August | 2014 | Evening in the Garden Quilts

August 31, 2014
by Valerie 4 Comments

Sunday Stash Report 8/31/14 and Goals

Using lots of fabric this week in the Disappearing Hourglass quilt, but the only finish is the Elephant baby quilt. Two yards came in yesterday from Spoonflower for my commissioned baby quilt.

This week: +2 yards, -3 yards
YTD: +95.25 yards, -139 yards
Net stash used 2014: -42.75 yards

August was kind of the way I thought it would be, not too hot here, but not great for getting a lot done. In addition to the Goals, I made a baby quilt (Elephant) and part of another, mended for DS, made him some pillowcases from recycled sheets, and sewed a top for myself.

Can’t wait for September! Bring on the clean slate.

August Goals

1. ~~Make 8-10+ box pouches for Christmas gifts~~. Who doesn’t need one of these? I made 6 of these. Here and here. Taking a break.

2. Make a Disappearing Hourglass quilt. Progress. I’ve made all 48 Hourglass blocks. Working this weekend to “Disappear” them into star blocks.

3. ~~Continue studio organization (or organisation!)~~. Refolded some of my fabric drawers, cut scraps, made saved sheets into pillowcases for DS.

September Goals

1. Finish Disappearing Hourglass quilt for QoV. (Assemble top, quilt, and bind.)

2. Clean out cabinet that backs against my sewing table. If I lose unused craft supplies, it will be a good,dark place to store quilts.

3. Make two more children’s boxy pouches.

4. Make a Christmas scrap quilt to sell or donate.

Hope you are making progress with your goals and your destashing. I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

August 29, 2014
by Valerie 13 Comments

Sweet Baby Finish

This baby quilt is not only finished, but it’s ready three weeks before the shower date!

I based the design on this shower invitation (which I knew wasn’t generic, it really reflected the nursery theme). I didn’t find any elephants I liked better, so I even stole those. I blew them up and printed them onto freezer paper. I ironed that to the top of the fabric, and Steam-A-Seam Lite to the back, and cut out the little elephant sandwiches very easily. (Looks like I’m going to make it through with my Steam-A-Seam stash. Here’s an update from the Warm Company. it’s almost back!)

I put a piece of puffy poly batting on the back of the quilt top behind each elephant before I satin stitched around them. This worked in place of stabilizer and gave me nice, pouffy elephants.

Instead of stitching in the ditch between all the blocks (I didn’t want the grid lines), I used Vanish water-soluble thread to machine baste a few lines down the quilt and a few lines across. This kept everything square while I free-motioned lines and circles on the chevrons. I stitched in the ditch between colors.

The back is darker gray chevrons. The binding is gray and white stripes (none of the grays in this match!) with a flange in the same blue as the elephants.

So, the first of the chevron baby quilts is finished. Look for the other one next week.

We’re linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, and Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

August 24, 2014
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 8/24/14

Chugging along here, making pretty things, but no finishes. I had to buy 3 pieces (2yds.) of blue fabrics to audition to add elephants to my gray and white quilt. Work on this gave rise to some humorous elephant conversations on Twitter, but I got the elephants appliqued yesterday. With any luck, I’ll quilt that up today.

This week: +2 yards, -0 yards
YTD: +93.25 yards, -136 yards
Net stash used 2014: -41.75 yards

Here’s one yard of fabric that I won’t be counting. I finally had my labels printed at Spoonflower. They’re exactly what I’ve been printing at home on Quick Fuse fabric sheets, but it feels better to have a whole yard and the ability to order more. The fabric sheets are pricey, sometimes hard to find, and my printer sometimes prints poorly and sometimes does not talk to my computer. I also expect that these will resist fading. (I have tried Printed Treasures, but I don’t think they are as colorfast as Quick Fuse.) Now I’m set.

Hope your stash is going the way you want it. I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

August 20, 2014
by Valerie 13 Comments

Chevrons in Progress

This week I’m in the middle of two baby quilts designed with chevrons. I’ve done a lot with that design, and I wasn’t especially anxious to do another right now, but that’s how things worked out.

The first is a custom order for an Etsy customer inspired by one already in my shop. This went together very quickly and it’s dramatic. Now I’m waiting on the customers backing fabric.

I make my HSTs by cutting squares the finished size + 7/8″ (6 7/8″ in this case), drawing a line diagonally, and then sewing 1/4″ on either side. This prevents bias stretching and my size is always very accurate. I sometimes check to see, but there’s never anything to trim.

I’m attending a baby shower next month, so I’ve been pondering that one. I had already asked the mother-to-be about her nursery, and she had said, “Gray and white, with blue elephants.” So, I was thinking of some subtle gray and white patchwork with appliqued elephants over top.

Then this invitation arrived, and I knew it had to be chevrons.

I tried that out with my 2 1/2″ squares, but the result was pretty bleah.

Now I’m combining those squares with gray and white HSTs to form some quiet but definite zig zags.

Its been warm here, so I’ve just been sewing a little in the mornings before my studio heats up. Hope you’re making progress on your projects.
I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. Make sure you stop over there and see her new Christmas design. Wow!

August 17, 2014
by Valerie 3 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 8/17/14

So… Not the kind of numbers this week that we like to see, but it was inevitable. We spent a lot of time this week packing and transporting DS back to college (junior year!), so I didn’t complete anything, not even a pouch. I did sew a little, doing some mending and making some trial blocks for a baby quilt ( which didn’t work out), but that was it.

Then there were the purchases. I received both a baby quilt commision and a baby shower invitation. Both require specific colors, and my selection was low. Not anymore. First I got online and ordered a number of yards from Fabric Shack (and it is lovely stuff!). Then I bought a few more at Sew Many Blessings in Huntington, WV, when we were there.

Then a pretty package of fat quarters arrived in the mail, my prize from the Scrap Basket Quilt Along. Thank you! So.

This week: +17.5 yards, -0 yards
YTD: +91.25 yards, -136 yards
Net stash used 2014: -44.75 yards

In case you were wondering, I do prewash all my yardage before I take it up to the studio, using Color Catchers. I don’t press it then. I fold it directly out of the dryer, neatly, to fit my bins, but in a way that I can tell the difference from ready-to-cut fabric. Then, when I’m ready to cut for a quilt, I starch and press only the fabrics I’m using. Works for me.

I still haven’t solved the problems with cat hair, but we can’t have everything.

Have a great week, and good luck on your destashing! I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

August 10, 2014
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 8/10/14

Creeping along in usage, but it’s all on the good side! I’ve made six little box pouches using a quarter yard each, and haven’t purchased anything. (See the rest of the pouches and link to the tutorial here.)

This week: +0 yards, -1.5 yards
YTD: +73.75 yards, -136 yards
Net stash used 2014: -62.25 yards

Hope you enjoyed some sewing time this week, and your stash is moving the way you want it to.

I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

August 8, 2014
by Valerie 6 Comments

Boxy Pouch Finish

I have four of the boxy pouches finished, of the eight I need to make for children’s Christmas gifts. (Tutorial by Libby at Truly Murtle.). I added Pellon fusible fleece to the outer fabric, and continued to use Shape Flex on the lining. I cut the size down to 6″ x 3″ x 3″, and did buy belting for the handles. I think they turned out cute and chunky, and perfect for trucks or ponies or Pokemon cards.

What did you finish?

I’m linking up with Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

August 3, 2014
by Valerie 4 Comments

Sunday Stash Report and Goals Update 8/6/14

Stash Report

Not much sewing and not much to report. I didn’t buy any fabric, and I only used half a yard on one box pouch. My Stash Reduction is in a good place, tracking toward 100 yards for the year.

This week: +0 yards, -.5 yards
YTD: +73.75 yards, -134.5 yards
Net stash used 2014: -60.75 yards

How are you doing?

Goals

Didn’t July fly by? I knew it would, since I was traveling for part of it. For once, the temperatures were moderate, and I could have sewn, if I had been home and in the mood, but I didn’t even complete my modest goals.

July Goals

1. Make 5-7 box pouches for kids’ Christmas gifts. No. Made one, for practice, for myself. I have the zippers, interfacing, chose fabrics.

2. ~~Organize stash~~. Yes, partially. I emptied, culled small pieces, and refolded fabric in the most-used drawers. Much better.

3. ~~Clean, straighten sewing studio~~. Progress! Never totally done, but I put away fabric, etc., gave away a semi-working machine, caught up on mending, and did some major vacuuming and dusting.

I really did creep up on those pouches. For some reason, I just didn’t want to start one. Now I have one done (easy!), and I think I’ll be fine with the rest of them. I’m still adjusting size and trying a different interfacing, but nothing major. Any words of wisdom for me?

Philipa spotted a tutorial from Missouri Quilt Company called the Disappearing Hourglass, and I really like it. (See Pip’s gorgeous Disappearing Pinwheel quilt here.) It forms stars, so I think I’ll use red and blue fabrics for a Quilt of Valor. Who wants to do one with us?

Other than that, I know that my tomatoes, etc., will probably start to ripen all at once and need my attention, and we are trying to organize for getting DS back to college in a couple weeks, so I’m going to be kind about my goals for August.

August Goals

1. Make 8-10+ box pouches for Christmas gifts. Who doesn’t need one of these?

2. Make a Disappearing Hourglass quilt.

3. Continue studio organization (or organisation!).