Stash Report Sunday 12/17/17

There's good news on my stash-busting efforts this week--no fabric added! More good news is that I also used some fabric, 3 yards for a pair of Georgia Tech pajama pants. I realize that's not quilt usage, but I counted the fabric as an addition to my stash when purchased a couple weeks ago, so I will also count the usage now. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a photo of the finished pants, but here is the fabric I used.

Pajama pants fabric

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              3.0 yards

Used year to date:       93.25 yards

Added last week:             0.0 yards
Added year to date:     33.25 yards

Net used year to date: 60 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I was able to find some time for quilting every day over the past week, although most of my sewing time was spent on the pj's.

15 Minute Challenge:  
12/10 - 12/16                7 of 7 days
2017 Total              338 of 351 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

Mystery Monday Part 3

This is the third weekly post to share progress on the new Bonnie Hunter mystery "On Ringo Lake." I didn't get much stitching done on this clue, just a few units to test Bonnie's different methods for making them. It's a good thing I checked, because my first attempts were coming out too big.

I got lots of the diamond pieces cut, but still need to cut many more background triangles to go with them.

I'm joining the link-up for the On Ringo Lake mystery over at Bonnie's Quiltville blog. I'm also linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag. Check out all of them for tons of amazing quilting inspiration! 

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 12/10/17

It seems like the floodgates have been opened for fabric buying around here. After adding only 8.25 yards of fabric to my stash through nearly 11 months this year, I succumbed to the Black Friday sales once again. It started with a trip to JoAnn's to get one fabric for a Christmas gift (plus a couple other pieces of course. These were counted in my stash report last week.) That was closely followed by orders to both Connecting Threads and Hancock's of Paducah.

Below you can see my many additions. My main goal was to get more greys to use in the Bonnie Hunter mystery "On Ringo Lake," and I was successful on that count. I have gotten everything washed up and look forward to cutting into it very soon.

Magenta & Grey Sampler from Connecting Threads

Other fabrics from Connecting Threads

Fabrics from Hancock's of Paducah

My only disappointment with my purchases was that the fat quarter bundle that I got from Hancock's (XOXO by Michele D'Amore, shown across the bottom of the photo) did not include the same fabrics as had been shown on their website. There were a couple of prints that I might have bought yardage of if I had known they weren't going to come with the bundle. 

The totals for the week: +9.5 yards from Connecting Threads and +6 yards from Hancock's. No fabric used for the week.

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:              0.0 yards

Used year to date:       90.25 yards

Added last week:         15.50 yards
Added year to date:     33.25 yards

Net used year to date: 57 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I was able to find some time for quilting every day over the past week, although most days were only short periods of time, no full-day sewing sessions.

15 Minute Challenge:  
12/3 - 12/9                 7 of 7 days
2017 Total            331 of 343 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

Scrappy Saturday 12/9/17

I'm excited to have a finished quilt to share this week, even though I wasn't the person who finished it. Sometimes you just need a partner in crime (or quilting.)

Regular readers of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge posts will remember the group of blocks I was making in April when our color assignment was "multicolor." The blocks were based on the pattern "Tranquil Treasures" from the book Strips and Strings: 16 Sparkling Quilts by Evelyn Sloppy. I was trying to use up a collection of 2" watercolor strips from the late 1990's, and the fabrics just didn't excite me. I made enough blocks for a throw quilt, then set them all aside.

In September, Cynthia of Quilting is more fun than Housework hosted her fall Quilty Adoption Event. I offered my multicolor blocks up for adoption, with the preference that they be finished as part of a donation quilt. The winner was Chris in Shelby, NC. A couple days ago she sent me this photo of the finished quilt which will be donated by her quilt guild to the local women's shelter. I'm so pleased that she got it done so quickly and that it is going to a wonderful cause. Great job Chris!

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

Mystery Monday (on Sunday) 12/4/17

It's not Monday yet, but Bonnie has posted the link-up for her 2017 mystery "On Ringo Lake" a day early due to her teaching/travel schedule. We got the directions for Part 2 on Friday, making lots of flying geese units. I have around 60 done, plus plenty more still to make.

My color scheme is a complete change from Bonnie's. She used turquoise/aqua (my reds), dark brown (my blacks) and coral/melon where I have the greys. Just as I feared, my range of greys may have spread a bit too far. Some are almost as dark as the blacks at the centers of the nine-patches. Others are so light, they practically disappear into the black-on-white backgrounds. I will have to try to stick closer to the medium greys.

I'm joining the link-up for the On Ringo Lake mystery over at Bonnie's Quiltville blog. I'm also linking up to Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework, Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag. Check out all of them for tons of amazing quilting inspiration! 

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 12/03/17

For the first time in several months, my stash additions are going up more than the amount used. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I did some shopping for a planned Christmas gift, plus some fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's new mystery and some Kona solids for future projects. Altogether, 9.5 yards added. The only usage was 3/8 yard for the border on my Ring Cycles quilt. Check out the red print with the tiny sewing machines--too cute!

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:            .375 yards

Used year to date:       90.25 yards

Added last week:           9.50 yards
Added year to date:     17.75 yards

Net used year to date: 72.5 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I was only able to manage five days over the past week, but my numbers for the year are still very good.

15 Minute Challenge:  
11/26 - 12/2                5 of 7 days
2017 Total            324 of 336 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

Mystery Monday Design Wall

Like so many quilters all over the world, I waited eagerly for Bonnie Hunter to post the first clue for her 2017 mystery quilt. I was too busy last year to participate in the mystery, but I hope to squeeze it into my schedule this year. "On Ringo Lake" Part 1 went live on Black Friday, and I was happy to spend my time cutting and stitching little squares of fabric rather than fighting the crowds at the malls.

One thing I always try to do with a mystery quilt to make it my own is to change up the color choices. This time I was very tempted to go with Bonnie's colors because I liked her combination of aqua/turquoise, chocolate brown, salmon/coral, and lights for the background. My colors headed in a very different direction. My inspiration came from a group of sewing-themed fabrics that I have been saving for several years.

There's my color scheme--red, black and grey with black-on-white prints for the backgrounds. I'm hoping I can use one of these fabrics as a border for the quilt. The prints may be too big for the little pieces that Bonnie's quilts tend to use. I also have quite a few smaller sewing prints that will be included in the piecing, along with many other fabrics in these colors.

Our assignment for week #1 is to make nine-patch blocks . I've got a good start on these little cuties and should have no trouble finishing the rest before the next clue is posted on Friday.

I'm joining the link-up for the mystery over at Bonnie's Quiltville blog. I'm also linking up to Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt, and Moving It Forward at Em's Scrapbag. Check out all of them for tons of amazing quilting inspiration! 

Julie in GA

Stash Report Sunday 11/26/17

I finished assembling two quilt tops last week, but most of the fabric used has already been counted. All I can report right now is 5/8 yard for the border on my Thankful for Autumn 9-Patch quilt top. The other finished top was my Scrappy Trips quilt for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--see it HERE. No additions to the stash, but that may change soon!

2017 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:            .625 yards

Used year to date:     89.875 yards

Added last week:            0.0 yards
Added year to date:      8.25 yards

Net used year to date: 81.625 yards

I am continuing to join Kate at Life in Pieces in tracking how many days each week I get in at least 15 minutes of quilting time. I made time to do some quilting every day last week, even with the Thanksgiving holiday.

15 Minute Challenge:  
11/19 - 11/25              7 of 7 days
2017 Total            319 of 329 days

Check out more stash reports at quiltpaintcreate, and add your own report so we can keep the linky going. 

Julie in GA

First Scrappy Trips Top Done! (Maybe?)

It has been such a lovely, relaxing past few days, even with all the Thanksgiving cooking, eating and cleaning up. My mother is down from Wisconsin for a week, and we couldn't wish for a less-demanding guest. We are all enjoying hanging out together, and I get plenty of encouragement to spend some time quilting. They know how to keep me happy and sane!

Yesterday I finished joining the warm-colored Scrappy Trips blocks together into a top, and I thought I had my first finished top from this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. Then I decided to see if I had any fabrics that would work as a border. I didn't expect to find anything, but you never know, right?

Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt top
pattern by Bonnie Hunter

I have a large stack of fabrics in what I consider fall colors--gold, rust, orange, red, burgundy, brown. It seems like there should be something that would work with this quilt. I ran into two problems--the first was that none of the fabrics included pink, and the second was that they included other colors like green and/or purple. There was really only one border possibility, and I don't think it's going to work. At first I loved it, but now I've changed my mind.

Scrappy Trips with border possibility

When I pulled out this fabric, I was excited because it was the only one that included pink. However, the more I look at it, the more I feel that it's too dark for this quilt. I prefer the way the quilt top looks without a border. I guess that means my quilt top is done after all!

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

Thankful for Autumn--quilt top finished!

Late last month I got it in my head to go through some of the leftovers from old projects and figure out what to do with them. It's not unusual for me to finish a quilt top and just leave any extra pieces, blocks, strip sets, and sometimes even yardage all together in a box or bin. I'm never quite sure what to do with those extra bits and pieces. but one of my goals for the future is to do a better job of dealing with all those leftovers. 

One bag of scraps I pulled out seemed like a good possibility for a quick project. I had scraps, 9-patch blocks, and unused strip sets, all left from a Blooming 9-Patch quilt that I made in 2004. The fall colors were the perfect mix for this time of year. Fortunately, I still had extra yardage of most of the fabrics too. My goal was to use up as many of the leftover blocks and strip sets as possible, then cut into the yardage to make what I needed for a complete top. Last night I finished adding the outer border to my Autumn nine-patches quilt top. Since this top was completed on Thanksgiving day, I've decided to call it "Thankful for Autumn."

Thankful for Autumn quilt top
57.75" x 70"

Here are some closer shots so you can get a better look at the fabrics:

I'm happy to report that finishing this quilt top was my November goal for the One Monthly Goal link-up at Elm Street Quilts. We still have some pretty fall colors showing around here, so it seems like the perfect time to have completed this quilt top! 

Linking up to:  Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
                      Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts
                      Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
                      One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Julie in GA