Stitching and DeStashing--Week 17, 2019

Tap, tap, tap--can you hear that? That's the sound of me with a tiny little mining hammer chipping away at the mountains of fabric in my sewing room. Just when I think I am making progress, something (more fabric) comes along to fill the space that was just cleared away. Don't get me wrong, I love having a sizable fabric stash. It's just a horrible mess right now, which makes it very hard to be productive. Time for a serious clean-up session!

There was a little progress on stash reduction over the past weeks. It's time to count the fabric used for more Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. One yard was used for 5 crumb blocks, 4 Tiny Tuesday sampler blocks, and 12 Stairsteps blocks, all made from my aqua/teal/turquoise scraps. I'm loving the Stairsteps right now!

2019 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                           1.0 yards

Used year to date:                    12.75 yards
Added last week:                          0.0 yards

Added year to date:                    26.0 yards
Net stashed year to date:      13.25 yards

I'm back in the groove on getting in some quilting time every day. Whether I'm hand stitching on the train to work in the morning, cutting and marking pieces during lunch, or stitching at my machine in the evening, it all helps keep me sane and happy. Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge keeps me motivated to really make the effort to squeeze in a little stitching time every single day.

15 Minute Challenge:  

4/21 - 4/27             7 of 7 days

2019 Total        105 of 117 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 17, 2019

It's nearly the end of the month of using our aqua/teal/turquoise scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I've got plenty of blocks to share because those are some of my favorite colors for quilting. Up first are the Tiny Tuesday sampler blocks, which finish at 4.5". It is so much fun waiting to see what the weekly pattern will be, then choosing fabrics and making each block.

Next are some crumb blocks that combine many old favorite fabrics. 6" finished blocks.

My favorites this month are probably the Stair Steps blocks. I've shown different layout options in previous months, and this is a new possibility.

All of the aqua/teal/turquoise blocks on the wall together make quite a lovely display! The Orange Peel blocks on the left and the Framed Crumb Star at upper right were featured in previous RSC posts. There is also a stray block at the upper left of the Stair Steps that was made from leftover units from a previous quilt project.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 16, 2019

The stash numbers are slowly dropping (not that anyone could tell from seeing the piles of fabric in my sewing room!) I used 1/2 yard last week on Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, the Framed Crumb Star and 17 Orange Peel blocks. You can see them all in yesterday's post. No new fabric was added, even though I was right next door to a JoAnn's store yesterday. I didn't even go into the store!

2019 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                           .50 yards

Used year to date:                    11.75 yards
Added last week:                          0.0 yards

Added year to date:                    26.0 yards
Net stashed year to date:      14.25 yards

My numbers for Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge keep moving steadily up, as I complete another week with stitching time every single day. Most of my stitching time has been hand applique, so visible progress is slow, but it's still progress!

15 Minute Challenge:  

4/14 - 4/20           7 of 7 days

2019 Total        98 of 110 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 16, 2019

It seems like the majority of my quilting time lately has been spent doing hand applique. My sewing machine will start to feel neglected soon. I finished up the set of Orange Peel blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in our colors of teal/turquoise/aqua for April. Here they are with the blocks from the previous three months.

I have also completed my Framed Crumb Star block for April. This block finishes at 12".

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts and Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 15, 2019

My stash reduction efforts kept heading in the right direction this week with 3/4 yard used on two sets of blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I made 12 Stair Steps blocks in greens, our color from March. This is a new layout idea that I am considering for these blocks.

I have a set of six crumb blocks in reds that I made in January. They were meant to finish at 4", but all the other crumb blocks have finished at 6". I decided to add on to the red blocks and bring them up to the same size.

4" crumb blocks...

turned into 6" crumb blocks

2019 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                           .75 yards

Used year to date:                    11.25 yards
Added last week:                          0.0 yards

Added year to date:                    26.0 yards
Net stashed year to date:      14.75 yards

My numbers for Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge have been steadily going up over the past month. Once again, I was able to spend at least 15 minutes quilting every single day that week. I'm in the zone and enjoying the process!

15 Minute Challenge:  

4/7 - 4/13          7 of 7 days

2019 Total        91 of 103 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Saturday--Week 15, 2019

Time keeps flying by, and I have been scrambling to finish the last of my green blocks from March for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. The only green blocks that weren't done by the end of the month were the Stair Steps blocks, and I completed them yesterday. Now I can get started on making more of these in aqua, teal and turquoise for April. 

My blocks will finish at 6", and I am making 8 - 12 blocks each month. My goal is to make some of the blocks to transition from one color to the next. You might be able to see that the blocks in the bottom row are tending more towards yellowish greens. 

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. Be sure to check out all of the wonderful projects that everyone is sharing! 

Julie in GA

Stitching and DeStashing--Week 14, 2019

Most of my stash reporting involves calculating how much fabric I use for each part of the quilt and reporting in stages as the parts are completed. For instance, I usually count fabrics as used once they are cut and stitched into blocks. The blocks may sit around in my sewing room for years, waiting to become part of a quilt top, but the fabric has been "used." 

I know that some people don't count any fabric as used until the quilt is completely finished, but that is too unsatisfying for me, mostly because I don't get many quilts to the finished stage in a year. I also find it frustrating to go back and try to figure out all the calculations after the quilt is done. I'd rather see some steady outgoing progress along the way.

Having said all that, this week's stash report is different. I am counting 4 yards as used for the top and backing of my first "Giraffes in a Row" baby quilt. I'm in the process of quilting this and hope to have it finished by the end of the month.

Giraffes in a Row baby quilt, 39" x 48"
pattern by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts

Giraffes flannel from JoAnn's (quilt backing)

2019 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                           4.0 yards

Used year to date:                      10.5 yards
Added last week:                          0.0 yards

Added year to date:                    26.0 yards
Net stashed year to date:         15.5 yards

My numbers for Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge have been improving too. For the fourth straight week, I was able to spend at least 15 minutes quilting every single day that week. It feels so good to be getting back in the sewing room on a regular basis!

15 Minute Challenge:  

3/31 - 4/6           7 of 7 days

2019 Total        84 of 96 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate and join the 15 Minutes to Stitch challenge at Life in Pieces. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Giraffes Baby Quilt

Sometimes the planets align perfectly for a new quilt project! That's how it feels for my newest quilt. It all started with this adorable flannel fabric from JoAnn's, which I bought to use as a quilt back.

Then I discovered the "Giraffes in a Row" quilt pattern by Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts. The pattern is available from her Etsy shop, and it includes two different sizes, 39" square or 57" square. It's the perfect design to go with the flannel, and we have two new babies joining the family this year. It's meant to be!

Giraffes in a Row, 39" square
pattern by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts

Giraffes in a Row, 57" square
pattern by Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts

It seems like I can never make a pattern exactly as written. In this case, I decided to make mine rectangular. The top finished at 39" wide by 48" long. This photo was taken before I removed the outer border and restitched it to get rid of the waviness.

Up next is the quilting and binding. I've started quilting the giraffes, all stitch in the ditch. The background will get free-motion quilting, either swirls or meandering, maybe with some leaves and branches in the upper corners. 

Finishing this quilt is my One Monthly Goal for the month. I am joining the One Monthly Goal link-up for April over at Elm Street Quilts. You can go there to see what many others are hoping to accomplish this month or to join in the fun yourself!

Julie in GA

Circling the Rainbow--A Favorite Finish!

Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs has started a brand new monthly link-up called Favorite Finish. It's a place for us to share our favorite finish of the past month. Her timing couldn't be better, because I have my first finish of 2019 ready to share, and it is truly one of my favorite quilts ever! I wish there were beautiful outdoor photos showing the quilt draped over a park bench or something like that, but all I have are straight-on hanging shots that were taken indoors.

Circling the Rainbow, 50" x 61"
based on "True Colors" by Nancy Mahoney
from her book Simple Circles and Quick Curves

This is my Circling the Rainbow quilt, which was started in January of 2015 as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Every month that year, I appliqued circles in the assigned color for each month to their black-and-white-print backgrounds. There are 143 applique blocks total in this quilt. Instead of arranging the colors in vertical columns as Nancy's design had them, I went with more of a wash of color across the quilt.

The quilting design was chosen to emphasize the circles and is done in grey thread. Each applique circle has three rings of stitching around it, and they overlap to form interlocking shapes. The beautiful quilting was done by Jan Walsh of Cat's Meow Quilting of Brookfield, Wisconsin.

For anyone wanting a closer view of my quilt, I am thrilled to announce that you will be able to see it at AQS Quilt Week in Paducah at the end of this month. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend the show this year, but it is a great honor to have my quilt on display there.

Linking up to:

Favorite Finish at Meadow Mist Designs

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation
Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
Rainbow Scrap Challenge at soscrappy

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework