Evening in the Garden Quilts

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Sunday Stash 6/29/14 and Monthly Goals

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Stash:

A great week of finishes!  I finished Beach Quilt VI, and then, this weekend, finished both the Rail Fence quilts for the Scrap Basket Quilt Along.  (I hope to post on those tomorrow.)  Those last two emptied a shallow drawer in my wire baskets that had held all my cowboy and plaid fabric.  Whoot!  Progress!  In good shape to use up 100 yards this year.

This week: +0 yards, -22.5 yards

YTD: +64.75 yards, -133 yards

Net stash used 2014: –68.25 yards

 

Monthly Goals:

June Goals

1.  Make blocks for Slow Quilt  Yes!  And completed the top!  It’s marinating while I consider batting and quilting.

2.  Donate baby quilts to Project Linus  Yes!  Regular contact seems to have quit;  forced to go to new-to-me quilt shop and dine out afterward, but it’s done!

3.  Commit to a small pouch/bag project and gather supplies.  Sort of .  I’ve decided on box pouches for the kids.  Need to order zippers.

4.  Make something with scraps just for fun.   TWO Rail Fence quilts for Amanda Jean’s Scrap Basket Quilt Along!

 

July Goals

1.  Make 5-7 box pouches for kids’ Christmas gifts.

2.  Organize stash.

3.  Clean straighten sewing studio.

 

July goals are not ambitious, are they?  But it’s summer in this part of the world, my studio heats up by early afternoon, and we’ll be gone almost a week in July.  I’ll be happy to accomplish these.

 

2014 Goals:

I’m very pleased with my progress on these.  I’ve read the books; I’ve been a little experimental with quilting; I tried a new block and used it to make a well-planned, slowly executed top ( it incorporates bold sashing, but not as much as I meant to, so I may do more with that); I’m edging my way into the bag/pouch sewing.  Still need to work on the curved piecing and finish up the other projects.  A good place to be in mid-year.

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Beautiful beet mix from the garden.

 

 

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

 

 


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Design Wall Monday: 6/23/14

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This weekend I put frames around some of the Beach scraps.  There are a few shell fabrics, but by now they are mainly just tan or aqua pieces, and a few whole squares of stripes and ribbons.  I was going to use aqua and khaki in the framing, but the “Azure”, I think it was, didn’t go well with the centers.  This Cream solid and tan print are definitely lower volume than the other quilts, but I like the way the centers stand out.

 

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I also put the top and bottom together for the plaid Rail Fence for the Scrap Basket Quilt Along.

 

What are you working on this week?  I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

 

 


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Design Wall Monday: 6/16/14

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These are not exactly “on the wall”; more like works in progress.  I assembled all the blocks from the cowboy fabric into a Rail Fence top for the Scrap Basket Quilt Along, and made a back.  I included extra rail blocks and a few orphan blocks.

 

Christmas gift bags from a couple of years ago.

Christmas gift bags from a couple of years ago.

I also started making shopping bags from the pile of bird seed sacks in the corner of my studio.  I made some of these a couple of years ago as gifts, and have been saving bags ever since.  My reusable shopping bags are getting a little tattered, so I can use some new ones, but mostly I just want to get rid of some of these bags.  I looked on Etsy to see what others are doing, and found quite a few using these bags.  My favorite is Julia, of One Woman Studio.  Her design sense and color and bag choices really resonate with me.  I also stole a few of her construction techniques.  I’m not going to sell mine (probably).  These are just for my own use, and to keep the pretty bags out of the landfill.

This week's bag

This week’s bag

Nylon web is really the right material for handles, but I’m trying not to buy anything, so my handles are denim cut from old jeans.  Very comfortable for carrying groceries.  I measured my favorite cloth grocery bag to get an idea of size, and cut the front and back 20″ square (from two bags that are too small to use on their own for grocery sacks).  I used a strong poly quilting thread that I have a lot of in a lavender color that I don’t use often.  I tried out some of the stitches on my machine that I usually neglect.  I tried to take advantage of the unique properties of the bags, their body and resistance to fraying, instead of the garment sewing techniques I had used previously.  Lots of flat construction and zigzag-like stitching.  The next will be better, and faster.

I’m also interested in other ideas for using these bags.  Do you have any?

 

What are you trying this week?

I’m linking up with Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 6/15/14

Happy Father’s Day!  I know I have some male readers.  Why don’t some of you comment and tell how you spent your day?

The Stash

Nothing out this week, but nothing in either!  I made a top and a back this week from the cowboy fabrics, and have all the blocks ready for a plaid top.  I considered quilting the one, just to have a finish, but I am way ahead on the Scrap Basket Quilt Along, and thought I would wait to see if Amanda Jean has any interesting ideas on how to quilt these Rail Fences.

This week: +0 yards, -0 yards

YTD: +64.75 yards, -110.5 yards

Net stash used 2014: -45.75 yards

 

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The Garden

Yesterday I was thinking about preserving all the cilantro that has loved our cool spring.  I can actually keep a little growing most of the year, between the garden and the greenhouse, but somehow not when I really want it.  I know it can be frozen or frozen as “pesto”, but that requires blanching (easy, but I only had one armfull; didn’t seem worth heating up the water).  Instead, I made Cilantro Salt using these directions.

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This was super easy, and reduced it to a small jar for the fridge.  I also made a smaller jar using dill.  It did seem very salty, but I don’t cook with a lot of salt, so maybe it’s just me.  I reduced the amount of salt with the dill, so we’ll see which I like better.

 

Hope you have a great day.  I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 6/8/14

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The center of the Slow Quilt came together last night, though it still needs borders.  It will be a while till this is finished and counts off the stash.

So, nothing in and nothing out this week, but that’s okay.

This week: +0 yards, -0 yards
YTD: +64.75 yards, -110.5 yards
Net stash used 2014: –45.75 yards

 

 

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In other news, the garden is growing well, and we have a bumper crop of cats.

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


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Sunday Stash Report 6/1/14

Urbana-20130414-00786

Stash:

A new month!  Happy June to everyone.  A quilt (Beach Quilt V) was finished this week, and no new fabric came in.  Doing well on the stash busting.

 

This week: +0 yards, -7.5 yards
YTD: +64.75 yards, -110.5 yards
Net stash used 2014: -45.75 yards

 

Goals:

 

May Goals

1.  Finish bright floral quilt.   Yes!

2. Make blocks for Slow Quilt.   Um, made one.

3.  Donate older baby quilts to Project Linus.   I put them in a bag…  I made a new one from scraps….

4.  Commit to a small pouch/bag project and gather supplies.    Nothing.  Never though about it.

 

 

June Goals

1.  Make blocks for Slow Quilt.

2.  Donate baby quilts to Project Linus.

3.  Commit to a small pouch/bag project and gather supplies.

4.  Make something with scraps just for fun.

 

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Well, that was easy.  But it’s summer, and I can’t make myself get too serious about this stuff.  July and August may look the same!

 

Hope you are making some kind of progress!  I’m linking up to Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.

 

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 5/25/14

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Happy Sunday, and happy Memorial Day Weekend!  The weather here is gorgeous.  Hope you’re all getting to spend time as you want, sewing or with family.  Some of us are sewing along on Twitter, #mdsi.

 

This week: +0 yards, -2.5 yards
YTD: +64.75 yards, -103 yards
Net stash used 2014: -38.25 yards

 

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The yardage used was for this baby quilt I made for Project Linus from scraps.  I have several quilts set aside to give them, and I thought I’d add one or two before I called my connection.  I was also looking for some non-fiddly chain piecing to do, and this filled the bill, at least for the four patch part of the Disappearing Four Patches.

 

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I used a different tutorial from last time.  I found this one from Missouri Star Quilt Co.  I don’t know if it comes out exactly the same as rotating all the center bars, but it is easy, and most of the seam allowances were turned the right way to make assembly easier.

 

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The backing is the cloud and planet fabric.  It’s quilted all over with stars, loops, and clouds, using one of Superior’s newish Fantastico variegated threads.

 

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


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Sunday Stash Report: 5/11/14

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Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!  This photo has nothing to do with the holiday.  This is Anni Slywalker.   She never makes it into the blog because she’s so hard to photograph and she doesn’t hang out in the studio, but I caught her on this quilt the other day.

 

Good news on the destashing efforts.  I finished the Floral quilt, which used 8 yards, and nothing came in.

This week: +0 yards, -8 yards
YTD: +64.75 yards, -101.5 yards
Net stash used 2014: -35.75 yards

So, I’ve used a hundred yards of fabric so far this year, and I’m more than a third of the way to my goal of destashing a hundred yards this year.  Looking good!

 

I hope you’re spending today doing exactly what you would like, quilty or not.

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

 

 

 


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Sunday Stash and Goals Update: 5/4/14

Oriole2

 

Hello!  Let me first confess that I did not take this picture.  I tried all morning, but my Baltimore Orioles would not cooperate.  Still, they are fantastically colorful and entertaining at my feeder.  I have seen up to six at a time, and the males are so bright!

 

Stash:

I bought three yards of solids on Saturday, but considering that I was actually standing in Fabric Shack, I think that shows amazing will power.  We stopped in Waynesville, OH on the way to the Reds ball game to celebrate my husband’s 60th birthday.  Yesterday was a Derby Party.  Therefore, nothing was finished this week.

This week: +3 yards, -0 yards
YTD: +64.75 yards, -93.5 yards
Net stash used 2014: -27.75 yards

 

April Goals

1. Quilt gray and yellow quilt.   Finished.  See 1 and 2 here.

2. Make commissioned baby quilt in navy.

3. Make a floral quilt.  No, I didn’t.  I made a beach quilt instead.

4. Design a block for my Slow Quilt.  I’m collecting the fabrics.  Done.

 

Storm at Sea

 

Here’s the block I’m using in the Slow Quilt.  It’s a version of Storm at Sea.  Saturday’s purchase was the last of the fabric (I think).

 

May Goals

1.  Finish bright floral quilt.

2. Make blocks for Slow Quilt.

3.  Donate older baby quilts to Project Linus.

4.  Commit to a small pouch/bag project and gather supplies.

 

These are not ambitious goals, I know, but they reflect the fact that it is May.  I will be away some, and working on the yard and garden, so I’ll be lucky to accomplish these.

Does anyone know of a site that has taken up this Getting It Done/ Monthly Goals project?  If there’s not, would any of you be interested in linking here?  Please let me know.

I hope you’re all progressing with your Stash and quilting goals.  I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.


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Sunday Stash Report: 4/27/14

Hello!  First and formost, the new phone arrived and all is well!  It’s a Samsung S4, except it’s red (!),  it takes fabulous photos, and loads all the wonderful Android apps, so I’m happy here.  I knew you’d want to know.

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On the fabric front, progress was not made.  While I used 7 1/2 yards to make a beach themed quilt, I bought 9 yards from Fabric.com.  It was the oddest thing.  I was attempting to click a link, and I missed, and got Fabric.com, where there was a sale and free shipping.  It felt like destiny.  It’s good stuff, don’t you think?  And most is designated for planned quilts.  Yes, I am working on destashing.  Yes, I will do better.  Next week.

This week: +9 yards, -7.5 yards
YTD: +61.75 yards, -93.5 yards
Net stash used 2014: -31.75 yards

That’s still about a third of the way to 100 yards, isn’t it?  I’m okay with it.

Are you doing any better controlling your stash?  I’m linking up with Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times.