Valerie Root | Evening in the Garden Quilts

June 12, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 6/12/16

Yep, I went to Fabric Shack this week, so the numbers will be out of whack for a while. I had to buy it, really, because it was in my June Goals to get border and backing fabric for a WIP.

Now I have enough to back several! I ordered on line, and then we went pick it up, instead of having it shipped. Of course, that resulted in adding another yard…

This week I recovered the seat cushion for our outdoor settee and made a couple of pillow covers from the scraps. That wasn’t from the stash, though, it was stiff, surly outdoor fabric with which I’m glad to be finished.

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The only quilt fabric used was three quarters of a yard for the eight donation blocks for Kat.

This week: + 21 yards, – .75 yards
This year: + 74 yards, – 79.75 yards
Net destashed in 2016: 5.75 yards

Keep watching as I use those backs!
Keep using your stash, even if you have to shop to do it!

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

June 2, 2016
by Valerie 6 Comments

Black and White Finish

Yesterday I finished the Black and White Stars Baby Quilt. This was a quick, spontaneous little quilt just because I came across that pile of fabrics in my stash. I liked making the wonky stars enough that I may do another project.

The binding is a little different: I matched it to to value of the quilt. Usually, I would contrast it to act as a frame, but I didn’t want any more busy-ness on this one.

I used a total of eight different black and white prints (six on the front, plus two additional on the back), as well as black and white Kona solid.

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I tried a new (to me) batting. It is thicker and heavier than Warm and White.

It was not more trouble to sandwich or quilt, but I do think it shows off the quilting a little better.

And it produced a very snuggly quilt, as you can see.

Hope you’ve had some great finishes lately.

I’m linking up to Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and to Let’s Make Baby Quilts at Michelle’s Romantic Tangle.

June 1, 2016
by Valerie 1 Comment

May/ June Goals

May June

Happy June to all of you! Here in the States Monday was Memorial Day. The Twilters! had a Sew-In on Twitter and Facebook more or less all weekend. It was a little quiet, but fun to share. I worked on the Black and White Stars baby quilt, completing my goals for May. Look for pics of that on Friday. Not bad, especially considering that we were vacationing for almost two weeks in May.

May Goals:

Make blocks for Kat’s May block drive. Yes! I think I sent eight blocks.
Make Birds in the Air blocks for the Twilters! swap. Yes! I sent forty blocks.
Finish cleaning behind the door in my studio. Almost. It’s a lot better, but I need to hang a picture and rearrange some things.
Make a baby quilt for my shop. I’m saying Yes, because the Black and White Stars baby quilt is all finished but the binding, and I’ll do that on the machine tomorrow.

June Goals:

Recover settee cushion for our deck.
Order fabric to finish Scrappy Stars Around the Corner.
Hang photo in Studio, etc.
Work on a new coastal themed art quilt.
Make blocks for Kat’s June block drive.

I’m a little limited in summer sewing because my studio is upstairs, and it heats up as the day goes on. So far, Yuri’s been getting me up early and I’ve gotten some time in each morning. No, he doesn’t want to sew. He’s busy doing Outside Summer Cat Things.

2016-05-25 08.22.47pol I hope you’re finding time to sew, too!

May 15, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 5/15/16

Not much sewing going on here this week, but I have worked diligently to clear up that mess behind my studio door. Almost done. Also, I boxed up a quilt and a top and back for donation and took them to the Post Office, so the fabric closet is looking better.

Four yards out this week for the Birds in the Air blocks, and nothing purchased.

This week: + 0 yards, – 4 yards
This year: + 53 yards, – 75.5 yards
Net destashed in 2016: 22.5 yards

I was itching to sew something together (not the upholstery project I should be doing!), so I dug out these impressionist fabrics. They were part of an estate, from a couple different companies, and one is dated 1997. Do you think they’ve seasoned long enough? They have a large repeat, so I don’t want to cut them up too much. I’m thinking Rail Fence. What do you think?

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

May 11, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

WIP Wednesday: Birds on Their Way

I didn’t sew any today (so far), but I did package up these Birds in the Air blocks for the Twilters! block exchange and take them to the Post Office. Thank you, Tina!

I used pieces from a floral remnant collection I got years ago from eQuilter. Most were the perfect size to cut one strip to make five blocks, leaving behind a string or nothing, so I busted these right outta my stash. Most of them were very large florals, and I like how they turned out. (The red, green, gold on black is not Christmas, it’s an Asian fabric with red chrysanthemums.)

Missing from this photo is the red geranium fabric. I was neatly stacking these when I realized I only had 35 blocks instead of the 40 I had made. I searched for several minutes before I found them hiding on a quilt where I’d been signing them. Nice try!

Hope you’re making progress!

May 8, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 5/8/16

Okay, some fabric was purchased this week! Five yards. But here’s the story. DH and I were out shopping and dining, and found ourselves seven miles away from Fabric Shack on the evening they stay open late.

What would you have done? I think it’s amazing I only bought four yards of Kona white and a yard of black Grunge. I did look around a lot at possibilities for finishing some of my current projects, but restrained myself from buying any.

I’ve been using up my white on these Twilters! exchange blocks. I made ten more this morning, for a total of twenty, so I’m half way there. I’ll count them out when I mail them off.

So the only fabric out this week is .75 yards for the eight blocks I sent to Kat.

This week: + 5 yards, – .75 yards
This year: + 53 yards, – 71.5 yards
Net destashed in 2016: 18.5 yards

Hope you’re keeping your purchases under control and really using that stash. Happy Mother’s Day!

This picture is from two years ago, but I like it.

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

May 1, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

Coral and Aqua Finish

Yesterday I finished this baby quilt. It’s 39″ square, with 7″ blocks.

The part I enjoyed most was quilting the roses free-hand (or free range!) in the solid blocks. Roses are all different, and can’t be “wrong”, can they?

I also liked the tiny chevrons I used for the binding.

We think it’s a success.

Hope you have some great finishes.

April 20, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

WIP Wednesday: The “Fly” Fabric

Today I finished Clue 4 in the Scrappy Stars Around the Corner mystery quilt. I like the way they turned out.

Here are the blocks laid out without any sashing. The Snow sashing will lighten it up a lot.

I’ve gotten questions about this very…interesting fabric that keeps popping up in my quilts. I bought it about ten years ago, and I’ve been trying to use it up ever since. Yes, I think those are flies. Almost look like mosquitos. Surely not supposed to be butterflies?

I bought this fabric (probably at JoAnn) for my niece’s cat quilt. (I’m sorry about these phone photos of film photos.) I needed a “light” black, and this seemed whimsical. I bought a couple yards because the entire background was supposed to be black. And it looked great, design-wise. But it made a very dark quilt for a graduation gift. So I bought the pale green (with it’s own insects) to finish it out. And I was left with lots of cut triangles and yardage to use up. The best place I found to use a lot of it was the second of these Rail Fence quilts. And maybe the last of it has ended up in SSAtC.

Yes, this is the “Tidy Cat” on the yellow patches. Tidy Cat briefly offered their litter in printed feed sacks about 12? 15? years ago, so I had saved one or two and they were the genisis of this quilt. You just never know.

Hope you’re making good progress on your projects!

March 20, 2016
by Valerie 2 Comments

Sunday Stash Report: 3/20/16

This week I made these three spring wall hangings for my Etsy shop. Each one took about three quarters of a yard. And I didn’t buy any fabric! These were quick and lots of fun to work on, and came almost all from old stash. However, in the last few weeks I’ve used up all my light green Kona solids, so I need to replenish those…

This week: + 0 yards, – 2.25 yards
This year: + 47.5 yards, – 63.25 yards
Net destashed in 2016: 15.75 yards

Hope your stash is headed the right way! I’m linking up to the Stash Report at Patchwork Times.