Stash Report & Gardening

Used since last report:       0.00 yards
Used year to Date:            31.00 yards

Added since last report:     4.50 yards
Added Year to Date:          19.00 yards

Net Used for 2013:             12.00 yards

Finished the center of my string diamond quilt, but need to add the borders yet. It just seems like I haven't had time to sew lately. Would like to start reporting some yardage used. 

Tuesday was my machine embroidery club meeting and then I had lunch with my friend Maureen. She lost her mother and has a lot on her plate, so it was nice to have some time to visit.

Thursday, my Featherweight Club met for shopping and lunch. I was not able to meet them at SR Harris in Minneapolis but did meet everyone for lunch and a visit to Millie P's Quilt Shop in Anoka. The lunch was fabulous at "Truffles & Dessert Cafe." The cafe has won awards for their sinfully delicious desserts. The soups, salads and quiche were great as well. There were eleven of us, so we put the poor cafe in a bind, but they survived all of us.

Fabric from Millie P's

I did purchase a pattern and some fabric at Millie P's. They were a "necessary" addition!!  Ya, Right!!!  LOL  The pattern will be a fun basket project that will use up some of my batting scraps and 2 1/2" strips. The shop is so light and bright and makes me smile.

A couple of ladies mentioned a quilt shop that I could stop at on my way home. It is a fairly new shop and I had never been there. It is called "The Noble Quilter" located in Elk River, MN.  Course, I found the cutest lady bug fabric that I just had to have. LOL

Two fabrics on left were purchased at Country Fabrics and Lady Bugs are from The Noble Quilter

My daughters came home on Thursday evening for the weekend and Mother's Day. We went to Brainerd on Friday and window shopped at some antique stores and had lunch at Christmas Point. (Are you seeing a trend of shopping and eating???) Again the lunch was good and they also have some wonderful desserts. What is nice with my girls, we order several desserts and share. Then we are able to try several different desserts. After lunch, I visited Country Fabrics and enhanced my stash some more with a couple of pieces of fabric. I am having fun petting my purchases.

On May 1st, I started my straw bale garden (http://strawbalegardens.com/). This is the first time that I have tried this type of gardening. Right now I am conditioning my ten bales of straw and hope to start planting by the end of the week. It has been so cold that the weather has slowed the process.  Supposedly, we could get to 90 degrees on Tuesday and the rest of the week will be in the seventies.

The week has been a fun week and I always enjoy when all my children are home. My son supplied steaks for Friday evening which we did on the grill, and then some pepper bacon for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. Food again!! LOL

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!!

Make sure you hop over to Patchwork Times and see what others are doing.

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2013/05/12/stash-report-week-19-2013/

Beth

Sunday Stash Report - 1/13/13

Used since last report:        0.50 yards
Used year to Date:             0.50 yards

Added since last report:    0.00 yards
Added Year to Date:         1.50 yards

Net Used for 2013:            -1.00 yards

I was hoping to report more fabric usage, but ----  VBG   For the last two days, I have worked on Easy Street. All the blocks are pieced and I have started putting the top together. This has been a fun quilt, and I love the colors. I don't have a border fabric yet.  Guess I need to go "shopping."  LOL  Hopefully I will be able to finish piecing the top today.

Our Featherweight Group meets on the second Thursday of each month.  So on Wednesday evening I decided to take Christine, my little white (celery green) Featherweight, out of her case and try her out. I absolutely love this little machine and I was so bummed when I received her and she didn't work like she was suppose to. I would sew for a while and then the belt would start slipping and the motor would get hot. She sat in the case for two years.  After I took her out of the case, I oiled & cleaned her, lubed the motor and then powered her up and practiced sewing on it. She sewed like a dream. I ran her at slow speeds and fast speeds and did this for an extensive period of time. Christine did not miss a beat. She has been behaving beautifully ever since. Who can figure??? Do you suppose she got over her "hissy" fit after sitting, ignored for two years? So on Thursday, she was able to go to Featherweight Group with me.

At the FW meeting Sarah, one of the members, demonstrated folding paper to make a pattern for fabric boxes. The paper box provides a pattern for making the fabric boxes. So, when I got home I just had to make a fabric box. Still need to make a bow for the top, but the boxes turn out very cute. What a fun way to present small gifts. I found this link which uses the same folding technique shown to us on Thursday:  http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/01/fabric-origami-box-tutorial.html

Couldn't bowl on Tuesday because I had a disagreement with the coffee table and the coffee table won. I stubbed my foot and have not been able to wear my regular shoes. It is slowly getting better (at least it did not interfere with sewing), but my foot was too sore to be able to wear my bowling shoes. Course, my blind score may have been better then my regular score would have been --  Point is, don't argue with the furniture by kicking it. You will not win!!!

Talked to my daughter, Natalie, this morning and she asked if I would like my own private retreat for a few days to  house & dog sit. Of course, I did not turn that down. I have gone up to Fargo ND the last two January's and done this for her and her hubby. My Hubby is welcome to come with but he prefers to stay home. Hummmm, what kind of mischief may he be brewing??? LOL

Check out Judy's Patchwork Times to see how others are doing:

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2013/01/13/stash-report-week-2-2013/

Beth

Summer in March

The weather in Minnesota is awesome!!! We are having summer in March and it is expected that we will break high temperature records for five days in a row, if not more.

Last weekend my daughters, Brenda and Natalie, and Natalie's husband came home for my Birthday. It was such a nice weekend. They both have dogs and the dogs love coming to our place because we live in the country and they can go in and out as they please. Only issue is that they were getting a little muddy. Brenda brought me a beautiful flower arrangement that she had put together. Natalie gave me some more Silpada jewelry which I can wear without breaking out from. Hubby gave me cash. What more could a person wish for???  Flowers, jewelry, cash!!!  Grin------

My son, Byron, has been in St. Louis working on the lock and dam project and just arrived back home yesterday. He has been living with us for the last year and a half, so it was nice to have the house to ourselves for the last six weeks. He is going to take me up to the casino for the "Seafood Buffet" for my birthday. Another favorite item for me ----    Now I can add food to the list of good things!!  Does my family know me or what??? LOL

While Byron was in St. Louis he found a good deal on a Featherweight. It needs a little TLC but I think I will keep this one and sell my other Featherweight. I will get a lot more from that one then the one my son bought for me. I spent some time cleaning and oiling it. It sews with a nice stitch but needs to be cleaned some more and the gears and motor need to be lubed. The finish is in good condition (shows normal wear and tear) but nicked around the bottom, probably from in and out of the case. There is a case but it is in such bad condition that I will not be using it. No extra accessories with it either. It is a Centenial model but built in 1950 instead of 1951. Will have the husband of  the "featherweight lady" check it all over.

Still working on Orca Bay. Slow but sure!! I'm building all the rows right now and have put some together. Guess I am being a very slow speed turtle but it is nice to take my time and also take time to enjoy the nice weather.

Natalie and her husband live in West Fargo, ND. They have made an offer on a house in Fargo, ND. It has been a big decision. West Fargo has a diversion so that they do not have to worry about the spring flooding. The house in Fargo is in the flood plain, all though the house has not been flooded. If Fargo gets in gear and builds the diversion that is in planning, then they will not need to be concerned about flooding.  Until the diversion is built flooding will always be a concern. The Red River flows north and some years the ice is not out of the river up in Canada and that can cause the water to build up. They still have to counter offer and wait for what happens. What a process!!

If you have time this weekend, The Quilt Show with Ricky Timms and Alex Anderson will have free shows all weekend for International Quilting Weekend.  There should be something for everyone to watch. I know I will be sewing and watching shows since my computer is in the sewing room and I can wheel it right up next to me.

Time to get off the computer.  I need to remember to set the timer!  LOL

Beth