Sunday Stash & Stitching 6/28/2026

The additions to my fabric stash earlier this month have left me wondering where it's all going to get stored since my fabric shelves are already close to full. It was time to clear out some older fabrics to make room for the new. Looking at this photo really lets me know that I wasn't in the mood for dark prints that day. These fabrics were all donated to the quilt guild's Community Service committee, 35.5 yards total (which is one yard more than what I bought at the other guild's recent fabric sale.)

Along with that donation, my outgoing number for the week also includes 7/8 yard for the bindings on my two latest finishes, the Chandelier quilt and Scraptastic Stars. No new fabric was added this week.

Chandelier quilt

Scraptastic Stars

2026 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                36.375 yards

Used year to date:              102.0 yards

Added last week:                    0.0 yards

Added year to date:             107.5 yards

Net added in 2026:              5.5 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. Our schedule was fairly light this week, with very few appointments or meetings, which meant even more quilting time for me!

15 Minute Challenge 2026

6/21 - 6/27             7 of 7 days

2026 Total        176 of 178 days

Success rate               98.9 %   

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

Scraptastic Stars is Finished!

2026 has turned into my best year ever for finishing quilts, with a total of 10 quilts completed before the half-way point of the year. The most recent finish is my Scraptastic Stars quilt.

Scraptastic Stars, 40" x 52.5"

The blocks for this quilt were made as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge back in 2018. The Scraptastic Stars pattern was designed by Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting. The blocks in my quilt finish at 12". I also made a second set of blocks which finish at 16" each, but they haven't been joined together yet.

Indoor photo

Before the end of 2018, I had the blocks and sashing all joined together into a top and layered with batting and backing. I started the quilting with diagonal lines through the chains of white squares, but then I got stuck on what to do next. The quilt was stashed in the closet, waiting for inspiration to strike.

I've been making a dedicated effort to finish some of the many quilt tops from that closet, and the fact that this quilt was already layered and the quilting started helped it jump to the top of the list for finishing. 

The quilting is all straight lines, a combination of stitch-in-the-ditch and diagonal lines around the stars. I switched thread color for the quilting within each block, probably an unnecessary step, but I like the way it turned out.

The backing fabric is a print of black and white checks alternating with bright clusters of fruit.

I'm  linking up with:

 Rainbow Scrap Challenge at So Scrappy

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Musings at Songbird Designs

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Project Quilting 14.2 "Pink Tint"

The theme for this week's Project Quilting Challenge is "Pink Tint." We have to create something that has pink as the dominant color.

Pink isn't my favorite color, but I like it very much and have plenty to choose from in my fabric stash. I decided to make another placemat this week, and I adapted one of my favorite scrappy block patterns, Scraptastic Star by Melissa Corey of Happy Quilting. That meant I got to use lots of different pinks.

The next Project Quilting challenge will be posted at noon CST on Sunday, January 29th. What could you make in one week? Come join the fun! Check out all the other pink projects at this week's link-up HERE.

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA

Scraptastic Stars

The last of the Scraptastic Stars blocks was made in dark greens this week. I have been making these blocks all year as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This block was made from 2" squares and finishes at 12".

Scraptastic Stars, 12" block
pattern by Melissa Corey

I was so excited to get the last block done and start joining them together. Here is a preview of the blocks joined into three columns with sashing added. These are all of my 12" blocks (the 16" blocks will get joined together later.) What a treat to see them all together in their beautiful scrappiness!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and with Oh Scrap! over 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

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 9/23/18

It was a very busy week, but a productive one as far as stash usage. My fabric used for the week was .625 yards for 20 Applique Star blocks as part of the Seeing Stars QAL and 1.25 yards on the Scraptastic Stars blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I posted this photo yesterday, but I can't resist sharing these wonderful blocks again! There are close-up shots of each block in yesterday's post.

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:               1.875 yards

Used year to date:          59.625 yards

Added last week:                  0.0 yards
Added year to date:           32.25 yards
Net used year to date:   27.375 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 streak of quilting every day is going strong--the last time I missed a day was in June during a family vacation.

15 Minute Challenge:  
9/16 - 9/22           7 of 7 days
2018 Total      259 of 265 days

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

Julie in GA

RSC in Black and Blue (Plus Grey)

I've been having a great time all year making Scraptastic Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. My first blocks were made last October to try out Melissa Corey's pattern, and I loved it from the very start--such a great way to combine lots of different scraps! Over the last week I made four new blocks--three that finish at 16" in black, dark/medium blue, and grey, plus one 12" block in blue. They are all shown here along with the black/grey 12" block that I made sometime last fall or early this year.

Here are my new 16" blocks along with the light blue block from January. I love the way the white squares link up from one block to the next. I even like the skinny lines of grey (my design wall flannel) between the blocks.

The close-up shots of the 16" blocks will let you take a closer look at all the different fabrics. For these blocks I used a different white print for the star and chain of squares in each block.

On the 12" blocks, a single white fabric is being used for every block. The next photo shows my idea for joining the blocks together--sashing strips in a light grey print with squares of the same white fabric to finish off the chains of squares.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

Orange RSC Wrap-Up

It felt so good to get all of the orange blocks for my three Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects finished early in the month. That is definitely preferable to procrastinating until the last week, then scrambling to get them done in time! Here is the collection of orange scrappiness.

Top left: 3 State of Georgia blocks for the Squared Away sampler

Middle left: 2 Rolling Nine-Patch blocks, Fat Quarter Shop 2017 sampler

Bottom left: 2 Spinning Boxes

Right side: 2 Scraptastic Stars

Since my blocks were done early, I pulled out an old project that included orange in the color scheme. My "Tell It to the Stars" quilt just needed the pieced border finished, then one last plain border added. The pieced border is now complete! You can only see a portion of the quilt because it is so large.

Tell It to the Stars, pattern by Judy Laquidara

This quilt was started as a block of the month by Judy Laquidara at Patchwork Times in 2014. I was doing great with keeping up every month until late in the year when we got to the pieced border. It was around then that I realized I had used the wrong fabric for my setting triangles. My triangles are all pieced from black fabrics instead of the blue/turquoise prints that should have been used, making the quilt top seem very dark around the outside edges. It should look more like Judy's quilt below--our color schemes are very similar, except that the green in hers has been switched to turquoise in mine.

Judy Laquidara's Tell It to the Stars quilt

I had been planning to just keep going and live with my mistake, but I know I won't ever be satisfied with the way it looks. I'm considering removing the black setting triangles and remaking them in turquoise. The photo of my quilt top shows one sample triangle in turquoise along the side. It will be a lot of work, especially setting in the new triangles, but I know I will be much happier with the finished result.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday 8/19/18

The stash-busting efforts for the past week were better than the previous week, especially since there was no fabric added to the stash. I used 7/8 yard for the border on my latest Quilt of Valor (photos coming soon), plus 1/2 yard used on the Scraptastic Stars for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Scraptastic Stars, pattern by Melissa Corey

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last two weeks:             1.375 yards

Used year to date:               49.125 yards

Added last two weeks:               0.0 yards
Added year to date:                32.25 yards
Net used year to date:       16.875 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. I'm continuing to do some stitching every day, frequently finding time for both hand and machine work at different points of the day.

15 Minute Challenge:  
8/12 - 8/18           7 of 7 days
2018 Total      224 of 230 days

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

Julie in GA

Orange Scraptastic Stars

It seems like I am ahead of schedule on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects this month. Most months it takes me until the last week to finish all of my blocks, but the August blocks are all complete! Today's selection is my Scraptastic Stars in orange. Up first, here is the 12" block.

And here is the 16" block. I love the light fabric--it's a subway map! (I had to Google it to figure out that it is from the Gramercy collection by Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics.) I got it at Gotham Quilts when I was in New York for work a few months ago.

I had already made two blocks in browns last fall when I was trying out this block pattern. Here is the whole autumn-looking group!

The Scraptastic Stars pattern was designed by Melissa Corry for the Aurifil Block of the Month in 2017. You can find the pattern at Melissa's website, Happy Quilting. BTW, Melissa also has her own quilt-along going on right now, the Seeing Stars QAL. The first block was posted on Wednesday. I'm trying to resist, but might have to join in on this one.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

Red Scraptastic Stars

It took most of today, but I was determined to finish my two red Scraptastic Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Up first is the 16" block, followed by the 12" block.

I know they look like the same size blocks in the individual photos, so I always like to include a shot of the two blocks together to show the difference in size.

Scraptastic Stars, pattern by Melissa Corry

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

Wrapping Up the Turquoise & Teal Blocks

The last teal/turquoise/aqua block has been added to the June collection for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This is my 16" Scraptastic Star block.

Scraptastic Star, pattern by Melissa Corey

Here are both of my Scraptastic Star blocks for this month, which will finish at 16" and 12".

I love looking at all the colors of these blocks together on the design wall. Here are my 16" blocks.

Since it is the end of the month, I put all my teal and turquoise RSC blocks up on the wall together. Besides the two Scraptastic Stars, there are two Spinning Boxes blocks and five Country Lanes blocks for the Squared Away sampler. Lots of blue-green loveliness!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

Teal and Turquoise Scraptastic Star

Most of my quilting time this week has been focused on a baby quilt that needs to be done by next Friday, but I did squeeze in enough time to make one of the teal/turquoise Scraptastic Star blocks. This block was made from 2" squares and finishes at 12". I hope to get the larger Scraptastic Star block done before next Saturday.

Scraptastic Star
pattern by Melissa Corry

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

Scraptastic Stars in Pink

It was down to the wire, but I finished this month's Scraptastic Star block for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge just yesterday. I have been making two of these blocks every month in our assigned color, one block from 2" squares and the other from 2.5" squares. 

Scraptastic Stars
pattern by Melissa Corry

I have one extra block this month because I had already made two pink blocks last October as a trial run of this pattern. I liked the pattern very much, but I had used the same light fabric for the stars and chains of squares in both blocks. I knew there wouldn't be enough of that fabric for two full sets of blocks, so I have been using different prints in my larger blocks. The large block at lower right will probably be a spare to join my collection of orphan blocks.

Here are the two different sizes up close:

Scraptastic Star from 2.5" squares (16" block)

Scraptastic Star from 2" squares (12" block)

It seemed like a good time to check out the mix of colors together. These are all 16" blocks, including a brown block from last November. I love the way the light squares link together where the blocks meet up.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

Scrap Happy Yellows

It is nearly the end of our month of using yellow scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and it has been a wonderfully productive month. Last weekend I finished my second Scraptastic Star block in yellow and gold. Here are both blocks together.

Scraptastic Stars, Pattern by Melissa Corry

I was enjoying the sunshiny brightness of my yellow scraps, so I decided to put all the blocks from this month up on the design wall together.  This nighttime photo doesn't do the colors justice.

Besides the two Scraptastic Star blocks, I ended up with seventeen 4" pinwheels made from 30's fabrics, one Have Faith block (upper center), four 4X Star blocks for the Squared Away sampler (bottom left with grey background) and two Spinning Boxes blocks (bottom right). Total number of yellow blocks is 26. I'm ready to find out our next monthly color!

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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

15 Minutes and Stash Report Sunday

For the second week in a row, my stash usage for the week was 1/2 yard. This time the fabric was used to make two yellow/gold Scraptastic Star blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. No fabric was added to the stash! I'm working on quilting two different projects and look forward to reporting some bigger numbers in the outgoing total soon.

2018 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                 0.50 yards

Used year to date:            18.75 yards

Added last week:                 0.0 yards
Added year to date:            5.50 yards
Net used year to date:   13.25 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. It was another good week with quilting time every single day!

15 Minute Challenge:  
4/15 - 4/21             7 of 7 days
2018 Total       107 of 111 days

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

Julie in GA

Yellow Scraptastic Star

Yellow is one of my favorite colors for quilting, and I am very happy that it is our April color (along with gold) for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I had no trouble pulling out enough different 2.5" squares for my first yellow Scraptastic Star block.

Scraptastic Star, 16" block made from 2.5" squares
Pattern by Melissa Corry

I still need to make another of these blocks in yellow and gold using 2" squares. That should be manageable before the end of the month, and then we all wait to see what the color is for next month.

I am linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and at Oh Scrap! over 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