Scrappy Saturday 11/30/13

I have been making Dancing Stars blocks all year as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I just checked Angela's blog post for this week and discovered that there will not be a new color assigned for December. It is our chance to catch up on any colors that fell behind or to start putting our blocks together. That is just the news I was hoping for--I don't think I could wait much longer to join these blocks into a quilt! Here are all the colors together, sparkling against the black background.

At last count, I had a total of 135 star blocks made for this quilt, averaging about a dozen of each color. The pattern calls for 98 blocks to make a throw quilt, which finishes at 60" x 68". I might opt to add an extra row of blocks in each direction to make it into a larger quilt, or else the extra blocks could become a kid's quilt or wallhanging. For anyone interested, the Dancing Stars pattern is a free download from Amy's Creative Side.

My carryover project will be to finish up my brown hexie star and snowflakes. One snowflake is finished, and all the hexies for the star have been sewn into rows that need to be joined together.

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--check it out every Saturday to see many great projects and ideas. 

Julie in GA

Hexie Friday 11/29/13

I thought I would get lots of hand stitching done on my hexie project this weekend, but it hasn't happened so far. My hexie star still looks the same as it did a couple days ago. There is still lots of weekend left, and I have no interest in joining the craziness of Black Friday shopping, so maybe I will make some progress today. Linking up to Hexie Friday at A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Julie in GA

WIP Wednesday--Bonus Day Off! 11/27/13

Today was originally scheduled to be a work day, but my wonderful boss announced yesterday afternoon that she was giving us an extra day off for the Thanksgiving weekend. What a wonderful treat!

We were surprised to discover a sprinkling of snow on the back deck and around the yard when we got up this morning. I realize it is nothing compared to many areas of the country. Such things aren't unusual where I grew up in Wisconsin, but snow is big news in the Atlanta area, especially before Thanksgiving. I hope the thousands of travelers at the nearby Atlanta airport all make it to their Thanksgiving destinations safely.

I hope to have plenty of quilting time throughout the weekend. I have been sewing together my brown hexies into a star for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. So far I have two rows made and several to go, then the rows get joined together.

I am linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. There is so much to see there! Last time I checked, there were over 100 blogs linked up.

Happy Thanksgiving to friends and family everywhere!

Julie in GA

15 Minute Challenge 11/26/13

I have continued to juggle multiple projects most days. There were a few days where I stitched hexies on the morning train, cut pieces for border-stripe placemats during lunch, then pieced blocks for the Scrappy Sampler quilt in the evening. Altogether, another 7 for 7 week. I hope to have lots of extra time for quilting over the Thanksgiving weekend. 

11/19 - 11/25
Tuesday--Scrappy Sampler, Scrap Hexies, placemats
Wednesday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler, placemats
Thursday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler, placemats
Friday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler
Saturday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler
Sunday--Scrappy Sampler
Monday--placemats


Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creative pursuits. 


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 11/25/13

Over the weekend I finished making the last of the 10" blocks for my Scrappy Sampler quilt, and then I started joining those blocks together. I got three sides done; one more to go, then they can get sewn to the center of the quilt. By the end of Thanksgiving weekend, I hope to have a finished quilt top, and I can hardly wait!

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. Check it out for great ideas and inspiration.

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 11/24/13

Once again, no fabric added and a little bit used this week. I used 1.5 yards making blocks and bowties for my Scrappy Sampler quilt. It's a good thing that I like making bowtie blocks because I still need to make another 40 or so of them for the borders, then I can assemble this quilt top!

Here is the latest batch of bowtie blocks, plus a pile of squares for making more. These blocks measure 4" finished. I need to get some more background squares cut for the remaining blocks.

Used this week:          1.5  yards
Used year to date:     77.75 yards

Added this week:          0   yards  

Added year to date:  73.5 yards

Net year to date:         4.25 yards used


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Chocolate Scrappiness 11/23/13

My brown Dancing Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge were finished up last weekend. I hope to have a chance over the long Thanksgiving weekend to put some of them up on the design wall along with the colors from previous months. I can't wait to start joining them all together! 

I have also been joining together my brown hexies. The first "snowflake" is nearly complete, and next I will get going on making the big star.

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--check it out every Saturday to see many great projects and ideas. I am also linking up to Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts to share hand stitched projects. I'm a day late for Hexie Friday at A Quilting Reader's Garden, but I will link up there too.

Julie in GA

15 Minute Challenge 11/19/13

It was another week with little chunks of time for quilting most days, but a good long stretch on Sunday afternoon. I finished my Dancing Stars blocks for the month, ending up with 12 in browns. December will be the last month to make blocks for that project, then they get joined together!

11/12 - 11/18
Tuesday--Dancing Stars, Scrap Hexies
Wednesday--Dancing Stars
Thursday--Dancing Stars, Scrap Hexies
Friday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Saturday--Dancing Stars
Sunday--Scrappy Sampler
Monday--Scrap Hexies


Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creative pursuits. 


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 11/18/13

Once again, my very large Scrappy Sampler is up on the wall. I spent most of yesterday afternoon pulling fabrics for the last batch of blocks and auditioning them on the wall. Only seven more 10" blocks to make, plus about 60 or 70 bowties for the borders.

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. Check it out for great ideas and inspiration.

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 11/17/13

There was no fabric added to my stash this week, thank goodness! It is time to get the numbers moving back in the other direction again. I used 1-1/8 yard to make 12 Dancing Stars blocks in browns for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Used this week:          1.125  yards
Used year to date:     76.25 yards

Added this week:          0   yards  

Added year to date:  73.5 yards

Net year to date:         2.75 yards used


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Saturday 11/16/13

This has been a good week for working on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. I finished basting the brown hexies and have started joining them together. I have more than enough done to make a star and two snowflakes.

I also finished six more Dancing Stars blocks in browns this week. It is so exciting to see all the different colors come together. Only one more month to go with these, then they will get joined together!

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--check it out every Saturday to see many great projects and ideas. I am also linking up to Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts to share hand stitched projects.

Julie in GA

Hexie Friday 11/15/13

After spending the past two weeks basting hexies with various shades of brown fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I had a Ziploc bag stuffed full. Last night I decided it was time to lay them out and see what was there.

I have plenty of hexies to make a star and two snowflakes, which has been my goal each month. Now it's time to start stitching them together. Sometime soon I hope to decide on my design plan for all the stars and snowflakes so that I can be adding background hexies as I go.

I will be linking up to Hexie Friday at Billie Bee's Blog. Check it out for great ideas and inspiration.

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA

15 Minute Challenge 11/12/13

This may be a first since I started reporting to the 15 Minute Challenge--I stitched on at least two different projects every day for the past week. Both the hexies and the Dancing Stars are easy to work on in small amounts of time, especially if I have pieces prepped and ready to sew. That prep work mostly gets done on the weekends. It doesn't seem like I am making great progress on either quilt, but it definitely all adds up over time. I showed my completed hexie stars and snowflakes yesterday, and those were all done in the past 3 months. The Dancing Stars blocks have been going all year, and there must be 115 or 120 of them so far, plenty for a good-sized throw quilt.

11/5 - 11/11
Tuesday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Wednesday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Thursday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Friday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Saturday--Scrappy Sampler, Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Sunday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars
Monday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars


Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creative pursuits. 


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 11/11/13

I started making hexies in August as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and they have become my favorite way to fill the time while I am commuting to work in the mornings (don't worry, I am riding the train, not driving!) They are also a good project during TV in the evening.

Each month I have been able to make one star and one or two snowflakes from our assigned color. So far the colors have been red, baby blue, and black/grey. Yesterday I decided it was time to take a look at them on the wall. I don't have a layout figured out for them, but I am liking the way they look together. I need to play with some ideas in EQ7 to figure out how many stars and snowflakes I might need, plus the number of background hexies.

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. Check it out for great ideas and inspiration.

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 11/10/13

I knew that my stash reduction efforts were going to take a hit this week. The top photo shows a group of Laurel Burch prints, including a beautiful stripe with mermaids. That fabric was the first one chosen for the placemats I am making as Christmas gifts for the women in my husband's family. I need to get back to work on those placemats so I can subtract some of that fabric as used.

The mermaid stripe and coordinates were ordered from Hancock's in Paducah. Since I was going to be paying shipping anyway, it seemed like a good time to pick up a few other pieces, most of which were on clearance. I love the red/white and black/white prints in the center--they are all fabrics with multiple prints across the width of the fabric. Each has four prints for the price of one!

The day after the Hancock's order arrived, I received my prize box of scraps that I won from Kim. You can read more about that here. It included this beautiful group of French General fabrics, with squares from a layer cake, several fat quarters with small areas cut out, plus assorted other scraps. They are not my usual style of fabric, but I think they are quite beautiful together. This group alone is probably close to two yards of fabric. Altogether, I am estimating around 5 yards of fabrics from that box that I will be adding to my stash. The rest I will pass along to other quilter friends.

It is time for me to stop buying fabric and get busy sewing. My goal for the end of the year is to use more than I add. I have been doing well all year, but now the numbers have suddenly become much too close!

Used this week:          0  yards
Used year to date:    75.125 yards

Added this week:           16  yards  

Added year to date:  73.5 yards

Net year to date:         1.625 yards used


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Weekend Scrappiness 11/9/13

I didn't quite finish my black & grey scrap projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge before the end of October, but I did get the last hexie star done just a couple days later. The photo is a little dark, but here are all my hexies from October.

I have been basting brown hexies for November. I have almost enough basted to make one hexie star, and plenty of scraps for cutting more brown hexies. I hope to make one star and two snowflakes by the end of the month. There should be some time to work on these tomorrow.

I have also finished up my first three Dancing Stars in brown for November. There are more of these already in the works which should appear in coming weeks.

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--check it out every Saturday to see many great projects and ideas. I am also linking up to the monthly In Hand EPP Party at splish splash stash and to Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts.

Julie in GA

Scrap Happy Winnings!

I have been linking up to Scrap Basket Sunday at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure fairly regularly since September. One weekend Kim announced that she was giving away a box of her scraps if we linked up plus left a comment letting her know that we would like to win the scraps.

I hadn't checked Kim's blog for a few days one week, and when I got back to it, I discovered that she had picked my name to win her box of scraps. The most amazing part is that she announced it on my birthday! It was like learning that I was getting a bonus birthday gift. The box arrived today, and let me tell you, it was stuffed full of fabric. The box weighed close to 4 pounds--any guesses on how many yards that would be?

I spent an hour or so digging through the collection of "scraps", which included many pieces bigger than what I would consider scraps. There were several 1/4 yard pieces, some even larger than that, plus about 20 squares from a French General layer cake. Also many smaller strips and bits. Surprisingly enough, there was only one piece of fabric that I already owned. I will be digging through these again this weekend to figure out which ones I am most likely to use and what to do with the rest.

This prize is definitely something to be excited about. I am linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict to share the fun. 


Julie in GA

15 Minute Challenge 11/5/13

It was another good week with quilting time on 7 out of 7 days. I just keep plugging away at these on-going projects, and someday they might actually get done! 

10/30 - 11/4
Tuesday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler
Wednesday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler
Thursday--Scrap Hexies, Scrappy Sampler
Friday--Scrap Hexies
Saturday--Scrappy Sampler, Dancing Stars
Sunday--Dancing Stars
Monday--Scrap Hexies, Dancing Stars


Check out the 15 Minute Challenge posts at Life in Pieces to see how others are finding time for their creative pursuits. 


Julie in GA

Design Wall Monday 11/4/13

My design wall has my Scrappy Sampler up again, including the latest blocks that were just finished over the weekend. I wanted to check the layout of the blocks and make sure the balance of colors is working out. It has gotten too big to get it all in a single photo.

I have been pulling together brown fabrics, the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I need to decide which pairs to use for my next set of Dancing Stars blocks. I need to make 10 or 12 blocks--too many choices!

I am linking up to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times. Check it out for great ideas and inspiration.

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 11/3/13

I am glad to be able to report some yardage used this week, especially since I know there is new fabric arriving from Paducah very soon. Time to get some serious sewing done!

I used .75 yard when I finished two more paisley placemats, .5 yard on the blocks for my Scrappy Sampler BOM, and .375 yard for my black and grey hexies. Altogether, 1.625 yards used

Used this week:          1.625   yards
Used year to date:    75.125 yards

Added this week:           0  yards  

Added year to date:   57.5 yards

Net year to date:         17.625 yards used


Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie in GA

Scrappy Brown Saturday

I had hoped to finish my hexie star and snowflakes in black and grey for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge by the end of October, but still have a little left to stitch on the star. Today was the first time I had a chance to start pulling out my brown scraps and strips. I have been trying out color combinations for my Dancing Stars blocks. The strips are laid out on solid black because that is the background color for the blocks, and I need to make sure they won't blend in too much. Looking at the photo, I think I need a little more contrast in a few of the pairs, and that pale one across the center just jumps right out at me. 

I am linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--check it out every Saturday to see many great projects and ideas. 

Julie in GA

Hexie Friday 11/1/13

I have been working with black and grey hexies through all of October for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I had hoped to finish up with those by Halloween so that I could move on to making hexies in brown, which is our assigned color for November. However, I didn't quite make it--two snowflakes are done, but I didn't quite finish the star. Maybe I can get that done today.

I will be linking up to Hexie Friday at A Quilting Reader's Garden. Check it out for great ideas and inspiration.

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA