Evening in the Garden Quilts

Adventures in Fabric Art

Tag Archives: stash reduction


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Beach Quilt Finished

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I finished another in the continuing series of beach-themed quilts.  It began in 2010 when I made this quilt for a sick friend, all from stash, I think.  It turned out nicely and was appreciated.  I think the busyness is contained by the dark inner border.  Then, in 2012, I used some of the leftover fabrics plus lots of khaki Kona to make this one.  Obviously, it didn’t use much of the beachy fabric, so I continued.  Last July I made this quilt.  It turned out well, but was a process.  Follow the link in that post to see how I cut lots of squares and then ended up editing about half of them.  So today’s quilt uses many of those edited pieces.

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The quilting is with a brown variegated thread from Coats and Clarks and a blue/green variegated Lava from Superior.

 

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The back is so subtle it doesn’t show in the photos, but it is antique postcards in lovely cream and pale blue tones.

And, never fear, if you don’t like this one, I have scraps left for at least one more!

 

 

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

 

 


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Scrapitude is Finished!

Last fall, Sandy‘s friend, Charlotte, started a mystery quilt named Scrapitude with their guild.  Sandy asked to post the steps on her blog, and the rest is history.  Her readers and many of us on Twitter (#Twilters)  grabbed our scraps and got started cutting.  This was my first mystery quilt, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew that Charlotte does beautiful work with scraps.  I had trouble letting go of control of colors, and I didn’t completely, but this is the scrappiest thing I’ve made.  And it turned out pretty well.

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I started with these.

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They looked like this all cut up.  I decided to use several shell pinks for the background pieces.

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From those pieces we made these blocks.

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And now I have this quilt (80″ square).  Yes, it’s very pink.  I think the colors work really well together, but I hadn’t realized it would be quite so …pink.  It is cheery and fun to look at, with all the different fabrics.  It will live in my guest room, so people will get it in small doses.

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I stitched the stars in the ditch, with an orange peel in the centers, using an “old rose” colored Bottom Line thread.  I quilted the whole pink background with an unmarked orange peel motif in pale pink.  I had a lot of fun with that part, and I really like the texture.

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The back is shell pink and olive batik.

It was lots of fun to sew these with everyone else, but the best part is seeing how differently they are all turning out.  Keep checking this Flickr group to see the progress.

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I’m linking up with Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

 


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Log Cabin Finish

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This quilt has been a while in the making, but it’s all finished now.  I completed the blocks in the middle of July, 2013, and put the top together sometime this winter.  Then I quilted it during the Quilts of Valor Sew-In and Sports Ball Sew-In this past weekend.  Monday I added a bright blue binding that I think is perfect.

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This quilt is all made from stash.  The red “chimneys” are 2 1/2″ and 3 1/2″ patches from my bins.  The “logs” are all strings, except for the wolf and owl fabric.  This seemed like a good use for it, except that their eyes do stare at you!

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This is being donated to Quilts of Valor, so I was planning a quick job on the quilting.  I stabilized it by quilting in the ditch between all the blocks using Bottom Line thread.

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Then I marked a wavy line down either side of the columns and rows of blocks (I think straight lines would have looked odd on these really wonky cabins), and switched to a medium blue Masterpiece thread so the stitches would show more.  I used the walking foot, thinking I would sew on the marking and a line on either side.  I found I wanted to add one more line in each area (24 extra trips across the quilt), and that came close to catching every strip of fabric in at least a bit of quilting.

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The plan was to quilt a star outline in each red patch, but, again, that didn’t seem like enough, so I stippled around all thirty-five of them.  I’m really happy with the effect.  It has enough quilting, and the waves make a nice effect as they undulate across the surface.

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As always, I enjoyed sewing with the #Twilters and others who joined us for Super Bowl weekend.  The QOV Sew-In was very quiet by comparison, at least on Twitter.  Maybe Facebook and Instagram were more chatty.  I also got the idea folks were sewing in groups, so they had plenty of live company.  Maybe they got more done than those of us who sew with one hand and tweet with the other all day!  I won a prize from QOV, so I’m not complaining.

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This will be heading off to Heather as soon as I get finished looking at it hanging over my stair railing!

What have you finished?  I’m linking up to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.


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Quilty Resolutions 2014

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My quilting the past year felt a little directionless, so I’m trying to sets a few goals for this year.

Bags

I’ve sewn purses and bags through the years, but haven’t tried the new ones popular in this century.

  • I asked for and received Purses, Bags, and Totes by Moya’s Workshop for Christmas.
  • I’ve been saving Pins, tutorials, and posts about bags I like on Evernote for the last two years.  (Do you use Evernote to save everything in your life?  Recipes, blog posts, web pages, everthing, all nice and organized and private.  Across all devices.  I love it.)
  • I think little zipper pouches would make good gifts for kids at Christmas, and would be a good way to try out several patterns.

Quilt Variety

I tend to get into ruts extended studies on the same pattern or quilting design.  I don’t think that’s all bad, but I want to branch out some this year.

  • Do more with curved piecing.  It’s been a while.
  • Pick out a block pattern I’ve never used before.
  • Asked for Fabulous Feathers and Fillers by Sue Nichols for Christmas.  Okay, so that’s not different, but maybe I can take them in another direction.  And I could stand to learn a new filler or two.
  • Saw a great old quilt with really bold sashing that I want to try.

Slow Quilt

I do love to pull fabrics with abandon, cut big patches quickly, and stitch up a bright, fresh quilt before the energy can leave me, but maybe it’s time to slow down and make something planned and elaborate and maybe even show quality.  Maybe.

Stash

My goal is to have a net use of 100 yards again this year.  I’ve done it the previous two years.  I think the wire basket drawers where I keep my fabric are closing a little easier… hard to tell, but I must be making progress.  At least the fabric is turning over, and the drawers are stuffed with more modern fabric that is more my taste.  Sunday Stash Report at Patchwork Times is a great motivator, and I’ve really enjoyed my membership in the Flickr group, Stash Pact II:  Electric Bugaloo.  I can’t tell if we’re going into the new year, but I hope so.  There haven’t been comments in quite a while, but we continue to post photos as we sew, knit, scrap, etc., our way through our stashes.  Really positive people.

Getting It Done 2014

I haven’t seen if Judy is doing this again at Patchwork Times, but I hope so, and I expect she will.

January Goals

  1. Make ten pillowcases to go with the two I have for donation.
  2. Make HST commission quilt
  3. Make string commission quilt
  4. Scrapitude, step 4

Wishing all of you a great year in your personal and quilting lives!


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Pink and Green Cabins

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I finished this quilt and finally found a pleasant day for photographing it.

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It’s a big throw, 60″ x 82″.  I blogged more about making it here. 

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I know fabric is fabric, and the last inch costs the same as the first, but somehow a quilt made entirely out of strings seems like a dividend.

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I quilted it with diagonal lines using the walking foot.  I used pink and green Superior “Living Colors” and “Nature’s Colors” threads.

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I’d love to see what you’ve finished.

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


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Sunday Stash Report: 10/27/13

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Sewing away over here, but no finishes to report.  No fabric in, no fabric out.  Next week should be much more exciting.  This is Krissi, by the way.

This week:  +0 yards,  -0 yards

YTD:  +123 yards,  -205.5 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -82.5 yards

How are you doing with your destashing?

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


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Sunday Stash Report: 10/20/13

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Lots of little sewing, not too much fabric used, but none came in, so I’m edging toward my goal of 100 yards destashing.  The holiday wall hangings took 2.5 yards.  Working on using up really old Christmas stash.

 

This week:  +0 yards,  -2.5 yards

YTD:  +123 yards,  -205.5 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -82.5 yards

 

How are you doing with your goals?

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

 

 


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Sunday Stash Report: 6/16/13

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Happy Father’s Day!  I did skip last week’s report, because I hadn’t added any fabric or used any (I don’t count till I have a finish.)  Also, I am dismally behind on all of your blogs and podcasts, so that would be why you aren’t receiving any comments or encouragement from me.  I’m with you all in spirit!

This was a good week, because the Tulip Quilt used 10.5 yards, and I used 2 more for a pair of pillowcases.  All that tulip fabric is very nearly gone, but there are strings… Hmm.  Log cabin?  Sometimes it seems as though we never use it all up.

This week:  +0 yards,  -12.5 yards

YTD:  =83.5 yards,  -157 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -72.5 yards

 

How are you coming with your stash reduction?

 

I have a new project coming up as I will soon receive a package of baby clothes to use in a commission quilt and pillow cover.  Do any of you have any experience doing a quilt like this?  Know any links to nice memory projects like this?  The client and I have communicated about the design, but I’d like to see lots of ideas.

 

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

 


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Design Wall Monday: D4P

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Today’s fabrics aren’t even on the design wall yet.  I spent time today repairing the damage to my fabric closet after The Great Stash Cave In.  The problem was the extremely close quarters inside the closet.  There is not enough space to pull the baskets straight out to remove them from the frames.  And I have some backings hanging in there.  And packing boxes.  And I was in there.  So that was an ordeal.

 

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But while I was at it I pulled several older, floral fabrics that I do not wish to see anymore.  They are lovely, and perfectly good quality.  I once was obsessed with tulip fabric.  I collected quite a bit, and made one of my nieces a twin sized quilt using a lot of it.  But I still have a lot left.  And I’m just not as into it.  So I want this to become my next donation quilt.  Perhaps someone else can indulge a tulip obsession.  Or at least keep warm.

My concept at the moment is to do a Disappearing Four Patch that transitions gradually from one fabric to the next as it goes across the quilt.  I’m still working out how to do that, but I think I’ve settled on the fabrics.  The florals and the pink are definite.  I’m reluctant to include my wonderful green Grunge because I like it so much, but that’s silly, isn’t it?  I bought it to cut up and sew into quilts.  I just want to use it and keep it, too, like cake.  But it wants to be in this quilt, so I will probably use it.  I think.

 

Are you playing with fabric today?

 

I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Time.

 


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Sunday Stash Report: A little out, a little in. 6/2/13

 
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It’s been a busy, hot week, and I didn’t sew as much as I would have liked.  I need to make sure I get up early and not linger over the coffee and tablet.  Our woods are deceptively cool, but by noon my upstairs studio is usually too hot for sewing in this weather.  We’ve also been away a fair amount.   This week I used 6 1/2 yards for the Orange and Gray String Quilt.  I’ll blog about it soon.

 
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Some fabric was purchased.  10 1/2 yards.  but isn’t it pretty?  Those are little gray flying geese on the white one!  I passed by The Fabric Shack twice in the last two weeks, but I couldn’t look the other way the third time.  The geese were on sale…  Aaa, I have the rest of the year to make it to -100 yards!

 

This week:  +10.5 yards,  -6.5 yards

YTD:  +83.5 yards,  -144.4 yards

Net stash used in 2013:  -61 yards

 

How are you doing with your destashing?

 

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