Sunday Stash - 04/30/17

I finished Callie and Beau's wedding quilt this week. now I just have to get it photographed and sent to them. My hope is to get the pictures today and get it in the mail tomorrow or Tuesday. Since she reads the blog I won't post it on Friday finish until she has it in hand. But I did take this little shot of it when I finished it just to show her it was done.

I did get a little more done this week. I made progress on two of the memory quilts, but nothing I can count as used yet. Sharla also made progress on her True Colors quilt but it will most likely be next weekend before it is done. We didn't purchase any fabric this week, well I will be purchasing some today. I need some black for both my April and my May projects so I'm going to order it together. I've been holding off to make sure I didn't need anything else, but since tomorrow starts May, I need to get it here.

No now it is time to talk numbers.

Fabric Used this Week: 3/4 yard
Fabric Used year to Date: 105  yards
Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 58 3/4 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 46 1/4 yards used

It looks like my boss my be back at work tomorrow, which hopefully frees up some of my time to get other things done. At least that is what I'm hoping.  I want to get lots done over this next week. For now I'm linking up with Judy @ Patchwork Times.

Sunday Stash - 04/23/17

I have to start by saying I'm sorry Callie I didn't get it finished this week. She emailed me last week and  told me she reads my blog. So I'm very glad I didn't ruin the surprise by showing it here. Now I did make progress, it is totally quilted and trimmed. The binding is made and pressed, it is just not sewn onto the quilt.

I had planned to work Wednesday night and Thursday night on the binding to get it done, but life took a turn on Wednesday and my boss got very sick and had to go into the hospital. Which meant my work load went through the roof. By the time I got home at night I was too tired to do anything.

So the quilt sits on the table waiting. But I am going to make a push to finish it on Monday or Tuesday (which are my days off). I'm hoping Callie and Beau love it.  I did snap a small pic of it to tease Callie.

And no the quilt isn't black and white, I did that to make it even more of a tease...yes I know I'm mean, but she loves me anyway. Since it is quilted I can count the backing this week, and we had no purchases either.  We have to cut back on the purchases, too many other things going on around here.

So lets get to the numbers

Fabric Used this Week: 5 1/2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 104 1/2  yards
Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 58 3/4 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 45 1/2 yards used

Hopefully we will have even more to report next week. Sharla is working on her True Colors quilt and hopes to get all the blocks finished this week and only have the sashing left. I want to finish Callie and Beau's quilt and then start another.  But a lot of what I get done will be determined by if my boss gets back to work this week.  I'm really hoping so for his sake and mine. Today I'm linking up with Judy @ Patchwork Times.

Sunday Stash - 04/16/17

Happy Easter everyone, I hope you are going to have a wonderful day. I'm going to have an early dinner at my brother's house this afternoon, which means I get to spend time with my favorite people on earth.

Now on to the stash details. It has been a mixed two weeks. I got busy last Sunday and totally forgot to post. We have have both ins and outs since I last posted. For outs Sharla finished her Lula Magnolia- Big and Tall flimsy and I finished Callie and Beau's wedding quilt flimsy. So we have both completed our goal for April and it is on the middle of the month. I didn't get great shots of Sharla's quilt, but this will give you the idea.

I'm not showing pictures of my flimsy just in case Callie reads my blog...I'm not sure that she does, but I'm being careful just in case. I have already pieced the back as well and it is loaded on my long arm. I'm hoping to start quilting it tomorrow. I also got my bee block for this month completed and in the mail, so that gives a little more in the used column which we need since the other side of the coin is coming.

Now to the purchases and they are abundant. First Sharla wanted to buy the backing for her True Colors quilt. She really wanted to use the fabric like I had already purchased for my quilt but didn't want our quilts to be too similar. Since I only purchased it because I got it on sale I said if she replaced it with a different fabric I liked better, she could have my fabric. So she purchased the Mini Owl Orchid fabric for me and I gave her my Mini Owl Bitter.  The funny thing is that when she picked her pattern the fabric she bought didn't work for it, because it had 1/4 yard cuts not fat quarters, so we ended up swapping fabric kits too. I also purchased some more fabric for the sashing on the memory quilts I'm trying to finish. Then when Sharla finished her flimsy last weekend she decided to try and get her True Colors quilt done before the end of the month. So we had to order the sashing for it, and we went ahead and bought the binding and sashing/binding for my True Colors quilt as well. So we have lots of new fabric now. I didn't get a photo of the Mini Owls fabric, but here is the three pieces we got for sashing and binding, along with some scissors we bought.

Now it is time to crunch the numbers, and over all we are still using more than purchasing, so that is a good thing. But I found an error in the math on my spreadsheet that I have been carrying for several weeks, so we aren't doing as good as I thought, but still in the black.

Fabric Used this Week: 12 1/2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 98 3/4  yards
Fabric Added this Week: 12 1/2 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 58 3/4 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 40 yards used

On the positive side I cut Sharla's True Colors quilt out last night, and she is starting to work on it today. So hopefully we will have more used soon.  Now we just have to cut back on buying...even if it is on sale.  Today I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times - Sunday Stash and Sunday Stash #220 with Molli Sparkles. I hope ya'll have a wonderful week.

Friday Finish - 04/14/17

So far April is a hopping month for us, Sharla finished her Big & Tall - Lula Magnolia top (aka Big Blue Flowers) and I have finished Callie and Beau's wedding top.  Now since I don't want to show Callie's quilt until it is done today you're going to see Sharla's top. She bought the bundle a couple of years ago on a flash sale at Fat Quarter Shop, but once it arrive it just sat, she couldn't decide what she wanted to do with it. When we were trying to organize all of our projects and make sure we had all the pieces together (bundles, binding, backing, etc.) we were folding the backing fabric for this project and Hollywood would not leave it alone.  He kept trying to get up next to it. So I told Sharla it would have to be his quilt when it was done.  I'm not sure she is agreeing with that point, but we'll see. The photos aren't great it was windy and the sunlight was bright, but it was my only chance to photograph the top.

The pattern is called Big & Tall by Sunnyside Designs and Sharla saw it one day and thought it was right up her alley. Simple and easy, yet still pretty. We did modify the pattern, by making it larger. The pattern called for 12 fat quarters and we used 20, making it 76 x 82 1/2. The pattern is very quick to make, but you have to be careful of your pieces because some are very close in size. What Sharla did was lay them out and sewed them in groups to help keep them from getting mixed.

The fabric line is Lula Magnolia by Quilted Fish produced by Riley Blake. And I have to say I really love the flamingos in the line. They are just too cute. Sharla tried very hard to make sure they all were standing correctly, and that none were on their heads.  I just laughed because I'm pretty sure the finished quilt will be turned all which ways.

That is it for today, I'm hoping to work on quilting Callie's quilt this weekend into next week, so hopefully I will have pictures for it soon. But for now I'm linking up with Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict,  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation, Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts and Finished or Not Friday @ Busy Hands Quilts.

2017 Finish-A-Long - Quarter 2 Goals

I must be in a posting mood I think this is my fifth post in 5 days. But it is time to set my goals for Quarter 2 of the Finish-A-Long.  I did ok last quarter, I finished 2 quilts, but I would like to to better than that this quarter. Especially since Sharla and I are regularly finishing tops, I need to turn those into finished quilts. So lets get started, some of these are left over from last quarter and some are new.

1. Callie and Beau's Wedding quilt. I need to finish piecing the top and get it quilted, hopefully in April. I've started making progress on it, I just don't know if I can get it all finished in April. They aren't pushing in any way, because they are real sweethearts, but I want to get it done. Here are the blocks before they were signed.

2. Angela's Memory quilt. I put these aside last year because working on them made me sad. I hate the reason I'm making them, and since they aren't made with pretty fabric there is just no draw to work on them. Also I really wasn't sure my friend and her kids to could handle receiving them. They were still fragile and I didn't want to add to the burden. But after talking with my friend last month I realized they are in a better place and would be ok receiving them. Angela's is quilted and just needs to be trimmed and bound.  Since I want them to be surprised with how they look, here is the starting point for them.

3. Ariella's Memory Quilt. I've almost finished the top on this one, it just needs the side borders put on to it and the top will be done. I would like to get it quilted and bound as well. I like that these aren't overly large quilts, so that will make quilting them easier.  No picture for this one, because it would be the same as above.

4. Samuel's Memory Quilt. I have the blocks pieced for this one, but they need to be assembled into the top and quilted. Again no picture. I'm not going to list Tina's for this quarter, but I would like to get the top at least assembled.

5.  Sharla's City Street Quilt. She finished the top in January, and since it isn't that large I would like to get it quilted as well. I would like to get on a roll and finish some of the smaller quilt tops we have finished. It isn't tiny, but it also isn't a queen size quilt.

6. My City Streets Quilt. Since it is the same size as Sharla's it also another of the smaller finished tops. I need to order some thread for this one, because I think I want to quilt it using a darker gray thread.

7. Sharla's Monkey Quilt. I know she wants this one done, because she is a little sock monkey crazy and it isn't that large. I still have to wash the fabric Hollywood drug outside, and piece the back, but that is all doable.

8. Sharla's Big & Tall Quilt. She is working on the flimsy right now as I type, and I think she will easily finish it this month. And since it is basically for my buddy Hollywood, I would like to get it done this quarter. He is not the quilt dog Tucker was, he will lay on them, but he doesn't seek them out like Tucker did. But I think this one he will.

9. Sharla's Strip Box Quilt. Again not too large, so it is more doable. If you've not guessed the theme this quarter it is smaller quilts.  Well smaller by our standards, we don't do little quilts, we do large and larger quilts.

10. My Big and Bold quilt. This is probably the largest quilt on the this quarter's list, but I love it and would love to have it finished so I can use it. I have to order thread for this one as well, but I am struggling to decide what color to use. I'm sure I will come up with something.

So that is more than I can get done, unless something major happens. But it also gives me a variety to work with during the quarter. I will be happy if I get 3 or 4 completed, but always like to have a big list just in case I get lucky. I will be linking up with the 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 2 Goals at Marci Girl Designs.

Quarterly Review of Goals

In late December I set some goals/plans for 2017 and since the first quarter is over, I thought it was time to review to see how I was doing.

Goal 1 was to use the Quilter's Planner more, and I've failed at this, plain and simple. I think because my life is pretty boring, so I don't have lots to schedule. Which is ok, I still love the planner for all the wonderful blocks and patterns in it.

Goal 2 was to start a Gratitude Journal, and I've been very successful with this one. I've written in the journal every day this year. Some days it was tough, because I just wanted to go to bed and go to sleep, but I found that even if it is a short entry it is worth it.

Goal 3 was to keep a to do list and I've been doing well with this one as too. I don't do it daily, but I do it weekly and that really keeps me focused on what I need to get done. Somethings my stay on the list way too long, but I keep transferring them until they are done.  Which is a great way for me to keep myself accountable.

Goal 4 was to move my sewing area. This has been done, and is working well. Sharla and I are both liking the setup. It allows us to sew together, or even if only one is sewing the other can still be in the same room talking with the other. I think I sew more in the evenings with this setup, but I could still get some more time in at my machine.

Goal 5 was a preset project list. This is going very very well. Sharla and I have both completed 3 tops this year off of our list. I did make an adjustment to my list by swapping my April project, and I think Sharla is going to make a change to her May project, but over all we are very happy. Here are the 6 tops done to date.

Goal 6 was to unsubscribe emails, which I have done. It is an ongoing process but I've reduced the amount of emails I get by at least 50% if not more which I count as a success. It is nice not to have so much junk mail.

Goal 7 was to review/edit my blog reading list and I've done this one as well. But it could be pared down some more. I have tried to start watching which blogs I blow through without ever reading for whatever reason and then about every other month, delete them from my reading list. I also try to look at past posts before following a new blog. I may like the one post I found through whatever reason, but when I look at other posts, if they don't appeal to me I don't follow the blog. Before the first of the year, if I missed reading a day or two of posts, my reading list became totally unmanageable, so I would just mark everything as read.  That hasn't happened since I parred down my list, which is great.

Goal 8 was fabric/project organization which I really needs work. I recently went to look for a couple of old projects and spent a lot of time and couldn't find them. I knew I had them, I found 2 parts of them but not the other two parts. I was going insane, I found them right where they should have been, but they weren't in one of the totes I use they were in a card board box that I thought was holding thread. So this one is definitely going to get more work in this coming up quarter.

All in all I don't think I'm doing that badly, I'm making progress which is what matters, and I'm enjoying the process which is equally as important. I've completed two quilts as well this quarter, and one of those was a king sized one. Here are the two finished quilts.

So yes I still have work to do, but I'm making progress which is all that matters to me. I hope you are making progress on your goals as well.

One Monthly Goal - April Goal

It is time to set our goals for April. We have been doing well so far this year just setting one goal each. So we are going to do that again this month. But I am straying from the preset list we made at the end of last year.

For my April goal I'm working on Callie and Beau's wedding quilt. It was on the schedule for August, but since their two year anniversary is coming up this month, I'm going to try and get it finished for them. I have sewn most of the blocks into groups of four already, and have started pinning rows together. But I have to remake some blocks that were lost in the process, not too many, less than 10. I can say it has been fun reading what everyone wrote on the blocks. I want the finish product to be a surprise for them, so here is a photo of the blocks at the wedding.

Sharla is working on what we loving call the Big Blue Flowers quilt. The fabric line is Lula Magnolia by The Quilted Fish from Riley Blake. She bought the fabric on a whim several years ago, and when we were trying to organize the fabric, Hollywood would not leave the backing fabric alone. That boy just kept trying to get next to it.  It is the only fabric he has ever reacted to that way. So I teased Sharla for the last two years that Hollywood wants his big blue flower quilt. The pattern she is going to use is called Big and Tall by Sunnyside Designs. Which is a fairly easy design. Here is a mock up of the quilt, please ignore the silly white lines, but I had to copy the fabric from the internet and they had a tape measure at the bottom. Yes I could have edited them, but it was more work than I wanted.

So those are our goals for April, which are totally doable!! I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal. If you want to see what others are doing check out her linky party.

Sunday Stash - 04/02/17

In some ways I wish this post was an April Fools joke, but alas that isn't the case. When I say we fell of the wagon hard, I mean the wagon was at the top of a hill and we fell off and rolled down it collecting fabric as we went (hehehe). It all started innocently enough, and it was my fault. I got an email about a sale at Craftsy, and I found a kit I wanted. Then Sharla started looking and found a kit she wanted, and then she found another kit she wanted. So three quilt kits, means a whooping big add for this week.  But first lets talk about the good thing for the week.

Sharla finished her Strip Box - Summerset quilt. It is very pretty and even if she didn't follow the pattern exactly, it turned out great. It is made with 2 jelly rolls and yardage for the border. I figured the amount of fabric used was 4 1/2 yards.  Not bad, plus it is the third flimsy she has finished this year, which is great for her.

Now for the oopises...to be honest I'm not sorry we purchase these kits, we love them and that is all that matters.  First I bought a Jewel Frame kit in purples by Kaffe Fassett. Sharla bought the same kit in green last November, and I loved hers, but I don't love greens as much as she does. So when I saw it in purple it really jumped out at me.  This kit contains 8 1/2 yards of fabric. I've not opened the bag yet, but here is what some of the fabrics look like.

Then Sharla found a kit for a prism quilt, she loved the fabric but not the pattern. I just laughed because the fabric line was Tula Pink's True Colors...a line that I love. So she decided she wanted it and that if she didn't think she could do the pattern we would find another pattern. Which we did, because she didn't want to do the paper piecing for the prism. And after drawing her quilt out in Electric Quilter, I think I may use my True Colors bundle and make the same quilt...or maybe not. This kit has 10 3/4 yards. And I think I converting Sharla to a Tula Pink fan!!! She couldn't resist opening the package and touching all the wonderful fabrics.

The last kit is called Fruit Slices, and reminds me of summer time. The colors are very pretty, the pattern is really not hard. She debated on this on for a while, before saying yes, but I think what she really loved about it is the bright cheery colors.  And the kit has 10 1/2 yards of fabric in it. and this one hasn't been open either, so the photo sucks but you can see the colors.

Now is the time to show the numbers. The good part is that we are still in black but the buying has to slow down or we have to sew faster....ok neither of those will happen. Just being honest here.

Fabric Used this Week: 4 1/2 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 86 1/4 yards
Fabric Added this Week: 29 3/4 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 40 1/4 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 46 yards used

Of course Sharla wanted to order the backing fabric for the Tula Pink fabric right away, because she knew right away which one she wanted. So that got ordered yesterday.  So next week will probably be another slide in the wrong direction. She didn't order the backing fabric for the fruit slices, because we think any tone on tone fabric will work as long as it is in the right color range. We might even do a 108" backing so we don't have to piece anything. But that decision can be made later. Today I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times - Sunday Stash and Sunday Stash #218 with Molli Sparkles. I hope ya'll have a wonderful week.