It's been a hot and humid week here in Oklahoma. It did cool down a bit yesterday. It's been hot enough for me to feel that I have a perfectly good excuse to stay in and sew. Most of my stitching this week has been hand work. I've been trying to get the binding sewn onto Calico Cats. That was finished yesterday, now I just need to finish up the label this morning. Consequently, not much going on with the stash report. I did make some progress on a few other projects, so there is a bit going out this week.
Used last week: 0.40 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 48.13 yards
Added for 2013: 128.58 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 80.45 yards
Nothing in this week, so that helps. I found the motivation to get back on the fabric diet bandwagon. Yesterday's post about my lack of stash organization, has re-motivated me to use what I've got. So if I get the urge to press buttons on the computer they better be the buttons that lead to that post.
Judy's Patchwork Times has the latest on what's going on in the world of stash busting. Check it out while you are relaxing this lazy Sunday morning.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
June NewFO
It's the last day of June, so it's time to link up with Cat Patches and show off any new projects (NewFOs) that were started in June. This month's project was first on my NewFO list for 2013, but I committed myself to finish 5 other quilts by May, so it got put on the back burner until this month.
This is Back to Square One, Judy Laquidara's 2013 mystery quilt which is posted over on her Patchwork Times blog. Judy has been giving one clue a month since January. So far, I've managed to finish clues 1 through 3 and complete step 1 of clue 4 . So I'm not too far behind. I love the rich jewel tones of the blue, green and purple used in this quilt. Hopefully, I'll get caught up to clue 7 in July.
Back to Square One was the only new project this month. However, I did finish up three NewFOs from previous months.
 |
| Designed by Judy Laquidara (pattern available here) Quilted by Trudy Lindemann |
Sweet Treats was NewFO #3 in 2012.
 |
| Pattern is "Day at the Spa" Quilters World, Feb 2013 designer Carolyn Vagts |
The OSU Quilt was NewFO #2 for 2013.
I finished sewing down the binding on Calico Cats last night, so no picture of the finished quilt yet. It was NewFO#1 for 2013.
So if I look at my "progress" with the NewFO challenge it shakes out this way:
January 2012: 4 UFOs to start
December 2012: Added 8 NewFOs
as of June 2013: Added 6 NewFOs
Finished 3 2012 NewFOs
Finished 2 2013 NewFOs
Quilt list Status 6 UFOs (projects older than 1 year)
7 WIPS (projects less than 1 year old)
5 finished NewFOs
The UFO number has only jumped up by 2, so not bad at all.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Odds and Ends that go with Starts and Finishes
A couple of weeks ago Drama Teen asked if we could "refresh" the decor in her bedroom. The comforter and wall art were selected when she was 9. Now that she's 14, they don't fit as well. She also pointed out that the cute little desk we got her when she was 5 so she could color in her room, barely holds her computer. She has no real room to take notes or have a book on it to study. The new desk is ordered and will be here next week.
She asked if I'd start the quilt that she asked me to make two years ago. (How can it have been that long ago?) That's what she wants for her bed in her updated room. She selected a whole rainbow of Batiks to use in that quilt. I decided that would be my NewFO for July, so I went looking for those fabrics. Two hours later, I had found most of them. In the course oftearing apart searching my closet, drawers and plastic totes, I realized there was a definite need to 1) stop buying fabric and 2) organize what fabric I do have.
Back in December of 2011, I bought shelving for my fabric closet so I could get the fabric out into the open. All the totes that had been used to hold my fabric were unpacked and for the short term that fabric was just stuffed on the shelves. I've been working to press and fold all of my stash to a consistent size. I've made progress.
The unit on the left is all pressed, folded and sorted by color. Only the second shelf on the right is pressed, folded and sorted by fabric collection. The rest of the fabric still needs to be pressed and folded. But I can at least see most of it and can paw through it when looking for something for a new project.
What I took me so long to find those Batiks for DT's quilt was searching the four bins containing all the new fabric which hasn't been washed yet.
There are only 3 bins in the picture, the 4th is under my cutting table and its a too dark to get a good picture of it. The 4th bin is as full as the bin on the far right.
In one of my earlier attempts to put some order to my fabric, I tried filing them like files. It didn't work so well. So I'd really like to refold the drawer and a half that's been done that way and move them into the stash closet.
If I do that, then I can file all my fat quarters in their place, which actually works really well.
But I need to make some progress on that front as well, only a handful have been "filed" so far.
There are also four drawers of scraps scattered around the sewing room.
I've discretely asked for a AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter for my birthday (I emailed My Guy a link to their last sale). I'm hoping if I get one of those, these scraps will quickly disappear.
The other organization problem is my reluctance to spend any time ironing fabric, unless I want to use it. That has lead to a whole bin of new fabric that's been washed, but not pressed.
Where am I going with all of this? If all my stash was organized, it would be much easier to be inspired by my stash, rather than all the be all inspired by buying new fabrics. Plus if it was all pressed and folded, it would be ready to use for a new project. It appears having to fess up publicly to a lack of progress is a real motivator for me. That's worked with cleaning up my UFO list and scheduling time to sew each day, so it will probably work with stash organization as well. So I'm going to do something with this whole mess in the next month and report back on my progress at the end of July. July is going to be pretty busy, so I don't think much is going to get done, but I'm going to start anyway.
She asked if I'd start the quilt that she asked me to make two years ago. (How can it have been that long ago?) That's what she wants for her bed in her updated room. She selected a whole rainbow of Batiks to use in that quilt. I decided that would be my NewFO for July, so I went looking for those fabrics. Two hours later, I had found most of them. In the course of
Back in December of 2011, I bought shelving for my fabric closet so I could get the fabric out into the open. All the totes that had been used to hold my fabric were unpacked and for the short term that fabric was just stuffed on the shelves. I've been working to press and fold all of my stash to a consistent size. I've made progress.
The unit on the left is all pressed, folded and sorted by color. Only the second shelf on the right is pressed, folded and sorted by fabric collection. The rest of the fabric still needs to be pressed and folded. But I can at least see most of it and can paw through it when looking for something for a new project.
What I took me so long to find those Batiks for DT's quilt was searching the four bins containing all the new fabric which hasn't been washed yet.
There are only 3 bins in the picture, the 4th is under my cutting table and its a too dark to get a good picture of it. The 4th bin is as full as the bin on the far right.
In one of my earlier attempts to put some order to my fabric, I tried filing them like files. It didn't work so well. So I'd really like to refold the drawer and a half that's been done that way and move them into the stash closet.
If I do that, then I can file all my fat quarters in their place, which actually works really well.
But I need to make some progress on that front as well, only a handful have been "filed" so far.
There are also four drawers of scraps scattered around the sewing room.
I've discretely asked for a AccuQuilt Fabric Cutter for my birthday (I emailed My Guy a link to their last sale). I'm hoping if I get one of those, these scraps will quickly disappear.
The other organization problem is my reluctance to spend any time ironing fabric, unless I want to use it. That has lead to a whole bin of new fabric that's been washed, but not pressed.
Where am I going with all of this? If all my stash was organized, it would be much easier to be inspired by my stash, rather than all the be all inspired by buying new fabrics. Plus if it was all pressed and folded, it would be ready to use for a new project. It appears having to fess up publicly to a lack of progress is a real motivator for me. That's worked with cleaning up my UFO list and scheduling time to sew each day, so it will probably work with stash organization as well. So I'm going to do something with this whole mess in the next month and report back on my progress at the end of July. July is going to be pretty busy, so I don't think much is going to get done, but I'm going to start anyway.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
15 Minute Challenge - The Year so Far
It's the last Tuesday in June. The year is half over. I didn't really have any goals for the 15 minute challenge this year other than making a commitment to keep doing it this year. Out of the 175 days in 2013 we've had so far, I've found 15 minutes to sew 150 days. That's 16 more days than last year. Has it made a difference? I've finished 4 quilts to date and started 6 new ones, versus finishing only 3 quilts all of last year. So it's been a productive year so far.
It's easy to gauge something you can count, it's harder to assess something you can't count, like improving your creativity. We are half way through the 12-step guide to fostering your creativity. So far this year we've covered:
1. Setting a schedule
2. Have a dedicated space to sew
3. Talk about your quilting
4. Become an observer
5. Explore other creative interests
6. Collect inspiration
Out of all of those, I've probably done best at setting a schedule. If we are home, I'm usually heading to my sewing room by 8 PM to get in an hour or so of stitching. I'd like to find some time to do more photography, that interest has languished a bit this year. Getting more interesting and "better" photos of my quilts has come to the fore, so maybe I'll work on that for the next few months.
So how did you do this week in finding time to sew? My business trip last week was my only impediment to getting some stitching time each day.
But 5 out of 7 days definitely not shabby. How about you? Did you find some time to stitch this week? How about fostering your creativity? Has there been anything that you've taken to heart from the fostering creativity themes?
| 1. Pat 2. Thea | 3. Julie in GA 4. Kate @katiemaequilts | 5. newsurfiegirl |
Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Design Wall Monday - June 24th
Monday always seems to come so quickly. I'm hoping that work won't be such a zoo this week. I don't have any business trips on the calendar, so that will definitely help the schedule. Drama Teen has a volleyball clinic this week, but it fits into our work hours a little easier than what she had going on last week.
On Friday, I decided that Sunday needed to be a "solo retreat" day. I did get to spend most of the day in my sewing room. Some stitching definitely got done, but it was mostly handwork as I'm working on the binding for Calico Cats. Drama Teen wants to redo her bedroom decor. She was 9 the last time we redid it, so it's probably time. She picked out a quilt pattern a couple of years ago that she wanted for her bed.
We've been collecting Batiks to make this. So I spent a good amount of time hunting down those down. Which reminded me just how much I still have to do to get my fabrics all organized. That's a post for another day.
All of that just to say that there's not much change on the design wall. But I did finally get some time to take pictures of the completed Sweet Treats quilt.
I'm really happy with how this one turned out. It's a bit brighter in real life. The blocks were made with scraps of some 1930 reproduction fabrics that were left over from another project. I really like the lighter blue with the reds. The quilt is bound with the same red used in the second border.
The back is from the same line as the binding, just in a blue colorway.
Trudy Lindemann did the quilting. I love the meandering daises she used. It just adds to the summer time feeling of the quilt.
That's it for me this week. Once Judy get's her post up, I'll be linking up with her Design Wall Monday over at Patchwork Times.
On Friday, I decided that Sunday needed to be a "solo retreat" day. I did get to spend most of the day in my sewing room. Some stitching definitely got done, but it was mostly handwork as I'm working on the binding for Calico Cats. Drama Teen wants to redo her bedroom decor. She was 9 the last time we redid it, so it's probably time. She picked out a quilt pattern a couple of years ago that she wanted for her bed.
We've been collecting Batiks to make this. So I spent a good amount of time hunting down those down. Which reminded me just how much I still have to do to get my fabrics all organized. That's a post for another day.
All of that just to say that there's not much change on the design wall. But I did finally get some time to take pictures of the completed Sweet Treats quilt.
 |
| Sweet Treats, Designed by Judy Laquidara (pattern available here) |
I'm really happy with how this one turned out. It's a bit brighter in real life. The blocks were made with scraps of some 1930 reproduction fabrics that were left over from another project. I really like the lighter blue with the reds. The quilt is bound with the same red used in the second border.
The back is from the same line as the binding, just in a blue colorway.
Trudy Lindemann did the quilting. I love the meandering daises she used. It just adds to the summer time feeling of the quilt.
That's it for me this week. Once Judy get's her post up, I'll be linking up with her Design Wall Monday over at Patchwork Times.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Slow Stitching Sunday - The Binding Sagas
On Friday, I told my family that Sunday was going to be a sewing room retreat day. No chores, no laundry, just sewing and a bit of sewing room clean up. I've not spent a lot of time in the sewing room yet. First off this morning, I needed to get photos of Sweet Treats which was completed over a week ago. I've been experimenting to find good locations in the house that have nice natural light and looking for different props to use for quilt pictures. The light from the north facing windows in my bedroom made for some nice pictures of the completed binding on Sweet Treats.
I'll show more pictures of Sweet Treats tomorrow as part of the design wall post.
I started stitching down the binding for Calico Cats yesterday.
I've not gotten very far, I'm just about to turn the first corner on the first side. I should make some more progress today while I'm watching the NASCAR race. This is the last of 5 quilts that I had hoped to have done in May. This one should be the end of my binding saga for awhile.
I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for her weekly slow stitching post. Check out all the amazing hand work posted there.
I'll show more pictures of Sweet Treats tomorrow as part of the design wall post.
I started stitching down the binding for Calico Cats yesterday.
I've not gotten very far, I'm just about to turn the first corner on the first side. I should make some more progress today while I'm watching the NASCAR race. This is the last of 5 quilts that I had hoped to have done in May. This one should be the end of my binding saga for awhile.
I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for her weekly slow stitching post. Check out all the amazing hand work posted there.
Stash Report - Week 25 in 2013
It's been hot and humid here this week, pretty typical for the first week of summer in Oklahoma. Not much stitching going on this week. I had a business trip earlier this week, which pretty much negated any stitching for two nights. Then I spent most of yesterday dealing with a stomach bug. I'm feeling better today, but definitely not 100% quite yet.
Since weekends in July are going to be really busy, I'm planning to spend today at my own personal sewing retreat. My Guy and Drama Teen are OK with that idea. So I'll be spending some significant time in the sewing room today. Not only stitching, but doing some cleaning up and organizing. So maybe next week's stash report will look better than this weeks.
Used last week: 0.63 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 47.73 yards
Added for 2013: 128.58 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 80.85 yards
Nothing in for last week and a little bit out is a really good week for me. I've been deleting the Fat Quarter Shop emails before I read them so I'm not tempted to look at their sales. That's been my downfall the last few weeks. On the bright side, I've used more fabric this year than I did last year and am just one yard short of using more than I did in 2010. But I've got about 12 yards to go before I break my 2012 record of 60 yards out for the year. The year is only half over, I may just make it.
I'm linking up with Patchwork Times. Hope to see your post there too.
Since weekends in July are going to be really busy, I'm planning to spend today at my own personal sewing retreat. My Guy and Drama Teen are OK with that idea. So I'll be spending some significant time in the sewing room today. Not only stitching, but doing some cleaning up and organizing. So maybe next week's stash report will look better than this weeks.
Used last week: 0.63 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 47.73 yards
Added for 2013: 128.58 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 80.85 yards
Nothing in for last week and a little bit out is a really good week for me. I've been deleting the Fat Quarter Shop emails before I read them so I'm not tempted to look at their sales. That's been my downfall the last few weeks. On the bright side, I've used more fabric this year than I did last year and am just one yard short of using more than I did in 2010. But I've got about 12 yards to go before I break my 2012 record of 60 yards out for the year. The year is only half over, I may just make it.
I'm linking up with Patchwork Times. Hope to see your post there too.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
15 Minute Challenge - Inspiration Overload
Some weeks are just more hectic than others. This week is turning out to be one of those. Drama Teen neglected to tell us (I heard from her coach at last night's summer league game) that volleyball practice times had changed this week. I have a short business trip this week, just one night. Plus My Guy and I have a set of meetings late in the week that's going to make juggling DT's schedule a bit of a challenge. Thankfully it's just one week.
Collecting inspiration is June's fostering creativity theme. In my Google searches this morning an interesting comment showed up over at a blog called Design Shack by Joshua Johnson. His comment was "...overuse of inspiration can stifle your own creativity." This particular blog post was about apps for collecting digital inspiration (the post is 3 years old, so it predates Pinterest). He goes on to comment that inspiration should not be to do what's been done, but to do something new with it. It is easier to make someone else's pattern than to come up with my own. Though I rarely make a project exactly like the pattern. As much as I might like someone's project, I'd never use the exact same fabrics (I've never understood kits). But is that being creative, making someone else's pattern, but with different fabrics?
Shay over at Quilting in My Pyjamas wrote a post last week about her frustration with Pinterest, too many postings about the same thing and how spending time pinning kept her from achieving some very worthwhile goals (I'm very much in favor of the world peace one). Many of us have stepped back from blogging a bit because we feel we aren't able to fit in time for the things we blog about. I guess the trick is to balance the time we spend on "collecting inspiration" and actually using those collections to do something creative, however you define it.
I did spend some time in my sewing room, though in the last week, it hasn't been much more than 15 to 30 minutes each time.
Still six out of seven days isn't bad. I had a finish in there and made some progress on moving Calico Cats closer to being finished.
How did you do this week on finding some inspiration and acting on it?
Collecting inspiration is June's fostering creativity theme. In my Google searches this morning an interesting comment showed up over at a blog called Design Shack by Joshua Johnson. His comment was "...overuse of inspiration can stifle your own creativity." This particular blog post was about apps for collecting digital inspiration (the post is 3 years old, so it predates Pinterest). He goes on to comment that inspiration should not be to do what's been done, but to do something new with it. It is easier to make someone else's pattern than to come up with my own. Though I rarely make a project exactly like the pattern. As much as I might like someone's project, I'd never use the exact same fabrics (I've never understood kits). But is that being creative, making someone else's pattern, but with different fabrics?
Shay over at Quilting in My Pyjamas wrote a post last week about her frustration with Pinterest, too many postings about the same thing and how spending time pinning kept her from achieving some very worthwhile goals (I'm very much in favor of the world peace one). Many of us have stepped back from blogging a bit because we feel we aren't able to fit in time for the things we blog about. I guess the trick is to balance the time we spend on "collecting inspiration" and actually using those collections to do something creative, however you define it.
I did spend some time in my sewing room, though in the last week, it hasn't been much more than 15 to 30 minutes each time.
Still six out of seven days isn't bad. I had a finish in there and made some progress on moving Calico Cats closer to being finished.
How did you do this week on finding some inspiration and acting on it?
1. Kate @katiemaequilts | 2. Marti | 3. Thea |
Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Design Wall Monday - June 17th
As usual, it was a fast weekend. My Guy had a nice Father's Day. We didn't do too much, which was OK with him.
Drama Teen finally finished up her entry for an on line science competition about 8 PM last night. Since I'm head editor and panic manager, I didn't get a lot of sewing done this weekend since she was working on her entry (yes she waited till the day it was due to start it). So there's not much of a change to the design wall. I spent a lot of time trimming up Calico Cats and making the binding so I can get that one off the "to do" list. So there was progress, just not much that shows up on the design walls.
Two more blocks of Neutral Gems did get finished and sewn into the second block.
I'm really like the pattern these blocks make when assembled. These blocks are pretty labor intensive, so it's going to take a while to get this quilt done.
Mon Ami is still up on the other design wall, but it hasn't changed much since last week. I finished binding Sweet Treats, but didn't get a chance to get any pictures.
That's it for my design wall today. I'm linking up with Patchwork Times today as usual. If you get a chance, grab a cup of coffee and check all the other links.
Drama Teen finally finished up her entry for an on line science competition about 8 PM last night. Since I'm head editor and panic manager, I didn't get a lot of sewing done this weekend since she was working on her entry (yes she waited till the day it was due to start it). So there's not much of a change to the design wall. I spent a lot of time trimming up Calico Cats and making the binding so I can get that one off the "to do" list. So there was progress, just not much that shows up on the design walls.
Two more blocks of Neutral Gems did get finished and sewn into the second block.
 |
| Neutral Gems Pattern is "Gems" by Donna Lynn Thomas found in the book Patchwork Palette Started May 26, 2013 |
I'm really like the pattern these blocks make when assembled. These blocks are pretty labor intensive, so it's going to take a while to get this quilt done.
Mon Ami is still up on the other design wall, but it hasn't changed much since last week. I finished binding Sweet Treats, but didn't get a chance to get any pictures.
That's it for my design wall today. I'm linking up with Patchwork Times today as usual. If you get a chance, grab a cup of coffee and check all the other links.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Stash Report for Week #24 of 2013
It's shaping up to be a beautiful Sunday. No big plans for Father's Day, other than I'm fixing a nice dinner for tonight. Drama Teen has to finish her entry for an on line science competition today. So she'll be parked at the dining room table with her computer so we can help her finish it off. There are a few other chores on the agenda this morning, but I'm hoping to get some stitching done this afternoon.
Not a lot of sewing going on this week so the stash report looks a little anemic. Well at least in the outgoing column, the incoming column looks really healthy.
Used last week: 0.93 yards
Added last week: 24.33 yards
Used for 2013: 47.1 yards
Added for 2013: 128.58 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 81.84 yards
I really need to quit following all the sales, that seems to be my undoing. Keepsake Quilting had a sale on panels last week and I spied this one that would be perfect for my brother.
Antique motorcycle race fliers, just his speed, so I couldn't resist.
Last week the incoming included a piece of Jenny Beyer's Rajasthan Basics in cobalt. I loved it, so decided that since the line was 50% off, I'd order a few more colors.
My stash is still pretty light on blenders, so these seemed like good additions. But I'm going to put myself on a fabric diet for the rest of the year. I really need to work off some of the older stash. Though I've been doing pretty well at that this year. Most of my new projects for 2013 use fabric that has been in the stash for several years. Of the 6 started so far, only one is made entirely out of fabric that I bought earlier this year.
To see more stash reports, check out what's posted over at Patchwork Times.
Not a lot of sewing going on this week so the stash report looks a little anemic. Well at least in the outgoing column, the incoming column looks really healthy.
Used last week: 0.93 yards
Added last week: 24.33 yards
Used for 2013: 47.1 yards
Added for 2013: 128.58 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 81.84 yards
I really need to quit following all the sales, that seems to be my undoing. Keepsake Quilting had a sale on panels last week and I spied this one that would be perfect for my brother.
Antique motorcycle race fliers, just his speed, so I couldn't resist.
Last week the incoming included a piece of Jenny Beyer's Rajasthan Basics in cobalt. I loved it, so decided that since the line was 50% off, I'd order a few more colors.
My stash is still pretty light on blenders, so these seemed like good additions. But I'm going to put myself on a fabric diet for the rest of the year. I really need to work off some of the older stash. Though I've been doing pretty well at that this year. Most of my new projects for 2013 use fabric that has been in the stash for several years. Of the 6 started so far, only one is made entirely out of fabric that I bought earlier this year.
To see more stash reports, check out what's posted over at Patchwork Times.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
15 Minute Challenge
Summer has definitely arrived here. Temps were in the 90's yesterday for the first time in a while. It was hot. Of course that had to be the day the air conditioner went out in My Guy's car. He wasn't a happy camper when he got home last night. Of course his car will be 24 years old next October, it's amazing it runs at all most days. So it's going in for repair. We'll see if it gets fixed. The last time he had to replace a headlight, he had to order them on line because the local parts stores don't carry that style any more. It's not that he can't get a new car, he just has this perverse desire to drive this car until the wheels fall off (I fully expect that this will happen quite literally some day on his drive to or from work).
I've been trying to decide if My Guy's intent to drive that car until it's not drive-able anymore is inspiring or not. It has certainly inspired Drama Teen to express an interest in riding her bike to the high school next fall so that she doesn't have to be seen in that "clunker". Collecting inspiration is this month's fostering creativity theme, so I've been thinking a lot about what I collect that inspires me in my quilting. I mentioned quilting books and fabric as my biggest inspirational collections in last week's post. I'm not a big collector of much else. Would you consider the blogs I follow in Google Reader as a collection? They are another big source of inspiration. I see how other's use colors and fabrics, what patterns they use. Quilt alongs are another great source of not only inspiration, but motivation to work on a new project (not that I need a lot of motivation to start something new). Not only do I get inspiration from my blog "collection", I get encouragement and friendship as well. I think those are important components of inspiration too.
I was inspired to start a new project this week. I've not done much with it as yet, but it was a nice reward after the binding binge I've been on for the last few weeks.
Seven out of seven is an excellent week. Drama Teen's summer stuff is during the day, so it's easier to find time during the week to climb the stairs to the sewing room in the evenings. Of course the fact that it doesn't get dark until 8:40 or so helps too.
Were you inspired to sew this last week? Or did inspiration take you in a different direction or maybe abandon you completely? No matter what the case is, Mr Linky is set up below for you to share how things went.
I've been trying to decide if My Guy's intent to drive that car until it's not drive-able anymore is inspiring or not. It has certainly inspired Drama Teen to express an interest in riding her bike to the high school next fall so that she doesn't have to be seen in that "clunker". Collecting inspiration is this month's fostering creativity theme, so I've been thinking a lot about what I collect that inspires me in my quilting. I mentioned quilting books and fabric as my biggest inspirational collections in last week's post. I'm not a big collector of much else. Would you consider the blogs I follow in Google Reader as a collection? They are another big source of inspiration. I see how other's use colors and fabrics, what patterns they use. Quilt alongs are another great source of not only inspiration, but motivation to work on a new project (not that I need a lot of motivation to start something new). Not only do I get inspiration from my blog "collection", I get encouragement and friendship as well. I think those are important components of inspiration too.
I was inspired to start a new project this week. I've not done much with it as yet, but it was a nice reward after the binding binge I've been on for the last few weeks.
Seven out of seven is an excellent week. Drama Teen's summer stuff is during the day, so it's easier to find time during the week to climb the stairs to the sewing room in the evenings. Of course the fact that it doesn't get dark until 8:40 or so helps too.
Were you inspired to sew this last week? Or did inspiration take you in a different direction or maybe abandon you completely? No matter what the case is, Mr Linky is set up below for you to share how things went.
| 1. Julie in GA 2. Thea | 3. Kate 4. Susanne |
Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Design Wall Monday - June 9th
It was a really nice weekend. My Guy and I took Friday off, so it was a three day weekend for us. Even so, the weekend was just too short. Not enough time for both chores and stitching, but some of both got done.
I'm still working on stitching down the binding to the back of Sweet Treat.
I'm still working on stitching down the binding to the back of Sweet Treat.
 |
| Sweet Treat Designed by Judy Laquidara (pattern available here) |
Just one side left to stitch down. So this should be a finished quilt this week.
I've been working on a couple of projects over on the machine. One is the May NewFO, which is intended to be a gift for a friend who recently retired.
 |
| Neutral Gems Pattern is "Gems" by Donna Lynn Thomas found in the book Patchwork Palette |
Only 6 blocks done so far. I've decided to sew the blocks together in groups of 4, then assemble those into rows. It will make all the required seam matching a little less crazy I hope. I love the pattern these blocks form.
Up on the other design wall is Mon Ami, my QOV project.
 |
| Quilt of Valor Modified from the pattern "Mon Ami" by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company |
There are now 20 blocks done, just 10 left to go. I've mainly been working on these blocks as a leaders and enders project. This is not the final block layout, the blocks have just been added as they were finished. The more blocks there are up on the wall, the more I like this project.
That's it for what's up on my design walls. You can share what's up on yours and check out what's up on everyone else's over at Patchwork Times.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Replacement for Google Reader
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
I've finally made a decision on what to do with Google Reader going away at the end of the month. After looking around a bit, I'm going to use Bloglovin. Not that I've claimed my blog. I'm going to go back to stitching.
I've finally made a decision on what to do with Google Reader going away at the end of the month. After looking around a bit, I'm going to use Bloglovin. Not that I've claimed my blog. I'm going to go back to stitching.
Slow Stitching Sunday - June 9th
In last week's Slow Stitching post I said that May had been the month of bindings. Well it looks like June is going to be another month of bindings. That's really OK with me as the binding is the last step before a finish and I really like finishes.
The binding for Sweet Treats got made on Friday and machine stitched to the front. Yesterday, I got started on hand stitching it to the back.
I've just turned the second corner, so just two more sides to finish. I have some chores to do this morning, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to finish up the other two sides during the NASCAR race this afternoon. If that does happen, I'll have finish number 4 for the year.
Check out Kathy's Quilts for glimpses of more slow stitching projects.
The binding for Sweet Treats got made on Friday and machine stitched to the front. Yesterday, I got started on hand stitching it to the back.
I've just turned the second corner, so just two more sides to finish. I have some chores to do this morning, but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to finish up the other two sides during the NASCAR race this afternoon. If that does happen, I'll have finish number 4 for the year.
Check out Kathy's Quilts for glimpses of more slow stitching projects.
Stash Report #23 for 2013
It's been a nice weekend so far. My Guy and I took Friday off work and just hung out together. Drama Teen was spending the day at the zoo with the summer camp where she volunteers. We don't get the chance to just be together as a couple very often. Drama Teen has enough going on that we usually end up using our monthly day off to do something with her. Not that we usually mind, it's just nice to get to be on our own for a while. The rest of the weekend has been spent on household chores and laundry. Since we've not been running so much on the weekends, the house is beginning to reach some semblance of order.
Some stitching happened this week, but as most of it has been binding work, not a lot of fabric going out.
Used last week: 0.89 yards
Added last week: 7 yards
Used for 2013: 46.17 yards
Added for 2013: 104.25 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 58.08 yards
The fabric in is from the Fat Quarter shop. They were having a sale on some tone on tones, which I'm still a bit short on in my stash. So I took advantage of the sale to order a couple.
The red is from Wilmington Prints Essentials Sparkle line and the blue is Rajasthan Basics by Jinny Beyer for RJR Fabrics. I just fell in love with the richness of the blue fabric, which prompted me to go back and push a few more buttons to order some of the other colors from the line. Bad I know, but tone on tones are something I just don't have much of and at 50% off it was too good to pass up.
That's it for my stash report this week. May you have much better luck at resisting temptation than I'm having. Check out all the other stash busting and enhancement going on over at Patchwork Times.
Some stitching happened this week, but as most of it has been binding work, not a lot of fabric going out.
Used last week: 0.89 yards
Added last week: 7 yards
Used for 2013: 46.17 yards
Added for 2013: 104.25 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 58.08 yards
The fabric in is from the Fat Quarter shop. They were having a sale on some tone on tones, which I'm still a bit short on in my stash. So I took advantage of the sale to order a couple.
The red is from Wilmington Prints Essentials Sparkle line and the blue is Rajasthan Basics by Jinny Beyer for RJR Fabrics. I just fell in love with the richness of the blue fabric, which prompted me to go back and push a few more buttons to order some of the other colors from the line. Bad I know, but tone on tones are something I just don't have much of and at 50% off it was too good to pass up.
That's it for my stash report this week. May you have much better luck at resisting temptation than I'm having. Check out all the other stash busting and enhancement going on over at Patchwork Times.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
June - 2013 Year of the Finished Project
Lynne over at Never too Hot to Stitch decided that 2013 needed to be a year of finishes. Since it's always more fun to deal with UFOs and other unfinished projects as a group, she's hosting a challenge to help the rest of us finish up our projects too.
I had some pretty ambitious challenge goals for May as I was hoping to finish up 5 quilts last month. So how did I do?
May
1. Evening Star Done
Finish binding
2. The Sofa Quilt Done
Make binding
Sew binding on
3. OSU Quilt
Make binding Done
Sew binding on
4. Sweet Treats
Make binding
Sew binding on
5. Calico Cats
Make 4 blocks Done
Assemble blocks and sashing Done
Add borders Done
Make backing Done
Ship off for quilting Done
Make binding
Sew binding on
Not a bad month at all. I finished 2 quilts and had a third almost done. Plus managed to finish the blocks for a fourth quilt and get it assembled and quilted. Though I didn't get all 5 quilts done, it was still an excellent month. Evening Star and The Sofa Quilt are my first finishes of 2013.
So what are my goals for June? One thing they are not is as ambitious as my May goals were.
June
1. OSU Quilt
Finish binding
2. Sweet Treats
Make binding
Sew binding on
3. Calico Cats
Make binding
Sew binding on
4. Neutral Gems
Make 23 blocks
5. Mon Ami
Make 12 blocks
I have a lot of binding to do this month, which is slow stitching. I plan to mix that up with some machine stitching on some ongoing projects. Neutral Gems is a gift for a friend who just recently retired and Mon Ami is intended to be a QOV, so these are the next two quilts I want to finish.
Lynn hasn't posted this month's linky party yet, I know she's been busy. Once that post is up, I'll link up with all the others striving to reduce their UFO piles.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
15 Minute Challenge - Collecting Inspiration
How can it be Tuesday again? I can't say it snuck up on me, I knew it was coming, but how did it get here so fast? It's raining and lightening here this morning. We have the threat of more severe storms, but the severe risk is mainly lightening and hail. Thankfully the tornado risk will remain low at least through Wednesday.
Since it is a new month, there is a new fostering creativity theme to discuss. June's creativity theme is "collecting inspiration". Like last month's theme of exploring other interests, collecting inspiration is something most of us do readily (fabric, patterns, books, rulers). What do you collect that fires up your creativity? What makes you want to make a quilt in those colors or using that shape? I'd have to say my biggest source of inspiration that I collect a lot of is fabric. How can I feature this print? How do I put those colors together? Those questions will make me reach for my quilting books or have me firing up the computer to play around in EQ.
Not a lot of inspiration going on in my sewing room. I'm still in "finish up" mode. I've got the binding on three of the five quilts that were supposed to have been completed last month. Just two more left. The OSU quilt was finished on Sunday after spending most of last week was spent attaching the binding.
Last night I paid the cost of not sleeping well on Sunday night. I went to bed early, so no stitching. Even so, 6 days were dedicated to stitching down all that binding. That was definitely a much better week than the 3 days I managed the week before.
How are you doing in finding time to stitch? In the US it's finally warmed up, so many are gardening and catching up on yard work. The kids are out of school, so that may make finding 15 minutes to sit and stitch a bit tough. Link up and share how your late spring (or late fall for the down under crowd) stitching season is going.
Since it is a new month, there is a new fostering creativity theme to discuss. June's creativity theme is "collecting inspiration". Like last month's theme of exploring other interests, collecting inspiration is something most of us do readily (fabric, patterns, books, rulers). What do you collect that fires up your creativity? What makes you want to make a quilt in those colors or using that shape? I'd have to say my biggest source of inspiration that I collect a lot of is fabric. How can I feature this print? How do I put those colors together? Those questions will make me reach for my quilting books or have me firing up the computer to play around in EQ.
Not a lot of inspiration going on in my sewing room. I'm still in "finish up" mode. I've got the binding on three of the five quilts that were supposed to have been completed last month. Just two more left. The OSU quilt was finished on Sunday after spending most of last week was spent attaching the binding.
Last night I paid the cost of not sleeping well on Sunday night. I went to bed early, so no stitching. Even so, 6 days were dedicated to stitching down all that binding. That was definitely a much better week than the 3 days I managed the week before.
How are you doing in finding time to stitch? In the US it's finally warmed up, so many are gardening and catching up on yard work. The kids are out of school, so that may make finding 15 minutes to sit and stitch a bit tough. Link up and share how your late spring (or late fall for the down under crowd) stitching season is going.
1. Thea | 2. Julie in GA | 3. Kate @katiemaequilts |
Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Monday Design Wall - June 3rd
Monday already? The weekend was way to short, especially since I had a nasty headache for both days. I did get some stitching done, not as much as I would have liked. Hand stitching was pretty much my only speed for most of the weekend, which was OK as that meant the OSU quilt got finished.
I used the same orange from the border to bind the quilt.
That makes a nice frame for the black border on the front and for the back.
The back is Connecting Threads Mirage in coal. That alone would have made a real boring back, so I added the pieced letters. It came out pretty well. This was a fun and quick quilt. Not much progress on anything else this weekend, but it was still nice to finish quilt number 3 for 2013.
Check out all the other design walls over at Judy's Patchwork Times.
 |
| OSU Quilt Pattern is A Day at the Spa Designed by Carolyn S. Vagts found in the February 2013 issue of Quilter's World Quilted by Trudy Lindemann |
I used the same orange from the border to bind the quilt.
That makes a nice frame for the black border on the front and for the back.
The back is Connecting Threads Mirage in coal. That alone would have made a real boring back, so I added the pieced letters. It came out pretty well. This was a fun and quick quilt. Not much progress on anything else this weekend, but it was still nice to finish quilt number 3 for 2013.
Check out all the other design walls over at Judy's Patchwork Times.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Slow Stitching Sunday - June 2nd
It's been over 2 months since I linked up with Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday! Wow time really flies. May was the month of bindings, so I've been doing lots of slow stitching, but haven't stopped to take many photos. I finally remembered to take a few shots yesterday.
I've got about 36 inches left before the binding is all stitched down for the OSU quilt. I should be able to finish that off easily during the NASCAR race this afternoon. So that will be one down, two more to go.
Hope you can find some time to sit and take a few stitches this afternoon. Check out all the other fun hand work on display over at Kathy's Quilts.
I've got about 36 inches left before the binding is all stitched down for the OSU quilt. I should be able to finish that off easily during the NASCAR race this afternoon. So that will be one down, two more to go.
Hope you can find some time to sit and take a few stitches this afternoon. Check out all the other fun hand work on display over at Kathy's Quilts.
Stash Report Week 22
Yesterday was a gorgeous day, sunny with big fluffy clouds that looked just like a kids drawing. I had intended to get a picture, but I wasn't feeling like doing too much of anything. Friday evening my head ached pretty badly, by Saturday morning it had not abated much. Most of yesterday morning was spent either in bed or in the recliner with my eyes closed and a cold pack on my forehead. By afternoon I was at least functional. It's still aching, but not so badly as it did yesterday morning. Hopefully I can get a few chores done this morning and enjoy some stitching this afternoon.
I managed a week with no button pushing and a bit of stitching, so this week's report looks a lot better than last week's.
Used last week: 0.74 yards
Added last week: 0 yards
Used for 2013: 45.28 yards
Added for 2013: 97.25 yards
Net stashed for 2013: 51.97 yards
Not a stellar week, but definitely not a bad week. I've been keeping track of my stash since 2010. I've used more fabric to date this year than I did in the previous 3 years and there is only one year where I bought less fabric by this point. So though I'm not meeting my goals, it's turning out to be an OK year for stash busting. How's your stash busting going?
I'm linking up with Judy over at Patchwork Times, along with all the other stash reporters.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
After the Storms
It's been a stormy couple of weeks here in Oklahoma, with the Oklahoma City area getting hit the hardest. My thoughts and prayers are with those families who lost loved ones and with those who are recovering from injuries. I have family that lives north of OKC, all of them are fine thankfully.
Our part of the state has seen storms as well the last two weeks, though not as severe as what the central part of the state has seen. Last night I was pretty much glued to the TV coverage. We had one tornadic storm pass about 20 miles to the north and about an hour later a second pass 20 miles to to the south. But our community's tornado sirens never went off. Other than some really heavy rains which flooded the roads for awhile, we suffered no other effects of the storms.
Thursday night's storms left damage in Tulsa, we got heavy rain from those early in the afternoon. But as the sun was going down, I captured these images from the retreating storm.
According to the weather forecast we will have a few days of respite from the unstable air that fosters these storms. So I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend of household chores and some serious stitching. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Our part of the state has seen storms as well the last two weeks, though not as severe as what the central part of the state has seen. Last night I was pretty much glued to the TV coverage. We had one tornadic storm pass about 20 miles to the north and about an hour later a second pass 20 miles to to the south. But our community's tornado sirens never went off. Other than some really heavy rains which flooded the roads for awhile, we suffered no other effects of the storms.
Thursday night's storms left damage in Tulsa, we got heavy rain from those early in the afternoon. But as the sun was going down, I captured these images from the retreating storm.
The rain has been really good for the roses this year. While out admiring these beauties, the sun came out and provided me with another reminder that nature can be both terrifying and beautiful.
According to the weather forecast we will have a few days of respite from the unstable air that fosters these storms. So I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend of household chores and some serious stitching. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)