Sunday Stash - 02/26/17

I've fallen down the rabbit hole...just kidding. But I have purchased more fabric. I have also used lots of fabric too. I had high hopes of having lots more finished, but alas I was distracted by squirrels. I finished quilting Mecca's Courtyard Tiles quilt and had planned on binding it on Tuesday. But as I was preparing an area to cut it (it is bigger than anything I've ever done before), I was moving some things around and Sharla and I got distracted looking for some floor lamps. We wasted a ton of time, because what we liked wasn't available around here, and what was available we didn't like. So the quilt didn't get bound. But since it is finished quilting I get to count the front (because it hasn't been counted before) and the backing. Here is a peek at it as I came off the long arm.

I did get started on piecing the matching pillow shams and I've made some good progress on them. If all goes well I will be quilting them next weekend at the latest. I did have to purchase a little more fabric for them. I could have squeaked by with what I had, but there wouldn't have been much variety in them and I want them to look good. So here is what I bought.

Here are the numbers for this week.

Fabric Used this Week: 23 1/4
Fabric Used year to Date: 61 1/8 yards
Fabric Added this Week: 2 1/2 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 8 1/2 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 52 5/8 yards used

I'm working on binding Mecca's quilt and finishing the piecing of the shams this weekend. I hope to finish both by next Sunday. Also Sharla is almost finished with her February project and hopes to finish it today. As of right now I'm hoping this is my last fabric purchase for a bit, but who knows, I could win the lottery and go hog wild. I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times - Sunday Stash and Sunday Stash #217 with Molli Sparkles. I hope ya'll have a wonderful week.

Sunday Stash - 02/19/17

It is a slippery slope when you fall off the wagon. I had a good reason for my purchase last week and I've justified to myself my purchase for this week. Ok I realize I might be exaggerating just a little, but hey we have to have a little fun in life.

Sadly I didn't have any finishes this week.  I made a lot of progress on Mecca's quilt, and should finish the quilting on it today, but I just couldn't finish it yesterday. So I will have a big used number next week because none of it has been counted as used in the past. Plus Sharla is working hard on her Summerfest top and hopefully will finish it before next week.

Now on to where I slipped. When I finished my cross quilt last week, I pulled out the project I have slated for March. It is a layer cake of 2WENTY-THR3E, which I've had for a while. My plan was to combine it with a solid charm pack and make the Easy Bricks Quilt by Amy Smart. I had a white charm pack and a  natural charm pack and I thought one of those would work. But the white was too white and the cream too dark. So I went through our new Bella Solids card and found Etchings Slate that looks really good with layer cake. So then I had to decide do I stay with the brick pattern or do something different. I laid out the fabric in the City Streets pattern Sharla used earlier this year and I really liked it. Here is the EQ layout.

So I ordered enough fabric to be the sashing and for the binding. I know I won't start on it until I finish Mecca's quilt and pillow shams, but I wanted to have everything here so I would be ready. The fabric by itself isn't all that wonderful, but add the pinks, yellows and oranges in the layer cake and it really makes them pop.

I also had to buy some more fabric for Mecca's pillow shams, but that won't be here until next week. I'm happy that for the most part my purchases have been to complete projects, not new projects. So my week's numbers are

Fabric Used this Week: 0
Fabric Used year to Date: 37 7/8 yards
Fabric Added this Week: 4 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 6 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 31 7/8 yards used

I'm going to finish quilting Mecca's quilt today if it kills me, I'm so close it isn't even funny and then I'm going to start piecing what I can on the pillow shams. Those won't get finished because the extra fabric won't be here until Tuesday, but I can get as much done on them as possible. I will be linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times - Sunday Stash and Sunday Stash #216 with Molli Sparkles. And I will see ya'll next week when I hopefully have some big numbers to show!!!!

Sunday Stash - 02/12/17

Well I fell off the wagon, I bought some fabric. Just a little and it was a birthday present for Sharla, so I had a good reason right? To be honest I never expected to last a whole year without buying, and I've used much more than I bought so far this year. So I'm in a very happy place. Add to the fact that I have two things in the used column and they out weigh what I bought.

So lets start with what I bought. Sharla and I are both collection mini charm packs with the hope of someday doing a huge scrappy postage stamp quilts. I thought I would add to the collection for her birthday. So I bought 4 different lines and of course I had to buy some for me too.  I also bought her the Bella solids swatch card. We use are Kona card all the time, but our local quilt store carries Bella, and it would be nice to be able to know which color we want before going there. I did some research on line and found a mini charm pack has approximately 1/4 of a yard of fabric in it. So this is a 2 yard add.

Now for the fabric out this week, first I finished and mailed my bee block for this month. It was a log cabin block that went together quickly and easily. I estimated that I used just under a fat quarter for this block, so to make the accounting easy, I'm saying 1/4 yard used.

And lastly I finished my cross quilt top. It has been in the works since 2014, and it was my pick as part of my first bee. Luckily I photographed all the blocks I received, so I know how many were made by someone else and how many I made.  I made just under 250 6 inch blocks. Then I laid the pieces out on a fat quarter to determine how much fabric I used.  I calculated that I could get about 5 blocks from a fat quarter, with very little waste. So that means I used about 12 1/3 yards of fabric for the blocks I made.

So even though I did buy some fabric, I've used much more than I've purchased, which is the goal for 2017. I hadn't expected to finish the cross quilt so soon, but the Super Bowl just didn't hold my interest and so I work on it. Now for the stash report this week.

Fabric Used this Week: 12 3/5
Fabric Used year to Date: 37 7/8 yards
Fabric Added this Week: 2 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 2 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 35 7/8 yards used

I also got Mecca's backing pieced and loaded onto my long arm as well as her top ironed and loaded, so I will begin quilting it on Monday which is my day off. So I'm making progress all around. YEAH!!! Now it is time to link up with Judy at Patchwork Times - Sunday Stash.  And since I have something new to show I will also be linking up with Sunday Stash #215 with Molli Sparkles. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Friday Finish - 02/10/17

I really didn't expect to have anything to show today. I thought it would be next week before I finished my cross quilt and the week after that before Sharla finished her Summerfest quilt. But then the Super Bowl happened. I'm not a big sports fan, but I normally watch the Super Bowl for the commercials, but they just didn't hold my interest this year. So I started working on my cross quilt and low and behold it was done.

I started working on this quilt in November of 2014. It was the block I chose as queen in my very first bee, Compass Quilters. It was a small bee, and I knew I wouldn't get enough blocks to make the quilt the size I wanted, so I've been working away on it since then. I would put it aside every once in a while, but whenever I had new scraps, they immediately went into this quilt.  It is made up of 289 6-inch squares which means it is 102 x 102, or a very large queen.

Sharla was taking pictures for me, and got the one above as I was trying to get it laid out nicely. As I ironed it I notice a couple of spots where yellows were bunched together, but when I lay it out flat and see it all, I don't notice them as much.  I can still see them, but they don't bother me.

I love the mix of all the low volume fabrics with the bright crosses. I has some of my favorite fabrics in it, along with some really fun blocks from my bee mates. It is funny because one of my bee mates from this bee is the hive mama of my Stash Bee this year and another is the Stash Bee coordinator. The quilting community is a small world after all.

I can't wait to get it quilted and put it on my bed. It is just so cheerful, that it will brighten my day every time I see it.  I also want to thank all my bee mates for their blocks. Although there blocks don't make up the majority of this quilt, they make it even more special because I will always remember my first bee.

Seeing this picture of it dancing in the wind make me smile. It was a struggle to get photos of the quilt because the light backgrounds wanted to blowout, but at the same time I love how the sunlight just makes it pop.

I'm hoping by the end of next week to have another finish to show you, but we will just have to wait and see if that happens. For now I'm linking up with  Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts , Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio and Sew Cute Tuesday @ Young Texas Mama.  And I will be linking up at Elm Street Quilts at the end of the month, because this finishes my One Monthly Goal for February.

Sunday Stash - 02/05/17

Before getting into my stash report, I have to take a minute and wish my baby sister a very happy birthday. She turns 51 today, now how she can be my baby sister and be 51 when I'm only 29 is a wonder that even the best scientist can't figure out. A lot has changed since the picture below was taken, we suffered through sharing a room as kids, survived losing our parents, plus so much more yet we have still remained the best of buddies. She is one of a kind and I wouldn't change her for anything...well a couple of million dollars...no not even for that.

Now on to the stash report, which is exactly the same as it was last week. If Sharla's birthday present has arrived on time it would have changed a small bit, but it doesn't arrive until tomorrow, so no change.

Fabric Used this Week: 0

Fabric Used year to Date: 25 1/4 yards

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 0 yards

Net Fabric for 2017: 25 1/4 yards used

I have made more progress on my cross quilt, but that has moved to the back burner as I work on the backing for Mecca's quilt. I have to get some white batting and hopefully I will start quilting on it this week. I think it will take me more time than normal to get it quilted since it is 108 x 108, but it won't get finished if I don't start. For now I will be linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times Sunday Stash. I hope each of you has a great week!!!!

Friday Finish - 02/03/17

I showed ya'll a hint of this finish on Sunday, but was I smart enough to get pictures of it before it turned cold, no I wasn't. I should have taken it outside on Sunday and photographed it since it was in the 70's no I wait until this morning when it is cloudy and 37 degrees.

The pattern is called City Streets and the fabric line is Ticklish by Me and My Sister Designs. Everything was purchased for this before Hollywood joined the family or I'm pretty sure Sharla wouldn't have selected white for the sashing. I'm sure this one won't stay on her bed during the rainy season. Sharla's January goal was to finish this top and she got it done on Saturday...so she squeaked in under the line.

The overcast sky work well for photographing the quilt because with as much white as is in it, the sun would have washed it out. But the wind really played with it. I struggled to get a good photo with it all laying flat. The wind kept picking it up and making it dance.

This is a very easy pattern using a layer cake and the fabric for the sashing. I plan on making one using this pattern as well, but my sashing is a dark purple.  But it is much further down on my list. Sharla purchased the fabric for this in 2013, so it is one of her older projects. Now I just have to get some white batting and hopefully get it quilted. But before it gets quilted I have to quilt Mecca's quilt, which also needs white batting. I got the narrower side clamps yesterday, so hopefully I can start moving ahead with Mecca's again.

Today and I am linking up my finish with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

One Monthly Goal - February Goal

Well Sharla and I did so well last month, we are setting our One Monthly Goal for this month. We have picked our projects for the month and already began working on them. As with last month I am limiting myself to one goal for me and one for Sharla and these will be to finish the quilt top only. My goals for finished quilts is done by quarter.

So my goal is to finish my cross quilt top. It was my first bee quilt and I've been working on it since 2014. I know that is a long time but it is made up of 289 6" square blocks, and even with the blocks I received from my bee mates, I had to make over 200 of the blocks. As of right now all the blocks are made and have been sewn into 16 patches. And those 16 patches are pinned into 32 patches.  Here are a couple of the 16 patches. The photos were taken late last night so the lighting suck, but I am so happy to see it coming together.

With the progress I'm making I really think I can get this finished by the end of the month. I am going to try and sew for at least 15 minutes a day for this month and we'll see how far that gets me.

Sharla is going to work on her Summerfest quilt. There is no real pattern for this quilt. It is two layer cakes that are pieced with a vertical sashing. Sharla like easy and fast and this one certainly fits the bill. She is using Moda's Bella Buttercup as her sashing and it looks great with the Summerfest prints. Here is the mock up we did in EQ7.

She has already picked the pattern of which fabrics go where, and will start sewing on it this weekend. She will sew the columns of squares together and then sash it and border it.  I think it is going to be a very bright and cheerful quilt when it is finished.

Ok so those are our goals for February. It is a short month, but I think both are obtainable. If you want to see what others are working on this month, check out the link up page at Elm Street Quilts.