OPAM Finishes

I finally have something to show you that I have finished!! Woot woot!!

I saw this cute little wristlet pattern on the Pink Penguin blog way back in August and decided then that I wanted to make one. I went through my scraps looking for squares that were already cut and found enough to make the project. The only thing is, they were only 2" squares rather than the 2 1/4" squares called for in the pattern. I played with the colors and found an arrangement I like the look of.

Then, it all sat there on the cutting table for a few weeks until the pieces were put carefully into the front and back of a quilting book to keep them in order for sewing. The book was put next to the sewing machine and somehow, the sewing never happened.



Inside of Wristlet



I moved the book the other day and a square fell out. When I opened the book, I remembered the project but not where I'd found it. A few google searches later and I had the directions. Just 3 hours later, I had myself a cute little wristlet to use! Mine is just a bit smaller since I used smaller squares but the size is fine with me. I made only two pockets inside and my cards fit well in one and my cell phone in the other. Isn't that all anyone needs?

Flooding, Scraps & Stash

I live in the area of Southern Alberta where there is a lot of flooding happening right now. Its not a good situation for many people. I am fortunate enough to live on higher ground and shouldn't experience any problems. There is a news story about it HERE on CTV News Calgary for today and yesterday. Just click the play button on the video player that comes up. I'm not sure how long they keep their top stories but would think several days.

I decided to do some organizing this week of all my scraps... not that I really have all that many, but I thought they should be sorted out a la Bonnie Hunter. I have one of those four drawer plastic organizer thingies so figured that would work. When I pulled out my pathetic pile of scraps, I discovered that I wouldn't even come close to filling those drawers, even the shallower ones. Guess I need to make more quilts to create more scraps?? I will probably just use the video organizer boxes that I have been storing the unorganized scraps in. I'll divide them up into size categories and mark the boxes. Maybe one day I'll have enough to do something with...

I did find  LOTS of those 'bonus' triangles that I'd saved so, during my TV time, I'm sorting those into sizes so I can hopefully create something - perhaps a pinwheel quilt. One may be a mini as the triangles will make 1" blocks. Why on earth do I feel compelled to save these bits of fabric? Most people throw away a lot bigger pieces than these! Perhaps it was from the early lessons I learned from my parents:

 Waste Not, Want Not

 OR

Use it Up,

Wear it Out,

Make it Do or

Do Without 

Stash Report for Week 25

Yikes, almost to the half-way point of the year! Nothing used or purchased again this week. Haven't done well on the PhD (UFO) finishing front either as I've only done 2 of the 6 I had wanted to finish by the end of June. I did manage to finish one more block for my Joseph's Coat project but all of those fabrics have been counted already.

Used this week: 0 M
Used Year to Date: 18.3M
Added this week: 0 M
Added Year to Date: 17.07M
Net used for 2010: 1.23 M

Have a look at how everyone else is doing with their stash reports on Judy's blog.

Sunday Stash Report

It has been a hard week for the stash. There has been a small amount going out but more coming in this week.

I have been working on getting petals prepared so I can continue to work on my Joseph's Coat project. I think I have finally mastered getting the points sharp with the freezer paper and starch. Now I just need to lay them all out and pin them to the background so I can continue to applique by hand.

I got a good deal on 3 charm packs. I figure that is about 2 meters of fabric. Please correct me if I'm way off.

I needed a border fabric to go on the Pink & Yellow quilt and wandered into the quilt store. I saw a fabric on the sale rack I felt would work well AND, it was 40% off!! I didn't have the quilt top with me because its still not all sewn together. I do have all of the blocks done though.. So, I took a chance that it would work and bought it.

After getting it home and looking at it with the blocks on the design wall, I am not so sure anymore. I probably should have waited until I had the top sewn together so I could take it along to audition borders with it. Oh well... I do really love the fabric.  If its not used for this particular quilt, it will get used at some point in time. I may even have to plan a quilt especially to use this print. Do you ever buy fabric because you think it will work for a project you are doing??

WEEK 9 STASH REPORT


Used this week: 2.4 M
Used Year to Date: 14 M
Added this week: 4.5 M
Added Year to Date: 7.9 M
Net used for 2010: 6.1 M

I'm loosing ground on my "net used" for the year so I need to get busy doing something! Don't forget to check out all the other reports on Judy's Blog

Stash Report - Week 1

Thought that this might be a good way for me to audit the fabric ins and outs here at my house. Here is my first ever Stash Report:

Used this week: 8.25 M

Used Year to Date: 8.25 M

Added this week: .9 M

Added Year to Date: .9 M

Net used for 2010: 7.35 M

One of the quilts that are using up this fabric is a pink and yellow Double Four Patch quilt for my guest bed. I saw this color combination a while back and have wanted to do a quilt ever since! It just happens to be perfect for the guest bed as it has a yellow bed skirt. Since this bed is rather tall, I had to add an extra bit across the bottom to lengthen it. I had just a little of the fabric left to use in the quilt so hopefully it will all co-ordinate. Sure can't look any worse than that old comforter that is on there right now!


The rest of the fabric is for the mystery quilt-along called Hazels Diary.  I've had this butterfly print sitting around for a few years already. Originally, it was supposed to be used in a challenge quilt for our local guild. Think it may be a bit late to enter?

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?

Don't Look Now...

Photo is from Don't Look Now.

Kellie has a wonderful, happy color filled blog called Don't Look Now. She is currently hosting a quilt-along doing a design she calls Joseph's Quilt. Everything about this quilt (and Kellies site and other patterns for that matter) says HAPPY to me... 

I was debating on whether or not I would commit myself to another long-term hand project right now but this is Oh-So-Tempting! When I was checking out some of the links to others' sites, I found many that didn't seem to connect so... in a moment of abandon, I posted a comment letting Kellie know. Seems now, I am the quilt-along police...  LOL  No worries but, I figure I had better jump in and start one of my own now! I posted my link to her Mr. Linky and... wouldn't you know it... it is going to an old post, not to this one...  I feel so silly...

I best be off to find some fabrics. I am thinking that I may just do this like the original Joseph's Coat and make it of many colors - scraps! Guess I better get a wiggle on....

Mystery 51 Block Revealed

Since the mystery has finished and the solution posted on Paper Panache, here is my finished version of Paper Panache Mystery #51 Block...

Now I just need to figure out what to do with this... It measures 10.5" square. Any ideas???

Its a Mystery

I came across the latest paper piecing mystery (#51) at Paper Panache last week and decided that I would give it a try. She warns that this one is a "bigger investment in time" than the last one...

This block calls for four shades of blue, a white and a contrasting background. Since I'm not much of a 'blue person', I went digging in my scraps and came up with four purples, a sliver of white and a chunk of coral for the background... and I began.

Most of my 'stolen quilting moments' over the past week have been working on this piece. It has eleven sections with over 150 individual segments in total. Still not sure what made me think that I could just whip this one up... there are probably quilters out there who managed to make a whole quilt in the length of time I've spent on this one block! Oh well - its done and now, I have no idea of what I will do with it....

I will post a photo of the completed block as soon as Linda at Paper Panache reveals the solution for this mystery - just so I don't spoil the surprise for anyone else! 

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.

Scrap Happy!

I love the look of scrappy quilts.. I've been admiring many that I have seen online while blog-jogging. On Quiltville, Bonnie has shared her Scrap Users System and I'm sure most quilters have heard of it. If by some chance you haven't, click on the links and check it out. She also shares many wonderful patterns to use up your scraps!

Feeling the need to do some organizing, I worked for a few afternoons to organize my scraps. I dug out the plastic bins (sure wish I had stock in THAT company) and began to cut strips and squares. I just cut strips of various widths if the piece was at least 12" long. If it was shorter, I cut it into squares. After spending many hours of cutting, my 'organized' scrap stash all fit neatly into just 4 video storage boxes. They aren't even anywhere near full. :S Is it possible for a person to not have enough scraps?? YUP, it sure is.

A woman on a quilting forum site that I frequent was chatting about clearing out her sewing room of quilting fabric if it was anything less than 1/8 yd. She was going to TOSS IT INTO THE TRASH. Having heart palpitations, I sent a message to her saying I would LOVE to have any scraps that she was getting rid of. I'd could pay the postage OR send fabric in return for her trouble. Sadly, I never did hear from her so, I imagine, all that fabric was sent to her local landfill. :-(

HOWEVER, another lady by the name of Karen sent me a message saying that she had a box of scraps that she'd be happy to send me!! We made arrangements and the box arrived at my door today!

Now, I'm sure some people will think I'm loosing it to be so HAPPY over a box of scraps but I am over the moon! I'd estimate that about 1/3 of the box are pieces that are already cut into strips and squares.

There are some larger pieces, even some fat 8's and fat 4's! There is a whole pile of 2.5" strips in black on white and white on black prints... there are also pieces of beautiful hand dyeds. Here's a picture of it all on my livingroom floor. I tried to seperate things mostly by color as I unpacked the box.

Karen, I can't thank you enough! My brain is spinning with ideas to use these!! I know that one of the first things I will work on is a scrappy quilt for charity.