Monday, December 29, 2014

DWM and Year-End Stash Status

Where has the year gone?

Once again I am ending the year in the midst of a Bonnie Hunter mystery.  When will I learn?  I made absolutely NO progress last week, what with holiday shopping, activities and such.

I have to admit, though, that my attention has been diverted by what could become a new obsession:  Patchwork of the Crosses.  I'll blame it all on Teresa at A Quilt and a Prayer.  Her POTC blocks are so stunning that I just had to try it.  It has been well over 10 years since I last did any hand piecing so it took a while for me to remember the techniques.  I need to work on the set-in intersections, but I'm getting the hang of it.

My First POTC Under Construction
Here the third round is ready to sew on, and I'm auditioning choices for the 4th round.  Any thoughts?

One of Teresa's secrets is fussy cutting the elongated hexagons that make up the block.  I knew that Cindy Blackberg has a rubber stamp for these so it went on my Amazon wish list.  Cindy's stamps are great because they include both the cutting line and the stitching line.

But I lay awake at night trying to figure out how I could stamp selected motifs accurately when I couldn't see what I was stamping.  Teresa to the rescue again!  She told me about a similar CLEAR stamp developed by Marita and available at The Quilter's Path in Mt. Juliet.  So on Saturday I made a quick trip to MJ (with a stop at Son-2's house to check out their new hardwood floors).  After a quick demo I was in business!

POTC Template Stamp Set

I started with some practice fabric to get the hang of fussy stamping.  With a water-based fabric ink, simply stamp the back of your fabric, cut out your pieces on the cutting line, then accurately stitch together on the stitching line.

Fabric Ink Stamp Pads

I use Fabrico or VersaCraft ink, both manufactured by Tsukineko, Inc.  (Don't be fooled by look-alike products -- it has to be an ink that works on fabric!)  I hope my arthritic hands will hold up because I really want to have a grab-and-go handwork project ready.

Stay tuned to check on my progress.  And let me know if you are caught up in POTC blocks, as well.  I love seeing what others are doing!  I could use some construction hints, too.


In the stash department I was about to say "nothing in, nothing out," but I just remembered I couldn't leave Marita's lovely shop without indulging in a little fabric fix.  So my final numbers for 2014:

Stash Report - Dec 31
     In last week:                   2.75 yards
     Out this week:                0.00 yards
     In year to Date:           261.25 yards
     Out Year-to-Date:        215.50 yards
     Net Used 2014            -45.75 yards

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Hope y'all have a great week and a blessed New Year!




Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Serendipity

You never know in Nashville ...


... who'll you run into. 

My Main Man and I were doing weekly senior shopping at Kroger this morning -- along with everyone else grabbing last-minute things for their holiday meals.  After picking up some organic carrots I turned and almost tripped over a lady in an electric cart.  She was quite attractive for her age (I'm entitled to say that!), wearing a hot pink swing coat.

From the other side of the produce department I looked back to see how the lady was progressing.  With  sounds of "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" coming from the PA system (or maybe it was "Jingle Bell Rock"), I realized I was looking at Brenda Lee!

OK, any youngsters reading this have no idea who I'm talking about.  It was her recording on the PA.



Brenda Lee and I are about the same age, give or take a year or two; we grew up in two small suburbs of Nashville in the 60s.  It was not unusual to see Brenda at basketball games with her circle of friends -- just an ordinary teen .... well except that she was a singing star, doing concerts in Europe, making records.

That's Nashville for you -- stars live in our midst and we give them their space.  I worry that with all the recent focus on the attraction of Nashville that the paparazzi will make it harder to see our beloved stars in public.

I hope it doesn't change.



Tuesday, December 23, 2014

More Reminiscing

Randolph, the Bear Who Said No


One of my favorite Wonder Books when I was a child was Randolph, The Bear Who Said No by Faith Nelson. 



It is a moral story about a bad little bear whose automatic response was "no."  So a fairy casts a spell such that he cannot say anything else.  Do you want ice cream?  "No."  Do you want to play outside?  "No."  You can imagine the frustration that developed.  For the life of me, I don't remember how he managed to get the spell removed, but that book taught me you should always be careful of what you say!

Why I am bringing this up right now?  Today the Queen Mother (my invalid MIL) was Randolph!  Ordinarily she is very non-responsive.  She has a difficult time processing questions and rarely comments on anything.  But every once in a while the wiring connects and she becomes Chatty Cathy.  And often, when she's in that mode, she says "No" to everything.  She will stay like this for about 36 hours and then crash for another 36.  God bless the caregivers who put up with her through thick and thin.

Today she was Randolph.  And all we can do is laugh.  It's hard to say which Mother we'd rather have, quite frankly.  I wish she were still the lively, thoughtful, creative, artistic mother my Main Man grew up with.  But that will never be.  We do our best to keep her comfortable and healthy.  Every year we think it will be her last Christmas, but the Eveready Bunny fools us.

Randolph lives on......

Christmas Traditions

Do you ever stop to think how some of your
Christmas traditions came to be?


Sunday the leader of our church children's programs talked about her family's tradition of eating fish on Christmas Eve.  That's a new one on me.

But it got me thinking about our family's Christmas Eve tradition when I was growing up:  vegetable soup!

Here's the backstory.

For many years the fundraiser for the Nashville home for unwed mothers was caroling on Christmas Eve.  "A candle in your window, a carol at your door."  Each year the Scout troops in our little community spread out over the town, caroling and collecting coins door to door.  Afterward we assembled at the Methodist church to warm up with hot chocolate and turn in our collections. 

One year my mother (a/k/a The Mama) was in charge of the event which overlapped the dinner hour.  So to make life easy for herself she made a big pot of vegetable soup in the deepwell burner on our stove (pre-crockpot days).  It was delicious.

The next year, when she was no longer coordinator of the caroling, she asked my brothers what they would like for Christmas Eve dinner.  Their response:  "We ALWAYS have vegetable soup on Christmas Eve!"  A tradition was born, one that I carried into my own family while Son-1 and Son-2 were still at home.

I'm linking up with Connie at Free Motion by the River.  Thanks for visiting!  Christmas Blessings to everyone.

Monday, December 22, 2014

All Caught Up -- Almost

In spite of my previous objections, I caved and decided to do Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt again this year.  She is calling it "Grand Illusion" and clues are revealed each Friday; we are a month into the challenge.

Grand Illusion - Progress

Some things you need to understand:

1.  I chose my own colors which has presented its own set of problems since I substituted green for aqua, a rusty rose for green, and a taupey dot for the yellow constant.  I have to constantly refer to my crib sheet.  Otherwise I'm using flesh for pink, " "brack" (a brown that's almost black) for black, and silver gray for neutral--not much different than Bonnie's colors.

2.  I'm only making half size to start.  That way if I don't like the final reveal I won't have committed a lot of time and fabric.  But I've made sure that I'll have enough fabric if I want to make it full size.

So, Clue 1 -- broken dishes -- I finished right away, except for the extra half-square triangles that would be used in Clue 4.  I actually made a few more than half of the broken dishes units.

Clue 1 - Broken Dishes

Clue 2 -- double diamonds -- took a little longer.  I'm using Method 2 with the Easy Angle ruler and I'm having very good results.  I am 4 units short of completing half of the double diamonds.

Clue 2 - Double Diamonds

Clue 3 -- two-by-fours -- should have been easy.  Two rows of four 2" squares.  First thing I did wrong was make stripsets of brack and silver instead of  brack and rose.  And no one pointed out when I posted my progress that the brack squares were in the wrong corner!  At least I had only made a few to test my rusty rose color!  Still need to make 30 to finish half.

Clue 3 - 2 x 4s - Oops!

Clue 4 -- more broken dishes in two different arrangements.  Done!


Clue 4 - More Broken Dishes

I will try to get a few minutes at the sewing machine every day this week so that I will be totally caught up (half way, that is) when Clue 5 is revealed on Friday.

Hop on over to Quiltville's Quips and Snips to see progress around the world.



Monday, December 15, 2014

The Good Life

How does a S'more prepare for a retreat?

First she assembles the necessary sewing accouterments.

Pin Cushion and Housewife

Machine Cover
Then she makes sure to stay nourished.

Brownie Mix
She brings the proper beverage containers.



And, because it's Christmas, she decorates the tree.







At night she puts on her S'mores sleep socks, rests her head on her S'mores pillow case, and snuggles under one of her many S'mores quilts, 




Life is Good



Linking up with Free Motion on the River for Linky Tuesday.

S'mores Christmas Retreat and Stash Report

The S'mores held their annual Christmas Party/Retreat last week.

You may remember that we are called "S'mores" because we like to laugh s'more, eat s'more, and quilt s'more.  And at Christmas we like to gift s'more!  Even though we were missing some folks with issues of concern, we managed to accomplish a lot in addition to supporting each other through crises.

I had high hopes of slaying two dinosaurs -- both pink and brown and both hanging around since that color combo was the rage several years ago.  First is a medallion quilt that I began at Gwen Marston's Beaver Island Retreat (which is no longer held on Beaver Island, BTW, and has been taken over by the Holly Sisters) about 10 years ago.


Pink and Brown Medallion
I was a relatively new quilter with a limited collection of fabric, trying to make something look mid-19th century.  Also, I hadn't quite honed in on an accurate 1/4" at that point.  I sort of cheated by beginning with a toile-style panel -- I think by In the Beginning -- and got 5 rounds on it.  The 4-patches on point were to be the next round but I think proportionately it's too clunky plus I can't figure out how I planned to make the corners work.

I think I am going to scrap the 4-patches -- well, not really; I'll use them in something, maybe a strippy -- and do a graduated log border (don't know any other way to describe it) in the same brown as the 5th round you can see at the bottom.  And call it done.  Or maybe it will say it needs something more (but I hope not!).  Regardless, I couldn't make the math work in my frazzled brain so it went back in the box.

The second one is a strippy of flying geese separated by this spectacular fabric by Jo Morton/Andover Fabrics. 


Again, started before I appreciated the wonders of an accurate quarter inch or recognized the hazards of sewing on more than one machine.  My strips of geese were not all the same length.  They should have measured 81.5".  So I cut the separator strips at 81.5" only to discover that the geese measured 82.5".  To make a long story short, I shortened the geese strips by one, adjusted a few seams and managed to make  everything fit, but it took me the better part of two days to work this out. 

Pink and Brown Strippy

I'm SO over pink and brown.  (Don't pay any attention to the fabrics I'm using in Grand Illusion .....)

Before attacking anything else of major consequence, I made a back for Mary's Triangles then set about finishing Dots and Dashes (a/k/a Churn Dash) that I almost finished at the guild retreat.  I added two borders and made the back.  (Not sure why this picture came in sideways ....)


With the little time I had left I worked on Clue 2 of Grand Illusion.  I am using Method 2 with the Easy Angle Ruler.  I am having good results and there is virtually no waste.




Stash Report - Dec 14

     In this week:                   0.0 yards
     Out this week:              19.75 yards
     In year to Date:            258.5 yards
     Out Year-to-Date:         215.5 yards
     Net Used 2014            -43.00 yards

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Hope y'all have a great week!




Monday, December 8, 2014

I'm in Love!

Y'all must think I'm more wishy-washy than Charlie Brown.

First, I declare I'm not going to do Bonnie Hunter's mystery this year.  Then I give in and say, OK, but I'm doing my own colors.  Then I announce colors my daughter-in-law has chosen.  Now I've gone in a completely different direction ... and I'm loving it!  (Sorry, @donnadb, if you don't like these colors, I'll use your colors in something else.)

Unfortunately, it's a gloomy day and my camera has not accurately captured the colors.  Essentially I'm taking the colors from the dots on the taupe background which actually looks more gray in this picture.  It will replace the constant yellow.

Grand Illusion Fabrics -- just a start

Spring green replaces aqua, flesh replaces pink, "brack" (a brown so dark it's almost black) replaces black, and silver gray (not shown) replaces neutral.  I think green in Bonnie's scheme will be replaced with a rosy rust (or maybe a rusty rose), but I'm waiting to see how green will be used before chosing the actual replacement color.

GI - Clue 1

My fabric palette is very limited because I am determined to use fabric from my stash.  Only the dot is newly purchased fabric.  Overall I think the palette is very serene and I'm trying to pick my most "modern" fabrics to play along.  My plan is to attack half of each clue as it comes out and then, if I like the final reveal, I will make it larger.

I'm still thinking about which way I want to do Clue 2, but I have the 2-1/2" strips cut and packed to go with me to retreat tomorrow.

Hop on over to Quiltville's Quips and Snips to see what other folks have accomplished.  It's a world-wide phenomenon.



Sunday, December 7, 2014

Could this be .....

... the view from our retirement property?



Somewhere Outside of Knoxville

We have our fingers crossed, waiting on some final information before making an offer.

Stay tuned .....

Thanksgiving Reprised and Sunday Stash Report

Do you ever have days like this?


I frequently slip my shoes off under the dinner table, under the computer desk, at the kitchen bar, under the edge of the bed.  I'm constantly looking for my shoes.  I'd rather go barefooted, but the tile in the basement gets quite cold this time of year.   One day recently, around 3 p.m., I looked down at my feet.....  You'd think I would have noticed!


I finally got the camera and the computer in the same room so I can reprise our Thanksgiving with Son-2, et al.  First, the brined bird got a good rinse and a pat down.



  The final result -- delicious!


Followed by a family walk in the nature preserve -- invigorating!



Then a friendly competitive game of Ticket to Ride -- I lost .....

AA and @donnadb
CG and Son-2

Stash Report - Dec 7

I forgot to update my numbers after my shop-local-Saturday trip to Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby.  There were a lot of bolt ends with thirds and such; in all I think it totaled about 16 yards.

     In recently:                    16.0 yards
     Out this Week:                0.0 yards
     In year to Date:            258.5 yards
     Out Year-to-Date:        195.75 yards
     Net Used 2014            -62.75 yards

I'll be going to the S'mores retreat this week where I will finish a couple of things so I hope my final numbers for the year will be slightly better.  I am taking two dinosaur projects with me -- both pink and brown (remember when that was the hot combo?), one top that just needs borders and a back, and the BH mystery -- yes, I caved......

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Hope y'all have a great week!




Saturday, November 29, 2014

The Day After the Day After Turkey Day

Not one to subject myself to the madness of Black Friday, I decided it might be safe to go out today, Saturday.

Kroger wasn't too bad.  I needed to spend at least a dollar to get my fuel points up to another hundred -- 'twould be a shame to waste 99 points!  Well the Conway Kroger Marketplace had a couple of items we can't get at our favorite store so I ended up spending $10.  So far, so good.

Then it was off to Table Play, a local shop that carries almost every table game known to man and child.  It is, after all, shop local day, right?  I just wanted to look but came away with several Christmas gifts and, when combined with Son-2's purchases warranted 25% off!  Can't beat deals like that!

After lunch back at the ranch, I ventured out to Hancock's and Hobby Lobby -- crazy, I know! -- to get some fabrics in the colors DIL selected just to make sure I knew what she wants.  What I didn't know was Hancock's had some specials that were only good till noon, so the cutting lines were never-ending.  But I was patient and had a pleasant conversation with the lady behind me.  Did more damage at Hobby Lobby; no one was shopping for fabric there.  I didn't do too bad picking a short checkout line, either.

Now back at the ranch, enjoying a libation while watching SIL, CG, and AA play a lively game of Catan, Cities & Knights, and catching the end -- or SO I THOUGHT -- of the GA/GaTech game.  I have a tough time since Son-1 graduated from Ga Tech and Son-2 from Georgia.  Nevertheless, I was rooting for Georgia -- when in Rome ..... and, as I was told, absent uncles don't count!  Son-2 has Tivo so we can catch 4 games at a time, which is a good thing since Louisville just went ahead of Kentucky (Main Man and his sister both graduated from UK) and we check on them while sweating over OT at GA/GT.

Regardless of the outcome I can look forward to turkey tetrazzini for supper.

Friday, November 28, 2014

OK, I Give!

I can't resist. 

The first clue of Bonnie Hunter's new mystery has been revealed.  I know I said I wasn't going to do it.  BUT I want to make a new quilt for Son-2 and DIL and I thought this would be a good one for them.

I don't want to use the same colors, and I probably won't be as scrappy as Bonnie.  So I asked DIL to pick some colors that would go with black, white, and yellow.  She chose slate gray, pale lavender, and spring green.  I am going to use lavender in place of aqua and the gray in place of pink.  She said they wanted to redecorate their bedroom and would go by whatever colors were in the quilt.

I'm hoping to take most from my stash, but I may have to fill in a few gaps.


We're having a great time -- good food, lots of games, football .....

More later.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

Not much has been happening on the sewing front.  No acquisitions; no finishes.

The week has been and will be filled with travels.  This is what greeted us in East Tennessee on Monday morning.

East Tennessee Sunrise

We spent a day wandering the backroads around Knoxville looking for a retirement property.  This was our third trip and we may have found the perfect spot.  Ironically, we had seen it on our first visit, but didn't know the owner wanted to sell or if we could afford it.  And, to be honest, at that point we had not honed in on what we thought would really makes us happy.

We had gone in search of one lifestyle, but both of us felt stifled by it.  We thought about mountain life, but steep grades gave us heartburn.  We looked at acreage in the boonies and we felt lost and alone (and isolated from healthcare).  In the end I think we will settle on a relatively traditional development -- city water and fire protection are important to us -- with views OF the mountains, not FROM the mountains, and perhaps a little water visible, too.

Today we're heading off to Arkansas to spend Thanksgiving with Son-2, DIL, AA, and CG.  We leave the Queen Mother in the capable hands of her daughter and the constant caregivers.  I am thankful that we have such caring and dependable people to watch over and care for her.

I send Thanksgiving Blessings to all my readers.  

Keep Warm
and
Quilt On

Friday, November 21, 2014

Better than I thought!

Here I was on Monday, bemoaning the fact that I was going to fall well short of finishing my designated 12 UFOs in 2014.  (sigh)

Now I know why.

I was so down on myself that I was ready to write off 2014 and started thinking about my goals for 2015.  But first, I needed to bring my record up to date -- a project list I began in 2012.  Realizing that a number of unfinished projects on that list are now completed quilts or at least finished tops, I decided to review my older blog posts so that I could enter completion dates and details about where they are now.

Here's the GOOD NEWS!  (Trumpets, please ....)

Since I began my blog in October 2013, I have completed 24 tops.  Ten were started and finished in that time.  Eight have been quilted.  Four tops went to the guild's charity program.  I have plans to finish at least one more top before year's end.  Bear in mind that, to me, "finished" is when the top is completed and packaged with its back and binding, waiting for a reason to get quilted (or when the checkbook says it's OK to pay).

This just proves to me that a list is just that -- it's good to set goals, but they need to be flexible.  Quilting is supposed to be a pleasure for me and I get a lot more done when I'm working on what gives me pleasure at the moment.

I didn't finish all 12 because ... I made 24, instead.....

I think that's worthy of a whoop-whoop, so I'm sharing with readers of Confessions of a Fabric Addict. 



Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Jo's BH UFO Challenge

Jo Kramer at Jo's Country Junction issued a challenge to complete a Bonnie Hunter UFO before the first clue of Grand Illusion is released on Black Friday.

I'm happy to report that I finished Easy Street by adding two borders.  It was the one BH UFO nearest completion -- was that cheating??  Back is ready, too, for whatever situation arises.

Not-so-Easy Street
I don't plan to do the mystery this year.  Instead, I am going to use that time to finish another BH UFO -- either Celtic Solstice (needs borders) or Smith Mountain Morning (needs everything but is all cut or I would just ditch it).

I am looking forward to seeing the new mystery as it evolves.  I know it will be stunning.  Best wishes to all who will be participating.




Monday, November 17, 2014

Looking Ahead


UFOs going to
Smores Christmas Retreat
The end of 2014 is looming and 
I am far from reaching my goals. 



It's not been a complete bust.  I will have finished about 6 of my 12 listed UFOs (apparently I never made that list public) after the Smores Christmas retreat, but made absolutely NO headway on the dinosaurs.



Rather than dwell on failure, I am looking ahead to 2015.  Maybe if my goals are more in line with my abilities ......  How about this?


My goal for 2015 is to finish what I start.  

And my UFO list will be be only 6 -- not necessarily the same six I have leftover from this year.  I have a theory that one of the reasons a project remains a UFO is I simply don't like it.  Therefore,

I'm going to work on what I like -- and finish it!

The thing is, I will be starting three new projects at Mountain QuiltFest in March.  I have already started pulling fabrics.

Mountain QuiltFest Projects
Still not sure about how I want to approach Log Cabin/Patchwork with Flavin Glover (empty box).  I think I want to have a patchwork block in mind before I start pulling fabric from my stash.  Or I may just pick a colorway from something I already have on hand.

Split Geese with Donna Lynn Thomas involves using her On-Point Ruler.  I am really looking forward to giving that a try and the pattern is simple enough that I could finish it with a more traditional technique if I want.  But I WILL finish it!

 I am especially excited about Castle Wall with Mickey Depre.  I've been looking for a good handwork project.  BUT, I have also put Patchwork of the Crosses -- book and templates -- on my Amazon wish list and started thinking about fabrics that I already have on hand that will work.

POTC Potential

Initially I thought about combining the two hand-pieced blocks into one quilt.  Aside from having to work around the size difference (9" and 7-1/2"),  I have come up with two completely different color palettes so it looks like I'll be finishing two hand-pieced tops next year.  Oh, My!


I have a question (really, two) for any of you working on Patchwork of the Crosses.  What method are you using, and why?  I will not be using English paper piecing,that much I'm sure of.  Anybody using Cindy Blackberg's stamp?  How about printing with Inklingo?  Tracing a template?  I'm trying to decide which method would work best for fussy cutting.

Since it's Monday, though these projects are in boxes and piles, I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.




Sunday, November 16, 2014

Sunday Stash Report

I've been a little haphazard in my record-keeping of late, but I'm confident there was nothing in, and pretty sure there was nothing out.

I did, however, put the last stitches in the binding of Spare Change, got it washed and ready to snuggle under.  I wrote about it here.

Spare Change
I also got the back made for Easy Street.


Not-so-Easy Street
Oh, and I put the final borders on two comfort quilts.



All of this had been counted earlier except for the wild stripe which came out of my stash.

Stash Report - Nov. 2

     In this Weeks:                 0.0 yards
     Out this Week:                1.0 yards
     In year to Date:            242.5 yards
     Out Year-to-Date:        195.75 yards
     Net Used 2014            -46.75 yards

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Friday, November 14, 2014

Mine, Mine, MINE!

As quilters, we frequently give away our work -- to family, friends, and charity.  However, some we simply can't let go of.

Some quilts you want to keep because of their beauty. 

Some you want to keep because of the effort you put into them.

And there are those that are just so blasted comfortable!  Maybe it's the soft back fabric ....

Spare Change - Back


 or the Quilter's Dream Select batting ..... or the minimal quilting ....

Spare Change - Quilting - "Cool Beans"

All I know is,

This one is MINE!!

Mine, all mine!


The pattern is "Spare Change" from Kansas Troubles' Loose Change.  So easy, made from a charm pack and some 10-inch squares from my stash.  Quilted by Susan Shea with the Cool Beans panto.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict


Monday, November 3, 2014

Late or Early?

It's November 3 and my design wall holds two Halloween projects.  So, am I late for 2014?  Or early for 2015?

First up are the  blocks from Denise Russart's Spooktacular Block Swap.

Spooktacular Blocks
We could make up to five sets of 3 identical blocks.  I chose to make four sets so I got 12 blocks back.  This was my first on-line block swap -- you never know what you'll get when you don't know the quality of the swappers' work.  But I am thrilled with the workmanship as well as the variety of blocks and fabrics.

I'm thinking about using them to surround a panel I purchased a couple of years ago.

Halloween Panel
I made a set of my blocks for myself -- those on the left -- so I have a total of 16 different blocks.  The stripe fabric on the shelf unit below the panel will be spacers to make everything fit.

The second Halloween project I began at retreat last week.

Little Bits' Haunted House

You can tell the size by the lines on the mat.  Little bitty pieces!!  It finishes at 15-1/2" x 18-1/2".  I had hoped to use up most of my leftover Halloween fabrics, but at this scale I've hardly made a dent.

I need to use free time this week to finish up all my retreat projects.  However, I just got registered for Mountain QuiltFest at Pigeon Forge (March) and all I want to do now is pull fabrics for those classes......  And then there's Christmas gifts to make .....

Linking up with Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.



Sunday, November 2, 2014

Retreat Report and Stash Update


Courthouse Quilters held their Fall retreat last week.  We are fortunate to have found a Nazarene church camp and conference center that is perfect for our needs.  We sew in one of the large meeting rooms on the ground floor, there's a kitchen attached with everything we need to prepare meals except a stove (crock pots and microwave instead), and we sleep in the motel-like rooms on the floor above.   

There is WiFi there so I had plans to post daily updates.  However, my tablet decided to forget how to find a network.  So this will be a long catch-up post.
Remember my ambitious list I posted here?  Well, I made quite a bit of headway on Monday. 

1.     Bind Fire and Ice (a/k/a French Braid) - DONE!
Before I even unloaded the car – with the exception of my comfortable chair – I attacked the binding on French Braid (which I am now calling Fire and Ice).  Having promised to enter it in an upcoming show I was hoping to finish the binding before the show rep stopped by retreat to pick it up.  She came early …. I did finally get it done and delivered Tuesday.  (Forgot to get a picture)  

2.     Easy Street - Borders and back. - DONE, almost!
Second on my list was applying the borders to Easy Street and making the back.  I got all but the last two outer border strips on before heading to bed Monday night.  While still in my jammies I finished it up early Tuesday morning.  Well, sort of …. I didn’t have enough fabric for the back so will have to add about a nine-inch strip of something across the width now that I'm home.  Border fabrics counted out last week except 1/2 yard for insert.
Easy Street
That aqua border definitely toned down the lime green!  I think this one will be going to flood relief in Alberta, Canada.  

This is the sunrise that greeted us on Tuesday morning, portending the storms to come that evening.


Sunrise at Garner Creek

3.    Elegant Garden - Fix mitered border corner and make binding - DONE!

I managed to repair a mitered corner on Elegant Garden’s border and made the binding on Tuesday morning.  Another half yard out.
Spaghetti Binding


Elegant Garden


















4.     Churn Dash - Cut setting triangles, assemble, apply borders - ALMOST DONE

From there I moved on to Churn Dash (which I am now calling Dots and Dashes).  Silly Me thought it would be a quick project to rearrange a couple of blocks, cut the setting triangles and assemble the rows.  Between cutting the first set of triangles too small and dealing with a directional fabric, much reverse sewing ensued.  At 8 o’clock it went back into the box, lacking only borders.  Nothing to count.


Dots and Dashes


5.     Twisted Sister - Audition sashing and borders, assemble if able
- Oh, well
Next up – Twisted Sister!  This is a dinosaur from the days when I was teaching this pattern and needed samples for step-outs.  The blocks are mostly 30s and I just didn't bring the "right" fabrics for sashing and borders, though I did get some good suggestions from the Village, so it went back in the box.

6.      Kids' comfort quilts - Some progress

Most of Wednesday morning was spent throwing together a couple of comfort quilts for the guild out of fabrics from my stash (counted out last week).  Blocks cut from panels were sashed.






The blue border fabric was being uncooperative -- probably needs washing -- and I didn't bring anything appropriate to border the second quilt, so those went back in the box.
The rest of Wednesday was dedicated to paper piecing a Little Bits Halloween 15" x 18" wall hanging.

And all I accomplished was the star and flying geese.  Have I mentioned here how much I dislike paper piecing?  But I'm determined to finish.  I think I'll break out the BabyLock with thread cutter....
7.     Remembering Marie - Never left the box.
While I was at retreat a package of fabric I ordered arrived.  Final tally for the week:
Stash Report - Nov. 2

     In this Weeks:                 3.5 yards
     Out this Week:                1.0 yards
     In year to Date:            242.5 yards
     Out Year-to-Date:        194.75 yards
     Net Used 2014            -47.75 yards

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

Hope y'all have a great week!