Sunday Stash Report and Happy Easter!

Packages have arrived at my house!  14 yards of wide backing fabric.   I don't like to piece backings for large quilts, its much easier to use wide backing on them. 

Stash In--14 yards
Stash Out--0 yards
Stash in YTD--49 yards
Stash Out YTD--17.5 yards

Stash is ahead--31.5 yards

I'm feeling quite good about my stash reports.  Several finished tops waiting for me to quilt them.   And the goal of "moving ONE UFO ONE step each month is working.  Monday I will pick an April project.  See everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Checking My Goals

This week 8 Cake Stand blocks (4 purple from last month) and 4 Double Nine Patches completed.

I love orange, I enjoyed this month!  Check out everyone's orange blocks at soscrappy.

Time to check my progress--

1. Load and begin to quilt another top--no
2. Borders on Little Boxes--two borders on, one to go
3. 2 bibs--3 bibs done
4. Borders on Dee's Star--no
5. Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks--yes
6. Prepare two more Beyond the Cherry Tree blocks--background prepared but design not traced
7. Machine sew one binding on a top--no

I made 8 more wedding ring arcs--I have 125 done.   The yoyo's aren't forgotten, (Toni called me to ask) the centers to two yoyo blocks were put together this week.

Monday starts a new month--I've been looking at my UFO's picking my April project.  Maybe next week I will start my seeds.  Spring HAS to be coming soon!

 
 

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

All the Birds in Air blocks are sewn together---

Do you think it needs a narrow border?  Something dark and TOT maybe?  The plain white on the edges where you grip the quilt might become grubby quickly--so perhaps a 3" or so border would be good?   It finishes at 80" square--no matter how wonky the picture looks!   I was standing on a step stool trying to include the bottom of the quilt over the edge of the long arm and the picture is a bit skewed--but in real life its square!  The pattern had random appliqued simple bird shapes on it, I'm considering adding some.  It would make the quilt more unique.  Hmmmmmm  See what everyone has on their wall at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

1. Load and begin to quilt another top
2. Borders on Little Boxes
3. 2 bibs
4. Borders on Dee's Star 
5. Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks
6. Prepare two more Beyond the Cherry Tree blocks
7. Machine sew one binding on a top

That's plenty for one week, I'll never do them all but I like a lot of choices.  

And a few more pictures from Sertoma Butterfly House---

Everywhere you looked there were butterflies--on the wall, flitting through the air, on bushes, and sometimes they landed on you!

Golden Birdwing

A Swallowtail--not sure which species

Don't I look like a dead leaf??

Don't you think that brown butterfly looks exactly like a dead leaf?  Everywhere I looked there were all these "dead leaves".  But the room was filled with the most BEAUTIFUL bright blue butterflies.  Theywere the dead leaves--when they opened their wings they were so beautiful, an electric neon blue--but I could not capture them in flight for the camera.  

I found this picture on the internet--

Blue Morpho Butterflies are some of the largest in the world--5-8" across. 

Have a great week!

Motivation Saturday

This shouldn't be called a Motivation post.  Perhaps a Slacker post?  Nah--I've just veered from my goals.   How am I doing--

1. Quilt brown 4 patch--I'll work on it this weekend
2. Sew binding on one quilt--no
3. Finish applique block 16--yes
4. Sew 2 more bibs--no
5. Make 9 patches for Little Boxes--yes
6. Sew one more row of Birds in Air together--yes
7. Borders on DeeDee's Star--no

Well, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought.  First--here's block #16

Beyond the Cherry Tree #16

Still needs a bit of embroidery--but I'm doing the embroidery when all the blocks are finished. 

This week I've been playing with the Little Boxes pattern.  Mindless chain piecing, I needed some of that.  Here it is so far--

Looks a bit confusing, the birds in air blocks are peeking out from underneath.   The pattern used 2" strips, but I resized it to use 2.5" strips from my noodle box. 

No borders for DeeDee's Star quilt.  Inspiration has not stuck.

Last week Henrietta and I road tripped--visited Sertoma Butterfly House.   There were lots of butterflies.  Thousands.  But Henrietta made sure I met "Lucy". 

Lucy--A Mexican Tarantula

Lucy is very docile and would ride around all day on the volunteer clinging to her shoulder or back.  Children would hold her.  Henrietta said her abdomen felt like soft leather, and the hairs on her legs soft like cat fur.  Lucy can live to be 40 years old!  She was a "rescue spider"--donated by someone who knew Lucy would be enjoyed by many at the butterfly house.   

I better get busy, I'm running out of weekend!  How did you spend your week?  

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Several projects are being worked on--

Little Boxes

Little Boxes is a new project.  I had been a bit depressed and then I realized I didn't have a machine piecing project and THAT'S why I was depressed--I love mindless chain piecing--I find it relaxing and I think about other things in my life as I sew--maybe its more of a "thinking project" than a "quilting project".  Do you do that??  After a couple hours of sewing I felt much better!  The pattern was one of the Martingale downloads for $1.  I've resized it  to use 2.5" strips instead of 2".  My $1 is well spent when someone else figures the layout.  Yes--I probably could have racked my pea brain and figured it out--but I am a visual person--and find it much easier to look at the diagrams and how many "A" bits I need.  

Bibs from Towels

Remember working with knit fabric?  I had forgotten how I dislike that--but I do like the bibs.  Several more to do.  The towels cost between $1.00 and 1.50 and the knit collars were $1.49 for 10.  Yes--all 10 for that price.  Most of the collars are long enough to make two bibs.  Asher is a messy eater and I will put some away for gifts.  One blogger commented "after using it as a bib, wipe the kid down and toss it in the laundry".  A multi-purpose bib!

Block 16 BTCT

I have all the grapes sewn down--working on the vine.  Check everyone's Design Walls at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

1. Quilt brown 4 patch
2. Sew binding on one quilt
3. Finish applique block 16
4. Sew 2 more bibs
5. Make 9 patches for Little Boxes
6. Sew one more row of Birds in Air together
7. Borders on DeeDee's Star

Last week my goal progress wasn't so good.  This week will be busy too but I'll sew whenever I can.  Now, I don't plan to get all those goals done--I just like the option of variety in choices!   

The wind is howling and it alternates between cold (last night was 22F) and sunshine (now is 51F).  I'm SO ready for spring--I fondle my packets of flower seed and plan when to start them indoors.  I must remember not to plant them too early--last year the plants got too big and spindly before they were planted.    There are a few slow germination perennials I want to get a head start with.

Have a great week!!

Sunday Stash Report--Week 11

Time to update my numbers--

Stash in--13 yards
Stash out--0 yards
Stash in YTD--35 yards
Stash Out YTD--17.5 yards
 
Stash is ahead 17.5 yards

I bought 5 yards for a borders, 2 yards of a  stripe to make bias bindings, one yard of green for my applique.  5 yards of background.  This week Martingale had epatterns for $1--I bought several patterns that will use my charms and noodles.  I did something I seldom do--I pushed buttons.  3 wide backings are ordered but haven't arrived yet.   Even with shipping the wide backings were only $9/yd--a good buy I think.  See everyone's stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Yesterday was National Quilting Day--how did you spend it?  Sewing?  Or perhaps like me--stash enhancing!  

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

Hurray--the last of the Mr. March went together over the weekend!

Mr. March--94x112"

Too big to get it all in the picture.  I stood on my stepstool and took lots of pictures--if I've made an error somewhere a photo makes it easier to see.  So far--so good!  Usually I don't make a pieced border--but the pattern had a picket fence border and I liked it. The pattern is  Four-Patch Plaid in the book Nickel Quilts by Pat Speth/Charlene Spode.  See what everyone is working on at Patchwork Times.

Henrietta's Brown Batik 4 Patches are on the Princess--

Saturday I had a sewing marathon--finished Mr. March, stitched around and trimmed Swoon, and made 3 sets of binding.  I was able to finish all my goals last week--maybe I didn't make enough???

This week I want to--

1. Quilt Brown 4 Patch
2. Sew one binding on
3. Add one more bunch of appliqued grapes to my block
4. Sew more Birds in Air rows together

I saw this pattern free on-line and maybe it will be my "fun time" this week--

Heritage pattern at Red Rooster Fabrics

Its not that big--44"--but I can see adding squares in the corner and maybe some fun diamond borders.  I tried to talk Henrietta into making one with me but she says I'm the one who likes diamonds and angles and to go ahead without her! 

And yesterday it RAINED.  

This is looking over into my neighbor's backyard--the ground is froze so the water doesn't sink in.  Later on it got much colder--the puddle is now a frozen lake and we've had about 2 inches of snow--all is white again. 

Its time for winter to be over!  I miss green grass and the smell of fresh dirt.  A few flower seeds and some pole bean seed fell into my shopping cart the other day.  I've been saving plastic pop bottles and plastic qt milk jugs all winter--found instructions to make "ghetto greenhouses" and they seem like my kind of project. 

Are you ready for spring?  Have you bought any seeds to plant?  Is your garden planned??

Motivation Friday

This week has flown by---how have I been doing??

1. Load Henrietta's Brown 4 Patch--no
2. Border on Plaid 4 Patch--in progress
3. Trim Swoon--no
4. Applique Cherries on #21 of Beyond the Cherry Tree--yes
5. Make binding for Swoon--no

Not too bad.  I won't load Henrietta's quilt until the borders are on Mr. March--I'm using the long arm rollers to lay it out.  I also made +100 grapes for #16 of the Cherry Tree project.  I have two bunches of grapes sewn down and I'm working on the 3rd bunch.  

There are four "bunches" of grapes, a ribbon wreath and leaves on this block.  Some viney tendrils you embroider.  The middle of the block is empty and is an open spot to sign my name etc.   Not sure about that.  Maybe I will have someone use their embroidery machine to make a nice label for on the back when I'm done.  That's sounds easier.  After all--what year would I put on it?  2010 when I started it--or 2020--when I might finish it?!!  I definitely want a label on this baby.  

I've also been blog reading--catching up my Google Reader.  I may not comment--but I've been reading!

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

The Plaid 4 Patch is back on the wall--

All the blocks for the center section are sewn together--it just needs the inner solid brown border and the outside picket fence units--those are all made.  Each month I need to pull out one UFO and move it one more step--meet Mr. March!  Check everyone's design walls at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

1. Load Henrietta's Brown 4 Patch
2. Border on Plaid 4 Patch
3. Trim Swoon
4. Applique Cherries on #21 of Beyond the Cherry Tree
5. Make binding for Swoon

Swoon is quilted, that's one more for the binding pile.  This month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color is Orange, I need to schedule time to play.  

Have you scheduled time to play this week?  What are you doing for fun??

Sunday Stash Report

Time to update my stash report--

Stash In--0 yards  
Stash Out--13.5 yards
Stash in YTD--22 yards
Stash out YTD--17.5 yards
    
STASH IS AHEAD--4.5 YARDS

Watch out Stash--I'm catching up!!

See everyone's stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Motivation Friday

Time to check my goals--

1. Quilt Swoon--half way
2. Sew binding to 4 Patch Posey--no
3. Pink Cake Stand blocks--no
4. Sew Birds in Air blocks together--no
5. Borders on DeeDee's Star top--no
6. Applique flowers on block 11 of BTCT project--yes

Good grief--have I been doing ANY sewing??  Lots!  A lot of time so far on Swoon--I'm not sure why but it seems to be taking longer than planned.   I decided to prep two more applique blocks--

This is Block #16 of Beyond the Cherry Tree.  There are 120 grapes in this block.   I'm using pennies, dimes, and nickels for templates to make grapes.   Since my "grapes" are bigger than the pattern I doubt I'll need 120!   There is an entire blog devoted to quilters who participated in this project--Beyond the Cherry Tree.  Mimi's quilt is finished and is entered at Lancaster and Paducah.  Some are being quilted, some are completed tops--and some like mine are still "works in progress".   If you have a quilt you've always wanted to make but wondered if you "had it in you" DON'T WAIT!!  Start!!   Get your bucket list out and pick one.  Or two.  Or ten!!   

I had a finish this week.  You know--a F-I-N-I-S-H.  Its the Blue Urban Cabin.

Twin size--64x85".  Its a great pattern, I've made two and Henrietta made one. 

The weather is going to be nice this weekend, maybe Henrietta and I will road trip.  And more quilting--hopefully Swoon will be finished.  What do you have planned?