VA Row by Row, Blue Crab Quilt Co. and Stash Report

More fabric added this week.  I bought bright batiks for  'Something's Fishy'.  I also bought a couple of fabrics for another row, 'Crabs in the Waves' by Blue Crab Quilt Co. in Richmond, VA. 

I had a problem with the paper pieced crabs.  For some reason, the legs didn't line up quite right, and I had to trim the red crab block to get it down to 9 1/2 inches.  That imperfection will not keep me from putting it in the quilt, though.  I ended up redrafting the block for orange crab, and it went together  more easily.  These crabs need eyes which won't be added until after it is quilted. 

This morning I got more Peanuts Christmas fabric to make a pillowcase for my friend's mom who is in the hospital.  Why Peanuts Christmas fabric in July?  Because that is what the lady requested. The only  fabric I used this week were in this king sized pillow case and in 2 blocks for a friend's comfort quilt. 

 

Used This Week:  1.25  yards
Used Year to Date: 58.0 yards
Added this week: 3 yards  
Added year to date: 49.375 yards
 Net Used: 8.625 yards 

To see more stash reports:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2014/07/13/stash-report-week-28-2014/

PA Row by Row, Brubakers Sewing Center

I finished one of the row by row patterns that I got last week.

 

 

 

This is 'Something's Fishy by Brubakers Sewing Center.   These are supposed to be fish, and they will look more like fish when I get their eyes sewn on.  But I might use beads or buttons for eyes, so they wont get put on until after it is quilted.

This pattern was a challenge for me because there were no diagrams, and I am a visual quilter.  I had to google to find a picture of the finished row online and draw my own diagrams to keep straight what I was doing.   I also wanted this row to be 9 inches wide like most of the others, so I added strips on the  top and bottom.  Unfortunately, I ran out of the first batik, so I used a scrap of something else  I had laying around.

Notice that I had to add a piece of background at the end.  This is one piece where your 1/4 inch seam allowance really matters.  I counted 35 vertical seams in this row, which means that my 1/4 inch seam is 1/35 of an inch off.  Not something that really matters a lot in a normal quilt where there aren't quite so many seams going in one direction, but I need to be more aware of it for pieces like this.

Linking up with Sarah:  http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2014/07/can-i-get-whoop-whoop-anticipating.html

July Gypsy Wife Blocks

I got my July blocks done today.  Here they are:

I'm tempted to do August's too, but I have UFOs that need attention.  

PA Row by Row and Stash Report

I spent a whole $2 on fabric remnants this week.  Most of it was 3/4 yard of a yellow and white print since I'm low on yellows.  I also bought a small bag with some colors I'm low on: red, purple, and orange.

I don't have any fabric used this week to report, but I'm chugging along on Carolina Christmas.  I lost a few sewing days when we went to Pennsylvania to visit our son, but I picked up 5 Row by Row patterns on the way.  We visited:

Log Cabin Quilt Shop in Bird in Hand, PA
Piece by Piece in Ephrata, PA
Stitch & Craft in Manheim, PA
The Quilt Shop at Miller's in Ronks, PA
Brubakers Sewing Center in New Holland, PA

Of course there are patterns I like more than others, but I enjoyed visiting each shop.  At Miller's, there are a lot of finished quilts for sale.  They hand out gloves so you can touch the quilts.  Even DH was entertained in this shop.  Brubakers had a lot of sewing machines, new and used, but no Berninas. They gave out jar openers with their logo and a wrapped gift (mine was a pattern for a felt pin)  too.   Log Cabin Quilt shop handed out recipes along with their quilt pattern. I enjoyed talking to the lady at Piece by Piece.  That's the one place where I bought the kit for the row because her colors were so pretty.  We barely got to Stitch & Craft before closing, but the girl  at the cutting counter was very nice.  I'd have liked to have more time in this shop.

DH was a good sport through all the stops.  Sometimes it is no fun to shop with a non-quilter along, but he kept himself entertained on his iphone while I looked around the stores.  I kept my purchases small:  goats milk soap, aurifil thread, hex n more key chain.

Used This Week:  0  yards
Used Year to Date: 56.75 yards
Added this week: 1.25 yards 
Added year to date: 46.375 yards
 Net Used: 10.375 yards

Linking up with Patchwork Times:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2014/07/06/stash-report-week-27-2014-2/

Second Quarter Check In

My 3 quilting resolutions this year were to finish Celtic Solstice, my selvage quilt and a quilt for my sister.  I've made progress on 2 of the 3 goals, but none of them are completely done.

 I've already  blogged about Celtic Solstice a couple of times.  I was originally going to make a king sized Celtic Solstice.  After I got all of the blocks done and started laying them out, I decided I really didn't like it enough to make it for my bed.  Instead I pieced 3 quilt tops from the blocks. Two of them are for the bunk beds in my son's old room.  With the leftover blocks I made a baby sized quilt which I gave to Sarah, who added borders and turned it into a lap sized quilt for charity.  That's the only one of the 3 CSs that is completely done. 

 

 Bottom Bunk:

 

 

Top Bunk:

 

Baby Quilt:                                                                                                                              

 

 

I finished the top of my sister's one block wonder quilt, but I didn't draw her name for Christmas, so I haven't gotten it to the longarmer to get it quilted yet. 

 

 

 

 

My selvage quilt is still sitting in the box.  It has been resting for about 3 years now, patiently waiting for me.  Here's what I have done so far:

 

 

I need 2 more star blocks to turn these into a lap sized quilt.  I thought about making a baby quilt out of just the 4 of them, but selvages are kind of rough, not really what you'd want next to a baby.

 

Linking up with Sandy at Quilting for the Rest of Us  http://quiltingfortherestofus.com/blog/second-quarter-2014-quilty-resolutions-check-in/6/24/2014

 

Carolina Christmas, Continued

I started Bonnie Hunter's Carolina Christmas last fall.  I got all the poinsettia blocks done then.

This week I finished the 108 fox units and the 104 geese units. 

 

Four fox and geese blocks will go together to make Carolina Star blocks.

 

 

I love this quilt, but I wish this pattern said which way to press the seams.  I'd like to have all  the seams nest when I join the poinsettia blocks and  the Carolina Star blocks, but I'm not sure I'm smart enough to do it without some guidance.

 

Linking up with Patchwork Times' Design Wall Monday:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2014/06/30/design-wall-june-30-2014/

 

A Finish By Proxy

I've been at my parents house all week helping my mom take care of my dad.  He fell a month ago, broke bones in his face and got a concussion.  Then while he was in the hospital, he had prostate issues, a bladder infection and got pneumonia.  On top of everything else, he has dementia.  He spent time in ICU, a regular hospital bed and then 3 weeks in a woefully understaffed rehab facility that was not equipped to handle dementia patients.  My mom brought him home last week. 

 My siblings in town have been helping my mom, but she still has to hire sitters at night because my dad does not sleep at night ( he doesn't sleep much during the day either).  He has to be watched constantly to be sure he doesn't fall again or pull on his catheter.  He is getting much better care at home than he was in rehab, but it is a lot of work.

 My 76-year-old mom is handling things better than you can imagine.  She does most of the work, but she asks for help when she needs it, and is maintaining her social life too.  She is having a handicapped bathroom put in downstairs, so she can keep my dad at home as long as possible.   A nurse, OT, PT, CNA and speech therapist come to the home several times a week too, and I think having their support  keeps her going.

So I haven't done any quilting at all this week.  But Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict finished my Baby Celtic Solstice for charity, and you can see it on her blog:  http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/2014/06/can-i-get-whoop-whoop-little-more.html
I like the bright yellow and blue borders she added.