Favorite Things Friday - October 15th

Well it's Friday in Australia even if it's only Thursday evening in Oklahoma.  So I'm on Quilting in My Pajamas' time while writing this blog.  You can pop over there for more Favorite Things (and it really is Friday there). 

My favorite things this week reside on my desk at work.  I have flowers to brighten my day:





I have a scrappy fabric heart hanging on the wall to inspire me:

And finally, I have Mr. Piggy to make me smile:

All gifts from kiddo.  She's 11 now and would probably be embarrassed to know that I'm still displaying things she made in 2nd grade on my desk.  I guess I won't tell her they will probably stay there even when she's in collage.  What are your favorite things this week?

New Project Lust (Or How to Update Your UFO List)

I've been a really good girl this year in terms of quilt finishes.  I've finished all the new projects I started (well not quite, I still need to bind the one day mystery quilt from back in July, but I'll get there).  The other two projects I started this year are BOM's, so those are WIP's in my book.  Plus, I finished up 5 quilts from my UFO list, including the two oldest from 2001 and 2002.  I'm ready to start something new!

It's like I've been on a new quilt diet. You know how that works, no new projects till you clean out the old.  But now I want to do everything!  I've already pulled fabric for the Layer Cake Quilt Along over at Moose on a Porch Quilts (fabric choices are here).  Now Judy over at Patchwork Times is starting a mystery quilt on Oct 19th.  Bonnie Hunter is starting also starting a new mystery quilt called Cotton on Nov 19th.  I also have a couple of quilts that I've been working in EQ7, an Asian theme for my niece (fabric choices posted here) and some designs for an Oklahoma State University themed quilt to donate to the kiddo's school auction.  I do have a day job and the Holiday's are coming up!  Decisions, decisions!  I really, really want to do all of them! 

Well it's time to go to work, I'll have to contemplate the future of my sewing life another time. 

Design Wall Monday - October 11th

Another busy weekend with volleyball games (here in town for once) and Fun Night at school.  I also had some machine problems, I did get them worked out, but I probably lost a good hour of sewing time.  Finished sewing all the rows together on the 2008 BOM and started on the borders, but didn't get very far.  Finished one more block of the purple and yellow scarp quilt (which I've been assembling as a leaders and enders project).  Since the 2008 BOM (shown here) is too big for the design wall, I put all the purple and yellow blocks back up. 



So nothing new to show, just a little progress.  

Check out other design walls over at  Judy's Patchwork Times.

Stash Report - October 10th

This week the stash report is a  good news, bad news type of deal.  The good news, nothing in this week!  The bad news, not much in the way of fabric out.  I only finished two of the purple/yellow scrappy blocks.  I've been working on sewing together the 2008 BOM quilt, and I've already counted all of that fabric.  So here are the numbers for this this week: 

Used this week = 0.2  yards
Added this week =  0 yards
Used Year to Date = 34.8 yards
Added Year to Date = 345 yards
Net Used for 2010 = (310.3) yards

Only one more seam to sew on the 2008 BOM quilt and I'll have all the rows assembled.  Then I'll be able to add the borders and maybe even get the back pieced.  So next week's stash report should look much better in the fabric out column. 

Wander over to Judy's Patchwork Times to check in on all the stash reports.

The Other (or Another?) BOM

I like BOMs (block of the month).  My job over the years sometimes required a lot of effort and with a family that needs me too, time for quilting was at a premium.  I found I liked BOMs.  It was the one "class" the local quilt shop (when we had one) would offer at night.  Plus no matter how crazy life was at work or with kiddo's soccer, basketball, school, church schedule, I could usually find enough time to finish one block a month. 

The only problem with BOMs is that you have to figure out how to set them once you finish them. I struggle with that part of the process.  It took me the better part of a year before I decided how to set together my first completed BOM.  That seems to be a trend.  I've posted about the 2008 BOM project (here and here) that I'm finishing up and that also took me a year to figure out.  I have a second BOM from 2008 that I also need to finalize a design for.  In looking through my stash, I found a BOM that I intended to start when we lived in TX, but never did.  It was a "Buck-A-Block" program that was sponsored by the quilt shop.  Most of you have probably done one of those programs, where you go in on a designated day of the month, pay a $1 and pick up your little baggie with the fabric strips in it and the pattern for the block.  I was able to get all the baggies, but I never started the project.  That was back when I thought you could only work on one project at a time.

I pulled out all those little baggies earlier this year and started on the blocks.  I have about half of them done.  Enough so I can start mocking up the final setting.  Since it takes me so long to decide on a final design, I thought I should start now.  Maybe by the time I finish the blocks, I'll know how I want to set them.  I bought fabric for the border and fabric for setting the blocks when the shop started the BOM.  So started playing with those fabrics to come up with a setting in EQ. Here are a couple of potential settings. 

The dark green and the medium blue do match colors that are in the block fabrics, but I'm not sure that they really go with the blocks.  These two were the fabrics chosen by the shop for their setting, which was a simple straight set with sashing and cornerstones.    I'm wondering if I should do something lighter.  So I played with a lighter blue print from my stash.  Not sure I have the right color yet, but here's how that might translate into a final setting. 

I probably need to rescan the border fabric.  It has a large repeat (of TX blue bonnets).  I'm not happy with how that looks in EQ, so that may also need to be reconsidered.  But I'll play with a scan of the larger repeat first. 

I'm pretty sure I want an on point setting.  Do I keep the dark green, do I keep the border fabric?  I want at least a queen size quilt.  My SIL and family live in TX and love all things TX.  So I'm thinking this quilt may end up with them.  So I'd like to keep the blue bonnet border fabric. Though I suppose I could use the blue bonnet fabric for the backing.  Have to consider that.   I'd also like to use fabrics from my stash to finish this one up.  My stash report could use some significant withdrawals!

I'm only half done with the blocks, so plenty of time to decide on a path forward.  Any suggestions?