Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Orange You Glad I'm Done with Purple?

I was so ready for the weekend and some much needed down time.  Though this afternoon will be a bit busy.  It's prom weekend and Drama Teen has a date.  So the afternoon will be spent doing girly things like painting toes and doing hair.  They will be going out for dinner in Tulsa, they need to leave early so they can get back for the dance and after party.  I promise pictures tomorrow.  

It was a fairly good week for stitching.  I've been trying to get caught up on my RSC blocks for March.  I finally finished the second purple Vintage Dress.

 Vintage Dresses by Charise Randell

I really like this one.  I'm pretty sure I've said the same thing about all the previous dresses that I've finished. I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite from the six finished to date.   The dark trim is really a deep purple, even though it looks black in the photo.  

So that's both purple dresses done in time for the end of April and the last orange weekend.  I do have the first orange dress cut out.

  

Now I just have to get it and the other orange dress assembled, so I can move on to the color for May.  These dresses are a bit more work than my past RSC projects, so I may not keep up each month, but I am enjoying the process, even if it's not fast.  

You can find more bright and happy orange blocks over at Soscrappy.  

Let's Book it Progress for April 2016

Just two more days in April.  How did that happen?  It seems the month just flew by.   Even though life has been occurring in a time warp, I do have progress on my long term Let's Book It Project.  

Poinsettias
By Judy Blok for the December 2013 issue
of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine

Two more Poinsettia blocks were stitched together this month, just one more block left to make and then it will be time to start on the pieced sashing.  I really like how this quilt is coming together.  It may actually make it to the finished flimsy stage sometime this year.  

You can see more Let's Book It projects over at Vrooman's Quilts.  

One Monthly Goal: April's Goal Completed

I'm actually ready to link up with Red Letter Quilts on the first day of the One Monthly Goal link up for April.  Of course April's goal was pretty easy.  The plan was to add a narrow border to the Midnight Mystery quilt.  

Check:  One narrow border.

After adding the border, it was time to find fabric for the back.  While straightening up the fabric closet I came across some yardage that's been in the stash for a while.  It's not a great match to the front but it works, at least it has a black background.    

Check:  Pieced back

Then came pressing and removing all the loose threads.  Then the top and backing were folded up to package for shipping.

Check:  Prepped and packaged.  

Last Friday, the box made it's way to the Post Office and is now on it's way to Trudy.


Check:  Shipped

I'm really enjoying these One Monthly Goals.  It helps me focus on moving one project forward.  Getting projects out the door for quilting is one of my slower steps.  I'm not overly fond of the prepping for shipping process of pressing and de-treading that has to be done before I turn loose of them. By making it this month's goal, I didn't put it off for weeks which is my typical habit.  Getting this project to the quilter now makes it more likely I'll have another finish in May.  

Stash Management: Week 17 of 2016

It's been a beautiful weekend.  Lots of sun and mild temperatures.  Spring doesn't last long in Oklahoma, but it's certainly wonderful while it's here.  My Guy and I were off work on Friday.  We grabbed the cameras and went looking for some wildflowers.  It's a bit early for the real showy displays, but we found a few blooming lovelies scattered here and there.

Paintbrush

Purple Paintbrush

Wild Indigo

After our photo excursion, I was able to sew most of Friday, as well as most of Saturday afternoon.  So there's a little bit going out. 

Used last week: 1.33 yards
Used in April:  6.72 yards
Used year to date:  23.9  yards
Purchased this week:  0 yards
Purchased year to date:  17.75 yards
Net used for 2016: 6.15 yards

Getting in the sewing room even just a bit each day helps so much with getting things done, so I strive to spend at least 15 minutes of every day in the sewing room.  It was a pretty good week on that front.  

Days with 15 minutes of stitching time this week: 6 days
Days in April:  17 days out of 23
Days this year:  92 days out of 114 

So a pretty good week on multiple fronts.  Hope yours was a good one too.  Linking up with Patchwork Times for this week's stash report.  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Still No Orange

It's Saturday, time to talk scrappy for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

I'm still working on getting caught up after all the time out of my sewing room in March.  Yesterday helped a lot as My Guy and I were off work and home for a change.  I still haven't gone hunting for orange scraps to make this month's blocks, but I did finish off one of the purple dresses from last month. 

 Vintage Dresses by Charise Randell

Too bad I didn't finish this dress last month, it would make a perfect Easter dress don't you think?  I got a good start on the second purple dress and if my weekend stitching plans hold together it should be done by the end of the weekend.  That gives me a week to get a start on this month's orange dresses.  Maybe I'll be all caught up with my rainbow blocks by the end of next month. 

Linking up with Soscrappy when Angela is able to get the linky party posted.  

Weekend Stitching: Progress on Allietare

It was a rainy Sunday, absolutely perfect for spending lots of time in the sewing room.  We're supposed to get more rain today, but unfortunately I have to go back to work.  Though My Guy and I are taking Friday off, so I should get in some good stitching time then.  

Midnight Mystery and it's back are all pressed and packaged for the quilter. That project should go out this week.  Trudy is typically pretty quick, so it should be back in plenty of time for binding it to be next month's goal.  That will be the second of the eight finishes from my quilt plan. Finishing all eight on the plan is going to be a challenge.  Looking at where I'm at right now, I'm thinking finishing six may be more realistic.  

So now that Midnight Mystery is ready for it's next step, my focus has moved to finishing up Allietare. 

 Allietare,  Bonnie Hunter's 2015 Mystery Quilt

Just three more of the star blocks to assemble and then I can get starting on the setting triangles. I really like this pattern from Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt series.  Looks like I'll get this one done before this year's mystery starts.  I finished up Grand Illusion last year, but I still need to finish Celtic Solstice which was her 2013 mystery quilt.  Last time I worked on it, it looked like this.  

Celtic Solstice, a Bonnie Hunter Mystery

CS is not on this year's quilt plan though, so it will have to sit for at least another yaer before it gets it's turn to be back on the design wall. 

Linking up with:
Main Crush Monday
Monday Making
Monday Design Wall

Check out all three to see some really fun eye candy. 

Stash Management for Week 16 of 2016

It's been cloudy and windy most of this week.  We're supposed to get 4 inches of rain between now and Monday night.  It's definitely spring in Oklahoma.  But the rain and the warmer temps have definitely worked their magic on the rose bushes. 

There's only two or 3 blooms open at the moment, but there are hundreds of buds just waiting to open.  By the end of the this week the bushes should be a riot of pink.  

Between income taxes and work, it was a hectic week. Thankfully taxes are done and submitted.  I finished off the last report for the big project at work Friday evening.  Both efforts cut into my sewing time this week.  Still I managed to get at into the sewing room most nights this week.  

Days with 15 minutes of stitching time this week:  6 days
Days in April:  11 out of 16
Days this year 86 out of 107

Most nights it was just 15 minutes of stitching, but that's enough to keep projects moving at a steady pace.  Even though things are moving along, I can only count the fabric from one Allietare block as out this week. 

Used last week:  0.15 yards
Used in April:  5.39 yards
Used year to date:  22.57
Purchased this week:  0 yards
Purchased year to date:  17.75 yards
Net used for 2016:  4.82 yards

I'm hoping to get in some significant stitching time this afternoon so I can count the fabric Allietare blocks and a Vintage Dress block as outgoing for next week.  

There's more stash management going on over at Patchwork Times. 

Weekend Stitching - Vintage Tea Time Finish

It's been a couple of weeks since my last Monday post.  I've been working in my sewing room, but the amount of progress that was post worthy just hasn't been there lately.  It just seemed silly to write about finishing up one block.  Thankfully, I have a finish to blog about today.  

This weekend I finally got around to photographing the McCall's Mystery quilt that was finished Easter weekend.  

Vintage Tea Time (McCall's Mystery Quilt) From McCall's Quilting Magazine
Jan/Feb, April/May issues

This quilt was started in January of 2012 and was my third oldest UFO. So it's nice to have it off the UFO list.  When I saw the pattern in McCall's quilting it seemed like a great way to use up that tea pot print that had been languishing in my stash.  

Usually I have problems coming up with names for my projects, not this one.  My Guy has been referring to it as the "Old Ladies Quilt".  He's not fond of the tea pot focus fabric.  He agreed that "Vintage Tea Time" was an appropriate alternative.  

Trudy used a floral motif in yellow thread for the quilting. 

It's a bright and sunny quilt.  I really like how the blue borders frames and contains all that bright yellow.  Not sure where this quilt is going yet.  It's a bit big for a donation quilt, but hopefully I can find a some place where it will be loved and appreciated.  

Linking up with 
Making Monday
Main Crush Monday 

Stash Management for the 15th Week of 2016

This week certainly got away from me and I'm not really sure why.  Schedules were a bit out of wack which may have contributed to my lack of sewing enthusiasm this week.  My Guy finally caught the nasty virus I had over Easter, which kept him home.  Drama Teen had state journalism workshops and award ceremonies last week.  We celebrated the third place finish at state of the creative arts magazine that she edits.  One of the other magazines from her school placed first, so she was a bit bummed.  But she found out Thursday that she'd been selected as the Oklahoma representative to Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in Washington D.C. This opportunity also comes with a scholarship, so we are all really excited.  It ended being a really good week on the family front.  

It wasn't a bad week for stash usage either.  I finished the back for the Midnight Mystery quilt.  So there's a bit going out this week. 

Used last week:  4.70 yards
Used in April:  5.24 yards
Used year to date:  22.42 yards
Purchased this week:  10.75 yards
Purchased year to date:  17.75 yards
Net used for 2016:  4.67 yards

But there was more coming in than out this week.  However,  I'm still in the black so it's still a good week.  The fabric that came in this week is for a graduation quilt for next year.  I saw Connecting Threads' Mosaic Blooms in one of my quilting magazines and realized it would be perfect for DT's friend. 

From Connecting Threads' Mosaic Blooms collection

DT had already picked a pattern, Bejeweled from Susan Guzman's book All About Strips.  

Bejeweled from the book All About Strips by Susan Guzman

DT wanted a quilt with blues, purples and greens, but she thinks the teal is an even better color for this quilt.  I've done some mock ups in EQ.  

EQ mock up of Bejeweled, pattern by Susan Guzman

This isn't an exact duplicate of the pattern, but I can get a good sense of how the fabrics are going to work together.  I need to dig into the stash to see if there is a gray that will work for the background for this one.  

It wasn't a good week for stitching.  In part because I ended up running more errands than typical since My Guy was out of sorts.  I didn't do very well at getting in my 15 minutes a day of stitching time. 

Days with 15 minutes of stitching time this week:  3 days
Days in April:  5 out of 9
Days this year:  80 out of 100

Hopefully I'll get back on track this week.  

You can check out more stash management success stories over at Patchwork Times. 

Stash Management for the 14th Week of 2016

It was nice to have a weekend at home with no where to go.  The taxes have been started, but are far enough along that they should finished this morning.   I was able to get in a good afternoon of stitching, which was a treat after so many weeks of being gone or just busy.  I don't have much to show in terms of fabric going out this week.  Just one block for Alietare and three of the narrow borders for the Midnight Mystery quilt.  But every little bit adds up.

Used last week: 0.89 yards
Used in March: 1.21 yards
Used in April: 0.89 yards
Used year to date:  17.72 yards
Purchased this week:  0 yards
Purchased year to date:  7 yards
Net Used for 2016: 10.72 yards

No fabric in this week, but there will be another addition to the stash next week.  I ordered fabric for the second of four graduation quilts.  Thankfully I should be able to start on the back for the Midnight Mystery quilt this week, so that will be a nice chuck going out of the stash to help balance that purchase.  

Last year I started piling up all the fabrics that are currently dedicated to an ongoing project and measured the height.  It's one way to visualize progress of using up the stash.  

Stack of in-use fabrics as of 4-2-2016

The stack has grown by about  0.75 inches since January.  Since I finished the McCall's Mystery quilt, those fabrics got pulled out, but I've added the backing fabric for the Midnight Mystery quilt.  Still I'm down 2 inches from the first time I did measured the stack back in February of 2015.

In use fabrics as of  February 2015 and January 2016

Hopefully by the end of 2016, this pile will be a lot shorter!  The more days I make it to the sewing room for 15 minutes the faster that will happen. This was a good week for stitching. 

Days with 15 minutes of stitching time this week:  7 days
Days in March: 23 out of 31
Days in April:  2 out of 2
Days this year: 77 out of 93  

That's it for me this week on metrics.  You can check out Judy's Patchwork Times for more on stash management.  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - No Orange Yet

Wasn't it just January yesterday?  It always seems that the first month of any new year goes on forever, but once February comes around, the months just start to fly by.  March certainly seemed to pass at the speed of light.  Maybe April will go a bit slower? 

I'm working to catch up on this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge project.  I've not had a chance to investigate what orange scraps will go into this month's Vintage Dresses.  I've made a start on the first of the purple dresses from last month, but not enough to show off anything at this point.  The second brown dress didn't go together right and had to go through stitching rehab before it was mostly right.

Vintage Dresses by Charise Randell

  

The bow is still not quite right.  I'll unstitch that seam and see if I can get it to line up better.  That shouldn't take too long.  This dress has so many little pieces in it that it was pretty intimidating looking at all of them lying on the sewing table. Though it's not perfect, I'm happy that it mostly looks like it's supposed to.  This is my first attempt at a really complex paper piecing. I can't say that paper piecing is one of my favorite techniques, but it certainly produces results you can't get any other way.  

Here's the first four dresses.  

Vintage Dresses by Charise Randell

The pattern has 4 different dresses in it and there is one of each in the set up on the design wall.  The brown polka dot dress is by far the hardest, the other three are pretty easy in comparison.  I'm having fun picking the fabrics for each dress.  Now I just need to get the purple dresses assembled and find some orange scraps for this month's dresses.  

Linking up with Angela over at Soscrappy for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  

April One Monthly Goal

March went fast, I guess because there was a lot going on.  I'm hoping April will be a bit slower and more stitching friendly. Though I'm probably being optimistic.  Drama Teen has a college visit she wants to make this month (Yes, it's that time already!).  I'll spend a good part of this weekend working on our taxes.  But I'll need a least some stitching time to balance out the stress of dealing with all that financial stuff.  

Since it's the first of April, it's time to link up with Red Letter Quilts for the declaration of my April One Monthly Goal.  

My 2016 Quilt Plan is to finish seven quilts this year.  So that's what I'm working towards.  Midnight Mystery from the 2015 Meadow Mist mystery quilt along is closest to being done. 

 Midnight Mystery Quilt  From Meadow Mist Designs

My April goal is to get this quilt sent out for quilting.  I've decided to add a narrow border. That's actually already cut out: the pieces just need to be stitched together and added to the quilt.  I found a fabric for the backing last weekend while doing some rearranging of the stash closet.  The backing fabric pressed and ready for cutting once the border is on.  So adding borders, piecing the backing, getting it pressed, de-threaded and in the mail to Trudy is the plan.  That should be doable.