Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Monthly Archives: July 2017


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Sunday Stash Report: 7/30/17


We have had beautiful weather here in my part of Ohio.  It’s tempting to work outside all day, but it’s also cool enough to sew, so I had a personal sew-in this weekend.

Just a little change in the numbers this week.  I purchased a yard of red and white striped fabric that will make good bindings.

Then I used two and a half yards to make these blocks for Kat’s July/August block drive (if July got away from you as it did me, you still have a month to make any kind of star blocks in red, white, and blue.  I love seeing fabrics from past projects as I make donation blocks, buts here’s a take on the way others may view your scraps.

This week:  +  1 yard,  – 2.5  yards
This year:  + 75.25 yards,  – 85.25 yards
Net destashed added in 2017:  10 yards
Creeping along, but I’ll get to 50 yards.  Are you using your stash?


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Sunday Stash Report: 7/16/17


Hope you’ve been enjoying Palindrome Week- every date this week is palindrome!

No fabric was purchased, and I completed this baby quilt, so there’s a little progress.

This week:  +  yards,  – 3.5  yards
This year:  + 74.25 yards,  – 82.75 yards
Net destashed added in 2017:  8.5 yards


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The Last Zebra Finish

IMG_2861This is the last one of these, I promise.  I’m all out of the fabric, even the scraps (I have a few flannel giraffe squares, but that’s different.)  And this quilt may be my favorite.

IMG_2866This was not on my list to make right now, but when I saw Christa’s post about her scrappy half-square triangles, I knew that was the right technique to use with the scraps I had.  I combined them with a soft green print and a gray and white stripe, and I like how much softer the look is.

2017-07-09 18.26.32I quilted it all with the walking foot.  First I stitched in all the ditches using silver Bottom Line.  Then I auditioned three green variegated threads for the the decorative quilting.  I chose the So Fine (Superior) on the right, just because it was the lightest.  I always prefer bold, contrasting colors (hence all the dark threads in my collection), but I wanted to keep this soft and blending.  Light thread looks okay over darker fabric, but dark thread on light shows every wobble.

2017-07-10 16.40.16I like minimal, asymmetrical lines of quilting, so I kept thinking I was finished.  I did want to do enough to hold down all of the fabrics, including the small pieced triangles.  When I put the last rows of stitching in, it all came together and I knew I had it.

This one’s for sale in my Etsy shop.

Looking forward to seeing your finishes.

 

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 7/9/17

2017-07-08 11.53.58You know all that progress I had been making on destashing?  It went out the door this week.  I guess it could have been worse, since I was shopping at the fabulous Fabric Shack.  And they’ve just opened a new annex..  So I limited myself to these…17…yards.

I went for a few basics (the best prices on Kona solids), but also found the sale fabrics at the bottom of the photo for backs to a couple of current projects.  They’ll all get used pretty soon.  And I have half the year left to reduce my stash!

This week:  + 17 yards,  – 0  yards
This year:  + 74.25 yards,  – 79.25 yards
Net destashed added in 2017:  5 yards

2017-06-27 18.42.32Here’s a photo for you, in case you have too much color in your life.  Either it’s raining cats around here, or Yuri hopes he’s camouflaged while waiting for a chipmunk to come by.

Good luck on sewing up your stash!


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Piggy Bank Failure


So, last July, I counted up my “bank” (pitcher in the china cabinet), spent the money on Craftsy classes, and pledged to do even better this year.  And then I didn’t.

I didn’t notice at the time, but my spending/buying habits changed a lot.  I was still recovering from the first knee surgery, and then had the second in September, so I was driving less and shopping in stores less for most of the year.   I’m trying to declutter here, so I said no to lots of stuff while I was shopping.  When I did treat myself, it was to clothes and shoes, mostly bought online, so no change back.  I had fewer Etsy sales, so fewer trips to the Post Office and nearby coffee shop.

I think I probably saved a lot of money, but that poor pitcher stayed nearely empty!  So apparently this savings method is no longer for me.

Check out the Piggy Bank Challenge at Val’s Quilting Studio to find others who were much more successfull!


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WIP Wednesday: More Zebras!


I hope you all had a great weekend including those of you in the US, who were BBQing, parading, fireworking, etc.

I was tired from the extended weekend, and didn’t have firm plans to sew, until I saw Christa’s post this morning about her HST Remix.  Her scrappy half square triangles were exactly what I needed to turn the last of my zebra scraps into one more baby quilt!  I’ve pieced triangles before, out of necessity,  but always with the same fabric.  I don’t know why it never occurred to me make them scrappy!  So I shamelessly stole Christa’s idea and did just that.


All my scraps were already 6 7/8″ in width, but short of being squares.  I sewed them into one long strip, then cut that into squares to make the HSTs.  I paired them with pale green and gray fabrics.  I like how they soften it up.

I’m still arranging blocks.  The lower left corner is not as dark as in the photo, but I may sub out a lighter gray.

Anyway, thanks, Christa!


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June and July Goals


Happy July to everyone!  Happy Canada Day, too!  Congradulations on 150 years!

I was all set to give myself an A+ for completing my modest June goals, but I think I’m confused on the steps to the Layer Cake Explosion quilt-along.  It’s what I get for doing two group quilts at the same time!  Oh, well.  Progress was made.  It was good.

June Goals:

(Well, June is half over, so I’ll keep it brief.)

  1. Layer Cake Explosion, Clue 2 (Twilter Quilt-Along) Yes!  Here.
  2. Layer Cake Explosion, Clue 3  Um, no.  I think I got confused about the clues, and thought I was caught up.  Oh, well.
  3. Pacific Stars Mystery Quilt (by Charlotte Scott on Carol’s Quilts blog), Clue 1  Yes!
  4. Pacific Stars, Clue 2  Yes!  Here.

Bonus:  Zebra Baby Quilt

 

I’ll be traveling some in July, gardening, preserving, reading, summering, so these goals are modest, too.

July Goals

  1. Make blocks for Kat’s July/August Covered in Love block drive.
  2. Continue with Layer Cake Explosion, whichever step I’m on.
  3. Continue with Pacific Stars.
  4. Experiment with some kind of floral, layered art quilt thingy.  (Vague enough?)

 

Truly hope all of you are enjoying your summer (or winter) and your sewing.