Sunday, July 29, 2012

Stash Report

Used this Week:                   0.25   yards
Used year to Date:            76.395 yards

Added in the last Week:    0.75 yards
Added Year to Date:         51.115 yards

Net Used for 2012:          25.28 yards
My friend Maureen came to my house last Monday and we sewed cup cozies. So I have another one done. They are so much fun to make. Maureen hadn't sewed one before. After she found out how easy they are to make, she plans to make more as gifts.
For the last three weeks I have been going to the Chiropractor and having adjustments, as well as, physical therapy three times a week. This has sure cut into my time. It is 100 miles round trip for each one of these treatments. "Yuck"  After another week, then I only go twice a week.  Part of the issue with all this traveling is that I have an opportunity to stop at quilt shops. There are two of them in Brainerd, MN.  Of course my excuse for stopping was for a book called "Stupendous Stitching" by Carol Ann Waugh that I wanted. I spotted one piece of "bargain" fabric that was just too pretty to pass up. They had just put it out in the bargain area about half an hour before I stopped in. But I only bought 3/4 yard!!!! I think I have been fairly good this year and I must need to reward myself a little. LOL

Actually, part of my "reasoning" for purchasing this was, I discovered a "hole" in my color pallette. I was considering doing a fabric swap of pinks until I checked my stash. I have hardly any pink unless it is in the fushia or hot pink category. We can't let that continue, can we??

Check out Judy's website, http://www.patchworktimes.com/, to see what others have been doing for last two weeks.
Beth

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Stash Report

Used this Week:                  11.875 yards
Used year to Date:              76.145 yards
Added in the last Week:    0.00 yards
Added Year to Date:           50.365 yards

Net Used for 2012:            25.78 yards

Yippeeeeee!!!!  The quilt for grandson Jake is done. The pattern is one of Bonnie Hunter's called "Strip Twist."  Last week I could not present Jake with the quilt because the stitching was not what it should be on the back of the quilt for a couple of the borders.  I spent a day ripping out all the stitching on the borders since I decided to change threads. It was a fun quilt to piece but it was hard to machine quilt because it is a busy quilt and couldn't always see where/what I was stitching. (A least that is my excuse and I am sticking to it.) Quilted just a simple allover design in the center of the quilt and E's & L's for the outer borders.

My guys, hubby and son, are holding up the quilt so I could take a picture. They need just a little more training (LOL) on how to hold the quilt for photographing. (They really were very accomodating, so there is hope for them yet!!)


Looks like I won't be able to link to Judy's website, http://www.patchworktimes.com/, but check it out anyway in the event we are able to link up during the week.
Beth

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Stash Report

Used this Week:                  0.00 yards
Used year to Date:            64.27 yards
Added in the last Week:    7.75 yards
Added Year to Date:         50.365 yards

Net Used for 2012:            13.905 yards
 
I am so bummed. Worked away quilting Jake's graduation quilt this last week so I could present it to him yesterday. All was going well on Friday. I changed thread on top for doing the border and the first border was progressing nicely with no issues. Continued quilting the other borders and "Yaahoo", thought I was done. Whipped that quilt off the frame and then took a good look at the last border. OMG -  all sorts of awful stitching on the back and it all needs to be ripped out. What that meant is that I could only show Jake his quilt yesterday and then be a "take it back Susie" and take the quilt back home. So I will be ripping stitches out today. Don't know when we will either get to Fargo, ND, next or my daughter will be home, so that I can send the quilt back to Jake. Oh, RATS!!!!! Procrastination sure can get me into trouble.
I love the term "stash enhancement" that another blog member coined for the additions we make to our stash. In justification for my "enhancements," 5 1/2 yards were for the back of Jake's quilt. I also purchased 3/4 yard for the binding, so that means I only splurged on 1 1/2 yards that will go to increasing the stash. Oh well, I am still in the black.

We were in Fargo for July birthdays on Saturday. My daughter, Natalie (middle child), turned 40!!  Her husband, Norm, has his birthday this month and Jake will be 19 at the end of the month. Since Natalie and Norm just moved into a different house and have a lot of projects/painting they want to get done, we gave them gift cards and cash. Natalie did get one of the cup cozies that I showed a couple of weeks ago. It was a fun day visiting because all of our children were at Natalie's yesterday.

Check out what others are doing at: http://www.patchworktimes.com/
Beth


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Stash Report

Used this Week:                               0.50 yards
Used year to Date:                         64.27 yards
Added in the last two Weeks:        3.16 yards
Added Year to Date:                       42.615 yards
Net Used for 2012:                           21.655 yards

Where is the summer going? It is hard to believe that the 4th of July is only a couple of days away. Don't know what all I have been doing but seems like it has been busy. My son bought a place about 15 miles from us and is in the process of moving, so I have been cleaning his new place. Also attended a grad party for grandson up in Fargo, ND. 

My heart goes out to all the people in the fire zones and everyone suffering from the extreme heat. I am thankful every day for our good fortune.

On June 14th I attended the Minnesota Quilt Show held in the convention center in Rochester.  It was a bus trip and it was wonderful to leave the driving to someone else. The show put on by MN Quilters is always nice show. There were several exhibits that were especially enjoyable. A group of cow quilts done by Mary Lou Weidman or inspired by the Mary Lou Weidman book "Out of the Box with easy blocks" was hilarious (check out the website for a cow quilt http://marylouquiltdesigns.com/). Another exhibit that was interesting was inspired by 365 days of aerial photos of earth. W

WooHoo!!! I only bought one pattern, one small kit (it was just tooooo cute), and a cone of thread for machine quilting at the MN show. The kit is going to be a little wall hanging for my youngest daughter. I am always telling her that she will "kiss a lot of toads before she finds a frog" and I thought this kit "Spell Gone Bad" was just too much fun.
On June 23rd I attended a quilt show by Pinetree Patchworkers in Brainerd, MN. It was a lot of fun because there were so many people who attended that I knew. It is always fun when we get to visit with people not seen very often. The quilt show was small but fun and is held every other year. In the vendor area, the crystal booth was there and of course I just had to buy some crystals and a snow globe pattern.
After leaving the show, the local quilt shops were the next destination and I did break down and buy some fabric. Guess I didn't slap my fingers hard enough but some of the fabric is going into a grandson's graduation quilt. Is that justification for buying fabric or what??? Below is some of the fabric I bought, but I have already made a cup cozy from some of it. There are plans to make more of these.
Currently I am working on a quilt for my grandson's graduation and will have some significant yardage to report. The pattern is a free one from Bonnie K. Hunter called "Strip Twist." Someone had a picture of one done with black/white fabrics and brights and I thought it would be the perfect quilt for Jake. I think I need to make it larger before adding borders. Still need to do some rearranging but it is getting there.
Check out what others are doing at:   http://www.patchworktimes.com/
 
Beth