Stash Report - Week 7 of 2016

Happy Valentine's Day!  Hope your's is perfect. Ours will definitely be low key.  Though I think Drama Teen and My Guy put their heads together to come up with something special for dinner tonight.  

I realized this morning that I haven't posted anything since last week's stash report.  It's been a weird week.  We received some disturbing news from the extended family last Sunday and it's taken me most of the week to process it.  I've been stitching, which always helps me work through issues, but there just wasn't the inclination to sit down and write.  

I've been working on finishing up the blocks for the Midnight Mystery quilt.  They are big blocks that go together really fast.  That's made for nice showing on the stash report. 

Used last week:  1.75 yards
Used in February:  3.94 yards
Used year to date:  13.21 yards
Purchased year to date:  0 yards
Net Used for 2016:  13.21 yards

Not as good as last week, but I didn't make it up to the sewing room as much as I have the previous 6 weeks. I've done really well this year in finding the time and desire to get into the sewing room for 15 minutes each day.  Getting to the sewing room for those 15 minuets each day didn't go so well this week.  

This week:  4 out of 7 days with 15 minutes of stitching
This month:  10 out of 13 days 
This year:  41 out of 44 days

Hopefully I'll get back on track this week with both my stitching and my blog posting.  I'll be linking up with Patchwork Times for this week's stash report when she posts this morning.  

Stash Report - Week 6 of 2016

Last week went fast.  That head cold kept me sidelined the first part of the week. But once Wednesday rolled around, I was feeling almost normal.  I did spend yesterday afternoon in the sewing room, but didn't get much stitching done.  A lot of time was spent prepping the back of the McCall's Mystery quilt for shipping.  Today I'll do the finished flimsy.  That has to be my least favorite part of the quilting process, the finial pressing and clean up.  

So though not a lot of stitching got done, I've reached the point on almost all the active projects where I'm finishing blocks.  That's the point I count my fabric as out.  So this week looks pretty good in terms of stash usage.  

Used last week:  2.31 yards
Used in February:  2.19 yards
Used year to date:  11.46 yards
Purchased year to date:  0 yards
Net used for 2016:  11.46 yards

The big blocks for the Midnight Mystery quilt use almost a half yard of fabric, so finishing up one of those makes a big jump in the numbers.  

It also helps that I've been really good about getting in at least 15 minutes of stitching every day.

This week:  7 out of 7 days
This month:  6 out of 6 days
This year:  37 out of 37 days

It's amazing how just a few minutes a night can make a difference in progress. I usually end up spending about 45 minutes in the sewing room each evening. 

I've also been trying to capture a photo a day as one of my 2016 goals.  I haven't done as well with that goal, I missed a few days when I was sick. Wednesday's beautiful sunrise got me back on track with the camera.  

It's always nice to start off the day with a pretty view.  Have a wonderful week.  Linking up with Patchwork Times.  

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Vintage Brown and Pink

A weekend with no place to go.  Well at least I don't have any place to be.  Drama Teen will be off taking the ACT later this morning.  My Guy has a jam session with some of the guys from work this afternoon.   After  tackling a bit of laundry this morning, I should be free to hold up in my sewing room for most of the afternoon. 

Last night was spent printing the papers for the next two Vintage Dresses.  I cut up one page to use as guides for cutting the fabrics.  Then spent a bit of time selecting fabrics for February's dresses. 

 Vintage Dresses by Charise Randell

I may have to replace the pale beige at the top left, there may not be good enough contrast with the background to use it as the belt for the strapless dress.  The three fabrics on the right are really brown and pink, though they look to be black and pink.  That's as far as I've gotten on February's Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  Hopefully, I'll have a finished one to show off next weekend. 

Linking up with Soscrappy.  I'm looking forward to seeing all the other scrappy browns linked up this week.  

WIPs - Visible Progress

Often it seems there is just enough time to either stitch or blog, but not both.  I've done a pretty good job of getting in the sewing room for at least 15 minutes each day.  But not such a good job of  posting regularly and reading other's blogs.  I'm trying to balance both, but some weeks it just doesn't work.  I didn't post any WIP progress last week due to attendance at that conference.  There just wasn't time to write a post.  Thankfully this week has been a bit slower and I actually have progress to show on Allietare. 

Allietare, Bonnie Hunter's 2015 Mystery Quilt

I've finally gotten back to making the star blocks and only have one more of the Pisa blocks to stitch together.  I still have more cutting to do for the star blocks, but at least there is visible progress.  I'm making the blocks for this project in between assembling the Midnight Mystery blocks. 

Midnight Mystery Quilt, From Meadow Mist Designs

The first block is now all stitched together and I've started on block number 2.  These big blocks will go together fast if I can keep up the momentum.  I'm hoping to have all the blocks pieced and in a flimsy before the end of the month.  

That's it for my WIPs this week.  You can find some very pretty things at the various WIP linky parties.  

Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts
WIPs on Wednesay at Esther's Quilt Blog
Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Weekend Stitching - What's Next for February?

Thankfully I felt much better on Sunday. Not 100%, but I could at least breathe through one nostril and the fever broke.  Laundry was priority number one, but I was able to get some significant time in the sewing room Sunday afternoon.  

I seem to be most productive when I've got 3 to 4 projects going. With McCall's Mystery just needing some pressing before it can go out for quilting, it was time to find something to add to the current project rotation.  I'd put Midnight Mystery aside when I ran out of design wall space.  Since it's not that far from being done, I went searching for all the block parts.  After locating all of those and consulting the instructions, I realized I had missed a step somewhere along the line and would have to assemble a few block parts.  That didn't stop me from getting the rows assembled for the first block. 

Midnight Mystery Quilt, From Meadow Mist Designs

You never know what you'll get when you pick your fabrics for a mystery.  I was really beginning to worry that the tulip fabric was going to be way out of place.  I like how it looks in the final block.  Some of the star points may get lost, but I don't think that will distract from the quilt overall.   I still need to stitch the rows together to finish this first block, but I'll get to that tonight.  

There are 8 full blocks and 2 half blocks to finish for the Midnight Mystery.  I still need to finish 18 blocks for Allietare.  Since February is a short month, I'd have a better chance of finishing up the Midnight Mystery quilt, especially since all the block pieces are made, I just need to assemble the blocks.  Can't say that about Allietare.  So my One Monthly Goal for February is to get the Midnight Mystery blocks sewn together into a flimsy.  That should be doable.  

Linking up with:

Red Letter Quilts for the February One Monthly Goal
Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday
Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making
Cooking up Quilts for Main Crush Monday