Stash Report and Stitching Time 1/14/2024

I've been stitching away like crazy this week, plus attempting to do a little bit of cleaning up in the sewing room. I pulled out this bin of scraps, mostly batiks, to sort through and trim up. I hope to finish working my way through the blue and green bits this week.

The only fabric usage to report for the past week is 1/2 yard for the Bird's Nest placemat that I made for the first Project Quilting Challenge of the year. I just took a peek at the Project Quilting link-up, and there are already 176 entries for the week with about 4 hours to go before the deadline. Go HERE to check out the amazing creativity on display, all of it produced in a week or less.

I have lots of other scrappy blocks up on the design wall, but I will wait until the end of the month to total up the usage for all of them. Stash additions are still at zero for the year!

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                       .50 yards

Used year to date:                 1.75 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:                 0.0 yards

Net used in 2024:               1.75 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. The past week was a combination of sewing room clean-up, cutting and stitching time, plus dealing with quilt guild business.

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

1/7 - 1/13           7 of 7 days

2024 Total        13 of 13 days

Success rate                100%

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 the link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Green Saturday

My design wall is filling up with a collection of blocks featuring green, our color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Some were shared in last week's post, and new blocks have been added as they are made.

The top row has my Hollow 9-Patch blocks, which showed up in last week's post and there haven't been any new additions yet. Row 2 contains the 6" blocks for Angela's RSC 2024 Sampler: Hen & Chicks. 

The third row is a mix, starting with the 3" Hen and Chicks blocks. Next to them is a single Rail Fence Spinner, followed by the first two blocks for the new Birthday Quilt at Laundry Basket Quilts, which will have new blocks released every week.

The larger blocks at the bottom are part of the Monthly Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen. Her colors this year are based on tropical fish, and the January color is green for the Green Tiger Barb. Those blocks will finish at 12", and they seem huge next to all the rest.

I don't have individual photos of all my blocks, but I did get some of the Hen & Chicks blocks as a group. Those little 3" blocks are so cute! I am making these blocks from my batik scraps. 

It's the perfect time to join the fun at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. You will find tons of quilting inspiration and encouragement there.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday. I'm also linking up with Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Project Quilting 15.1: Bird House

The 15th season of Project Quilting has begun, and our theme for the first challenge is "Bird House." Here's the challenge:

This week, I’d like you to be inspired by the myriad places a bird calls “home.” As always, this can be interpreted many ways: birdhouses, nests, birdcages, and trees could all apply – and you may take this theme anywhere else your imagination roams! If you can explain the connection (however tenuous) we’re on board!

I started by looking through my fabrics. I thought I had a piece with bird houses on it that might provide some inspiration, but no luck. If I ever had such a fabric, it is gone or well hidden now. I did find this cute bird print though. That could become my color palette.

Next I looked at a couple of block books. There were plenty of bird-themed blocks like Birds in the Air, but only one that fit the challenge--Bird's Nest. Here's a version of the block from EQ7 in colors similar to the bird print.

I pulled some fabrics from my stash and was excited to discover that I had enough of a chicken wire print for the background. I pieced a 12.5" block, then added borders on two sides to make it rectangular. Like last year, my Project Quilting pieces are going to be placemats, which will later be donated to Meals on Wheels.

Bird's Nest placemat, 12.5" x 17.5"

The bird print was used on the back. The quilting is all stitch-in-the-ditch.

Linking up with:

Project Quilting 15.1 at Persimon Dreams

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

One Monthly Goal--January 2024

While reading other quilter's blogs this evening, I realized that I was nearly out of time to post my One Monthly Goal for January. The One Monthly Goal link up is hosted by Anne-Marie at Stories from the Sewing Room.

My goal for January is to assemble my Jabberwocky blocks with the sashing and borders into a finished quilt top. Making the blocks was one of my 2023 projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Jabberwocky blocks with sashing/border fabric

The Jabberwocky block is a Judy Martin pattern from The Block Book. I believe the book is out of print, but it is available at a variety of on-line sources.

I'm linking up with the One Monthly Goal party at Stories from the Sewing Room. Check it out to see what other quilters are hoping to accomplish this month!

Happy quilting!

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Stitching Time 1/7/2024

The beginning of the new year means we get to reset the numbers back to zero as we start over with the Sunday Stash Reports. For many years, my yearly fabric goals have remained the same: 

1. Use (or donate/get rid of) at least 100 yards of fabric by the end of the year.

2. Use/donate more fabric from the stash than new fabric added to the stash.

I was successful with those goals last year, but just barely. I ended up with 135.5 yards used and 133.875 yard added, a difference of only 1.625 yards more used.

It would be nice if I could report a large amount of fabric used in the very first week of the year, but that's not what happened. At least I didn't buy any fabric this week! I did use 1.25 yards for my version of the Project Quilting Mystery quilt top.

The 15th season of Project Quilting starts today. I can't wait to see what our first challenge will be! 

2024 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                     1.25 yards

Used year to date:                 1.25 yards

Added last week:                     0.0 yards

Added year to date:                 0.0 yards

Net used in 2024:               1.25 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's rare that I don't get my 15 minutes every day unless we are travelling, but I still appreciate the motivation from Kate's link-up. Thanks for keeping the 15 Minutes to Stitch Challenge going, Kate!

15 Minute Challenge for 2024: 

1/1 - 1/6             6 of 6 days

2024 Total           6 of 6 days

Percentage              100%   

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 the link-ups.

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

The First Scrappy Rainbow Saturday of 2024

It's always exciting to start up a new year with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, one of my all-time favorite online parties! We work through our scraps based on the assigned color each month, making whatever projects we choose. I've been participating since 2013, and I am continually amazed at the creativity of this group.

I've been slower than usual on planning my new projects for the 2024 RSC, but there are a couple of projects from 2023 that will continue into this year. One of them uses my leftover Rail Fence blocks and pieces to make Rail Fence Spinners. These work well as leaders/enders.

Fortunately, there are  other people who are more organized than I am, and they are offering plenty of quilt-alongs and sampler projects that I can turn into rainbow projects. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts has started a new block-of-the-week program, the Birthday Quilt 2024. I decided to make each block in the RSC color, so the first one is green. These blocks will all finish at 6".

LBQ Birthday Quilt, Block #1

I was very excited to find out that Angela, our hostess for the RSC, is offering a new RSC Sampler for 2024 called Hens and Chicks. She is planning to offer 4 block patterns each month, with the idea that each pattern is made up as a 6" block, plus as a 3" block that will get framed to bring it up to 6". I've got the first two sets of blocks done, except that I haven't figured out how I want to frame them yet (more green, a contrast color, one consistent fabric for all the 3" blocks? I'm waiting for inspiration before I commit.)

RSC 2024 Sampler: Hen and Chicks

My other new RSC project for 2024 is one that I've seen several other RSC folks make, and that is Hollow 9-Patch blocks. These are very easy and also work well as a leader/ender project. I'm using 2.5" squares for blocks that will finish at 6". I think I need to dig out some more kelly green or emerald green squares to brighten up these blocks.

Hollow 9-Patch blocks

All of those different green blocks made a nice collection on the design wall together. 

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday, and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Project Quilting Mystery

 A new season of Project Quilting is about to begin, and to help get us in the mood for it, our leader Kim Lapacek of Persimon Dreams has been leading us in a quick little mystery. It all started with a fabric pull on December 26, and the final layout was posted yesterday, January 4th. I finished putting my quilt top together this afternoon.

Project Quilting Mystery, 24.5" x 24.5"

It was a very casual, relaxed mystery. The blocks were fun to make with easy, improv piecing. It turned out that Kim's theme for the mystery was Roman numerals counting from 1 to 15 (this will be season 15 of Project Quilting.) So clever! I didn't have a clue, but could see it after the reveal. The next photo shows my blocks laid out in numerical order before they were sewn together. #15 is the large block at the center.

I moved some of my blocks to different spots before sewing them together because I was more interested in a better balance of color and lines than in keeping the numbers in order.

Thanks to Kim for this very fun mystery. I can't wait to start another season of Project Quilting. Click HERE to see some of my posts from earlier seasons of Project Quilting.

Linking up with:

Project Quilting Mystery at Persimon Dreams

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Stash Report and Stitching Time--End of 2023

It's time for the final stash report of 2023, and I am satisfied with my results for the year. Every year my goal is to use or give away at least as much fabric as I add to the stash, and I was successful with that goal in 2023 (although not by much.)  

There was no new fabric added in this final week of the year, and I did manage to use a little bit. The usage included 3/8 yard for a sample block that I was considering for the 2024 Rainbow Scrap Challenge plus a few more Rail Fence blocks. I also used one yard for two rainbow placemats.

This is the block I was thinking about for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge next year. It is my version of a block from Edyta Sitar's Common Bride pattern. It was tricky to piece with lots of set-in seams, and I've decided against it for the RSC.

My remaining Rail Fence blocks are being joined in groups of four to make Rail Fence Spinners. I might keep on making these next year.

All year long I have been participating in the 2023 Table Scraps Challenge hosted by the Joyful Quilter. Our assigned color this month was rainbow, which made it fun to choose fabrics. I pulled a variety of 3" squares and used them to make the last two placemats of the year. The photo below shows the fabric used on the backs.

2023 STASH TOTALS

Used last week:                     1.375 yards

Used year to date:                 135.5 yards

Added last week:                       0.0 yards

Added year to date:            133.875 yards

Net used in 2023:               1.625 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 including today in my total because I am confident that I will get more than 15 minutes on a project that is cut out and waiting at my machine. Most of the days that I missed for the year happened when we were away from home.

15 Minute Challenge for 2023: 

12/24 - 12/31             8 of 8 days

2023 Total           352 of 365 days

Percentage                        96.4%

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 the link-ups.

Happy New Year and happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Scrappy Rainbow Wrap-Up for 2023

The last Saturday of 2023 means that it is time to look back at my different projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This was my 11th year of participating in the RSC, and I am so grateful for the encouragement and inspiration every week from the other quilters. Thanks so much to Angela at soscrappy for continuing to host our link-ups. 

My RSC projects for 2023 were a mix of new projects plus a few that carried over from previous years. That combination of new and old will also continue into 2024. For this wrap-up post, I'm going to start with the projects that were new this year, then work back through the older ones.

16-Patch Stars was the first project to be shared in 2023. I made two blocks each month, then in October all twenty blocks were joined together into this bright and cheery quilt top.

16-Patch Stars, 48.5" x 60.5"

Jabberwocky was another of my new RSC projects for 2023. It is a Judy Martin pattern from The Block Book. I believe the book is out of print, but available at a variety of on-line sources. I made three blocks each month, ending up with a total of 28 (I must have made one extra at some point.) Here are some of the blocks as I was auditioning sashing/border fabrics. I hope to get them assembled into a quilt top in January.

Jabberwocky blocks

Another new project for 2023 was the 2023 Table Scraps Challenge at The Joyful Quilter. Each month we used the RSC color of the month along with assigned letters for inspiration to make something from our scraps. I focused on making placemats, most of them from strips and strings, but some from orphan blocks and leftover pieced units. the placemats are being donated to Meals on Wheels through our quilt guild.

Table Scraps Challenge placemats

My last new RSC project for the year started in a class I took in June, A Maze Zing with Candace Hassan. The original pattern produced blocks that finish at 16" x 24", but I scaled mine down a bit to 13.5" x 19.5". I'm planning to turn these into placemats eventually, plus I will continue making more of them in other RSC colors throughout 2024.

A Maze Zing blocks

I have one finished quilt from 2023 that was inspired by our color of the month in April, which was purple. I had been making little 3" 9-patches from purple squares sent to me in 2017 by Jennifer who blogs at Life"s Little Adventures. I combined the 9P blocks with half-square triangles for a small quilt top. That went together with an earlier purple quilt top of 4-patch blocks to make a reversible quilt I named Pretty in Purple.

Pretty in Purple (front) 36" x 48"

Pretty in Purple (back)

My last RSC project for 2023 is one that was started in 2022, the Rail Fence blocks. Each month I made 30-40 blocks in the color of the month. I ended up with over 300 blocks total and used most of them to make two small quilt tops.

Rail Fence Rainbows, 39" x 48"

Rail Fence Zigzag, 39" x 41.25"

It's not my largest output for a year of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but I'm happy with what got done. I'm hoping to finish more rainbow quilts next year. It's time for me to figure out my new piecing projects for the year ahead.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful scrappy projects at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge every Saturday, and at Oh Scrap! over at Quilting is more fun than Housework on Sunday. 

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA

Christmas 2023

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy holidays everyone!

Julie in GA