flying geese project.

4. Assemble the navy and pink LCT blocks. If possible, add the borders.

5. Quilt the Urban Jungle stacked slabs quilt on April 11. 

6. Prep for teaching Dancing Plus in May

7. Prep backing for Cherry Jubilee top

8. Develop new project using leftover strata.

Looks like I'm planning for a busy month in April!

Progress on the Teal Project

It's been a while since I last reported on the teal project. The most recent progress photo is in this post. Since then I've been occasionally making blocks. Now my design wall looks like this: 

The bottom full row in the photo is the middle row of the quilt, so I'm more than halfway finished with the blocks. There are enough blocks on the wall now to see the diagonals in the layout. 

There's no deadline for this project so I'll just continue to make blocks as time permits. 

Link up: Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Urban Jungle Stacked Slabs

Last fall the PCQ community service chair received a large donation of fabrics. Among them were a lot of black and white prints. She handed me a big tote bag full of them and asked me to do something with them. We discovered that among them were two colors of a Marcia Derse print, and there was a dark red colorway of the same print in the donation as well. 

I played around in EQ but I was never happy with anything I came up with. 

Recently I was reminded that the local family services agency that PCQ supports occasionally has a need for comfort quilts for teenage boys. In years past, we've seen that there seems to be an uptick in need at the end of the school year. 

So I pulled out the Marcia Derse prints and some others that read masculine and have colors that go together. Rather than fuss with a complex pattern, I let the fabrics do all the work with my Stacked Slabs pattern. (The fabric that looks pink here is actually red but if I try to darken it in the photo, everything else goes too dark.)

The result has kind of an urban vibe, but the featured prints had something about trees on the selvage, so for my own records I'm calling this Urban Jungle.

There was enough of the featured fabrics plus the other black and grey print left over to piece together a back. I'm certified on PCQ's new long arm, so as soon as registrations open up and I can book a time slot, I'll quilt this up. 

Link Up: Alycia Quilts