Sunday Stash and Stitching 10/25/2026

It has been three weeks since my stash report showed any increase on the usage side, but that has finally changed. I used almost two yards for the finishing of my Sewcialites 2 mini quilt, and there was no new fabric added to the stash this week.

Sewcialites 2, 23.5" square

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                1.875 yards

Used year to date:            146.5 yards

Added last week:                  0.0 yards

Added year to date:          197.5 yards

Net added in 2026:         51.0 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. Most of my quilting time this week was focused on finishing up my entry for the East Cobb Quilters' Guild challenge. We will be showing our quilts at the guild meeting on Friday, then I can share mine online after that.

15 Minute Challenge 2026

10/18 - 10/24          7 of 7 days

2026 Total        290 of 297 days

Success rate              97.64%   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sewcialites 2 Mini Quilt is Finished!

My efforts to finish more quilts this year continue to be successful. The latest finish is my Sewcialites 2 Mini Quilt.

Sewcialites 2, 23.5" square

This quilt was started in 2024 as part of a guild Block of the Month challenge. We used the Sewcialites 2 pattern by Fat Quarter Shop. This originally ran as a weekly block program from October, 2022 until April, 2023. All of the block patterns are still available on the Fat Quarter Shop's website, now all combined into one handy document.

The FQS pattern included directions for three different sizes of blocks: 3", 6" or 9". I decided to challenge myself and make the 3" blocks. Some weren't too hard, but some of those with lots of tiny triangles were especially difficult. 

This quilt top was finished in March, 2025. I included the project on my list for this year's guild UFO Challenge, and it was the number chosen for October. That finally motivated me to get it done. This is my 15th finish for 2025!

The backing fabric is "Provence II" by Doreen Speckmann. It's another oldie from my stash, purchased back in 2001. 

I'm  linking up with:

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Put Your Foot Down at A Quiltery

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday (TGIFF) at Tasha Quilts 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday Stash and Stitching 10/18/2026

For the second week in a row, there are no changes to my stash report. I've been spending plenty of time quilting, but most of it was on a challenge project that isn't finished yet. I hope to have something to share next week.

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   0.0 yards

Used year to date:        144.625 yards

Added last week:                  0.0 yards

Added year to date:          197.5 yards

Net added in 2026:     52.875 yards

The last thing I need is another new quilting project, but that rarely prevents me from starting one. Alison Glass has started a new quilt along, the Community Quilt Along making the Color Study quilt, and I couldn't resist the chance to join in on this beautiful rainbow quilt.

The quilt along started at the beginning of October. One block pattern is being released each week, and the third block pattern just came out on Friday. This is my version of the first block. I'm using a single dark background fabric along with scraps/stash fabrics.

It's not too late to join the quilt along. There will be a new block pattern each week until next April, with a two-week break over the holidays. All you need to do is register at the website HERE. You can use fabrics from your stash to make the quilt or there is also a kit available.

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. The majority of my quilting time has been focused on finishing a challenge quilt with a deadline approaching rapidly. When I need a break from that, I've been playing with ideas for a slightly different layout for the Color Study quilt.

15 Minute Challenge 2026

10/11 - 10/17          7 of 7 days

2026 Total        283 of 290 days

Success rate                97.6%   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. I'm also linking up with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Jane Stickle Update

Much to my surprise, it has been almost a year since the last update post on my Jane Stickle Sampler blocks. I've shown a recently-finished block or two occasionally, but never the full accumulation.

The blocks in this photo were all made since the last update in October, 2025. 

Top row: E11, H5, I2, K7, D4

2nd row: E13, H3, H8, G12, I1

3rd row: D11, H7, G6, H1, F13

4th row: G10, G2, G3, B7, D8

5th row: H12, G5, G8, F8, I6

(The letter-number listings for the blocks indicate their placement in the original quilt, i.e. B7 = 2nd row down, 7th block from the left.)

I'm including some close-up shots of a few of my favorite blocks that have been finished recently. This first one was mostly foundation pieced.

As of my October, 2025 update on this quilt, I had completed 72 blocks out of the 169 blocks needed for the center of the quilt. Now I am up to a total of 97 blocks, and one of them needs to get remade because it came out the wrong size.

I'm hoping to spend time on this quilt more often in the months ahead. I've been focused on quilting/finishing more quilts this year, but I've missed doing more piecing, which is my favorite part of the process. Making only 25 blocks in the past year isn't moving this project forward at the pace I would like, and I certainly don't want it to drag on forever. For now I'm going to set a new goal of making at least one block every week.

Below is one of the blocks that was especially challenging. The block measures 5" and will finish at 4.5" in the quilt. That little star at the center is about 1" high. I was amazed that it turned out as well as it did!

I'm  linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday Stash and Stitching 10/11/2026

There's good news and not-so-good news for the stash report this week. The good news is that no new fabric was added to the stash. Unfortunately, I don't have any fabric usage to report either. I did finish one small quilt yesterday, but I'll wait and count the fabric used after I get some photos and share it in a blog post.

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   0.0 yards

Used year to date:        144.625 yards

Added last week:                  0.0 yards

Added year to date:          197.5 yards

Net added in 2026:     52.875 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. Unlike most weeks,  the majority of my quilting time last week was focused on finishing a single project, my Sewcialites 2 quilt. When I needed a break from that, I spent some time making a few blocks for my Jane Stickle Sampler Quilt. I was unpleasantly surprised when I finished the block shown above and discovered that it is 1/8" too big top to bottom. If I trim it to the right size, I will lose the points when it gets pieced into the quilt. I can't figure out a way to fix it and get it to the right size, so I guess I'll be making that one again.

15 Minute Challenge 2026

10/4 - 10/10            7 of 7 days

2026 Total        276 of 283 days

Success rate                97.5%   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday Stash and Stitching 10/4/2026

We took a little road trip last week, and the primary stop was Hamilton, Missouri, the home of Missouri Star Quilt Co. It was such a treat to shop for fabric in person, and the Missouri Star stores are wonderful. I went with a list, which may have helped me limit my purchases by a little bit, but I still ended up buying more than I expected.

I have specific plans for the fabrics on the left side (two pairs of pajama pants, a jacket lining, and a quilt back.) The upper three fabrics on the right are intended for some of my rainbow quilt projects, and the black/white prints will be added to the general stash.

The trip home went through Paducah, so of course I did some shopping there too. The top two fabrics are both wide backs, and the others are regular width. I've used that wavy print at the top before, and I was very happy to get the end of the bolt. Total yardage added to the stash was 35.75 yards.

I can count some fabric as used too. I finished 15 tote bags, which our guild donates to the church where we meet. Unfortunately, I forgot to get any photos of them before turning them in. I also finished the binding on my Stack and Whack Spinners Quilt, which I shared a few days ago. Almost 8 yards used.

 Stack and Whack Spinners Quilt

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:               7.875 yards

Used year to date:        144.625 yards

Added last week:              35.75 yards

Added year to date:          197.5 yards

Net added in 2026:     52.875 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. Surprisingly enough, there was only one day in the last two weeks that didn't include some sort of quilting activity, mostly hand applique during the week we were gone. Here are two blocks for my Jane Stickle Sampler Quilt that were finished recently.

15 Minute Challenge 2026

9/20 - 9/26             6 of 7 days

9/27 - 10/3             7 of 7 days

2026 Total        269 of 276 days

Success rate                97.5%   

Our stop in Paducah also included a visit to the National Quilt Museum, a fantastic place to see amazing quilts. There were three new exhibits that have gone up recently, and my favorite was a collection of kaleidoscope quilts by Paula Nadelstern. Here's just one of her incredible quilts.

Kaleidoscopic XVII: Caribbean Blues by Paula Nadelstern, 1997

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stack and Whack Spinners UFO Finished!

My list for our guild's 2026 UFO (UnFinished Objects) Challenge included several of the oldest UFO's in my collection. It has been very satisfying to get them finished, and the latest completion is my Stack and Whack Spinners quilt.

Stack and Whack Spinners

39.5" x 47"

The top for this quilt was pieced way back in 1999, when I was more than a little obsessed with Stack and Whack quilts. The design is my own, a tessellating design that forms little pinwheels, which seemed like the perfect choice for the bright pinwheel print fabric.

I pieced the backing from a fun swirling ribbon print, with the addition of two bands of another bright-on-black print to make it wide enough.

For the quilting, I started with diagonal lines through the black pinwheels. After that, I free-motion quilted a spinning design in the bright pinwheels.

There are little pinwheels quilted in the black setting triangles around the outer edges, and the outermost border has a chain of curves strung together (you will probably need to enlarge the photo to see it.)

That is my 8th UFO finish from the guild list for this year; only two more to go! I don't think the guild will be doing another UFO Challenge next year, but I should continue with my own personal challenge to get more of these old projects finished.

I'm  linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday (TGIFF) at Quilted Delights 

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday Stash and Stitching 9/20/2026

It was looking like I would be able to report a sizeable decrease in my stash this week because I had a large bundle of striped and plaid homespuns being donated to our guild's annual auction. 16 yards were donated to the guild, plus 4.5 yards to Goodwill. These fabrics look so pretty spread out like this that I sort of regret getting rid of them, but I know they went to a good home.

What I didn't consider when anticipating the stash reduction, was the likelihood that I would buy some items at the auction and add to the stash. I couldn't resist this beautiful bundle of Kaffe fabrics (12 yards total.) 

That bundle included the book (Quilts by the Sea) that contains this pattern for them.

I also purchased a quilt kit that contains fabrics by 3 Sisters, a layer cake plus yardage from the "Milles Couleurs" collection (8.5 yards total.) It's unlikely that I will make the pattern that came with this bundle, but I will figure out something to do with the fabric eventually.

I was also given this cute hexie print, 3.5 yards. I already have one piece of the same print and plan to combine them for a quilt back. 

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                 20.5 yards

Used year to date:          136.75 yards

Added last week:                24.0 yards

Added year to date:         161.75 yards

Net added in 2026:         25.0 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I finished the top of my guild challenge entry early in the week (but I can't share photos until after the reveal at our October meeting.) After that, I had a hard time settling on a project, switching back and forth between multiple options. I need to get another top layered with batting and backing, ready to be quilted.

15 Minute Challenge 2026

9/13 - 9/19             7 of 7 days

2026 Total        256 of 262 days

Success rate                97.7%   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Trip Around the World Finished!

There have been some quilts getting finished around here lately, but I haven't been doing so well at getting photos and writing blog posts. One of the recent finishes is this Trip Around the World quilt!

Trip Around the World, 65" x 95"

One of the community service projects for Common Threads Quilters Guild this year has been making extra-long twin quilts for the Baptist Children's Home in Palmetto, GA.  I realized that a Trip Around the World design made from squares that finish at 5" would give me the size needed. These are the fabrics I chose from our community service supply.

The darker green print determined the rest of the color scheme for the quilt. I was able to find a turquoise Greek key design fabric to use on the back. It was quilted by Nancy Matheson, the head of our Community Service committee. The same darker green print was used for the binding.

I hope this colorful quilt brings warmth and comfort to one of the residents at the children's home.

I'm  linking up with:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Wednesday Wait Loss at Inquiring Quilter

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Brag About Your Beauties at From Bolt to Beauty

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Sunday Stash and Stitching 9/13/2026

It was a productive week in the sewing room, but I don't have any fabric usage to report for the week. Fortunately, I didn't have any fabric additions to the stash either. The numbers aren't moving either way today.

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                   0.0 yards

Used year to date:          116.25 yards

Added last week:                  0.0 yards

Added year to date:         137.75 yards

Net added in 2026:        21.50 yards

Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces has us tracking how many days each week we get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. My quilting time was focused on two projects: finishing my UFO for the month and making the units for a challenge project. I'll be continuing on the challenge quilt next week, but I can't share photos until the reveal at our October meeting.

15 Minute Challenge 2026

9/6 - 9/12               7 of 7 days

2026 Total        249 of 255 days

Success rate                97.6%   

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge at Life in Pieces. Thanks so much to Donna and Kate for continuing to host these link-ups. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA