DWM - Saturday Sampler

The Sampler is coming along.

It's taking some fiddling to use the panel {not in the pattern.} Two of the words are 18", so they fit on the medallion with no issue. Mother and Sister will need a tiny strip to fit.

I thought I had a good idea for the corners, but now I'm reconsidering. The colors blend too much with the blocks {see: bottom}, so I'm going to remove one row and sash it with the white {see: top}.
Then I have to fill the four setting squares...then I have to figure out the setting triangles...and corners... And this is why you should follow the pattern on BOMs!

Linked:

Patchwork Times

BOMs Away!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 18

Well, I really tried to finish quilting the Unnamed Baby Girl quilt so I could count the back out as well as in, but it's slow going. Definitely by next week.

I did finish the Granny Squares top...but had to buy a little more of the blue to do so.

And I made a pillowcase dress out of fabric - haven't got a picture of it yet, though.

Used this Week: 3.08

Used Year to Date: 45.64

Added this Week: 2.75

Added Year to Date: 100.58

Net Used for 2012: (54.94) yards

Okay, I didn't make it to 50 busted before 100 purchased...but I'm pretty close. And I shouldn't have to purchase anything for my next three finishes. But I will have to buy for a few of my hotel kits. Never ending cycle.

Linked:
Patchwork Times

Felt Food Friday - Lemon

When life gives you lemons...you better hope for some sugar, too, because you can't make lemonade without it. Seriously, who came up with that saying?

Anyway, I made a lemon from While Wearing Heels. Since I thought last week's lime was a bit too curvy, I went a little shallower on the sides. Perfect. I skipped the leaves, because we like to go topless around here. {HA!}

I also attempted the slices that are in my Simplicity 2445 pattern, but apparently I am just not smart enough. Or the pattern makes zero sense. I'm going to blame the pattern, because I read that thing five times and my slice still didn't work.

I found this tutorial, read through it once and understand exactly what to do. I will be catching up on fruit slices next week.

WiP/FMC - Saving Prom

Last week, Katie saved prom. This week, it was my turn! Luckily, it was just a hem and strap shortening, and I had 24 hours notice. It forced me to learn how to use my rolled hem foot - I was not touching a chiffon hem without that!

{Pain in the butt cat was not allowed on the sewing table with the dress. This is apparently very depressing.}

When they asked about payment, I said I wanted a spot in their bunker in case the Zombie Apocalypse happens while my husband is deployed. Since I proved that I have a useful skill, I'm totally in!

{Which, can you imagine how useful I'd actually be? "OMG, that's $20 a half yard Japanese fabric! You can't use it as a tourniquet! What do you need a tourniquet for, anyway? Did you get bit? Because I've seen the movies and a tourniquet won't stop you from becoming a zombie. You need to cut off that limb. And you better not use my stash to mop up the blood!"}

Anyway, in normal sewing...

Fifteen Minute Challenge

Worked on Hotel Kit #4 {I think? I really need to make a list of these.} Cutting background and lids for the mason jar picnic quilt.

And I started Hotel Kit #5 - carefully cutting the border strips. Alternate rows with four patches and pinwheels, and alternate the fabrics in those rows in each quilt. Two quilts from five one-yard cuts! {If my math is right.}

Non-QA Quilts:

 Unnamed Baby Girl Quilt - basted! And...nice corner, huh? The only creatures in my house with such a wild disregard for fabric also don't have opposable thumbs, so it was written on at some point in the manufacturing/distribution process. I was able to baste around it, but I'm still annoyed.

I also started a pillowcase dress/tutorial.

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none

{Buckeye Beauty - Crosses & Losses - X Quartet}
LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 9/36 - I picked up the next two months of blocks to keep up while I'm gone over the summer.

 LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - medallion is together, two of the word-y sides are on, and I'm piecing little blocks to fill in the other word-y sides.

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - Debbie yelled at me, so I dug Swoon out. Turns out I only need two more blocks! So I started on them as leaders/enders. Need to pay attention to the stripe direction.

Granny Squares {mine} - top done!

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - in queue for approval

USCIS paperwork - in progress

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 11

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge

DWM - Saturday Sampler

I got the medallion together, woo!

{Pain in the butt cat continues to be a pain in the butt.}

The words are not cut to size yet - "mother" will be proportional! I think I'm going to log-cabin the little flowers in the corners to fill in the space, or maybe do the cute four-patch-y thing from the pattern. {What? Follow the pattern? Weird!}

Linked:

Patchwork Times

BOMs Away!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 17

I was doing really well this week...until I went to a fabric store closing sale. And really, I think I controlled myself there. 

Minimum cut was a yard, so I avoided the bolts and picked out seven fat quarters.

And, um, some clothing fabric. But it doesn't count! Lace isn't quilting stash!

I finished a pillow cover for my friend who sent me Hawaiian fabric. She asked for a camera block like Ayumi's. Mine is a little less detailed, but I'm quite happy with it. It's a mix of traditional piecing, paper piecing, and improv piecing, with a bit of applique tossed in.

 It's 16" square, envelope style, and echo quilted in teal and variegated purple. Fabric is Poetica by Pat Bravo, and bits from my yellow scrap bin.

Used this Week: 0.75

Used Year to Date: 42.56

Added this Week: 1.75

Added Year to Date: 97.83

Net Used for 2012: (55.27) yards

Linked:
Patchwork Times

Sew Darn Crafty
{Sew} Modern Monday

Fabric Tuesday

Felt Food Friday - Lime

This was supposed to be a lemon, but I didn't have yellow. I had green. So it's a lime!

From While Wearing Heels. I think the template is a bit too curvy on the sides, but other than that, it worked perfectly. I skipped the stem/leaves, obviously.

WiP/FMC - Spring Cleaning Fever

How come Spring Fever only manifests itself as entirely new projects? I really need to clean/organize the garage and the office...yet I'm Googling how to paint tile in the kid bathroom. I planted grass seed, but watching grass grow isn't as exciting as my neighbor's new sprinkler system.
But, as we'll be lucky to sell for what we paid, there will be no upgrades. Maybe I should glue fabric squares on the bathroom tiles for now.

Fifteen Minute Challenge

This week, I cut the background for Hotel Kit #3 (KateBob) and the first border. That kit's done now, as the second border will be determined on the fly.

I also finished cutting the focal fabrics for Hotel Kit #4 (mason jar picnic quilt). I made two test blocks and can't decide which I prefer - 1.5" or 2.5" corners. Opinions?

Non-QA Quilts: 

 Airplane Dreams - done!

 Unnamed Baby Girl Quilt - top done!

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none

LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 6/36 - new blocks to make

 LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - medallion rows done - time to sew the rows together!

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - none

Granny Squares {mine} - 12/16 done. I realized I'm going to run out of the blue solid with 2 blocks to go. Sigh. It'll give me time to get the corners on and start sashing everything before I can get to the city on Sunday.

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - in progress

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 1

In Progress: 11

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge

Airplane Dreams - Finished!

This is the first of two baby quilts I made for a friend who refuses to find out the gender of her baby. I don't do neutral.

The pattern is "Raspberry Dessert" by Jaybird Quilts, in the May/June 2011 Quiltmaker. Except I thought it was Raspberry Dreams, which really makes no sense. Who dreams about raspberries? ...but that's how the name Airplane Dreams came about.

The center squares are all airplane fabrics - mostly Robert Kaufman.

The blue dots are Moda, the dark blue stripe is something I've had stashed for ten years and replicates itself in my scrap bin, the colored squares - no idea, selvage was gone - and the light blue is a Joann's solid.

The binding is Pop Parade by P&B.

The back is minkee - love it for baby blankets.

The quilting...not as loved. The blue solid had so much possibility, yet I ended up picking out three different attempts. I wish I could free motion quilt, but alas, my OCD-ness has never let me doodle.

A glamour shot?

{Remind me to trade quilting lessons for staging lessons with Lori.}

Measures 48x48"

Linked:

Fabric Tuesday

Whoop Whoop Friday

Finish It Up Friday

DWM - Saturday Sampler

It doesn't look like much progress, because the medallion has been relegated to leader/ender status.

It's interesting to see how much is lost in the seam allowances, though!

April is sneaking by way too fast - I don't think, at this point, I'll get this done by my mother-in-law's birthday. I want it longarmed and it's just not logistically going to be ready by May. 

So, Christmas present! Look, now I'm ahead instead of behind.

Linked:

Patchwork Times

BOMs Away!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 16

Well, I really was trying to keep the net stashing under 50 yards. I blame my friends.

The LQS gives 15% off for your birthday for you and a friend. I generously offered to be Elissa's friend. I needed one more food fat quarter for my picnic quilt...and Poetica is just lovely...and what really hurts is over five yards of my usual neutral. Youch.

And then, my bad-influence-running-friend sent me four 1/2 yard cuts from Hawaii. {She also sent me the link to the 20th Anniversary WDW Marathon registration. NO. I don't care how awesome the medal is. I don't want to run for six hours.}
That brief trip to the quilt shop hooked her, though. She's taking sewing classes now just so she has a reason to buy fabric again.
I'm making her a pillow cover as a thank you, and asked her favorite color combo. She said purple and teal/turquoise. Oh, you mean, the Poetica I just bought? Hi, fate!

I did finish Airplane Dreams, so backing and binding, out!

And the Unnamed Baby Girl top.

Used this Week: 5.35

Used Year to Date: 41.81

Added this Week: 10.16

Added Year to Date: 96.08

Net Used for 2012: (54.27) yards

Uh, new goal...make it back below 50 before I hit 100?

Check out more reports at Patchwork Times!

Felt Food Friday - Sandwich Part 3

I went super simple this week - no time between finishing baby shower quilts and prepping for the severe weather heading our way. Having the tornado shelter vacuumed and fully stocked means we won't need to use it, right?

Peanut butter and jelly.

Roast beef and provolone.

As Spinning Star said - "fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."

WiP/FMC - Focus

News Flash: when you work on one project at a time, instead of flitting between five of them, you can finish things a lot better. Go figure.

Fifteen Minute Challenge

 Kit #4 is for a mason jar picnic quilt - I've been collecting the food fabric for a couple years now. I have the yellow for the jar lids, and the "wood" for the shelves to add this week.
Kit #5 will be Funky Wrenches. I need to figure out and buy the background yardage. It's definitely not going to be Kona White! {Which I have on hand and is too bright.}

Non-QA Quilts:

Airplane Dreams - 50% quilted! 

Unnamed Baby Girl Quilt - block #3 of three. Baby shower is Saturday, so there will be a reveal soon!

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none

LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 6/36 - new blocks to make

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - Blocks done, center medallion started

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - none

Granny Squares {mine} - none

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - in home interview was last weekend. I think it went well. Except for the Dude's interview. The kid who hasn't finished his sandwich in a week (but manages to eat his cookies, of course) told her that I don't pack a big enough lunch for him. Which would be humorous, except he's 45 pounds, so he could actually pass as a starving child.

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 12

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge

DWM - Saturday Sampler (with Medallion!)

...an unsewn medallion, but it's getting there!

Now I wish I had used the blue instead of one of the purples... I'll have to remember that when I work on the borders.

The medallion will be on point like the blocks once sewn.

Linked:

Patchwork Times

BOMs Away!

Sunday Stash Report - Week 15

I won a Sewline marking pencil at a LQS. So I had to pick it up...and...

The panel is Coffee Cat Cafe. It has a black cat on it. Of course I needed it. 

I actually have some plans for my coffee fabric stash - I love Kate's coffee cups, so I'm going to shamelessly steal them for a table runner. I just threw away my seriously gross floor mat, so I'm going to use some of the panels for that. Soon.

And the Pez... I will be kitting it for the summer to make these Funky Wrenches. It looks so great in brights, and I don't have very many brights. So... I needed them.

I also picked up four quarter yard cuts at my other LQS for my Saturday Sampler. And the backing for one of my baby quilts.

Which is in the quilting process, so I'm counting the top out. Catnapping is apparently part of the process.

I also made two OSU ribbon blankies this week, and three burp rags.

And, while I was cutting a kit from a giveaway win, I discovered they were fat eighths, not fat quarters. Which works perfectly fine for the quilt, but I'm not going to let twice the fabric linger in my report! ;)

Used this Week: 2.79

Used Year to Date: 36.46

Added this Week: 4.69

Added Year to Date: 85.92

Net Used for 2012: (49.46) yards

Really, really close to 50...but not quite!

Check out more reports at Patchwork Times!

FAL - Second Quarter Goals

I posted about my yearly goals here, but blah blah blah, plans change. So, new goals! And I have a lot of them. I think they're all fairly attainable.

1. Bind Big Blue. If I'm smart, I'll get it done before a wedding in May and send it home with my sister so it doesn't take any of my precious car space. I'm not sure I have a suitcase big enough for it, though. I also need to make pillow shams to match.

2. LQS Saturday Sampler - all the blocks are done, and the medallion is well on its way. Still hoping to get it done and to/from the quilter before we leave for the summer. Otherwise it'll be a Christmas present instead!

3. Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - I have about 2-3 blocks left. Really need to finish them up and assemble the top.

4. Chunky Log Cabin - I have 13 blocks, and I think I only need 20. Ugh, why do I abandon projects so close to completion?

5. Airplane Dreams, Baby Girl, and Granny Squares - all easy baby quilts that need to be finished up before the babies are born.

6. My Precious Quilt Along - hey, shocker! Another QA! In this one, you use your most precious fabric in any way you want. I've got two most precious stacks. They share the place of honor top shelf with Dorothy Kathryn.

There's my Objects of Desire precuts, and my very first fabric cuts ever. It's a line based on Renoir and Monet paintings, and I have everything from fat quarters to yardage. And not a single clue how to use them.

Linked:

Quilter in the Gap

Felt Food Friday - Sandwich Part 2

Mmm, the sandwich is getting bigger.

Bologna (or spam? or pink slime?), Swiss cheese, red onion, pickles and lettuce. The onion is purple/white and the green leaf lettuce has pinked edges, because someone insists it must be accurate.

Okay, the bread is still bigger than the fillings. Must.add.more!

WiP/FMC - Insert Catchy Title Here

Nothing really catchy or exciting this week. I suppose that's a good thing? I mean, there's only so many times I can mention how much I loved the Hunger Games. {Y'all. Read it. Go see it. Seriously.}

My pictures are pretty awful this week - we're having intermittent sunshine, which meant none when I needed it. Sorry. The rain we've been having has been great for weeding, though. {Yay?}

Fifteen Minute Challenge

I'm really enjoying the hotel kit project. I normally cut as I go, so having everything ready is weird, in a good way. Kit #2 is a Sudoku set that just needed sashing cut.
Kit #3 is the LynneBobSquarePants block, cut from fat eighths I won from the Sarcastic Quilter.
Each F8 yielded 18 3" squares; the block requires 16. 18/16 match up at 9 blocks/8 F8. I have 8 small print F8s. Nine blocks make a nice 36" square. This made my nerdy OCD mind deliriously happy.
I still need to pick/cut background fabric, and think about possible borders with the remaining larger print F8s.

Non-QA Quilts:

{Edited to add: TraceyJay is having a "Just Three" for April. Since the babies are due in May, my "just three" are these two quilts, plus the granny squares (using TraceyJay math!) below.}

Airplane Dreams - top done!

Unnamed Baby Girl Quilt - I am really lacking in title skills right now. This is Block #2 of three. Yes, I'm keeping the final design a secret for now.

Not A Quilt:

After having this in mind for a couple of years, I finally experimented with the pillowcase dress using buttonhole elastic. And it worked...I think. I don't have a test subject yet because the Dude draws the line at trying on dresses.
I have a couple of adjustments to make before I get to the tutorial version. After I steal a girl to check measurements.

Quilt-Alongs
Fat Quarter Stars - 6/12 blocks - none

LQS Saturday Sampler 2012 - 6/36 - new blocks to make

LQS Saturday Sampler 2011 - Blocks done, HSTs for center medallion started.

Swoon A Little, Swoon A Lot - none

Granny Squares {mine} - rethought and therefore seam ripped...again. I like the three color ones better. Enough that I tore apart six perfectly fine four-color ones. Sigh. I really do like these better. 4/12 completed. {And by completed, I do mean minus-corner-triangles-because-I-might-tear-them-apart-again-and-lose-track-of-corner-and-side-triangles.}

Untouched This Week:

Chunky Log Cabin

St. Paul's Cross

Awaiting Binding:

Big Blue

Adoption:

Application Submitted - 2/12 

Home Study - we swapped the personal interview and the home interview. {To see the Hunger Games. Have I mentioned that?} So, home interview is this Saturday. And I'm a lot less nervous after meeting the social worker.

New Projects: 0

Completed Projects: 0

In Progress: 12

Linked:

Work in Progress Wednesday

Life in Pieces' Fifteen Minute Challenge