Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art


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Sunday Stash Report. 9/8/13

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Yes, a bit of new fabric, but it’s necessary!  The solids are Kona Water, Kumquat, Candy, and Bluejay.

And, of course, I finished the Coffee Quilt, so that more than offset the purchases. 

This week:  +5 yards, -7.5 yards
YTD:  +119.5, -180.25
Net stash used in 2013:  -60.75

I think I’ll get to my 100 yards destashed goal by the end of the year, don’t you?  How are you doing?

Thank you to everyone who left such nice comments on my Blogiversary post yesterday!  It was great to hear from you all.

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


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My First Blogiversary!

 

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Yes, I’ve been blogging for one year today!  That’s 155 posts!  476 comments (thank you!)!  And my most viewed post ever was just yesterday (274 views!), so I can’t stop now.  I’m clearly on a roll!

Looking back at my purposes for starting a blog, I find that I’ve at least begun to accomplish much of what I set out to do.  I know that I’m just a little blip on the quilt blogging radar, but I’ve really “met” a lot of nice people from several countries.  Quilters are so positive and encouraging!  It’s a nice community of which to be a part.  I’ve enjoyed linking up to parties and groups at Patchwork Times, Freshly Pieced, Crazy Mom Quilts, Celtic Thistle Stitches, and A Quilting Reader’s Garden, as well as discovering far too many great bloggers who’ve linked to those sites.  It seems like I’m always behind and don’t comment often enough, but I truly appreciate my commenters.  Thank you, it would be hard talking to an empty room.

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I’ve enjoyed taking part in Flicker groups:  Fresh Modern Quilts, Stash Pact II: Electric Bugaloo, Project Hope Online Quilt Show, and To Boston With Love.

I’ve probably shown too much of my own work, but I have done a couple of tutorials, and linked to some charitable and memorial giving.  We had far too much need for that this year, but it felt good when you let me know that you were inspired to contribute, too.

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I thought all my cats would help with this project, but clearly it’s been Yuri who’s been the star.  I relay all your admiration to him.

My sewing skills have improved and I’ve done some things outside my comfort zone.  I’m not very patient about the photography, but it’s taught me much about light and the way it changes through the seasons.  I’ve added Snapseed and Picasso to my tablet to have some fun with the photos.  This blog had brought some traffic to my Etsy shop, too.

It was exciting to have my quilt, Hot Summer Cabins, published in Southern Weddings Magazine.  Hard to see, but exciting.

Another high point came when one of my baby quilts went home with a little premature baby.  Sigh.

It hasn’t been an easy year for me personally, but I’ve found a ton of support and laugher from the #Twilters on Twitter.  We all cheer each other on emotionally, quitily, and health-wise.  I’ve lost fifteen pounds this year and I’m now walking three miles most days, spurred on by our #qhc (quilters health check), and #QuiltBits (our FitBit pedometer group).  Together we’ve taken a lot of steps.  We’ve also had some great Sew-Ins.  These ladies rock.

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I guess the only thing missing has been the free fabric from major companies.  Eh, they’d probably just expert me to sew something with it, and I’m pretty busy already.

Thanks, everyone!  And please keep reading!

 

 


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Coffee Quilt is Finished!

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I used the Labor Day Sew-In on Twitter ( #LDSI ) to make myself focus and get this quilt completed!  On and off all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we sewed and tweeted away.  Everyone else shared multiple finishes ( it seemed to me), but they encouraged me through the various steps and cheered me along.  Monday morning I finished quilting the border and put on the binding.  Yay!

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Others agreed that we don’t enjoy piecing a large quilt back, but I really think the results were worth the work.  Love this!

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I quilted free-form feathers in all the card trick blocks using orange Highlights from Superior, and did a small stipple in dark brown Bottom Line on the espresso backgrounds.

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In the borders,  I outlined all the cats and books using smoke invisible thread.  I swear by Superior’s Monopoly.  I zoomed through the borders at a fast speed and never had the least bit of trouble with thread breakage.  That’s very important because I can’t see well enough to rethread the needle with that darn transparent stuff!  Honestly, I did not sew around every book;  I “laddered” back and forth, alternating books, which I think still give the appearance of them all being quilted.

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That border gave me fits.  I had found three yards of the out-print-fabric on Etsy, and expected to have enough to use on the back, too.  Au contrare.  First I discovered that the rows of cats did not contain enough space for cutting and seams, so I had to sacrifice a row of cats every time I cut.  Then I discovered that the rows were not all the same width.  Sheesh.  Who’s the nimrod who designed this?  So, in two corners the border miters nicely, and in the other two there is no way.  I feel that it looks as if I were careless, but it was the best I could do.  I trimmed the outer edges in such a way that I think is looks matched, if you don’t look too closely.  Oh, well.  It is a great border print.

This turned out dark and rich and cozy.  I think it will be just right for curling up with a good book, your favorite cat, and a glass of wine or cup of coffee.  And one of my Christmas gifts is finished!

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


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WIP Wednesday: Fall Fever

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With the Coffee Quilt finished during the Labor Day Sew-In on Twitter (pictures on Friday!), I was good and cut up all my scraps from this and a few past projects, and put away the piles of fabric that had been accumulated.  Of course, my clean slate only lasted about twelve hours, but I felt virtuous.

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One of my Getting it Done goals was some fall pieces for my shop.  When I pulled out my fall fabrics (I have a little!), I found a ton of scraps to cut up and a lot of strings.  I knew I wanted to use them for wall hangings, instead of the applique I did last year.

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I designed this log cabin wall hanging on EQ7, to be made from rich fall prints with sky blue “chimneys”.  I also worked out the math for a very different one I want to do with string blocks.

Now excuse while I go dive into those gorgeous scraps!

Hope you’re playing with fabric today.

I’m linking up with WIP Wednesday on Freshly Pieced.


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Sunday Stash Report: 9/1/13

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Nothing. Nada. Zilch.  No change in the stash this week, even though I’ve been sewing.  I’m quilting the Coffee Quilt, and I expect to bind it tomorrow, so the numbers will start moving in the right direction next week.

This week:  +0 yards,  – 0 yards
YTD:  +114.5 yards,  -172.75 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  -58.25 yards

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the process, quilting away with the Twilters at the #LDSI. Join us.  We’re there today and tomorrow.

How are you coming on your stash reduction?

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


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Getting it Done in August and September

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Don’t I write of these End of Month posts about every week?  Well, it is that time again, and I’ve fallen short of even my modest goals.

August Goals

1.  Finish SIL’s Coffee Quilt top.

2.  Quilt Coffee Quilt.  (About halfway finished…)

September Goals

1.  Quilt and bind Coffee Quilt.

2.  Make some fall wall hangings for my shop.

3.  Make a small art quilt from a vacation photo.

4. Revisit my Oh, My Stars UFO.

Summer’s so distracting.  And balance is good.  It would be silly to sit at the sewing machine all day and let summer pass us by.

We all know that September is the official start of the new year, right?  So I have great plans.

One thing that’s inspiring me to sew this weekend is the Labor Day Sew-In on Twitter, #LDSI  .  It’s a lot of fun to see what everyone’s dong and give and get feedback as I take little stretching breaks.  If you’re looking for me, I’m @ scooquilt .

That’s where I stole this cool idea.  Glenna posted that she used You Doodle to audition quilt ideas.  I couldn’t find that for my tablet, but I did find Picasso.  So far, so fun!

How did you do on your August goals?  I’ve probably made you look good! You’re welcome!

I’m linking up to Getting It Done at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 8/25/13

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I’ve been working at getting back to the sewing this week, making six more of the Card Trick blocks each day that I could get to the machine.  All twenty-four for the center of the Coffee Quilt are finished, but I still need to assemble them and add the borders.

The only fabric that went out this week is 1.75 yards I used for these bandanas for firefighters in Idaho.  Thank you, Jaye, for passing along this link.

This week:  +0 yards,  -1.75 yards
YTD:  +114.5 yards,  -172.75 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  -58.25 yards

How are doing with your destashing?  As we pass Labor Day, I know things will settle down and we’ll start to see some progress!

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


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WIP Wednesday: Sewing Again!

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Yes, six new blocks, like this, for the Coffee Quilt.  I will was all thumbs using the rotary cutter after so long away.  I wasted some fabric, but eventually cut enough triangles to make these.  Even managed to include some yellow Mirror Ball, one of my favorite fabrics. These blocks finish at nine inches.  The weather looks to be cooling off, so I may get this top pieced before the month is out; quilted, I’m not so sure.  Twelve more Cardtrick blocks
and then mitered borders.

My sewing machine is purring away after being cleaned.  However, six blocks were all my back and shoulders could handle.  Now to catch up some on reading blogs (don’t even ask how far behind I am on podcasts!)

How are you progressing?

I’m linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.


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There and Back Again

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Twenty-six days and 5960 miles later, I am back where I started after our thirtieth anniversary car trip.  DH and I rarely tent camp now, so this one was motels, restaurants, and picnic lunches. 

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We also stayed in, or at least dined in, all those great railroad lodges of the US and Canadian Rockies.  Considering that, I was glad to return home weighing a half pound less and having walked over 50 miles, according to my Fitbit pedometer. And stairs. Did I mention we were on the third floor at Many Glacier Lodge?

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We waded across the Mississippi at its source at Lake Itasca.  We admired the beautiful farms of Iowa, and the plains and mountains, rivers, lakes, and glaciers.

The weather was moderate to very cool and crisp all through our trip. I wore jeans more often than I thought I would. And wool socks in my Columbia sandals are not only warm, they’re cushy like slippers. Even the plains were not too warm.

We discovered that there are many places where you can still be without phone service, and that not everyone’s idea of “WiFi”actually works.

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I think this shot should become a quilt, don’t you?

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We saw a lot of wildlife.

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Much of the US side of the trip was a repeat of various other years, but the Canadian side was all new.  Here is beautiful Lake Louise, but I could not get the turquoise color of the water to photograph.

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The laundry’s been done, the house is presentable, I’ve preserved the most pressing vegetables from the garden and the blueberries we brought back from Michigan, and done the grocery shopping.  Today I need to pay bills and vacuum my studio in preparation for my machine’s homecoming from the “spa”.  Tomorrow, let the sewing begin!

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Sunday Stash Report: Home from Vacation

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Back from our Odyssey across America and Canada, and only 2 yards of fabric returned with me!  I am happy to report that there are hundreds of quilt shops in the northern US and Canada, but I did not shop in most of them.  DH kept saying, “Do you want to go in that shop?”, as if it would make up for the hours of staring at the plains or slogging through yet another museum or gift shop.  I kept reminding him that I already own plenty of fabric.  I did buy these pre-cuts at The Quilt Patch in Moose jaw, SK, with the idea of reproducing some of those plains or mountains in quilt form.

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On return, I found that Timeless Treasures had sent me this Tonga Treat Mini as a thank-you for the quilts I donated to Hurricane Sandy Relief.  Darn, batiks!

This week:  +2.75 yards, -0 yards
YTD:  +114.5 yards,  -171 yards
Net stash used in 2013:  56.5 yards

How is your summer going?  Getting to be time for back-to-school and some serious sewing!

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