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