Saturday, December 31, 2011

Winner

I am so sorry for an all-day delay. My server is out again, so I purchased an iPad and just got home with it.

The winner of the gift certificate to the Fat quarter Shop is .....

DONNA

I was going to cut and paste her comment but I have no clue how to do that. Donna did say she worked in accounting, too -- that Donna!

Congrats, Donna! Email me and I'll get your gift certificate ordered for you. Again, sorry this is so late!

More tomorrow about what I've done for the last two days!

Friday, December 30, 2011

New Year's Resolutions

Does anyone still make New Year's Resolutions? I try to make them, even going so far as writing them down sometimes, but by the end of the first week I've totally forgotten that list.

I'd like to hear your resolutions this year. Maybe you will spur me on to do something differently. I hope to have some quilty time this year and I plan to make the most of it.

So with that, I've made my list. It's short. It's concise. It's do-able.

1. Make a quilt!!

Seriously, though -- wait, I WAS serious! -- blogging weekly is also on my to-do list for 2012. It's been a crazy year with all that's gone on in my little world. I need to get out of my box and go back to doing fun things! I figure if I commit to blogging more, then I'll have to sew more to have something to blog about!!!!!

But back to the purpose of this post:

Leave your comment to be entered in the drawing for a $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop.

Let's have the drawing on Saturday 12/31/11 at 8:00 a.m. If you're the winner, you can place your order before January 1st and not mess up your resolution to buy less fabric in 2012!! (I have a devious mind, don't I?) And if you're stash building, what a great way to start off the year!!

Good luck to everyone.

Oh, one more thing. I repeat every year what Mom used to tell me every New Year's Eve --------

What you do on New Year's Day, you do for the rest of the year!

I plan on stitching!!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas, Everyone!



We hope Santa left you lots of goodies this year!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Pre-Christmas Activity

That sounds like I've got a whole bunch of stuff going on, doesn't it?

Nope.

All is quiet here at the Quilting Condo. Penny is carefully inspecting packages as they arrive. She sniffed and pushed around a couple of boxes, and then finally decided there was one she loved more than the others. When I opened the box, it was a tin full of fabulous sugar cookies and petite pecan pies made by a very dear friend. That Penny! She sure knows how to pick them! She won't get any sweets, but there was something special just for her in the package.

A couple of more wonderful presents have arrived:



This is the "open immediately" part of the secret elf exchange with my online quilting group. There was also an angel ornament that I love. Penny thought the towel and potholder were hers!

There was also a toy just for Penny. It's a bird that chirps when you press the button. I have it on a shelf - and when she's snoozing, I press the button! I love screwing with her head! It's too funny!





This teacup ornament came without a card. That always happens to me! I decided to post pictures in a couple of places and finally someone 'fessed up to sending it! Isn't this the most adorable little thing?!!

Yep, doxies abound at our house!

We're having two four-day weekends to celebrate the holidays. I have several projects that I want to accomplish over those two weekends. There are some pretty significant renovations that will take place shortly, and I'd like to be a step-up on getting things out of the way for those.

Only one dinner to attend next week. I need to scour through my closet this weekend to find something suitable to wear. I'll have to change at work... hate doing that!

What's up with this wind? I've been kept awake for two nights straight because of the howling and things going bump in the night. It's been a bit rainy and very cool. I love the cool part but old Santa can keep his winds, thank you very much! Sounded like hurricane forces last night and it's still blowing! It needs to calm down so Rudolph can find his way without being blown off course!

I hope everyone has a dry, warm, productive weekend. Me? I think a nap is in order!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Belated Happy Thanksgiving

No, still haven't gotten batteries for the camera.

Penny and I had a great Thanksgiving with Jane and her sweet DH! There were four dogs there - the biggest, a mastiff, down to the smallest, Penny. It sure was funny watching them romp. I wondered how Penny would fare around Teeny, Jane's doxie whom she has never met, but she turned out to be exactly like the weenie I knew she was. When she walked in and saw the other three dogs, she rolled over on her back! She's totally submissive .... need to have a talk with her about that!

Friday I vegged, and today I pretended to clean house. Mostly I thought about cleaning house. That counts, doesn't it? I guess tomorrow I need to just do it. Oh, and watched the football game Friday. Geaux Tigers!

I did poke a couple of buttons at the Fat Quarter Shop. Just a couple. I'm being so good. I got in this Row Row Row Your Boat kit because there's a baby on the way. This is in case it's a boy. I love the It's Sew Emma patterns. I had previously gotten an Anne Sutton pattern and fabric in case it's a girl. I'm all set. I don't suspect I'll get it made by the time the baby is born but it doesn't have to be. As soon as I know the flavor, I'll start cutting.

Today I ordered The Spirit of Sacagawea pattern by Minick & Simpson. I fell it love with it when I first saw it on Laurie and Polly's blog, and was so excited when I saw it at the FQS. Goodness knows, I have more than enough M&S fabric to make this thing!

Tomorrow I run errands. I was avoiding doing them on Black Friday, and today I just didn't feel like getting out. My first stop will be to get new rechargeable batteries!

Hope everyone had a great turkey day! Now, onward to Christmas!

EDIT: Is anyone else having a problem leaving comments using their Google account? I've tried and tried this weekend to leave comments on blogs only to be told that no such account exists...... hello? I used it to make this blog post.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Boring Blogger

Just touching base to say nothing much has changed around here. I'm still on overload and still not sewing.

I did get caught up on sleep today (yesterday?) -- Saturday. The power went off for four hours in the morning, so I took a nap. Woke up in the late afternoon. Guess I needed that. I have to head to the office today to run payroll - as soon as the sun comes up.

Sure am looking forward to a four-day weekend. I'm going to start upstairs and clean my way down! The sewing room will be the last room I deal with, but I want to get those tubs of fabric that I'm organizing finished and out of there so I can get to my sewing machine.

Thanks for hanging in there with me ... and thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers for my loved one. She finds out on Monday what her chemo schedule will be.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

It's All Over

I guess I can now tell everyone what's been going on this year.

Our company has been sold, and the final closing was today. It was all so bittersweet, but I know this will be good for everyone involved. The buyers have gotten themselves a heck of a wonderful company. All of the employees have been retained. I think we're just going to be bigger and better before it's all said and done.

As CFO (a promotion earlier this year), it was my job to handle all of the due diligence and to actually work with the buyers, their legal team, our legal team, CPAs, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers to get the deal done. It's been a long and arduous task. I'm worn to a frazzle. Frankly, I feel as though I've aged ten years in the last six months.

I know the next couple of months will be tough as we're going to implement some new software to make things run more smoothly. There will be new procedures written, and I'm sure a huge learning curve is involved. That part has me a bit nervous, but, frankly, I've done things in the last few months that I didn't think I knew how to do, so it'll be fine.

Over 17 years with the company now. I hope I will be there for at least another five or six to get me to retirement.

Hopefully, I can get back in a more relaxed routine very soon. I'd like to take some time off to visit my brother in Louisiana. I'm very, very homesick. It's been a year since I've seen them. And I'd sure like to get back to quilt-making. I think I still know how! :)

This fabric is sort of talking to me now and I'm feeling the need to dive in again. I have some projects around the house that need to be done before I do that, but I'm sure by the end of the year I'll be back at it.

To everyone who has been so supportive during this time, thank you so much.

And I'd like to ask a favor.

Someone whom I love very much just yesterday was diagnosed with breast cancer. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she navigates her way through this new chapter in her life.

xoxox

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Still Breathing Here!

Barely! I had heart failure about seventy hundred times during the LSU-Bama game!

I'm getting too old for this!

Bama fans, fabulous game!

GEAUX TIGERS!!

I tried to applique while watching it. ROFLOL. I think I took four stitches.

Penny couldn't figure out what all the yelling was about. But she twirled every time I yelled!

It's time like this that I wish I were a drinker..........

Monday, October 31, 2011

Gift Certificate Winner

Wow, you all really know how to pick some gorgeous fabrics. I'm so glad I decided to do this give-away - because I saw a bunch of lines that I hadn't noticed. Now I'm all confused about what to put on my wish list! Thanks a LOT! :)

I visited all of your blogs, and looked at all of the lines and patterns and books you picked out. I must say -- you have great taste!

Penny was too busy smelling the gumbo on the stove to be at all interested in pulling a name out of the bag, so I had to do the honors. And wouldn't you know it ....... two names were stuck together. I guess that means there are two winners!

The winners each get a $50 gift certificate to spend at the Fat Quarter Shop!

So without delaying this any further ....

Staci - I love your kitty helping you sew! Too cute!

AND

Amy - love love love your Halloween tumblers, and that Whimsical quilt is to die for!

If you two will email me, I'll get your gift certificates ordered up tomorrow. Since Kimberly can tell you that I'm famous for getting the email addresses wrong, I really *need* you to email me so I can copy and paste it! LOL

Thank you all for participating. Wasn't it fun seeing what tugged on everyone's heartstrings?

We'll have to do this again soon.

Oh -- I forgot. Penny has a message for all of you!

HAPPY HALLOWIENER!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Quilt Market

Is everyone else as excited as I am to see all the new designs and fabrics at Quilt Market?

I've been trying to follow the Fat Quarter Shop on their Jolly Jabber blog and Facebook and Twitter, but they're posting things faster than I can keep up! LOL. There are buttons on the right side of their blog page that will connect you with their constant stream of posts on Facebook and Twitter. Go ahead. Poke those buttons! I dare you!

Guess I need to start making a list and checking it twice! I find that if I do that, then I'm not sidetracked when it comes to poking buy buttons.

But while everyone is in Houston seeing everything up close and personal, those of us who can't go need to have some fun, too! I'll bet you agree with me!

Leave a comment to tell me which of the lines or patterns at Market you are most excited about getting when they are released for sale. I'll leave this open until Monday night, 10/31, when I get home from work. A winner will be chosen to win a $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop so you can purchase some of your favorite fabric when it arrives there!

Can't wait to see what you all are going to choose! Maybe I ought to hold off on my list until I see what everyone wants! :) Remember, you must have a new line or pattern or book, etc., in your comment to be eligible for the drawing.

Good luck!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Time is Flying By

Time is flying by and I seem to be stuck. I'm a real black and white person, and I'm dealing with a huge gray area now that's totally driving me nuts. Guess I should look at the bright side of it ... at least I have a reason now for my "nuttiness"!!

No sewing still. I hope to get things in some semblance of order to be able to sew in a couple of weeks. I was sitting here a while ago thinking about what I need to work on. I think I'm going to tackle bindings first since those are the easiest. Then I'll prep backings and hopefully get some of these tops off to be quilted.

I have several tops that just need final assembly or maybe a final border. Those are on the to-do list. Yes, Judy, I'll finally figure out the mitered borders on Bears in the Barnyard!

When I get all of that done, I'm going to pick one of those BOMs that I started and just do it. Just going to eat this elephant one bite at a time.

I need a vacation - badly need a vacation. I miss my brother and miss Louisiana. Maybe I'll get some time off before the end of the year.

Speaking of Louisiana, how 'bout that LSU! Geaux Tigers! I hung an LSU flag on the *inside* of a window here. A couple of years ago when LSU won the national title, I had a flag outside and someone stole it. Guess they weren't a fan, huh? Two weeks until the LSU-Alabama game. That one makes me nervous! If there are any Alabama fans reading this .... well, how do I say this nicely? .... I hope you lose! Now, don't go hating on me. I say that with the utmost affection! :)

I discovered the freezer was off yesterday afternoon. It seems a breaker had tripped. When I got it back on, the digital display told me it had been off 72+ hours. I'd like to know how it knew that if there was no power to the freezer. Anyway, everything was warm so it will all get tossed. Unfortunately, I don't have garbage pickup until Thursday, so I just left it all in there for now. Don't want stinky garbage cans in my garage. Darn, I sure wanted some ice cream last night! Oh, well, I'll just get take-out until I can toss everything out of there and start over.

If I had been sewing, I would have known that my freezer was off. The Bernina is on the same circuit as the freezer.......

And I need a new computer. This one is driving me nuts. It's about two years old, and that seems to be as long as they last for me. Guess I'll call our IT folks next week and see what they can suggest. Also I think I'm going to go shopping for a laptop with an air card. Anyone have any experience with those? Thought that might be best as I seem to have a lot of internet connection problems here, although it's all working -- for now.

What else? Buying fabric? Not much. Although I'm eagerly awaiting all the new things that will be revealed at Market. Jane's going. I'm officially jealous!

I see that Kimberly has up the new Bunnyhill Designs BOM, Merry Merry Snowmen. I always look forward to Anne's Christmas BOM. I love those little snowmen heads peeking out here and there. Yes, I poked that button!

Brenda Riddle has a new pattern up that's totally gorgeous, "By My Hand." I can't wait to get this one. I think I have enough of her beautiful fabrics to make this from stash. Of course, buying more would be okay, too! ;)

Penny is stuck to me like glue this weekend. Yesterday I opened the garage door to get a little more light in there while trying to reset the freezer display. As soon as she heard the door open, she started howling. That funny doxie kind of howl. I wonder if she does that every day when I leave. I hope not!

Oh, oh, I went to this fancy shindig Friday night. The folks I was with pointed to a very attractive woman and told me it was Opal from Days of Our Lives or one of those soap operas. I was clueless. LOL. I guess living here is totally wasted on someone like me! I did attend two events recently where Dean Koontz and his wife were in attendance. I shook his hand, and when I got home I ordered one of his books on Kindle. I just started it. "A Big Little Life: A Memoir of a Joyful Dog Named Trixie." I think I'm going to need tissues. But if I ever meet him again I can say I've read one of his works.

I tried to take some pictures of the leaves all over the ground but the computer is so slow now that I couldn't get them to download. Well, I guess I could have gotten that done, but I'm too impatient. Those probably wouldn't have been very exciting pictures to anyone, but they are to me. Considering it's hot hot hot here 10 months out of the year, leaves falling usually mean cooler temps are coming. Of course, it's SoCal, so it could be hot another couple of months. Honestly, I don't think they even need weather folks here. They should just post a one-minute picture with a sign that says "HOT AGAIN"!

That's it from here. Sorry it's been so long without a post, and really sorry there are no pics. Hopefully I'll everything ironed out and get back to normal here very soon.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Lazy Sunday

I worked yesterday, so it's good to be home and doing nothing today. I got up early, went to McDonald's when it opened, and came home and crashed again. Need to go to the market, but I don't think that will happen today. I'll eat whatever is around for dinner tonight.

I got in a box this week from Kimberly at the Fat Quarter Shop. I picked up some yardage for borders and backing to go with the tower of Panier de Fleur I had gotten a couple of months ago. While I second-guessed my choice for a couple of minutes, it's okay now. I'll use it and it will make a beautiful quilt. Also incoming - the borders/backing for American Banner Rose. I'm all set to sew now when I get some time.

The camera batteries are dead, even after charging. Guess a trip to Office Depot is in order at lunchtime tomorrow.

Good news, though - the internet and TVs seem to be fixed, for now. New modems and boxes. I wonder why they all went bad at once. Hmmm.....

Hopefully I'll be back to blogging on a more regular basis here in the very near future. Thanks to everyone who has emailed sending good thoughts. They're very much appreciated!! Penny thanks you, too!!

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Still Standing

But, honestly, I didn't know one could be so tired and still be upright. The last three weeks have been ... well, I don't even now how to describe them. I took off this weekend. Got out early for a haircut, a car wash (badly needed) and then came home and crashed. Seems my internet came back on during the night. We'll see how long that lasts this time.



I finally opened the box that Kimberly filled up with goodies from the Fat Quarter Shop. American Banner Rose! Just opening that box made my heart go pitty-pat.

Tomorrow is my brother's 70th birthday. Wish I could be there to celebrate with him. Happy Birthday, Don! I love you!

Let's see, what else? Oh, I poked a couple of buttons a few minutes ago to get a little yardage to go with a tower or two I had here. Thought I'd best do that while it was still available.

I'm heading over to Amazon right now to order up some books for the Kindle. I only have a couple left on there that I haven't read. When I get in bed at night I've been only managing to make it through about two or three "clicks" (pages turned) before I fall asleep. I'm about done with "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base." Now I'm ready for something light!

Penny is still cute and funny, and starving for attention. Tomorrow I roll up my sleeves and dig into cleaning this house. I'm sure there'll be plenty of play time involved as she loves to attack the Swiffer and the vacuum cleaner. I have a little thing that I wind up and it plays "You Are My Sunshine." She barks and dances when she hears it. I just turned it on and she went nuts. Silly dog!

That's it from the Quilting Condo. Thank you all for your supportive emails and messages. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel ... it's a tiny light now, but getting a tad bit bigger and brighter as the days pass.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Status

Have you ever been so tired you can't think straight any more? And then when you finally get to bed, you can't sleep because your mind is still working?

That's where I am right now.

I emailed Kimberly at the Fat Quarter Shop today and told her I was too busy to poke buttons but I kind of knew what I wanted. So she did my shopping for me. How cool is that?!! I love that shop!

I did get out for a couple of minutes today to deposit my last three paychecks. They were sitting on my desk, and then I found one of them in a stack of documents I was shredding. It was time to get them in the bank. It would be awfully embarassing to have to do a stop pay and reissue my checks.

That's it from here. I'm going to bed. I'm so tired I'm not even hungry.

Hope everyone is stitching some for me!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Remembrance

A two hour pause today to stitch the "Remembrance" block in memory of 9/11 ten years ago.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

The Perfect Storm

I had a gut feeling this would happen. Two MAJOR things at work, projects that I've been working on months on one and a year on the other -- well, they're both culiminating at the same time. The next two weeks will be horrible, and for the next 60 days I'll be working long days and most weekends. I honestly don't know how I can be in two places at once, but I'll give it the old college try.

Yes, my internet went down again on Monday and was down until a few minutes ago. I have them coming out again on Saturday morning to hopefully trace the problem. If they can't, then I'm having it disconnected and I'll look for another provider.

Quilting -- none. Poking buttons -- not at all. Petting fabric -- nope.

Keep me in your thoughts through this period. And keep Penny in your thoughts, too. She is so cute when she throws herself at me when I finally get home at night. She just wants some attention. That's not asking for much, is it?

Please take some stitches for me!!

Monday, September 05, 2011

Inspiration Thank You!

I knew if I put out a call for help, quilters would respond. And respond you did! I spent yesterday looking at all of the ideas from readers. I poked a few buttons for patterns, magazines, and pre-ordered a book mentioned. Next week most of those should be arriving. I'll be immersed in reading and planning - and hopefully reach a decision.

This decision isn't really as hard as I'm probably making it. It's just that I don't want to just buy fabric without a plan, but I want to make sure I have enough of this gorgeous stuff. Hence, the pondering about this tower. Wait, did I just say that? Buying fabric without a plan? Yep, I think I did ...

I was walking through the kitchen yesterday and I saw a book sitting on the counter (don't ask) waiting to be put away. It had houses on the front. Back to the computer to look at Carrie Nelson's new pattern just posted on her blog. Scroll down to see "Full House" that several of you mentioned. By George, houses it might be.

I have a bunch of patterns with houses. I have the Marti Michell templates for the schoolhouse blocks. I have youthful vim and vigor. Okay, I'm delusional about that last one! :) :)

{OMG, the loudest thunder just shook the place. We hardly ever hear thunder in SoCal. And now it's raining! I love it!}

Back to houses, I did a quick pull from the pattern stash.



I also threw in that Long Tall Sally pattern by Miss Rosie just because the colors on the pattern front caught my eye.

So no decision yet, but at least, thanks to you, I see the possibilities now!

You know what? You rock! And the rain lasted for a grand total of five minutes.

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Pattern Dilemma

Maybe all of the talented quilters out in bloggerland can help me on this one.

I have this tower of Little Gatherings by Primitive Gatherings that I picked up at the Fat Quarter Shop a month ago.



Well, they have yardage now so I want to snag some of that while the getting is good. I know it won't hang around forever.

My problem -- I don't know what to make with this. I love the range of neutrals from cream to black. I've looked around for patterns this morning and I'm stuck.

Since my readers are much more talented and smart than I am ......... HELP!!!

Saturday, September 03, 2011

She's Baaaack

Well, maybe she is. The internet connection was zipping when the tech left, and now it's wonky again. Better hurry up and get this posted before it conks out! Again.

Busy week. Yesterday my hands started shaking and I realized how hungry I was. I got up from my desk to grab lunch and glanced at my watch. It was 5:20!! Need to pay attention to that sort of thing from now on.

I've been organizing this morning ... ROFLOL. I think it's hopeless. Officially reached the fabric saturation point here. Plan on getting a couple of projects finished up this weekend and off my sewing table. Not that that will help any with the saturation situation, but at least I'll feel better about it! Gotta love the way I think!

But I do have a quilt to show off.



This is "Tulip Time" by Anne Sutton of Bunnyhill Designs. Don't you love it when your favorite designers decide they need to reduce their quilt stash! I have collected quite a few quilts made by my heroes but I didn't have a Bunnyhill quilt. Now I do! It's gorgeous! Thank you, Anne, for giving me the opportunity to add you to the collection! The pattern is on the Bunnyhill site here. Darn, she has the cutest patterns!

Penny is in her kennel right now. I was going to spring her loose when the tech left, but I noticed she was sound asleep. You know what they say .. let sleeping dogs lie! So I guess this means I need to put off vacuuming until she wakes up? :)

Off to finish clearing off the sewing table. I know there's a Bernina under there somewhere!

I hope everyone has a safe holiday weekend. Hoping my friends back East have power now after Irene. And I'm praying for those folks getting soaked with rain right now from Lee. I offered to order up the Ark for my brother this morning. He replied that maybe that would be a good idea as he saw pairs of animals heading to the bayou!

Sorry. That kinda humor runs in the family...........

Update: Well, in the process of fixing my internet connection, they screwed up the TV connections. Guess I won't be watching LSU today. Appointment, a week from today. That does it. I'm moving!

Update to Update: TVs are back on. Guess they fixed it outside. I really don't think they wanted to deal with me again today! Geaux Tigers!!!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Computer Woes

Last week was supposed to be a good one for me. I mean, it's not every week a gal turns 6-0. But very quickly the week went "south" in the proverbial hand basket.

And to top it all off, my internet connection is broken. Badly broken. So they're coming out this Saturday to see if they can't work through what the problem is that keeps happening.

So I'll be back this weekend with updates on the saga of life in my little world!

I tell you, there's never a dull moment!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Penny's New BFF

Meet Teeny.



She's gorgeous. She looks just like my Daisy.

I want her but I'd have to fight Jane for her.

She was difficult to photo also, but at least she didn't run away. She had eyes only for Jane, follows her around everywhere, and wanted to be picked up here.



Skippy -- well, he's not quite sure about this whole "sister" thing. He's a good boy, though, so they'll do fine.



He's just hoping Penny doesn't come over any time soon. He told me he just won't be able to handle TWO of them!!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Gettin' the Groove Back

All I can say is -- WOW, thank you all so very much for your kind comments. I got up this morning thinking I was going to answer every single one of them and quickly got overwhelmed. Just know that I appreciate you, and hope to get to know each of you better! You all are truly remarkable! I mean that!

I got a haircut and color this morning a/k/a the dip and clip. Had a ton of errands to run, but must have fazed out because the next thing I knew I was back home. Oh, well, will just have to do those tomorrow.

But sitting at the hair salon while Kathy worked her magic, I started thinking about a new project. Okay, I know, I have tons of UFOs going, and definitely want to work on the Brrrrr Winter next up, but something was bouncing around in my almost empty head.

This.



The book is "Summer Gatherings" by Lisa Bongean and Carole Charles of Primitive Gatherings fame. The fabric is an old Judy Rothermel line called Colonial Christmas. I'm not sure exactly how old it is but I'd say five years, probably more than that. I ran across the fabric while Kathie had me rummaging around in the Civil War stash a few months ago.

When I bought the book, I went ahead and picked up the 1.250" triangle paper because I was immediately drawn to the quilt. I figured sooner or later I'd find the perfect fabric for it. I think I've done that.

So this quilt will enable me to place a few check marks on my to-do list.

* Make a Christmas quilt every year
* Make more quilts using Civil War fabrics
* Use that stash!!

Well, *you know who* didn't think too much of it. In fact, she wouldn't even pose by the fabric. I grabbed this shot just as she was about to make her get-away. She looks so fat there. The camera must really add ten pounds. :) But, no, she's nice and trim. I haven't weighed her lately, but I'd say 10.5 lbs. Right where she should be for a two and a half year old doxie.



Such a woosie!

Oh, oh, speaking of doxies, I'm going to Jane's this afternoon. We're all going out to dinner. And I get to meet the newest member of their family - a black and tan doxie! She was given to them by someone who couldn't care for her any more. Jane said she's about eight years old. Her name is Teeny, but they've been calling her Penny! LOL. We decided that she should be Peeny Weeny! I can't wait to meet her. Penny will have to meet her, though, another time. Don't want to overwhelm poor Skippy with two little black and tan hellions today! I'm taking my camera. I'm SURE she'll be easier to photograph than *you know who*!!

I feel really good today. Next week will be another bear week, but I've decided to quit looking at the big picture, just take it a week at a time.

Small goals are more easily attainable, aren't they?

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Testing, testing ....

Just peeking my head around the door to see if it gets shot off!

Just kidding. Really I am.

I've had 41 emails (I counted) asking what was in the boxes a couple of posts back.

There was some Panier de Fleurs and some American Banner Rose.

Looks like I have a patriotic thing going on here. Love those colors. I also picked up some Moda Bella solids in three different shades of gray. I resisted gray for a good while, but now I'm solidly sold on it - pun intended.

The next most frequently asked question was if I was coming back to blog. The answer -- yes. I'll be somewhat infrequent for another couple of months. I'll tell you about it after that. Then you'll see why things have been the way they are. The last twelve months have been unsettling, but I think I may be seeing that light that everyone tells me shines at the end of tunnels.

And in *all* of my spare time, I've been getting organized in my sewing room. Here very shortly I'm going to need a weekend of just sewing mindlessly to unwind a bit.

Now here's where I need to say something, and I hope this will be taken in the spirit in which it is meant.

It's my blog. I don't care who thinks I buy too much fabric. I don't care who feels the need to criticize me in comments. If you don't like me or what I have to say, even what I stand for, then move on. Your fingers are not Velcroed to the LA Quilter button.

I'm going to leave comment moderation on, which is a royal pain in the patooty for me and I'm sure for those who leave comments. It's a necessity while I'm away from computers for so much of the day. Please bear with me on that.

I'm baffled on why I'm such a "large target" for nasty commenters. I think I know why, but it's really just conjecture on my part. The whys are not important any more to me. I was able to find out who a couple of those folks are through the wonders of technology. One surprise; a couple not so much so. Again, that's not important to me any more now that I know. I've moved on.

I've said this before -- and it bears repeating -- I live in a tiny world. I'm out in Corporate America all day, and then I come home to my condo and my dog. The peacefulness of my little world at home is a much needed counter-balance. I'm going to be 60 years old soon. My body is worn out and my mind is tired. Pure joy is playing in my quilting room. It may be sewing, or cutting, or just petting fabric, but it relaxes my mind and soothes my soul. I only hope that someday soon I'll get to spend more time doing that.

So to sum all of this up, from this point forward any crashers into my tiny world will be rejected. I welcome and cherish the friends I have made through five years of blogging, and I hope to get to know more of you over the next five.

So ... happy thoughts. Kind thoughts. That can only lead to better things.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Drawing

The winner of a $50 gift certificate to spend at the Fat Quarter Shop is

Ann-Mari at www.quiltduffy.blogspot.com. All the way over in Norway.

Please email me and I'll get the gift certificate off to you. Have fun shopping.

Thank you, everyone. See you on the flip side.

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

You know what?

I'm done.

Anonymous said...
More crap that you don't need and will never make and will end up giving away to help the stash report??
Am I close?
4:48 AM


I'm sick and tired of being a punching bag for unhappy, viscious and mean people, those who feel better about their miserable lives when they leave nasty, anonymous comments to others.

I'm sick and tired of being judged by someone who knows nothing about me.

Do you like what you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you feel righteous now?

I hope so. I hope you'll go about your day knowing you made an impact on someone today.

I'm going to leave the "contest" up on the last post because I honor my commitments. So leave a comment for a gift certificate drawing. You can be as nasty as you want to be. I don't care any more.

I'm done.

No more stash reports. No more talking about new fabrics. No more give-aways.

When I get to sew, I'll post about it.

Other than that, I'm done.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Any Guesses?



I'm opening these boxes Saturday morning.

Any guesses?

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Stash Report 2011 - Week 31

Buttons were poked this week at the Fat Quarter Shop, but later in the week so that nothing landed. Next week will be a doozy, though!

And then there was the Long Beach Quilt Show yesterday. Jane and I headed over there early and spent four hours walking. I was so tired when we left at 2:30. Not used to walking so much. We had fun, though.

I picked up a bunch of patterns. If my camera charges up, "if" being the operative word here, I'll post pictures. Seems everything electronic around me is malfunctioning ... printer, cell phone, and now the camera. Even the computer is slow as molasses these days. The coffee pot also broke yesterday. I'm about to head down to McDonald's for a couple of cups to go. Note to self: Buy a coffee pot today!

Five embroidery patterns followed me home, and three or four patterns that I can make from my stash.

A couple of teeny wool kits. Also a teeny kit of fabric for a teeny pattern. I doubt there's a yard total in the kit but I'll figure it all out later.

In the meantime, I'm not changing my stash report until next week when the Marine's land .... a/k/a the boxes from the Fat Quarter Shop.

And for those of you who asked, the shops I liked best at the show were Primitive Gatherings, Pudding Stone Road, and one other one that I can't find their name anywhere, even on the receipt.

I need my coffee!

So the report is same as last week.

Year to Date:

Busted: 397.98 yards
Purchased: 431.025 yards
Net YTD: (33.045) yards busted :(

Guess it's not bad considering the quilt show!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Stash Report 2011- Week 30

All I can say is thank goodness for give-aways. I haven't been able to sew for two weeks, and might not for the forseeable future.

Year to Date:

Busted: 397.98 yards
Purchased: 431.025 yards
Net YTD: (33.045) yards busted :(

My local quilt shop is having a fund raiser for a local charity, so I'll be donating more fabric to that in the next couple of weeks. I plan to be in the black very soon!

Yeah, I know .... it's about time!!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Penny's "50" Give-Away Winner(s)

Sorry I slept in this morning. I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. Is it really 7:51 a.m.? It's been years and years since I've slept that long. And the kicker is I went to bed really early last night because this was an exhausting week. Guess I'm all caught up now.

The title of this blog post is "Penny's '50' Give-Away Winner(s)."

Yes, winner(s).

I kind of had it in my mind to give away all three things, but I thought I'd see what the response was. I said to myself (I talk to myself sometimes!) that if I had over 200 comments, I'd do it. Well, as you can see, there were well over 200 comments.

I printed off all the comments, cut them up and put them in a bag. Penny pulled one out of the bag for the gift certificate.

The winner of the $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop is ..........

Megan from Crooked Seams.

Megan has a really neat blog. Go check it out!

Now, at this point, Penny totally lost interest in a paper bag with no food in it, so I had to pull the next two names.

The winner of the random fat quarters from my stash is ..........

Gail at Going to Pieces.

Gail has some wonderful projects on her blog!

And finally, the winner of the 50 random yards from my stash is ..........

Quilterbee who doesn't have a blog.

I would appreciate it if the three winners would contact me this weekend with your correct email/mailing information.

Meanwhile, I'm heading up to the stash room to start pulling those random fabrics!

Congrats to all. Thanks to everyone for playing along.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Penny's "50" Give-Away

So when we were talking this morning, Penny and me, she came up with 50 when I asked her to pick a number.

Her choice kind of took me aback, but I'll go with it anyway.

Leave a comment and tell me whether you'd rather have:

1. 50 yards of miscellaneous fabric from my stash

2. 50 miscellaneous fat quarters from my stash

OR

3. A $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter shop

One winner will be chosen.

Since I won't be able to post at all this week, I'll run the give-away to next Saturday morning, July 23rd, when I get up and have a cup of coffee. It'll probably be around 6:00ish a.m.

Be sure to leave contact info (either a link to your blog or your email address) in case your name is chosen.

Remember, comment moderation is turned on, so you might not see your post right away. I will be publishing several times a day, so be patient. Also, because of the volume of entries for give-aways, I won't be able to respond to each comment. Please know that all commenters are entered.

That Penny! Whatever am I going to do with her?

Stash Report 2011 - Week 29

I really blew it out this week on purchases. No excuses, except I've been so good this year ...... and it was killing me! However bad this report is, it's way better than prior years. So I guess progress is being made.

Four yards of this Floursack by Windham for a backing. It will be perfect for the back of an old utility quilt I'm finishing for my sister-in-law that was made by her mother and grandmother. It's even the same vintage. I wanted a whole bolt of this, but a cooler head prevailed. :)

Yes, I do practice restraint occasionally while poking buttons at the Fat Quarter Shop. Occasionally. Ask Kimberly. She'll tell you!



Then oodles of Civil War came in. Oodles of it. First is Sweet Emilie. That's the two bottom packs in the picture below. This is the prettiest Civil War line I've seen in a long time. The colors are so soft. Will I be able to cut these?



Hello, my name is Vicky. I'm a ..... oh, never mind.

Also, a tower of Little Gatherings. Look at that range of neutrals to black. Gorgeous!

The box I was most excited about was Scandanavian Christmas.



Sorry for the blurry picture. My hands got all trembly when I opened the box this morning! I poked a few buttons, and then decided to find the pattern I wanted to make before ordering the borders/backing. Well, that was a mistake. This stuff is selling like hotcakes! The piece I wanted was gone, I tell you, gone! Youdathunk I'd have learned that lesson by now. Get it while it's there! ROFLOL. I bought so much of this line that I think I'll be able to wing it, though, so don't feel too sorry for me. Oh, and the best part of this? It blends very well with the first couple of French General lines. So you see? I'm all set!! :)

I also picked up a couple of yards of shirtings, and another piece for a backing.

So there you have it, all 53 yards of it.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot one of the pictures. More Civil War fabrics, Cotton Club.



Next up, shopping for an 18-bedroom house to store all of this stuff!

Year to Date:

Busted: 318.73 yards
Purchased: 431.025 yards
Net YTD: (112.295) yards busted :(

I'll get up a give-away later today. I asked Penny to pick a number and she chose "50" - so 50 it is. Hmmmm, I wonder what that means........

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Good Grief!

When I said boxes would be rolling in this week, that wasn't an exaggeration!

I think I'm done buying for a while. But I knew this would happen. All those wonderful things that were taunting me, and you, in "Coming Soon" have hit the shelves at the Fat Quarter Shop! Go check them out. I dare you!!!!! :)

Next week I'll get up another give-away. Need to offset at least some of it!

This weekend will be fun. I'm going to Newport Beach with my late boss' family to spend Saturday frolicking in the surf and sun. Well, let me rephrase that. I seldom frolic, so I'll have to be content with watching others doing the frolicking! I'm really looking forward to hearing waves and seeing water. I didn't realize how much I've missed it until I started thinking about this weekend. I'll be the old lady in long sleeves and a hat sitting under a beach umbrella!

And then next week will be meetingsmeetingsmeetings, and the week after that, too. Sheesh, I get tired just thinking about it. I'm going to take reading material with me to the beach to cram and prepare. Or maybe I'll just take my Kindle!

I'm feeling a lot better but still not over this crud. I've been early to bed and drinking lots of water and taking Claritin, antibiotics and cough syrup. Penny has been feeling neglected, so I guess tonight we'll cuddle for a bit before I head upstairs.

That's it. Just fair warning about my stash report on Sunday, and a give-away next week.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Stash Report 2011 - Weeks 26, 27 & 28

This is the first report I've made since retreat weekend, so three weeks here. Thought I'd best do it now before that boat-load of fabric arrives next week! :)

Busted -- I sent a little quilting buddy some charm packs for her birthday, and then I cut out two quilts last weekend. So 28.05 busted! There were some other fabrics sent to a swap pal, but I didn't write down what those were and can't remember now, so I can't count them.

I need to hire myself a CFO! ;)

Incoming -- There are 28 yards that were given to me by a friend. (Thank you, my friend!!)

Next week ....... ouch. I have a package sitting here that hasn't been opened. I figure it'll just get added to the other gazillion yards incoming next week.

There were a ton of notions that came in this week from the Fat Quarter Shop. I laid them all out and found out my camera batteries were dead. Guess I need an assistant, too. Anyway, I picked up four spools of dark brown, dark green and dark blue Aurifil threads, fall colors. I plan on doing some quilting myself this winter. I love Aurifil thread, but more importantly, my Bernina loves it! The spools seem to last forever and there's a whole lot less lint than other brands I've used!

Four packs of these Clover fine pins. These are the only pins I have ever used that my Bernina allows me to sew across. I know I'm supposed to take them out, but who really does that? Okay, I know some of my readers do, but I don't. Anyway, these pins are so thin and fine. They bend easier but I'd rather lose a few in the process of making a quilt than having to spend the time stopping and unpinning before stitching that seam. I buy these every time I see them. I'm so glad the FQS is now stocking them. I can poke the button and toss some into the box on a fabric order.

Then for applique I picked up two favorites. I love the ThimblePads for both my pushing finger on top and the underneath finger. I also pick up these when I see them.

But the one thing I'm so glad the Fat Quarter Shop is now stocking are these General's white chalk pencils. I have tried every marker out there for making on dark fabrics and these are my absolute favorite! They're hard to find locally, so I'm a happy appliquer!!

Wow, this is long. That's what happens when I don't report for a while. I guess it means that I'm feeling a tad bit better today!

Year to Date:

Busted: 318.73 yards
Purchased: 378.025 yards
Net YTD: (59.295) yards busted :(

Thursday, July 07, 2011

I Can Multi-Task

I can be sick as a dog, coughing, sneezing, wheezing .....

..... and still poke buttons at the Fat Quarter Shop.

Guess my poking finger isn't as sick as the rest of my body!

Monday, July 04, 2011

Fourth of July, 2011

Happy 4th of July to everyone!

Penny and I have been sewing. Well, I've been sewing, and Penny has been bugging me. She finally threw in the towel and went to sleep.

I finished the Peyton at Play pattern except for the borders. I'll get those on either tomorrow or next weekend.



Dug into my Minick & Simpson stash for this one. I think there are two or three different lines in this quilt. The outside border will be that large blue Prairie Paisley fabric.



Sorry I bothered you, Penny. But turn about is fair play!

Sunday, July 03, 2011

A Good Day!

I've been busy in my sewing room today!

First, I finished the patriotic tumblers. I decided on a blue border, although I'm rethinking that now. LOL.



Then continuing the patriotic theme, I cut the Peyton at Play pattern from a couple of Minick & Simpson lines. I notice I don't have the borders in the picture, but they're cut also. I'll start sewing this one tomorrow.



And finally I cut out the Brrrr Park quilt. Again, the borders are not in the picture but they're ready to sew on when the quilt center is finished. This was a lot of cutting. I'm going to enlarge the quilt so there will be more cutting later, but at least I can get started on the majority of it.



Of course, I didn't vacuum...........

July 3rd

Today I cut. Just need to tidy up a bit more around my cutting table and then I'm just going to do it! I don't know if I'll sew any today ... maybe later ... but I have two quilts I want to get cut out and ready to stitch.

The first is Brrrr Park which I talked about in the last post. I love that Winter fabric by Minick & Simpson.

The second one I want to cut is also Minick & Simpson fabric, a patriotic, but I don't know exactly which one yet. Doesn't matter at this point. I'm just itching to fiddle around with patriotic fabrics seeings as how it's the 4th of July weekend and all. I *think* I have some up in the stash room!



The pattern I'm going to use is Peyton at Play by It's Sew Emma designs. This one will sew up really quickly, and those large squares are perfect for some of that gorgeous patriotic fabric that Laurie and Polly design.

So that's my plan for today. I'll get laundry going in the interim, and will vacuum after finishing one and before starting the other. I hate house cleaning, so I'll play the little games I play to get it done. No stash report today. Next week will be a three-week report. I have a little bust so far, and a friend gave me some fabrics last week so I need to count those in. I just don't want to deal with that today. I'm hoping next week's report will have me very very close to being in the black. We'll see. As long I don't go sleep poking again!

It's so hot here. A great day to stay in and play. I need to sweep the patio, but that will have to be way later when the sun is about to go down.

I slept in a bit this morning, and Penny is over there snoring. She cracks me up!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

It's Friday. Hooray!

This week has seemed very long to me. I guess that's because last week I only worked three days. And next week, too!!! :) Gotta love it when the boss declares a four-day weekend!

I've been pondering what I'm going to work on over the long holiday. The Civil War patriotic tumbler quilt will be finished. I just need to complete the assembly of the rows. BTW, I figured out if I iron the seams open, it reduces the bulk on those tiny things. Probably everyone in the world already knew that, but it took me a bit of pressing on those seams before that dawned on me. Sheesh, I'm such a doofus!

Then I think I'll spend a day cutting out the Brrrrr Park quilt by Minick & Simpson. I love that quilt! I'm going to enlarge it, but I hope to get it cut and then start assembling. No way will it be on my bed this Christmas, but at least I want the top done. Well, on second thought, maybe I can get it finished and have it quilted by then! Yeah, it's doable! I already have my Christmas bedroom envisioned! It's going to be so beautiful!



Ahhhh, Christmas when it's cool and pleasant. I can't wait! Not like this 4th of July when it's supposed to be blisteringly hot. Penny and I have a date with the A/C all weekend!

Off to work here. It's quarter end. I was able to get inventory priced yesterday, so I'm already ahead of the game. The WIP is what gets me, though. ROFLOL. See? I can't escape WIPs, even at work!!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tired but Happy

I spent a few days sewing with a group of lovely ladies. It sure was good to be away but it was hard to get back into the routine of work-home-work, etc.

I only brought applique to work on, and I won't do that again. My wrist was hurting so badly after a day and a half of stitching.

I did one Dutch Treat block, one called Time Warp. Isn't that how you feel when you're away from it all and immersed in just sewing?



And I did 75 drunkard's path blocks. Should have prepped more as these sew up so easily.



I only did one and a half basket blocks. I found out I couldn't talk and stitch on those at the same time! :)

Didn't think I would, but I missed my little Penny. She was SO glad to see me when I got home. OMG, you would have thought she had been abandoned for months on end. And then when Jane left, she stood at the door whining for 30 minutes .... guess that shows where I stand with her!

The good news is that we're off next Monday AND Tuesday for a long Independence Day holiday. I was so motivated this past weekend. I think I'm going to spend a couple of those days off doing nothing but sewing! Get ready, Miss Bernina!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Sleep Poking

You've heard of sleep walking, right? Well, I may have a case of sleep poking!

There was a box from Keepsake Quilting on my doorstep tonight. I opened it up and it has some really neat notions and gadgets in it.

The only problem -- I didn't order it.

At least I don't think I ordered it.

Unless I've been poking buy buttons in my sleep again!

Or Penny has once again gotten ahold of my debit card!

I just sent them an email so they'll know that someone's order came to me by mistake. Darn, I'm going to hate to return this box! LOL.

I tell you, I get in trouble without even trying!

There's never a dull moment around this joint!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MYSTERY SOLVED!!! It WAS for me!! Seems Keepsake forgot to include the gift card! A sweet sweet very dear friend sent this package to me! Wow, I've had more fun tonight trying to figure this out!! I love you G!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Stash Report 2011 - Week 25

I hang my head in shame ... I slid backwards ... I tried to be strong ... it's all the Fat Quarter Shop's fault! (Hee-hee, I love blaming Kimberly!) Actually, both of these have been on my list ever since I first glimpsed them in the Coming Soon section months ago. Well, they've come now. What can I say?



The first is the 2011 Designer Mystery Block of the Month from the FQS. The first block arrived along with the finishing kit and backing. I love it that Kimberly sends those at the beginning of the BOM! Anyway, that was 14.75 yards. A lot of gorgeous Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree.

The second b-i-g box was FaLaLaLaLa by French General, a couple of jelly rolls and some yardage including a backing. That was 21.5 yards. I know that seems like a lot, but I already have a tower. I should be able to get a couple of quilts out of this.

The give-away last week helped some with 35.875 yards gone. Guess I need to have another give-away or sew faster!!

Year to Date:

Busted: 290.68 yards
Purchased: 350.025 yards
Net YTD: (59.345) yards busted :(

I'll miss next week's Stash Report as I'm taking a few days of R&R. Hopefully I'll come home refreshed and ready to rumble -- er, sew!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Plodding Along

I prepped a lot this week, so nothing to show in that regard. Well, I guess I could show it, but that would be boring!

However, there has been a teeny bit of sewing going on. Teeny as in teeny quilts!

Kathie truly has inspired me with these mini quilts. They go together quickly, and I've had so much fun piddling with them. When I only have a few minutes to sew, great headway is made!



This one was put together a couple of weeks ago. Isn't it darling? Kathie was, again, the force behind this quilt. Penny was feeling neglected, so when I put it down to photo, she crawled up next to it and rolled over so I could rub her belly!

She's not used to me sitting at the machine. I got her when life was starting to get complicated, and I just didn't want to sew much. Now when I sit at the machine, she's constantly trying to distract me. Silly dog!

The little patriotic tumblers are a work in progress.



Kathie and I have been swapping fabrics. I sent her a charm pack of this older Judie Rothermel fabric, and while she was cutting hers, she cut some tumblers for me! These are so much fun, and will give me good practice to sew those big tumblers of '30s fabrics that I cut with the Go cutter. No, I haven't forgotten about those! I love patriotics, and this will be one of my favorite mini quilts!

I say "one of my favorites" because this one is my absolute favorite!



In one of the exchange boxes, Kathie tucked in this little beauty! Oh, my, I was so surprised! Doesn't it make you want to get out some buttons and challenge someone to a game of checkers? It's adorable, Kathie! Thank you so much!

I had previously made this little quilt ...



... so now I have four that will hang on that wall in my future studio!

If you haven't made a mini quilt, I'd say give it a whirl! They're quick and fun and you'll love every second of the process!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Give-Away Winner

Sorry to be so late. I was in a meeting this morning and my glasses totally fell apart on me! The only way I could fix them was with a rubber band wound around the middle of the lens to hold the broken frame together. Talk about stupid looking! And to make matters worse, I had a second meeting with only an hour break between the two. Needless to say, I hightailed it over to Lenscrafters tonight to get new glasses and waited for them to be made. This time I got two pairs! I guess I now have a stash of eyeglasses!

It's always something .... I tell ya, sometimes it's not fun being me!

So enough of that. Who won the Maywood Simpatico almost yard cut tower?

After printing all the replies and putting them in a bag, and then shaking thoroughly, the name pulled is ---------

MARY LOU of CHEAPER THAN THERAPY QUILTING!

Congratulations, Mary Lou! Please email me your snail mail address, and I'll get these off to you this week. Hope you enjoy working with them!

Thank you to everyone who entered. As always, I wish I had a hundred and whatever prizes to give away. We'll just have to do this again soon, okay?

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Maywood Simpatico Give-Away

Since I totally missed my 1000th blog post, and to celebrate my stash report looking so good compared to prior years, it's time for a give-away! :)



I have this stack of Simpatico line from Maywood. I thought they were one-yard cuts, but I measured one and they're just short of a yard. So I'll call them 7/8 yard cuts. Close enough! There are 41 fabrics in this stack.

I've tried to use these several times on quilts and I couldn't get the mix I wanted. So hopefully the lucky winner will be able to do so. I think they would make up into dynamite charity quilts.

Let's keep this a short give-away. I'll do the drawing on Tuesday 6/14 when I get home from work. That might be around 7:00ish CA time.

No special gimmicks for this give-away. Just leave a comment, and if you aren't linked to a blog, be sure to leave your contact info so I can get in touch with you if you're the winner.

And remember that I have comment moderation turned on. So if you don't see your post immediately, hang in there. I'll be checking in several times a day next week to get those comments up. Just bear with me on that! Also, judging from the number of folks who leave comments on the give-aways, I won't be able to respond to each person. Just know that your name will be in the hat for the drawing!!

Good luck to everyone!!!!

Stash Report 2011 - Week 24

I've been a cutting fiend this week! I'm not counting any of this just yet, but every once in a while I need to justify my quilting existence by taking pictures of what has been happening around the joint!

Strips - 1.5" - lots and lots of them. A friend sent me a pile, and I've been cutting a strip off of every piece of Civil War fabric I'm pulling per a suggestion of Kathie at Inspired by Antique Quilts. Wow, that works! Look at that pile of strips! I can sew up lots of little nine patches now without having to stop and cut more.



Also cut and prepped lots of small drunkard's path blocks. I'll have way over 150 of those done when I stitch these up. Probably closer to 200. Lots and lots more to go on this project!



While I'm prepping drunkard's paths, I'm also tidying up by going ahead and cutting the 1.5" scrap squares from the leftover "bowties." It really feels good to do that!



And last but not least, I've been prepping and stitching more baskets. Pictured are 115 completed baskets! 176 more to go. I feel like the old tortoise on this project, but finish line is getting closer and closer.



Oh, yeah, incoming fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop .... there's always a box from there! That Grace was just too beautiful to pass up! I have an applique project all picked out for this fabric. Since I already had the FQ tower, I picked some yardage of go-withs. I'm going to use any leftovers for the backing. At least that's my plan for now. So that was 9.5 yards that landed.

It'll be interesting to see how much fabric is used when I finish the Civil War projects I'm working on. I'd wager it will take a big hunk out of my negative numbers. But I have to admit, that teeny negative doesn't bother me one iota! It's just a smidgeon of what has been negative in years past! :)

Year to Date:

Busted: 254.805 yards
Purchased: 313.775 yards
Net YTD: (58.97) yards busted :(

This week I want to get up another stash give-away. They are one yard cuts of a pretty line of fabric that I'm positive I won't use. So check back later!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Bored, Bored ... Boring

I have absolutely zero to report these days. Nothing. Zilch. Can't figure out how someone as boring as I am decided to blog!

Let's see. I finished the 113th basket block. No speed records there but have taken a slow and steady pace on them. I need to prep more, which means I have to dig around for more black and cream shirtings. They're here somewhere. Probably up in the black hole -- uh, the stash room.

I started prepping more drunkard's path blocks this week. I think Kathie told me I needed like over 600 or some such absurd number. ROFLOL. Okay, so they applique up very quickly. Seriously, it takes longer to cut the squares than to applique them. Of course, I'd be further along if she'd quit tempting me with new projects! It's all her fault! :)

While looking for something this morning, I found this.



Many years ago I purchased some antique quilt blocks off of eBay, and the seller tossed this cutter quilt in the box. She had already cut into it, and thought I might be able to use the rest of it. There are five or six blocks left. Most of them are stained or tattered, but I thought I'd pick the best one, cut it out, and have it framed. It wouldn't matter if it was in poor shape, and it would make an interesting item to hang on the wall in my future absolutely gorgeous quilting studio! You know the studio I'm talking about. It's the one that's been hiding in my brain for the last 11 years. Yeah, that one! Oh, my, it's gorgeous!

Anyway, that got me to thinking about a lot of the antique blocks I have tubbed up and stashed away in the (where else?) stash room. I'm going to be pulling some of those out to see if I can't do something with them. Well, I'm going to be pulling them out someday soon. It's way high up on my list of things-to-do.

In the meantime, there is a lot of prepping to do on other projects. I'll be spending some time sewing with a few ladies later this month, and I've decided I'll only be doing applique. So I need to prep now and not wait until the last minute to decide what to work on during the sew-in. I usually do that, wait until the last minute. This time I hope to be better organized. We'll see how THAT goes!

A very dear friend sent me the Civil War Bride pattern by Threadbear, www.threadbear.com.au. That thing is gorgeous. The link is to a blog about this quilt. I won't be starting this any time soon, but it sure is fun to read the pattern and dream about it. I hope my friend gets started on it immediately!

There IS one vintage reproduction applique quilt that I'd like to start soon, though. I'll probably hold off for a bit, but I'm already envisioning it on my bed. It's the 1854 McLean Album Quilt. Isn't that gorgeous? I'm going to be doing it in solids, and those are collected and ready to go. I just need to get my game face on and start cutting the background squares. That usually spurs me on to prep the applique. Anyway, that's another inspiration I've been pondering.

There are so many things I need to be doing today, but I think I'll go take a nap. That ought to cure the need-to-dos!

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Waste Not, Want Not

Cutting up Civil War fat quarters is a ton of fun.

Here's a question for you all. At what point do you throw away the scrap?

After cutting up a fat quarter for basket blocks, nine patches, and both backgrounds and quarter circles for the drunkard's paths, this is what I'm left with.



I can't throw that away! So I figure I can get two 1.5" charms out of it.



Those little slivers of left-over fabric now go in the garbage, NOT the scrap bin!

I've totally used up a fat quarter!! ROFLOL.

I crack myself up sometimes!

Stash Report 2011- Week 23

Short week at work, long hours, little time to sew ... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I did make up eight more basket blocks.



108 done - 183 to go! It's the elephant/one-bite-at-a-time thing. I'm slowly getting there. Defintely my grab & go project. Three were done Friday night while sitting at Ginger's Quilt Shoppe chatting with friends.

This little beauty was sewn up last Sunday, and I will be reverse stitching a little bit today on it. Didn't realize I had flipped some rows around until I took the picture. Those three blue cornerstones all lined up are bugging me. It'll be a quick fix and I'll be happier for doing it.



Kathie and I have swapped out some fabrics, and she sent along this little kit in a package. I've totally fallen in love with little quilts! Thank you, Kathie, for the inspiration and gentle nudges back to the Civil War fabrics.

Rooting around in my Civil War stash has been so much fun. I've discovered a few jewels up there! I found some old Civil Wars that I'm about to pop to start into a Christmas quilt. I've been cutting and cutting for drunkard's paths and baskets and little nine patches. I guess there will be blog posts about these for quite a while because they're what I'm excited about working on now.

This week I had six yards of wide backing that arrived. That's backing for two quilts. I love it when the Fat Quarter Shop gets those in. I try to order early because they sell quickly. Ask me how I know!! :)

18.355 yards were used up, cut, swapped ... finally a week with more out than in!

Year to Date:

Busted: 254.805 yards
Purchased: 304.275 yards
Net YTD: (49.47) yards busted :(

Visit Judy at Patchwork Times to see how others are doing on their stash busting! And if you haven't already done so, please consider a contribution to the Help Joplin Project. There's a tab at the top of Judy's blog with all the information on how we can all get involved.