Stash Report for this week

All of my quilting time this week has been spent on finishing more blocks for my Joseph's Coat quilt. All of the fabric I used has already been reported. The picture above is a few of my finished blocks laid out to show how they will (eventually) look when they're all joined together.

Due to the sudden arrival of warm weather here, I have been spending much of my time getting lawns done and flowerbeds ready for planting. It's hard to believe that two weeks ago, we had some major snow and now today it is 25C, flowers and trees are blooming! Both of my neighbors are already running their air conditioning units. I've enjoyed sitting outside in the evening this week working on my applique for my Joseph's Coat.

My projects to finish for the PhD Challenge are falling behind. In order to meet the number I committed to, I will need to do at least 2 this month and 2 in June. I'm not sure if that is possible but will hopefully I can find a bit more time now to work on those.

My Pink Lemonade quilt is still hanging on the design wall. How long does it take for a project to switch from being a WIP (Work In Progress) to a PhD (Project half Done) to a UFO (Un-Finished Object)?? Is there a guideline somewhere? I've also fallen behind by two whole blocks on the Hazels Diary Quilt-along. I guess I'd better get off of here and go work on something!


WEEK 20 Stash Report
Used this week: 0 M
Used Year to Date: 17.55 M
Added this week: 0 M
Added Year to Date: 12.07 M
Net used for 2010: 5.48 M

Check out how everyone else is doing with their stash busting efforts on Judy's blog.

Working on my PhD's

Myra at Tactile Pleasures is hosting a PhD Challenge! What is a PhD?? It is a Project Half Done that needs to be completed. I have LOTS of those!! In an effort to play along and get something accomplished for myself at the same time, I have decided to join in with all the others who are joining this challenge. I am going to set a certain time either daily or weekly that I will spend on PhD's.


Now, I'm not sure if this pink and yellow disaster I was working on is a PhD yet or if it is still my current project but, I have decided that the blocks are all to be unsewn and then remade paying closer attention to the contrast within each block. What a lot of work but... I am stubborn and determined. It would be easier to scrap it all and start again but... thats where my frugal nature kicks in. Worked all afternoon yesterday and managed to get 15 of the 72 blocks unsewn. It better be worth it....

Too many books!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hoping this year is a whole lot better than the last!

For the Final Countdown at Prairie Moon Quilts, the task for day three was  "Straighten up your stacks of magazines and/or your quilting book shelf". How did she know that this was something that I REALLY needed to do? It took me about 4 hours to do this and, I discovered, I have a LOT of books and magazines.

Here is the bookshelf. These are reference books and pattern books. I wish I could say I have made something out of each but, sadly, I have not.

Here is the shelf that is high on the wall above my sewing machine. This is used to store magazines. Most of the magazines up there have little tags sticking out the top of them marking projects I thought I wanted to make. I probably need to revisit a lot of those magazines and get rid of some of them, if I can. I seem to have this thing for acquiring them and it is difficult for me to let them go. I realize that this behavior could ultimately become a problem so it is something I need to work on. It won't be done in a day, however.

I am not adding to my magazine collection like I used to. A few years back, I would buy every quilting magazine that came on the news stand. I decided that I would only buy a magazine if there was a quilt pattern in it that I really, really loved and thought I might actually make. So many of the patterns that are in magazines are just a rehash of older patterns with new fabrics. So during 2009, I bought only 7 magazines. Quite the difference from previous years.

 

Preparing for the New Year

Thought that it may be a good idea to join in with Shelly at Prairie Moon Quilts in her "Final Countdown" to the end of the year. She will be setting out a task for us each day until the last day of the year. Of course, there is a prize for doing all five tasks which is a bonus!

I have already completed the first two tasks. Day one was to finish sewing a binding on a quilt. I didn't have anything in the works to the point of doing a binding so, instead I decided to make sure that any tops I have done have the bindings cut and stored with the top so that I don't use the fabric for something else. Since I usually do cut the binding right away, this didn't take very long and I spent some time tidying up the sewing room.

I also started to pull out some fabric for a new quilt I want to make for on my guest bed. I saw a quilt I loved on Hanne's Quilt Corner and decided it was just what I wanted to do. I pulled out all the pink and yellow fabrics I could find to audition for the new quilt. I think its going to be a good quilt to work on because of the happy colors.

Day two task was to put away any stray fabric. Since I had already done a tidy-up yesterday, I didn't have a lot to put away other than what I rejected for the new quilt. I spent a few hours ironing fabrics and cutting for the quilt. Then, I sewed up four blocks just to see how they looked!

I went back and looked at the pattern on Mary's blog and saw that she did her red and cream Double Four Patch all scrappy. Now I am wondering if I should just mix up all my fabrics for a scrappier look or if I should just continue going on the way I have started? What do you think?

January Finish

I was told that I was too late to sign up for the "finish one a month challenge" at Abyquilt but, I am going to challenge myself to do it anyways!! Accordingly, I am setting my own rules. I'm going to have different types of finishes:
- Phase One Finish - All the piecing for the project is complete according to the instructions or pattern used.. in other words, a flimsy (finished quilt top only).
- Phase Two Finish - The completed flimsey is backed and quilted.
- Phase Three Finish - Quilt has binding sewn on and is labeled, ready to use (or hang).
If anyone else would like to join me, let me know and we will start our own "finishing school"!

My finish (Phase One) for January is the EPP Star Table Topper that was a mystery from CD Designs. The top is done, but I now need to figure out how to complete it. I think an additional border would look good although the design instructions don't include one. Since it is made by English Paper Piecing, I have to remove all the papers from the back, even along the outer edges. Then, I'll need to open out the edge seam allowances so that I have something to attach to. Cross your fingers for me! If you have any ideas on an easier way to do this, I'd love to hear it!!

I finally figured out that my problem with posting pictures is related entirely to the newest update for the brower I use, Opera. I far prefer Opera over IE but, until they can fix this glitch, I'm stuck using IE to upload any pictures.

A Belated Happy New Year!

For some reason, Blogger is not letting me upload pictures.. please bear with me until I find a cure....

Is it just me or do the weeks, months and years seem to be going by faster and faster the older that you get?? I swear that New Years Day just happened and now, the whole month of January is over!! I'm beginning to understand now why it was that when my mother was in her 70's, her whole day was taken up by going to see the doctor and making supper.

Time stands still for no-one and I know that I need to learn to make better use of the time that is here now for me to use. There are no "hold over minutes" in real life! I find that, sometimes, I get rather bogged down with things especially if I have no clear plan in place, or a deadline of some kind to work towards. I know I have talked before about goals.. I know what I NEED to do. It seems though that the one thing I do have down pat is procrastination.

I wasn't always this way. In my younger years, I got many things done in a day or week. There was time to go camping on many weekends even though I had a full time job outside of the home and children to care for. I can recall starting to cut out a dress at 10:00 o'clock at night and surviving on just a few hours sleep so that I could wear that same dress to work the next day. Now, it seems to take weeks and months sometimes to finish even small projects. I have almost totally stopped doing any garment sewing. The closest I get now is some mending.

I no longer wear skirts and dresses much. The uniform of the day for me has become jeans and a t-shirt or sweatshirt unless I dress up - then its nicer jeans and a nicer top. *LOL* My closet though is still stuffed to the max with all kinds of clothes. Its another of those tasks that I keep saying I am going to do "some day". I have A LOT of those "some day" tasks around my home. I did download a "Declutter Calendar" from My Simpler Life so that I could follow the suggestions there for gaining control of the clutter and actually fight my way through my messes.

Decluttering my home is my BIG goal for this year. That includes working to finish some of the many WISP's (Work In Some Progress) and UFO's (UnFinished Objects) in my sewing room. I am also going to join along with all the others at Abyquilt to finish at least one project per month in 2009. It is good to know that there are others who are in the same situation and hopefully, we can encourage one another along the way to meeting our goals this year!

A Hand Made Christmas

 

4sets of Potholders from scraps

Another 4 sets of Potholders from scraps

Christmas has come and gone for another year. Hope everyone's was wonderful. I spent the last few weeks prior to the big day doing lots of baking, sewing and knitting. My projects were mainly for family so I didn't dare show pictures here of what I was doing. Now that all the gifts have been delivered and opened, I can share them with you.

Old embroidery test pieces used as back of potholders

Potholders for my sisters and daughters, made from squares leftover from my mystery star quilt and some machine quilted/embroidered blocks for the backs. Three of the smaller ones were made from 9-patch blocks that were in mom's collection which I inherited.

                                                                 

A couple of the sets were made with leftovers from this table runner. I call it Crazy Holly and it is my third finish in the New Year's Eve challenge.

 
 
Knitted slippers for two of my grandsons. I have another two pair I am still working on as well.
 
A wooden trinket box that my granddaughter saw and told me she wanted on the morning of the 24th. I brought it home and was able to stain it that afternoon and spray varnish it late that night so it would be ready to wrap in the morning. She was surprised and really loved it! That made it all worthwhile.

Finally, I made a set of Junior cook sized oven mitts that I, unfortunately, forgot to take a picture of.

Finish #2 in Finn's Challenge

I've been challenging myself to stay OFF of the computer and spend more time in the sewing room. Now, its starting to pay off! Here it is... the Late Summer's Evening mystery quilt top totally pieced complete with borders! I'm counting this as a finish for Finn's challenge. It measures 84" square so I had to take the picture outside on the clothes line since I don't have a big enough empty floor space to lay it on!

I keep looking at the center block and wishing I had used a bit stronger yellow, or maybe even a red, as the pale yellow seems to almost disappear. The thought goes through my head that I should pick out that center square and re-do it...

I had mentioned in a previous post the English Paper Piecing mystery that I signed up for at CD Designs. Here are my steps 2, 3 and 4. It is interesting guessing how this might go together, but then, we don't know if all of these parts are joined or if there are other pieces to go between them yet. All in all, its a fun project with an easy time line. Each step is easily finished in about 3 hours.

   

Keep on stitchin' until next time!

Finish #1 for the challenge!

This was a hand applique class taught by Doreen, a member of our local guild, Prairie Rose Quilters. Once the center was finished, I added borders with Cathedral Window miters. I wanted to hand quilt this piece in order to learn the process a bit better. This is the second item that I have hand quilted. I finished it with a zippered back so it can be used either as a pillow or as a wall hanging. This is my first finish for Finn's New Years Eve Challenge!

   

My first hand quilted project was this table runner which I made last summer (pre-blog). It is actually a "Quilt as you sew" project but, after it was sewn, I felt it needed something more. I adapted a stencil I had for the border and the triangles, then did some straight lines. It proved to be a great portable learning project during my recovery from hip surgery. My hope is to be able to do more hand quilting as I find it very soothing.

Taking Up The Challenge!

I was surfing around quilter's blogs and discovered that Finn at Pieces From My Scrapbag has organized a New Year's Eve Challenge. Since I seem to be very good at starting projects and not so good at completing them, I decided that I needed to join to get some of those many UFO's off the list and finished. My goal is to finish at least 3 items listed on my side bar by New Year's Eve.

Tomorrow (today actually but I have to sleep a little first), I will work on my first UFO and since the Mystery Quilt is on top of the pile, that will be my first challenge.

I have just discovered that the "Just Us Quilter's" list is back up!! Thanks Niki! Click on the link and list your blog today. Unfortunately, all the previous blogs listed were lost but, hopefully, everyone who had originally listed their blog will re-list!

Setting Goals

I have been spending a bit of time lately Blog-Hopping.  I have seen SO many interesting blogs as I am attempting to visit every blog listed by Just Us Quilters.   The thing is... there are MORE every day, which is actually quite wonderful!  I love seeing what everyone else is doing and I am envious of those who seem to be able to accomplish so much.  It seems that I am spending more and more time on the computer looking at quilting stuff than I spend actually doing any quilting! I think I need to set some goals (rules) for myself.  Peg at Happy In Quilting has issued a challage for finishing quilts.. her challenge is to turn 5 flimsies into quilted quilts by the end of July!  Yikes...  I think I would be doing well to get one done.   Hmmm... perhaps I could try the "Quilt for an Hour" a day idea.  You would think I could manage that as I have no kids to watch (unless the dog counts).  I KNOW>>> I will give myself the same amount of times to sew as I spend on the computer!!  Uh-oh... I don't think my partner CJ will agree to that one!  Maybe, I will take only as much computer time as I spend quilting... but then, it may take months between blog updates!  lol  No matter what, it seems to be a situation that I am going to have to spend a bit of time figuring out how to resolve it.  Besides, there are still renovations on the house to finish... Happy stitchin' until next time...