Design Wall Monday 7/30/12

Another month nearly gone!  This was not a very productive month for quilting, but there was lots of other fun going on.

I have been working on my hexie project during lunch breaks and some evenings after work.  The progress is very slow and I am doubting that I will finish in time for the challenge deadline.  It sure would help if I could find the entry form to know the exact date that it has to be completed!

 

The original design has seven of the central unit.  I am loving the way that looks, but I am thinking I may have to simplify the design in order to finish in time. 

Check out all the amazing design walls at Patchwork Times  There's plenty of inspiration waiting there for you!

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 7/29/12

No change to my stash in the past two weeks.  I have been sewing away on hexies, but progress is slow.  However, I did get back my Hidden Nine-patch and Storm at Sea quilts from being quilted.  There will be some binding in my near future!

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to date: 40-1/2 yards

Added this week:   0 yards

Added year to date:  59-1/4 yards
Net year to date: 18-3/4 yards added

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Design Wall Monday 7/16/12

Quilting time has been in short supply lately because we were out of town for a week.  I did take along my hexagon project to have some hand stitching to do during down times, but didn't have much opportunity to work on it.  It has been going very slowly, and I am uncertain I will finish in time.  Hmmm, I wonder where I put the entry form with the deadline date?

This is going to be a small wallhanging for a quilt shop challenge.  There are three fabrics required--the red, the check, and the light green with white.  A maximum of three other fabrics can be added.  My choices are the red/green/black print, the light green batik background, and maybe one of the other greens that are up there auditioning.

The other project still up on the design wall is my Pineapple Star.  I have a design planned out, and I got some shades of brown for the additional blocks.  You can see a print-out of my design in the upper corner of this photo.

Check out all the amazing design walls at Patchwork Times  There's plenty of inspiration waiting there for you!

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 7/15/12

Time for quilting has been in short supply lately, mostly because we have been out of town.  We got back a couple days ago from a week-long visit to the Tetons and Yellowstone.  I had never been to the Tetons before, and they were absolutely spectacular!  I love Yellowstone too, but July is not the best time to go there--too crowded!

Yesterday was Scrap Club at Intown Quilters in Decatur, and I bought another light green for my challenge entry.  Then I went to Tiny Stitches in Marietta and got 2 more greens, plus four assorted browns to make more blocks for the Pineapple Star.  Time to get some sewing done--my numbers are headed in the wrong direction!

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to date: 40-1/2 yards

Added this week:   3.75 yards

Added year to date:  59-1/4 yards
Net year to date: 18-3/4 yards added

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Design Wall Monday 7/2/2012

My design wall has been mostly empty since I finished my Storm at Sea quilt and delivered it to my longarm quilter Jan.  I tried to do some cleaning up in the sewing room, but mostly have been pulling out old projects to see which one inspires me to work on it.  I hope to continue finishing up some of the many UFOs that are filling my shelves.


The current leading contender for next project is this Pineapple Star that was started in a workshop with Sharon Rexroad in 2003.  This is one of the collection of projects that were begun in the late 1990s/early 2000s, then packed away while I was on the road for several years.  It's time to get this one finished!  I always liked the way the first group of blocks looked together, but wanted to take it further.

 

I have been playing with some design ideas for this in EQ7.  The image below is one possibility, although I couldn't get the corners to work out right.   I need to go through my leftover fabrics and see how many blocks I can make from what is there.  I just discovered that most of the fabric at the center of the blocks got used to line a tote bag.  I may have to remake that bag lining if I run out of the fabric for this quilt.  Maybe there's an interior pocket that I could steal!

 

Check out all the amazing design walls at Patchwork Times  You can't help but be inspired!

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 7/1/12

How in the world did it get to be July?!!  I can't believe the year is half over.

My stash hasn't changed a great deal this week.  I made a little mini duffle bag for Ed with FSU fabric that was left over from the pajama pants I made him earlier this year.  That used up 1/4 yard.  I also made a cute lunch bag for myself, using another 3/4 yard.

 In the other direction, I bought 2 yards of light green batik for a challenge project I am working on.  The best thing about that was getting it for half price!

Used this week:  1 yards
Used year to date: 40-1/2 yards

Added this week:   2 yards

Added year to date:  55-1/2 yards
Net year to date: 15 yards added

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 6/24/12

I missed making a stash report last Sunday because we were out of town all week.  That meant no stash reduction, but  there have been some additions.

Our first stop on the trip was Paducah, KY, which of course meant a visit to Hancock's.  The only other times I have been there were during the AQS show when the place is a madhouse.  It was so different this time--plenty of room to wander the aisles, and most of the other people there were workers filling on-line orders.  I discovered that the many fabrics listed at sale prices on the website are not marked down if you buy them at the store.  The sale prices only apply if you order on-line. 

We spent a night in St. Louis and went to a baseball game there.  I saw a woman at the game with a great tote bag made from a baseball print fabric.  The next day I found that very fabric at a local quilt shop, plus a coordinating one at another store a few days later.

In the nine days that we were gone, I visited 5 quilt shops/fabric stores (including Hancock's twice) and bought just over 10 yards of fabric.  It could have easily been two or three times that much, but I am determined to concentrate on using up more of my stash this year.

Used this week:  0 yards
Used year to date: 39-1/2 yards

Added this week:   10-1/4 yards

Added year to date:  53-1/2 yards
Net year to date: 14 yards added

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Design Wall Monday 6/11/12

It feels so good to be making progress on finishing up old projects.  The latest was piecing the back for a quilt top that I made back in 2001! for a guild challenge.  I have no idea why I never bothered getting it quilted because I love the way the top turned out.

The pattern for this quilt top is "Atlanta Commons" from the book 101 Nine Patch Quilts by Marti Michell.  I highly recommend this book if you come across it.  There are so many great ideas for ways to use the simple nine-patch block.  I call the quilt "Hidden Nine-Patch."  Don't you love the grid design effect of the dark blue?

Here is the crazy fabric that I got for the back of this quilt.  The biggest leaves are about 6" long.  I always thought it would be fun to quilt this from the back side, following the shapes in the print.  However, I am not up for quilting it myself, and I don't think it is possible to quilt from the back side on a long arm.

Check out all the amazing design walls at Patchwork Times  You can't help but be inspired!

Julie

Stash Report Sunday 6/10/12

Oh, it feels so good to be finishing up some projects!  The accomplishments this week were preparing the backs for two quilts that are ready for quilting.  The first was the pieced back for my Storm at Sea quilt, but I already reported the yardage for that last week.  The other back is for a nine-patch quilt that I made for a guild challenge many years ago and just never bothered to have it quilted.  The back for that one used 3 yards.  I will be delivering both of these to my long-arm quilter in the next week or so.

Used this week:  3 yards
Used year to date:  39-1/2 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added year to date: 43-1/4 yards
Net year to date: 3-3/4 yards added

Check out more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Julie

Design Wall Monday 6/4/12

The past week has been fairly productive for quilting.  After finishing the Storm at Sea quilt top before Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to switch over to something smaller.  I finished up these four pineapple blocks for my red, white & blue scrap quilt.

I love the look of pineapple blocks and the many variations that are possible.  They sure are time consuming though.  These blocks have 49 pieces in each block!  Here is a photo of them along with the other red, white & blue blocks.  Don't the pineapple blocks look great next to those stars?

My other current quilting project has been enlarging the back for the Storm at Sea quilt.  The wide quilt fabric I have is about a foot too short.  I am making a row of stars similar to the border design in the quilt top and that row will run all the way across the back of the quilt.  Many of the parts in these stars were leftovers from making the quilt top.  This photo shows half of the row of stars to go across.  Now I just have to figure out a workable way to press and square up the big piece of backing fabric.  This is when I really wish I had one of those big boards for ironing.

Check out all the amazing design walls at Patchwork Times

Julie