Stash Report

It was a big fabric buying week for me.  I got another fat quarter bundle of  Minick and Simpson's Grand Traverse Bay for the 365 Day Challenge Quilt.  I have officially stopped making the 3 1/2 inch daily blocks, but I needed more fabric to finish the quilt.  The little blocks I made ate up so much fabric that I was almost out of the dark and medium blues.  The colors and patterns in this bundle will be great in my scrap quilts if I have some left over.  I also went to a  'buy 10 fat quarters,  get 10 fat quarters free' sale at an LQS.  My quilting friend and I split the deal and each got 10.  I bought a few new reds since I've used a lot of them this year in Talkin' Turkey .  I also got a couple of greens for my Smart Phone quilt, and the rest are neutrals.  So my numbers are going in the wrong direction again!

Used this week: 0
Used year to date: 26.375  yards
Added this week: 12.5
Added year to date: 41.125 yards
Net Added yard: 14.75 yards

My goal this week is to at least make a pillowcase, so I'll have some yards used to report next time!

I've been working on Talkin' Turkey this week and am down to the borders.  I think the borders are almost as time consuming as making the blocks, but the RSC color this month is red, so I should get a lot done and maybe (fingers crossed) get this top done.  Here's my border progress:

Linking up:  http://www.patchworktimes.com/2017/03/05/stash-report-march-5-2017/

365 Block Challenge Over For Me!

I have been a good little quilter, diligently working on my 365 Block Challenge.  I saved the patterns from last year, so I have most of them on my computer.  I was able to work ahead a bit and have all of the blocks Jan. 1 though March 7.  I also completed July 2 through August 12.  At first I was enjoying the challenge.  The blocks started out easy but quickly got harder, not because the patterns were difficult but because the pieces were teeny tiny.  Last week I as I was cutting 7/8" strips for a block, it occurred to me that I wasn't enjoying the process anymore.  I have been frustrated by the bulk in these blocks.  They are only 3 1/2 inch blocks, and a lot of them have flying geese that measure 1 1/4" X  2",

The stitch and flip covered corners construction methods drives me crazy on 'normal' size blocks.  Even though these were itty bitty blocks, I felt like I was wasting a lot of fabric.  Many of my 3 1/2" blocks are almost perfect.  Many more are not because when you start ripping out pieces that are less than 1" square, there can be a lot more distortion than there would be on a 'normal' sized piece.  Sometimes I would just recut a piece instead of trying to save it. Sometimes I would decide a block was close enough and move on.  Then there was the issue of cutting sixteenths.  I don't have a ruler that can do it accurately.  I was doing a lot of guesstimating.  These blocks started to feel like work.  

I feel like I have been though piecing boot camp.  The good news:  I have learned a lot about accurate piecing and cutting.  The two hundred   1 1/2" X 3 1/2" inch  flying geese I have to make for Talkin' Turkey, now seem like giant units!

And I have a plan to save the blocks I've already made.  Stay tuned!

Back To Talkin' Turkey

 I started Talkin' Turkey about two years ago.  I pulled it out again after I got the Project of Doom off my design wall.  I got the blocks sewn into rows and figured out which outer borders I still needed to make.

It hung on my design wall for 4 days before I found the mistake.  This won't be difficult to correct since it is on an end.

This quilt has a complicated border involving over 200 flying geese units, and I don't know if I can stand to do them all at once.  I think I'll just get the center together and do the flying geese a little at a time.

Linking up: http://www.joscountryjunction.com/ufo-challenge-11/

Irish Quadrille Continued

I wanted to work on my Irish Quadrille for an hour every day during the daylight.  I didn't get to it every day, but I managed to still get a lot done.  Here's how it looked last week:

And here's how it looks now:

I am doing the most difficult part now.  It is mostly fractional stitches, which I find very hard to count with my old eyes.

Linking up:  http://www.supermomnocape.com/vintage-embroidery-monday-stitchery-link-party-98/

Stash Report, First Daffodil

My stash is headed in the right direction this week because I managed to stay out of my LQS.

Used this week: 4.5 yards (POD 3)
Used year to date: 26.375  yards
Added this week: 0
Added year to date: 28.625 yards
Net Added yard:  2.25 yards


My first daffodil of the year bloomed on Thursday this week, February 16.  I try and keep track of what day my first daffodil blooms.

2012                  before 2/1/12
2013                  2/21/13
2014                  3/10/14
2015                 3/13/15
2016                  2/4/16

 When the winter is so cold and gray, I really look forward to seeing it.  This year, though, it seems 
like we have had as many days in the 60s as the 30s.  I know winter isn't over yet, and March could be awful, but winter of 2017 has been great so far.  

The Final Project of Doom

I finished my third and final Project of Doom quilt top yesterday.  The other two have hand stitched titles. This one doesn't.  The other two were gifts.  This one I made as part of a  stitch along with no particular recipient in mind. It will sit in my closet, maybe for years, until I find someone who is POD worthy.

 I started it in January of 2015 when Fandom of Stitches was making alternate blocks available for the bookcase.  I don't usually make the same quilt twice, let alone three times, but I really enjoyed the paper piecing in this project.  I was able to use  scraps in this quilt and didn't have to have to do a lot of cutting in advance or planning, so that was good too.

This quilt is 84 1/2" X 67".  I am very glad to have this UFO out of my way!

For comparison, here are other two PoD quilts:

From the first one, I learned that there needs to be loads of contrast between the bookcase and final background.  I think the brown and gray are too close here.

The one with the black background may be my favorite.

Linking up: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/02/love-hoop-art-and-finished-scarf.html

Not A Dozen Roses, Stash Report

 I didn't get a dozen roses yesterday, but I did get 13 fat quarters:  a total surprise!  My DH went to one of the LQS on the way home and got help from the workers picking out red fat quarters.  They had it all folded and rolled neatly, but I opened it up to get a good picture of the fabric.

We don't typically celebrate Valentine's Day (by mutual agreement), so this was a big and welcome surprise.  I have a red and white  scrap quilt in the works and was just wondering if I enough fabric for the border.  Now I do!

I also missed the Sunday Stash report, so here it is.  This doesn't count my new fat quarters because in my fabric accounting system, gifts don't count as fabric in.

Used this week: 0.25 (Bee blocks)
Used year to date: 21.875  yards
Added this week: 11.5 yards ( Blueberry Park bundle, sale FQ)
Added year to date: 28.625 yards
Net Added yard:  6.75 yards