Catch and Release ...

... unwanted fabric from captivity

A quilting friend passed away earlier this year and her husband has been struggling with how to dispose of her more-than-ample stash of fabric, yarn, quilting threads, and crafting supplies.

This has weighed heavily on my mind in recent days. What will happen to all my "stuff"?  How will the family handle it?  How can I make the job easier for them?

I decided the first order of business is to get rid of things I don't want/won't use right now!  So far I've set aside 39 yards of fabric from my studio shelves to donate to various causes.

60 Degrees of Separation

Then I went to the closet to see what other miscellaneous items I could purge -- except, I couldn't get in for the mess.  That set me off on a cleaning spree (more on that later).

I've cut back considerably on my teaching and have a number of class samples and stepouts that I no longer need.  One of these is my own design, 60 Degrees of Separation, that just needed a few seams to put the blocks together.

I'm sending this one on to Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict for her quilt ministry.  I'll leave it up to her if she wants to add setting triangles top and bottom or just trim to square. Included will be some of the leftover fabric for potential borders.

She will also be getting two small tops, a kit, and much of the fabric because I know it will go to good use.

Mariner's Compass X 4

The second order of business will be to finish more projects.

I found these gems in the closet.  Over the course of several years I took three, maybe four, different classes for Mariner's Compass, all utilizing different techniques.  (My favorite, by the way, was Judy Mathieson's freezer paper technique.)  I had the presence of mind to use the same fabrics for all the classes with the thought that I might be able to put them all together in a single quilt. And, to my delight, I never scavenged those fabrics for other projects so I can see a potential finish ... maybe ... someday ...



So that's what on my design wall today.  Hop over to Patchwork Times to see what others will be working on this week.

Oh, and as far as my Stash Report, nothing came in and I'm not counting anything out till it leaves the house.

TBT - My First Project ...

... and still a UFO!

The only "quilting" The Mama  did with me while I was still living at home was making log cabin blocks and crazy quilt blocks on a foundation of squares cut from an old sheet.  However, I don't recall any of these being made into a quilt; we must have done this as busy work.

I do recall that some of the log cabin blocks made it into purses in the 70s

when denim was making a comeback among the Flower Children. 

I embroidered a flower on a center square which she then built a log cabin around

in light and dark denims.  I thought I had saved that purse but can't find it at the moment.

So these little exercises, paired with Pop's crazy quilt, were the foundation (pardon the pun) for my very first "real" quiltmaking experience.

Foundation squares from old sheet

My older son was born in 1966 so he was about 13 when I started this.

I used Brian's old jeans, supplemented by some from the rest of the family.

I even started some fancy embroidery, trying to replicate what was on my grandfather's quilt.

Have you ever made a denim quilt?  The dang thing is HEAVY.

Requisite spider web

It has moved with me, in a white garbage sack, in this unfinished condition, around two apartments and four houses in Tennessee ... and it's still unfinished!!

I count this as my oldest dinosaur .... well it's a tie with one I inherited from my mother which I will show you next week.

I'll be joining up with Krista at Krista Quilts for Throwback Thursday.  Linking now since Krista forgot last week.

WIP Wednesday

.. and a little bit of Nature's best

Trying to crank out 8 blocks a day on Top-Notch Diamonds.

Making headway - Top-Notch Diamonds

I'll tweak the arrangement when they're all done.  Just trying not to duplicate any combos.

Dinner on Monday night with the church ladies -- Suppin' Sisters.

Suppin' Sisters

It was a perfect evening for dining al fresco at this new-to-me restaurant on a barge at a marina.  While the company was exquisite, the sunset was moreso.

Sunset at Blue Moon Waterside Grille ...

... Reflected in the water

In conversation with the lady to my left (not pictured) we determined that her grandparents bought the house I grew up in from my parents back in the late 70s.

Small World!

Here I Go Again

What happened to my "finish two, one new" rule?

I've started yet another new project.  But it was self-defense, I assure you.  Remember this spring "modern" fabric disaster?

Fireworks Disaster

Having purchased about 40 FQs in Pigeon Forge with the plan to use them to make a new class sample for the Japanese Star and Fireworks classes in June ...

Fat Quarter Fun -- Hmmph

... I proceeded to cut them all entirely into 1.5" strips.  My concept failed and I've been staring at those strips hanging on the rack for six months.

Strip Jail

The mess needed to go; the sooner, the better.  I saw this pattern in the October 2015 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting and I could see how my strips might work.

Besides, 60 degree is my shtick...  So this is what is on my design wall this morning.

Top-Notch Diamonds
designed by Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic

There will be a bunch more with lighter gray diamonds and possibly more color.  I'm working in groups of 8 so that I can get a nice dispersement of fabrics.

Hop over to Patchwork Times to see what others are working on.

When the Dam Breaks ...

... It just keeps flowin'

I had done a pretty good job of keeping the purchases in check this year -- mainly because I've become a stitching hermit and I delete quilt shop emails without even reading them.  But once I started buying, well ....

Another trip to The Quilting Squares resulted in 4.25 yards in.  I needed some less-busy fabrics to neutralize the active prints in this Five and Dime project.

Five and Dime

All the blocks are made, just waiting for a design wall (or floor) big enough to hold them.

A $5/yd purchase from a friend gave me an additional 6 yards.  Red, yellow, and purple tone-on-tones are always useful.  I had already gone through as much from an earlier purchase several years ago and I was pleased that she still had some in stock (and that she could locate it after two recent moves).

Weekly Stash Report -August 23, 2015
     In last week:            10.25 yards
     Out last week:          00.00 yards
     In year to Date:       150.25 yards
     Out Year-to-Date:   121.50 yards
     Net Used                   28.75 yards

At this point last year I had purchased more, also used more, and still I was 35.75 in the hole.  So I'm improving, right?

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times.

TBT - Pop's Crazy Quilt

Throwback Thursday has certainly gotten me reminiscing about some of my early projects disasters, but first I want to feature yet another family antique quilt -- my grandfather's crazy quilt.



Ely Delmer Miller 1874-1948

Now I see where I get my straight smile ...

Like the two pieced quilts I showed a couple of weeks ago (sorry I missed last week, no WiFi when I needed it), this quilt was also stored out of sight in our home when I was growing up.

Pop's Quilt

Not much was ever said about it.  I have no idea who made it.  In the deep recesses of my mind I recall my mother saying it was made from Pop's suits.  You can see that some of the pieces show the cutout for armholes and sleeves.  You can also see that it was constructed in large rectangles.

Weird shapes

It appears that the oddly shaped pieces are stitched onto the muslin foundation by hand.

Muslin foundation / Shattered silk

Fabrics are mostly wool with  a few silks ...

Velvet amidst the wools

... and velvets ...

Woven tape - check out the stitches!

... and woven tape thrown in.

Embroidery stitches

The variety of embroidery stitches has entranced me for years; I never get tired of studying them.

Plaid back

The back is a sturdy plaid ...

Pink ties

... and the pink yarn ties on the back do not go through to the front; they only catch the muslin foundation.  There is no batting.



Next week you'll see how this quilt inspired my earliest attempt at quilt making -- also my oldest UFO!

Linking up with Krista Quilts for Throwback Thursday.

Finish Two ...

... Start one new!

That's been my mantra the last few years and 

it really helps relieve the guilt when I have the urge to start something new.

I finished two tops at retreat last week; I've earned a fresh start! 

My secrect sister gave me an unusual pack of 10-inch squares -- Melbourne by Andrea Komninos for Benertex.  You might gather from the collection name that it has a bit of an aboriginal look and yet it's not "in your face."  The colors of brown-gray, green, and aqua are so lovely and so don't go with much that I already have.  Hence my stashing spree last Friday.

Hmmm .... which project should I choose?

The print motifs are mostly large and don't lend themselves to being cut into small pieces, so I thought a project from Loose Change would best show them off.  In these projects you layer a charm square on a 10" square -- some square, some on point -- with raw edge applique and then you slice and dice in various ways.

I wasn't able to find the matching charm pack so I cut some 5" squares from FQs and yardage using a wavy blade.

My first project from this book had square placement and square cuts.

S'more Blue

This time I am again going with a square placement, but I'm considering diagonal cuts.

Layered, pinned, and ready to stitch

Although it's not necessary, the companion Five and Dime Ruler by Kansas Troubles Quilters makes centering the charm square very easy, regardless of which way you want to orient it.

Five and Dime Ruler

Dark charms on light, light charms on dark ....

...  I can hardly wait to see how this is going to turn out.

Stay tuned!!

Linking with Patchwork Times.