Sunday Stash Busting Report

I'm still working on the Lucky Stars quilt. When I started, I had it in my head that I had to make 30 blocks, but I really only needed 20. Don't know what I was thinking...but since I had 10 extra cut out, I decided to cut an additional 10 and make a quilt for another of my daughter's friends. So, another 10 fat quarters were taken from my stash as well as another yard of white for the backgrounds this week, for an additional 3.5 yards busted. I still have five more stars to put together, then I'll start working on the sashing. I don't have any yardage for the backing, so I'm not sure if I'll pull more and piece backings or if I'll purchase some.

I also decided to work on Bonnie's new mystery quilt. I struggled to find pieces that were big enough for the yardage, but managed to come up with a few that will play nicely together. My colors are black, tan and brown with red as an accent. I'll be pulling everything else out of my scrap bins. I haven't added up this yardage yet, so I'll put it on next week. I'm starting to wish I'd kept track of how much I've used, maybe I'll go back through my posts and do that!

Quick Project...

You gotta love a project that can be done quickly! Yesterday I decided I needed a bag to carry my shoes in when I walk to school. I chose my fabrics yesterday and made the entire bag this morning...so when I leave for work in an hour, my shoes will be in it. This is the third one of these Smart Bags from Quiltsmart that I've made and I love making them more each time. The best part is they each take 2 fat quarters, so that's a half yard gone from the stash!

A little late...

I swear, Valentine's Day things did happen in my house, I just never sat down to post them. The boss was home for a change, so a delicious dinner was prepared, complete with brownies and candlelight.

No stash busting to report this week, I'm not sure I even made it into my sewing room except to run the vacuum. With half days all week, I thought I'd get so much accomplished, but one day was busier than the next. I've prepped for tonight's cake decorating class and have been working on a customer quilt this afternoon. I did knit a little, photos when the sunlight comes back. It's raining and miserable here today!

Another Sunday...

It seems I'm not getting much time to post lately, good thing Judy has us doing weekly reports! I finished my fall quilt this week...sorry for the poor quality of the picture, but you get the idea! The top was made from a jelly roll of Nature's Bounty fabrics, the borders were purchased a few months ago at the LQS.


The backing came entirely from my stash...I love pieced backings....


So, fabric left the stash and no fabric came in. I guess that's a good thing!

Sunday Evening...

Not much stashbusting went on here this week. I did finish quilting this beautiful customer quilt...

I quilted and bound the Buzzsaw quilt for Project Linus....

And I started my first applique block for my friend's yellow rose quilt for Christmas. (Yeah, I know these will be Rose of Sharon blocks and not actual roses, but I think she'll be happy with it!)
It was a fun week at school...there's nothing like a bunch of 7 year olds to make you feel important. After being out of school for 3 days, they swarmed me when I went back...hugs all around, they're the sweetest kids. All was quiet on the home front...sort of. My youngest has been practicing guitar a lot this week. I enjoy listening to her play...most of the time. It's when she pulls out the metronome I head to my sewing room to hide! (Still thanking you for that one, FB.) I know it will build character and make her a better guitar player, but I'm still hiding when it comes out! Really, I love hearing her play, she's made so much progress since she started playing this summer and the smile on her face when she offers to play for us is priceless. She has a great teacher!

My older daughter spent last night at a friend's house and called us this morning. She says, "Hey, funny story! I was on my way to work and my car broke down! I'm in a tow truck being towed to the garage..." Fortunately it was early this morning, no one was on the road and when her car died she was able to pull it over to the side of the road. She called AAA before calling us and they were there within 20 minutes. We have no idea why the car died, she was driving along, put her foot on the gas and nothing happened. We'll find out tomorrow.

The youngest just handed me a stack of paperwork for high school...which has been in her locker for a month and is due tomorrow. Gotta love her!

Sunday Stashbusting Report...

I didn't do much sewing this week, since I was out of commission for most of the week. Today, my DH left for a trade show in New York City and I was feeling well enough to sit at my sewing machine for most of the afternoon. I finished the Buzz Saw top from my stash...

and used most of the leftovers for the backing. I have the binding made and once it is quilted and bound, it will go to Project Linus. Everything for this quilt is from stash.

It's a little chilly here today, so it was a good day to stay inside and watch football. The football gods have gifted me with a clear signal on the TV in my sewing room which isn't connected to our satellite tv, so obviously I was meant to spend the day up here! It was either than or watch all 3 Bring it On cheerleading movies with my 13 year old daughter...as much as I love her, that's a little more than I can take!

Sunday Stashbusting Report...

Not much sewing has been going on here in the Lakes. It was a quiet, normal week, filled with the usual sort of work, school, running errands and regular activities...not much to blog about but very nice indeed. I did start a new quilt for Project Linus. This is a Buzz Saw quilt and was posted by Kairle at Happy Valley Quilter. I've had it on my list of projects to do for awhile and finally pulled some blues from the stash to make it. Everything for this will be from the stash.

I've been doing a lot of cooking, mostly from Weight Watchers cookbooks. Last Sunday I made this chicken fettuccine dish that was sooo good with a salad and a glass of wine. Last night was pasta with shrimp and now I've got a chicken roasting in the oven with lemon, garlic and rosemary...I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed cooking! I also made a WW meatloaf in the crockpot on Friday which we sliced for sandwiches yesterday...it was incredible. Now their cheesecake that I made was not so good...that one went into the trash...

I'm looking forward to tomorrow...my youngest gets her braces off and after 8 years of paying for braces for our two girls, we'll be finished! The youngest and I also signed up to take a Wilton cake decorating course at Michael's in February...I decorated cakes for years, but never had any formal instruction, so we're both looking forward to learning how to do it right. But the best part will be eating our mistakes!

Stash Sunday

I've been doing much more thinking about quilting than actual quilting in the last week. I did finish embroidering this little guy, which took a 12" square of backing and one of muslin out of my stash. I also quilted a quilt that my mother made and used about two yards of 108" muslin for the backing. I have a few things planned for this afternoon, so will post those if I actually do them!

I've been thinking about the new year and what I would like to accomplish. I'm not one for making resolutions, I usually make new plans in September, rather than January. My life has revolved around a school calendar since I was young and to me that is the start of the new year. So, what would I like to do in 2008? I think I'd like to focus on making some baby quilts for Project Linus this year, using some of my stash. I'd like to knit some more socks, I certainly have the yarn for it. But my big goal is to give blood. I've had blood taken for testing, but I've always been too chicken to actually donate blood. My two kids who are old enough to donate have done it, so I decided it is time. I'd even like to give blood regularly if the first time goes well! So, I've done it. There is a blood drive at a local firehouse next Saturday and the boss and I have 11:00 appointments to give blood. I'll try to be brave...

Sunday Stash Busting Report

This week I finished the Strip Twist quilt from Bonnie's site. Everything came from stash, even the flannel print for the backing. I've been saving this for years for something special. I think I found it!

This project made quite a dent in my flannel stash. I do have some customer quilts to quilt this week, I'm hoping to find time to bind a few quilts that are waiting. That's next on the list, along with some sock knitting that's been languishing in my knitting basket. How is everyone else doing???

Stash Report Sunday

I realized the picture that I posted last night was of the quilt top, not the finished quilt! The backing that you see here is gone from my stash...

I've also pulled my pile of flannels and cut most of it into 2.5" strips to make Bonnie's Strip Twist as a Christmas gift. I'm working on that one tonight and hope to have the top done by the end of the week.
Once finished that will be a nice bit of flannel out of my stash. I don't plan to keep track of yardage as some others are, I'll just be happy with a little more shelf space!

The house is as festive as it's getting, I spent most of the day putting out the Christmas decorations. The tree is up and lit, but has no ornaments. That will happen when I get tired of looking at it with just lights. I've come to the conclusion that I should have made some tablerunners for myself this year...I only have one that my mother made for me many years ago and it's a little worn around the edges. Maybe that should be my next project...

Thanksgiving Weekend

Yesterday we headed off to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we had two tickets to the Renoir exhibit. My older daughter, who is in French IV and loves the French Impressionists wanted to see the exhibit. I sent my husband in with her, as he was interested in seeing the exhibit, while I prefer artwork by the old Italian guys.



My younger daughter and I went of to investigate the Middle Ages and religious art...
I'm always amazed when I go that they have entire buildings and architectural elements inside the galleries....

Right down to the beautiful stained glass windows....
After a jaunt through the Asian Art, then the Contemporary Art (which,like Contemporary Quilts, I just don't get!) we headed down to the old Philadelphia Waterworks.We had a beautiful view of Boathouse Row....
After the museum, we met our son at Dave and Busters for lunch and a little game playing, then headed home a did a little bit of Christmas Shopping at some fun stores.

And just to make this post a little quilty, I finished this quilt which I found in my closet. The backing came from the stash...it's the last of an old Jinny Beyer backing fabric which I bought about 12 years ago, so I'm delighted to have it GONE!!!



The stashbusting continues...

Chinese Coins

The HeartStrings Quilt project is making Chinese Coins for the months of April and May. Mary has written a nice tutorial on the website. Last week at Caps and Laps I was asked if I'd be interested in making a quilt for the basket of goodies they are making for a parishioner who is having a little girl. It seemed like a great opportunity to make a Chinese Coin quilt! So, this is what I've put together in the past two evenings. It measures about 46 inches square, which will be a great size to lay on the floor for the baby to play on, cover her in her crib, or for her to snuggle with as she grows older. I've got enough of the pink leftover for the backing and binding, and I've used all but a few strips of the white baby print, so that is more fabric out of my stash!

It's been rainy and chilly here today. After a trip to the chocolate store to pick up a few treats for Easter, I've spent most of the afternoon doing paperwork, invoices, balancing checking and savings accounts, paying state sales tax, filing...all those fun jobs that are associated with running a small business. Now that's over, so I plan to relax tonight...either in front of my sewing machine or with my knitting. Hmmm...decisions, decisions! :o)

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments on my challenge quilt and the prayer shawl. It's so nice to have this forum and all of the support that quilters give each other so readily. You are the best!

Still Sewing...

I should get a day off more often, I get a lot accomplished! After finishing the Heartstrings blocks, I noticed my blue nine patch quilt hanging on the rocking chair. Since it hasn't turned out to be quite what I envisioned, I've decided to call it done...and use the quilt as an opportunity to continue with Judy's February Challenge. Three yards of blue fabric was pulled from my stash and it became the borders and binding for the quilt. I even have the binding made and ready to go on! Then I pulled this incredibly soft flannel from my stash...5 yards worth and plenty for the back! So, that will be my third piece of fabric pulled from the stash for the challenge. Now I have to get this quilt and my sunflower quilt done by the end of the month so they will count!

I have Monday off for President's Day...wonder what I can do then???

Judy's Challenge

Over on Judy's Blog she has issued a Stash Busting Challenge. I've decided to take her up on it! This fabric is something I purchased about 6 years ago, shortly after moving back to New Jersey. I got 3 yards of it when I went to the Love Apples Quilt Show. There show is coming up again in 2 weeks! I just fell in love with it and purchased another 3 yards shortly after the show, in a quilt shop. Whenever I would start a new project, I would pull this out, pair it up with my other fabrics and be disappointed...nothing quite matched. It just didn't play well with others!

Of course, this was the first fabric I thought of when I read Judy's Challenge. I pulled it off the shelf and finally had one of those light bulb moments! If it wouldn't play nicely, I could put it on the BACK of a quilt!!! Ironically, I've been searching online to find a backing fabric for my Sunflower quilt that I made over the summer. It was already washed, so this afternoon I sewed the 2 pieces together, trimmed the selvages, ironed it and now it's all ready to become the back of my quilt. This quilt is for ME so I can enjoy the backing fabric too. :o)

Now I have the month of February to get this quilt finished...and I'll have busted 6 yards of stash! I think I may have to pull another favorite to make a quilt top with as well. I love this challenge, Judy...thanks!