Stash report-Month of January

I think I would like to try keeping track of fabric this year. I told DH that I thought I should try again to be "NoBuy" this year. DH gave me a fat quarter bundle from connecting threads for Christmas, and after Christmas I ordered some large pieces of it as they had it on close-out. It is still sitting in the sewing room, waiting for someone to tackle putting it away.


With having the total knee, I didn't think I had any in or out to report, but I did finish the binding on two quilts this month. One is the flannel quilt for DH, the other is one of the charity quilts for "Quilts for Kids". This one was made using their kit for the top, but I supplied the backing and batting.
January Stash Report

Fabric in: 0

Fabric out: 10 yards.

Happy Quilting,
Becky
Email me

Christmas gift quilts

I finished all 6 quilts for Christmas - only two of them needed the binding turned after Christmas. The first one is for my nephew and niece, they have been joining us for Christmas for a long time. They kept wishing that one of the large gift bags was for them, and this year it came true. This is my Stashbuster Sunshine "Ugly" fabric challenge quilt. It ended up 120" by 120", so it will cover their King bed nicely. They asked how I knew the colors. I laughed and told them I was going to tell them to buy a can of paint if it didn't match their decor.
The next one is for D Niece #2 - the one that came the day after thanksgiving for pillowcase day. That was the day I learned that she no longer liked pink, so I made this one in the next few weeks. It is made from Judy L's Freeze frame pattern. Thanks for the free pattern. It was one of her "hour a day" projects, and I think she had it timed about right for me. I did enlarge the borders, both the inside ones and the outside ones to make it fit a twin bed better. One comment was that they really liked the geometrics of it. I used all of the fabrics she chose for her two pillowcases, and added to them. The color isn't true - it is brighter.

The next quilt is DGD#2's. It is a quick stashbuster pattern from Fat Quarters. I added to its length for tall DSIL. It is backed with minkee - they love it.


















This one I have been referring to as the secret project. It is made out of fabrics DD and DSIL brought back from their trip to Hawaii. I quilted it freehand, and it has so much quilting that it is somewhat stiff. The white and black island toile is part poly, and that didn't help. I still have other fabric they brought back to play with for at least one more quilt. The corners of this one have rolling star blocks.








The next one was made from a jelly roll and a fat quarter bundle that DH gave me for Christmas a year or 2 ago. I originally made it for the great niece on the right in the picture, until I learned that she no longer had pink in her room. Her older sister was delighted to receive it.








The cabin in the woods quilt I made for my son. I hadn't made him a cuddle quilt of his own since making his comforters when he was about 11 - they still use them. I made this out of what was supposed to be the last of my flannel, and backed it with outing flannel.












The last one I made was for DH. He is always borrowing my flannel rag quilt, so I decided to make him one of his own from a bunch of flannel Rose gave me. Since I ruined the washing machine with some other rag quilts, I just finished this like a regular quilt. It was much easier to bind it that to trim all that flannel for the ragged edge. I started it about noon on the 23rd, and had it done for Christmas Eve-except the binding being turned. I finished that up a few days ago, and it was put into use immediately.

Personally, I'm 3 weeks post total knee surgery. This time the knee is doing much better since they gave me other people's platelets before, during, and after surgery. I had minimal bruising instead of a leg full of blood like last time. This time they gave me a pain med that I specifically said I had problems with, so I had three days of hallucinations until DH and a nurse friend intervened on my behalf. I ended up being in the hospital a full week because of it. Supposedly there are multiple checks of allergies, where I had the drug listed, but they still gave it to me. I do plan to ask questions of their administration how this could have happened. It is really scary to think about patients who don't have an advocate looking out for them. I'm doing my physical therapy, and hopefully will be out of the walker, etc, very soon.

I've only been in the quilting room one day, and manage to do in the iron. I knew it was close to dying, and cleaning it killed it. It also killed the ironing board cover. I really hate that. I had found a decent model without an automatic turn-off, with lots of steam holes. I hope they still make that model. It lasted a couple of years, which for me is good with all the use it gets.
Happy Quilting,
Becky

Email me

Design wall Monday, 12/13/ 2009

The design walls are mainly empty this week. Everything is past the design wall stage except the flash frame. One quilt is completely finished, another has binding on one side, but will have to be hand-sewn on the other. The Cabin in the Woods is being prepared to use Judy L's method of sewing the back from the front, and borders are going on the "Ugly Fabric Sampler". The secret project is down the street, ready to go on the quilting frame. I'm trying to finish everything by the 15th, except bindings, and I will be cutting it close. I don't mind working on them later, I just have a lot of Dr appointments and go off arthritis meds that day. I'm really liking how the quilts are turning out. I will post better pictures when DH has time to help hang them and photograph them.
Happy Quilting,
Becky
Email me

using up flannel - NOT

A while ago, I decided to use up all my flannel. I made the Big star quilt out of flannel, and used up all of the left-overs in the Cabin in the Woods. I do have a panel of houses that is flannel, and a bit of flannel to finish that with, but other than that, it was all gone. I even had cut out a flannel rag blanket out of baby fabric, and given it to MM to make.
Yesterday I was quilting down at my friend's and she had decided to take care of her little "piles" of stuff. She decided she should look at the pile of flannels. She found one with a note (directions) on a piece, it was dated 2001. She decided it was time to get rid of that stack, then decided to get rid of the whole thing! She put it all in two bags and gave it to me - even carried it to my car. I think I need to have another kid sew-in and everyone needs to make rag quilts! I certainly have plenty of batting scraps they can use up. Hmmm, I wonder if I'll feel up to it for Martin Luther King Day. I haven't put away the sewing machines from the pillowcase day. I keep thinking good thoughts about how much better it is going to be for this Total knee than the last one.

Happy quilting, Merry Christmas,
Happy Holidays whatever they might be,
Becky

Email me

Design wall Monday 12/7/09

What was I thinking last week? Where was my mind? I thought I could finish a Judy Martin pattern quicker than I could make Judy L's Freeze Frame??? The photo on the left is of the now UFO pieces for Celebration. I finished all the strip sets, and 200 of the 300 4 patches, but finally said Whoa! Too much!! I started Freeze frame on Saturday, worked a little bit on Sunday, I just need to make about 30 more border blocks, and then put all the borders on. I'm making a few extra blocks so I can put in wider center borders and outer borders to make the quilt a little bigger.

I did make it down the street to the quilting machine yesterday. I quilted this quick Stashbuster quilt made for DGD#2. Her mother (DD) said she needed a soft, easy to wash "blanket" for her big bed. This one is from fabric left over from DD's wedding quilt, and all the "ladybug" fabric used in DGDs room. I backed it with very soft Minkee, and used a very thin batting inside. I used the new giant templates - waves- again, and I'm so pleased with how quick they are to use, and the quilting looks good!
I also quilted a charity quilt with the same templates to turn into guild tomorrow. I need to find the binding I made and put it on so someone else can finish it up. The fabric for the border of the red quilt is in the dryer after a wash in Retayne. Time to get busy.
Happy Quilting,
Becky



Email me

Design wall Monday 11/30/09

The holiday has taken a toll on the design wall. The king-size of last week is down for "security reasons", and we are off in another direction. I finished the red, black, and white quilt top that I posted about last week. It, along with others, is waiting for a turn at the long-arm machine. Last Friday, I did indeed have a sew-in for the grands and cousins. The first picture is of them with their pillowcases. The length of the picture does not show that 3 of them made the second pillowcase for body pillows. This was a full day/evening adventure, and they were very proud of their accomplishments. Note the color of the pillowcases on the far left (she's not asleep, I just can't take good pictures). This is the Gniece this quilt top was being made for. The pillowcases were made to match the colors in her room! I asked a lot of questions, and ended up finding out that she doesn't like pink, her sister likes pink. I just wish I could keep the two of them straight! Now I need to make a non-pink quilt! That's the reason for this week's design wall - a pattern called Celebration from Judy Martin's Scraps book. The colors are poor in the top right picture; they should be closer to the ones in the pillowcases. I've debated back and forth between this pattern and JudyL's Freeze Frame, but decided this one would be quicker. I really want to make the Freeze Frame, but I am running out of time.
Time Sponges My time has been taken up by this little imp, DGD#2. My DD's school football team had an undefeated season, so went Saturday to St. Louis for the State Finals. DSIL isn't that great at babysitting his own child, so she came here on Saturday overnight until Sunday afternoon. Then today I took her and her mother up to the hospital so little one could have ear-tubes inserted. She's spending the day here as DD is very sick, but still needs to show up for at least part of the day at school to finish up the newspaper (she teaches it). They were waiting on the results of state - they lost. She had no business going to St. Louis as sick as she was, but that's what journalism teachers do to help students with the photography. She rented a huge camera / lens to photograph with in the Dome - nothing they had at school would work there. She also chaperoned the cheer leaders. Back to DDG#2 - she will be here again Thursday and Friday as she has eye surgery scheduled on Thursday, again early in the am. DD's not working those days, but needs my support. Santa's workshop is really running late with all this happening. I have visions of quilts without binding being given for Christmas presents!
Happy Quilting,
Becky

Email me

design wall monday

Ugly fabric quilt progress
The Sunshine Ugly Fabric Stashbuster Challenge quilt has now grown too big for the design wall. The first plain 6" border is on, and two sides of the 6" block borders are on. Someone asked what my Ugly fabric was - It is the "fireworks" found in the center of many of the blocks. I picked it for the challenge as I don't work well with grayed (toned) fabrics, and I wanted to gain some skills with that. The Challenge also involved using a bit of orange and/or yellow in each block, also colors I don't use much. I have learned that most quilts need a touch of yellow to put the "sun" in them, but I don't pick it as a main color, which I have done in this quilt. I'm sure hoping the couple I'm giving it to for Christmas like these colors. They've wanted a large quilt from me for a long time (they have a large lap quilt, denim quilt, and lap Christmas quilts), but not one for their bed.

The other two borders are still on the design wall ready to sew together. It is so delightful, the first pieced border actually fit without a lot of easing. I also have the 12" blocks to do as well, but there isn't room for them on the wall right now.

Mile a Minute Blocks
When I was cleaning up all the scraps that accumulate when doing a sampler quilt, I decided to try MAM (Mile a Minute) blocks. I used some templates (Marti Michell) to cut out as many shapes as I could, then put them together with the various leftover small strips. After making these blocks, I only have a 8 x 8" piece of the grayed blue, and about a quarter yard of the second orange fabric left. I had hoped to make this quilt all from stash, but when I cut those 120" final borders, I knew I didn't have enough of the green to make all three plain borders the same, as well as I still needed the spacers for the block borders. I went with some other quilting friends Friday over to the Kansas Farm quilt shop, and found a compatible green (after checking that I had nothing in my stash to work).

Pink-eye, it's not just for kids
I came back with something more than I purchased - a case of pink-eye. Farm doorknobs carry a lot of bacteria, is what I guess was the problem. It started within hours of returning home, where the 2 DGDs were having a slumber party with Grandma. I had them sleep in the living room, instead of with me in the bed, and I practiced really good handwashing, and neither of them has come down with it yet. They were going to spend Saturday with GMa, but after I reported to their mothers what the eye doctor said, the moms quickly made other arrangements.

New Quilt started
While their mothers were here, we discussed Christmas presents. DD requested a "blanket" that could take a lot of washing. DGD#2 is the ladybug bedroom, so I found some fat quarters of Red, White, and Black, and started a Stashbuster quick quilt with them. I'm doing 20 blocks, so it should be big enough for her twin bed. I may have to add a bit more to the length, so it will cover DSIL's feet (6'4") when he reads books to her in her bed. I'm making it as a reward to myself. Every time I finish putting on a border on the king-size quilt, I sew a seam on these twenty blocks. It keeps me from "giving up" on the borders of this giant. I had planned some long-arm quilting today, but I don't think Rose would like me to "contaminate" her house and the quilting machine with pink-eye germs.
Happy Quilting,
Becky
Email me