Sunday Stash Report - 01/15/17

It was a real bummer week.  I had great plans of piecing the back for Sharla's monkey quilt and getting it on the long arm along with finishing piecing my big and bold top. Well that all went awry big time. But before I tell you that story, let's get to my report.

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used year to Date: 4.25 yards
Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Fabric for 2017: 4.25 yards used

So I finished nothing this week and I put the blame fully on one Hollywood. Yes I am blaming my dog for nothing getting done. Don't be fooled by that sad face, he is a big pain in my buttocks.

I know he looks cute, but he is a major brat, well at least this week he was. Last weekend I went to pull the fabric for the back of the monkey quilt, it was to be pieced with some sock monkey fabric and the solid red fabric she used for the sashing. I grabbed the sock monkey fabric and began to look for the solid red fabric. I looked on Saturday, somewhat, but thought I had moved it to the sewing room and would easily find it on Sunday. We had several things going on, so I didn't look too hard. On Sunday I checked out the sewing room, no red fabric. So on Monday (my day off) I double checked the sewing room, my office area, the family room, the sewing room again, and so on. But I couldn't find the fabric. I couldn't remember where I cut the fabric, but found some scraps on my desk, so I tore through that area. When Sharla got home she went through her sewing table and sewing area, no luck. By the time we finished dinner I was tired and frustrated so I didn't do any sewing at all.

Tuesday (my second day off), I went back through everything again and no fabric. I was frustrated, and couldn't figure out what happened. I decided that we didn't buy enough to use in the backing and the few strips we found were all that were left. I decided to piece the rows on my big and bold just to get my mind off of that fabric. But it was really bugging me. My house isn't that big, and it shouldn't be hard too find fabric that I had my hands on in November.

Wednesday while driving Sharla to work she suggested we look behind the bookcase by my chair. I agreed that I would, but I told her I thought we hadn't bought as much fabric as we were thinking. She felt that we had bought plenty.  Since I was working on Wednesday I had less time to look, but I work from home, so in the slow moments I could try. The first thing I did was go back and look to find where we ordered the fabric and yes there should be plenty for the backing. Then I went to see if anything had fallen behind my bookcase. No nothing there, but the bookcase is close to the back door which has a window in it. And as I backed up from looking behind the bookcase something caught my eye on the back porch. I opened the door to find red fabric wrapped around an outside table. Strung out, damp and a little dirty, I had found the fabric.

Now why do I think it was Hollywood, well I know it wasn't my sister or I, my nephew knew nothing of it and Marley is to small to carry it out there. That leaves the one and only brat dog Hollywood. Who became very lovey when I picked up the fabric, because he knew he was in trouble. He has never bothered any fabric before, I have tons of it around my house and he mostly ignores it. Why he did it, I don't know, but now I have a mass of red fabric and it will have to be washed before I can use it. Nothing else on the quilt is washed, so I'm not sure how that is going to work. I think I may wash it but not dry it. And let it hang dry and then iron it.

I was very glad to have found the fabric, because I was going nuts, but still felt so frustrated that I just didn't want to sew.  I did iron the rows for big and bold and hope to get it pieced this weekend. For now I'm moving on to another quilt to quilt, while the red is washed and dried. I had really hoped to have another finish, but sometimes life happens.

And for those worried, Hollywood was not punished or harmed in any way. I love that stinking brat too much. As I'm writing this post he is sleeping with his head on my foot. We joked that he wanted a superman cape and this fabric would be perfect. I had him sit and I draped the fabric around him. He wasn't very happy about it, he is smart enough to know that something was wrong. He kept moving closer and closer to me, because he wanted to give me "kisses". He is a brat, but I love him.

So that is sad tale of my life this week. I will be linking up with Judy @ Patchwork Times even if I have nothing to show.

30/30 Sewing Challenge - Update 4

Ok this week was much better as far as sewing goes, but it was a really tough week otherwise.  I sewed more this week but as you will see in some of the photos, tired sewing is not a good thing.  I was determined to have a better week and so on Saturday when I got off work I started finishing the borders on my kissing booth quilt.  I was down to the last two borders and so it went together easily.  I love that sense of accomplishment when a top or quilt is done. It is a good size, I am not tall enough to hold it all up off the ground.  Which means it will be good for me to tuck under my feet and still reach my ears (the perfect quilt length to me).

On Sunday I pieced the back for my disappearing nine patch that was going on the long arm next. Then I had to iron it and the top, since the top has been folded away for months.  I love the colors on this one, the yellows are just so springy to me.  I think my photos of the back are on my ipad at home, and the only photo I have is of the top on the ironing board. I also loaded the top and back onto the long arm.

Monday meant quilting day.  I got the batting in place, turned on my tunes and started quilting.  I will say I love with the thread blends, but that also can lead to a few crossed over lines.  This is a fairly large quilt, and so it took me a good three hours to quilt, maybe a little more.  Of course I had to stop and play with Hollywood in between rows.  He has learned when the sewing stops to run into the room and beg for attention then, because when the machine is running I ignore him. I took a photo just as I was on the last pass.  I will say it over and over, I love my Handiquilter!!!!

Tuesday was grocery shopping day, laundry day, etc.  But it was also binding day.  I actually got the binding pieced on Monday and sewn to the back because I knew Tuesday was going to be a busy day. Once I got home I went to work on finishing the quilt and it was done fairly quickly.  I threw it up onto the frame to get a picture and who decided he needed to be in the photo....that would be Hollywood.

I decided cut out a practice block for my next test quilt on Tuesday night.  It is more half square triangles and I wanted to do a different method than the pattern described.  The HST were very easy to do with this method but they came out just a little bit small, but I decided to trim them up anyway and piece the block. Still love the new Bloc-Loc ruler, it really does make trimming those HST so much easier.

Now piecing the block is where things really fell apart.  First I cut two pieces too big and didn't realize it until I had already started sewing the block together.  Now the smart thing would have been to rip out and cut down, but to my tired brain that idea seemed hard.  Since it was just a test to see if I liked the colors, I just forced it.  But I really was tired because I put it together all wrong.  I looked at it and knew something wasn't right, but decided that I just needed to go to bed.

Now Wednesday was just a rough day.  Things were very stressful at Sharla's office, and they had a big job that needed to go out Wednesday morning.  We got to her office very early and I ended up staying there for a couple of hours to help her, before going to my office for a very hectic day. So by the time we got home we were both very very tired, but I wanted to get some sewing done. I had decided to switch the pink and purple and wanted to test using a little larger fabric.  I was able to get the block together, but when the designer saw it on Instagram, she noticed I still sewed it wrong.  That bottom left is still not sewn correctly. I did learn that I liked the pink and purple switched and even more important I learned sewing tired is not a good thing to do!!!

On Thursday I knew I was still too tired to try and sew, so instead I started cutting out the rest of the test quilt.  I didn't get it completed, but I made a good dent in it.  I just cut and watched some TV to give myself a little down time.

On Friday I had hit the wall.  I just was tired and neither Sharla or I was willing to do much.  In fact dinner was pickles/olives/crackers/cheese.  Yeah it was a gourmet night.  But once I rested for a little while I thought I could cut some more.  I'm still not finished cutting, but I've made some more progress. And no the blue and yellow aren't for the test quilt.  They are borders for a quilt Sharla is doing.

So that was my week.  My test blocks were a bust, but I learn something doing them.  And I finished a quilt top, finished a quilt and got most of another quilt cut. So overall I'm very happy with my progress. I think I've reached all of my goals for the month and still have a few days left over. I've quilted and finished one quilt each week this month, I've cut and pieced my kissing booth turning twenty quilt top, and I've started work on my test quilt.  

Friday Finish: My Disappearing 9 Patch

Another week gone, time is slipping away so very very fast.  I am quite happy with my quilt this week, although I didn't get many pictures of it.  It was a very hectic week and so things like taking pictures went to the back seat.

I made my disappearing 9 patch at the same time Sharla did hers. It was in a class we took at NCTC...hey Karen, Vickie & Donna!!!  The colors are not something I would normally choose, but I fell in love with them. The funny thing is when we were looking for fabric, I found Sharla's fabric for her and she found my fabric for me. I did the simple all over meander and yes I messed up a couple of times and crossed over lines.  I think I need to get more lights for the machine.  It isn't hard when the thread is a contrasting color, but I used Signature's Parchment which blended in so well that sometimes it is hard to see.

Here is a close up of the quilting. I still get more wonky curves than I want, but overall I'm getting better at avoiding those.  I will say my biggest problem is keeping it slow and steady.  I get in a groove and find myself going to fast.  But the machine beeps and lets me know when I am doing exceeding the speed limit.

Here is one showing more of the back.  This wonderful busy print really helps to hide any flaws. And yet it still looks great when it is washed and all crinkly.  I am very happy with this one, and I will probably use it on my bed for a while.  It is not quite a queen size, but close enough if I have a neutral coverlet below it.

Now for my funny pictures this week.  When I finished the binding I laid the quilt across the frame to get a picture of it for instagram and Hollywood rand up to pose next to it.  When I switched to my regular camera he laid down in front of it and looked like he was going to nap.

What you don't see in the above photo is behind the quilt is another napping baby dog.  Tucker was sacked out in his bed just sleeping away. He didn't move until I got up to leave the room.  I didn't realize my quilting was such hard work on the babies, but they seemed to be totally exhausted.

I am linking up with  . . . Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Link a Finish Friday, TGIFF...at Devoted Quilter,  NTT (Needle and Thread Thursday) and Fabric Frenzy Friday @ Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

30/30 Sewing Challenge - Update 2

Happy National Quilting Day everyone, I hope you get to do something quilty today!!!!! It has been a week where lots got done, but at the same time it feels like very little got done.  I did finished the test quilt I was doing, and I'm happy with the results.  As soon as the pattern is released you will be able to see it.  But lets see what I got done.

On Saturday I started sewing my half square triangles for the test quilt.  It used the method where you sew around the squares and then cut them on the diagonal and get 4 half square triangles at one time.  I will say I loved this method, no marking, just sewing!!!!  I just got the sewing done on Saturday.

Then came Sunday or better known as the day Sharla and I broke the bank.  Not really, but we went to the Dallas Quilt Show and we bought several projects each...ok Sharla got 7 and I got 6.  And like us they were all over the board. We really weren't there to long, but since Sharla is still wearing that funky boot, we decided it was best to use the wheelchair, which meant I pushed her all around. And of course I couldn't just buy because I saw something I liked, we ended up going back to different places after we had gone through all the booths.  The quilts we saw were simply wonderful, but most were way out of my league.  Here is a photo of what we bought on the first pass, I think we added five more on the second time around.

When we got home, I was pretty whooped, and really didn't feel like sewing.  I sat in the recliner for a while with my feet up and then decided to try out one of the tools we purchased.  We got two Bloc Loc rulers, one for half square triangles and one for strips.  Let me say up front I LOVE them.  They work great and once I got hang of which way to turn them I got lots of triangles trimmed.

Monday rolled around, and Sharla took the day off, so I thought I would get lots done, but I was still pretty tired from Sunday.  My goal had been to get started on quilting a disappearing nine patch quilt.  But Sharla really wanted her Kissing Booth Turning 20 quilt done.  So while she pieced the back, I worked on putting together those triangles I cut. I also got her quilt back and front loaded on to the long arm.

Tuesday was quilting day.  I have to say I really love using my Handiquilter!!!  Even if the quilt isn't for me, I just get a lot of pleasure out of completing a quilt.  I just used a simple meander, and it went pretty quickly. Well except for when this one would run into the room every time the machine stopped and beg to play.  It is awfully hard to resist these sad eyes.

But once he was played with I got the quilting done.  Here it is still on the frame after the last pass.  I had turned up the tunes and was rocking as I quilted and the time went by very fast.  I think began putting the test quilt blocks together.

Wednesday night I finished the test quilt, but I can't show it here yet.  I also got the binding sewn onto the back of the kissing booth quilt.  I machine sew my binding front and back, because I HATE hand sewing. Plus with the dogs I know things will get washed a lot, so I think they will hold up better.

I really wanted to get the quilt done, so Thursday night I sewed the binding onto the front, so we could get it washed.  I love how a quilt looks after it is washed, plus it smells so good.

Here it is all washed and looking pretty!!!! I think this is my favorite of the quilts Sharla has done, I love the colors (and I should since I'm making one in the same fabrics), but also I think her piecing has improved a lot over the last year. She says there are still mistakes but I didn't notice any.

No when Friday rolled around I was one tired girl.  But I wanted to get something done, even if it was limited.  So I began putting together the pieced border for my kissing booth quilt.  I got all four sides pieced and the two long sides attached.  I would have done more but I needed to iron them and I just wasn't up to cleaning my ironing table off last night.

So that was my week.  It was long but fun.  I am hoping to get another quilt on the long arm this weekend and finished on Monday and get my third test quilt cut.  The next test quilt doesn't release until May, but I want to get it done and maybe even quilted before then.  I hope everyone is getting lots done on their #30/30SC.

Layouts for February

I have to admit I didn't get much scrapbooking done this month, but I did get some pages done.  I love digital scrapbooking because I can do it on my work computer or home computer, so I fit it in whenever possible.  This month I did the photo challenge on Trixie Scraps Designs' blog and I created this layout.  I used the kit Best Year Ever. It was a great kit to show off some of my quilts.  I love rich colors in the kit and it has great elements as well.

Next I did a layout featuring the biggest pain in my bu.... these days, the one and only Hollywood.  So far this week alone he has eaten my purse, my key chain flashlight and my manicure kit. It is a good thing he is so cute or I would banish him from the house.  Yeah I know I'm a sucker.  I used the value bundle called Spunky Monkey for this layout because I love the blue/brown combo.

I have been craving Spring lately, too many cold days.  So I found a kit that was packed with pretty spring colors and lots of flowers and created my next layout.  I used a photo of Callie and Beau taken at Christmas. Don't they make a cute couple. The kit is call Heart of a Friend Value Bundle.

And my last one for this month features my little quilt buddy.  I put a bed under my long arm quilter and he comes in the sewing room with me and just sleeps while I quilt.  Every now and again, Hollywood will come in and hit the roll of batting above him and cover him up, but I move it back so I can see him.  He doesn't seem to mind my music blaring or the machine noise, as long as he is with me.  I used the kit A Life That's Good Value bundle because I love the flowers that are in it.

Well that's my layouts for February, all of the kits I used are really great and you should head over to Trixie Scrap's store and pick them up for your stash.

Layouts for January

I did more quilting than scrapping this month, but I did get some layouts done.  The kits I used are mostly older kits, but they are ones I really love.  My first layout is probably my most favorite for the month.  I created it for the Recipe Challenge on Trixie Scraps Designs blog.  I love the kit and it is call Triumphant Value Bundle because the colors are just fun to use.  And they matched the photos so well.  The photos were taken at Christmas and we had some fun with a present Callie received.  Yes that is Sheldon in the photos, the present was a life sized cutout of him.

Next up is a layout I did using Best Year Ever by Trixie Scraps as well. This kit is great because of the great flowers in it and ya'll know I love me some flowers.  But it also has wonderful papers in great fall colors. The photo is also from Christmas of the kids...yes they are still kids to me even if two of them are now engaged and we've gone from three to five.

Next is another layout using Best Year Ever, and I created this one for the mix it up challenge at GingerScraps.  I really am drawn to the colors in this kit.  The photo is an old one of Callie and Cole, it is hard to believe how much they have grown, but the boy in this picture is the bearded boy in the picture above...ok so maybe not a boy above.

And lastly is a layout I made using King of the Pride Value Bundle.  It is a wild kit and perfect to scrap the newest wild thing in my life...Hollywood.  The bright oranges really look wonderful and I love the alpha in the kit, good for so many things.  Hollywood is getting so big, but he is still all puppy, chewing, jumping, etc.  But we love the little...oops big stinker.

All of these kits are available at Trixie Scraps Shop and would be wonderful additions to your stash.

November/December Layouts

Ok I was on track at the beginning of November, but something went terribly wrong and the rest of November and December have gone way off track.  I had such wonderful plans, and very few of them came to fruition. But hopefully I will get more on track for 2014.  So let me end the year right by showing you layouts I made for the last two months.

To begin with I have one using Autumn Spice by North Meets South Studios.  I love the colors of this kit, they are really beautiful.  For my layout I used a photo of Callie and MawMaw.  They might have been very different but they shared a very special love.

Next up is one using A Life That's Good Value Bundle.  The flowers in this kit are awesome and ya'll know I love flowers on a layout.  The photo is from several years ago, and is of a motley crew.  But a crew that I am blessed to a part.  Even when I'm down these guys make me smile.

Now for a layout that was really fun.  Not because the photo is great, it was taken in my garage, but because of what the photo represents.  Sharla and I got a long arm quilting machine and I took a photo of the box as we waited patiently for the floors to be redone so we could get it put together.  Ok we weren't very patient.  The kit I used is After 10 Years Value Bundle and November Templatetopia.  I love templates, they make scrapping so easy and this kit is not my normal colors, but I love working with it because it makes everything look great, even a photo of a box.

My last November layout used Blue Jean Boy Value Bundle which is an awesome kit for doing boy layouts. Great colors and elements make it very easy to put together a page quickly that looks great.  I used an old photo of Cole for this one.

Now for my December layouts. First is one I did for the Recipe Challenge on the Trixie Scraps Blog and I used A Life That's Good Value Bundle again.  As I said earlier this is a great kit that is just plain fun to use. The photo is of Tom and Mecca, after all these years they are still happy together.

Next is one I did for a font challenge.  I used Triumphant Value Bundle which is a great kit because it can be used for so many different types of pages.  For this one I featured Cooper, the precious baby that went to the Rainbow Bridge in November.  I miss him every day!

Next I got to used some photos from Christmas Day of Tom's family.  The family is growing and growing. We now have Jessica (engaged to Trey) and Beau (engaged to Callie).  And I will say this, they made me laugh all day.  They are crazy but I love them!!!!  I used Picture A Family Value Bundle which is perfect for family pictures.  A great mix of colors and elements!!!!

And my last layout for December uses Spunky Monkey Value Bundle which is just a fun kit.  I didn't use any of the cute monkey elements, but they are simply wonderful.  The layout is of Hollywood, my nephews puppy.  He is a lab mix and way to big to be a lap dog, but he just refuses to believe that.  In this picture he is sitting on me.  Crazy boy!!!!

Well that is it for now.  Make sure you head over to Trixie Scraps Store and pick up these wonderful kits. They will make scrapping your pages easy and fun!!!!  I promise that things will be different in 2014 and I will blog more.  I hope to add lots of posts about quilts I complete as well.

I hope each of you has a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!