Stash Report - Week 12

I am just going to pretend like I did not just disappear for a week and a half!!!  I will bombard you with posts this week and you will get sick of me!!

Lucky for me I have been sewing right along on my APQ Quiltalong so using more of my fabric ... Because I snuck in a little fabric too!

Used this Week: 2 3/4 yards

Used year to Date: 36 3/8 yards

Added this Week:  2 yards

Added Year to Date: 22 1/2 yards

Net Used for 2015: 13 7/8 yard

Oh my goodness these fractions are killing me!!!!  Haha

Want to see what was responsible for the 2 yard addition to my stash .... Polka dots ... Well kind of!!

I am currently having an obsession with Navy blue ... I believe it has something to do with the fact that fabric designers are bombarding us with it right now!!  Just as an FYI ... The picture credit goes to Fat Quarters online shop, but I did not purchase my fabrics there.  Quilt on friends!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day ... Obviously with a name like Colleen, I'm a little irish!  Enjoy your day ... And look out for the wee folk!

Quiltalong ... Coming along

Well I have finally finished my 1,089 2 1/2" square blocks that I need for my king size APQ Quiltalong quilt.

I used two charm packs in with all my other fabrics, and when I was subcutting my segments after the 1 1/2" strips had been sewn together, they slipped here and there.  So I had to trim many of the blocks just a wee bit.  When your blocks are finishing this small, it is even more imperative to keep your measurements just so. Is it taking a lot of time ... Yes.  But it would be much more frustrating to start assembling this and have it not go together properly.

Just a few of my four patches, but I really need to start sewing them into blocks of nine so I can feel like I am making some progress.

Chaining ... Now to trim apart and press. Do you chain?  A lot of people don't, but I swear by how much time I save.  You do have to be careful when you're stacking and sewing so the squares don't get out of order.  I usually have at least a couple times where I have to stop and figure out where I went wrong!  Haha

Oh {{sigh}} ... This block is measuring a mere 6 1/2" square and with all these intersections and seams, when I pressed the seams to one side, it was just too bulky and I did not like how it was laying. So I am pressing my seams open ... I really hate how much time it takes, but the result is so worth it.  It just does not make sense to spend so much time assembling these blocks, only to take shortcuts to finish.  I really want a beautiful finished project, wouldn't you?

Chaining my nine patches along on my little Singer.  I sew at my friend's house on Monday's and I really love this little machine!  Enough of a break for me now, back to my nine patches!!

Stash Report - Week 11

Lots of sewing this week, but it was all on the APQ quilt that has been cut and yardage counted for many weeks now. I  am getting there.  Post to follow on my progress.

Used this Week: 1/3 yards

Used year to Date: 33 2/3 yards

Added this Week:  0 yards

Added Year to Date: 20 1/2 yards

Net Used for 2015: 13 1/3 yard

Baby quilts

One of my friends is a prolific baby quilt maker.  I told her she should go into business for herself ... She can whip one out in several hours!  I have the honor of quilting them.  Here is one of her latest ...

This is a quilt for her niece's baby and she always loves tight quilting.  I think her vision for this quilt was for it to look really antiquey (my own word, perhaps?) ... It does look that way and she was very pleased with the way it came out.

This is such a beautiful line of fabric .. I don't know if you can tell, but some of the fabrics like the lavender one, have lines running through them so they look like linen!

The aqua one is not part of the line, but it really goes well and gives the quilt a little pop of color.

I love this gray and white print ... I did my loop design trying to get it as small and tight as possible ... That is always a challenge for me .. To go small.

See how the outside edge has a half of a hexie?  She had to make a whole block and cut it in half!!!  Isn't that criminal?  There was not a way to make half a block ...

I did not have the right color Omni thread, so I used Permacore in top and bobbin.  It is a 40 weight, 100 percent cotton.  I usually don't like to use that thick of a thread in the bobbin because it doesn't go that far, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Two bobbins per row ... Not bad at all.

And look who is not a baby anymore ... She is a 2 year old!

She sure looks happy about it!!!

Stash Report - Week 10

Finally going to get my stash report done on time this week!!  I did lots of sewing on the APQ Quiltalong and cutting the alternate blocks so I used quite a bit of material!  Almost have my 1,000 four patches done ... Woo hoo!

Used this Week: 4 2/3 yards

Used year to Date: 33 1/3 yards

Added this Week:  0 yards

Added Year to Date: 20 1/2 yards

Net Used for 2015: 13 yard

So happy, so happy ... Going in the right direction for using my stash.  This quilt is really going to BUST some of it!  Please play along ... How did you do?  Have a great week!

This is a photo I got from Pinterest .. Are these beagle babies not the cutest thing ever!!

A New Design

So sorry to have ignored you this week my friends ... I have been busy with issues with my mom.  She lives in an assisted living facility 1/2 hour away; it is a great place, but I am the sole child that lives local, so all the problems fall to me to solve.  She has been having some medical issues and I have been coordinating doctor appointments because it's been a little overwhelming for her.

Earlier in the week we had a surprise visit from my aunt and uncle that live in Washington state.  It was great fun to spend an evening having dinner with them.  It always makes me think of my sweet grandmother when I see my relatives ... I know she would be so proud of us for keeping up with each other and visiting together.

I did manage to get a friend's quilt done this week and I love the design I did.  Something a little different ...

A circular swirl with two little echoed loops thrown in here and there ... They almost look like feathers and I think really make the design look unique.

It was fun to do ... Since I usually do all free motion designs, I get stuck in a rut and like to do something different sometimes.  Can I tell you a secret ... My favorite stitch to do is a stipple!  It is fun, fast and antique looking.  With all the fancy stitches that people create now, so many do not like stippling.  I LOVE it, and you will find it on most of my own quilts.

Don't you love her fabric choices?  It is a jelly roll quilt ... I don't usually like them, but I love this one.  This is the Atelier line from Moda.  

 I used my favorite thread, Omni by Superior. 

Thank you Jayne for allowing me to quilt for you!

Here's a peek of what else I have been working on this week ... More APQ Quiltalong progress ...

After years of living without Instagram, and saying I would never do it, a friend convinced me to try it ... I LOVE it and find it a quick source of inspiration.  Follow me there @quiltingunderthesun

Stash Report - Week 9

Been steadily working on my four patches .. Slow and steady, right?  

Used this Week: 2 yards

Used year to Date: 28 3/4 yards

Added this Week:  .75  yards

Added Year to Date: 20 1/2 yards

Net Used for 2015: 8 1/4 yards

Slowly moving in the right direction!  I longarmed a beautiful quilt this week ... I will show and tell tomorrow.  Come on, jump right in and keep track of what you use and buy.  It's easy ... You don't have to count all the fabric in your stash, you're just keeping track of what you buy and use each week.

Applique??

Oh my, oh my I just have to say how proud of myself I am!!!!  I am part of a wool applique group on Facebook that anyone can join.  In December the group decided to do two blocks of the month by Norma Whaley of Timeless Traditions ... Winter Wonderland and Silent Night.  I convinced a couple of girlfriends that they should do the WW quilt too.  We decided to work on it every month; my sweet friend that LOVES Christmas decided that since it was a Christmas quilt, every month on the 25th we would get together to sew on this quilt.  We had to skip January, so today was our first Christmas sew day.

It was hilarious ... she decorated for Christmas with two tiny Christmas trees and a Christmas quilt.  We had Christmas dishes to eat lunch on and Christmas mugs to drink our coffee out of!

Oh and we can't have Christmas sewing without Christmas music!

This pattern is so much fun ... I don't do a lot of applique anymore, but love this pattern because the applique pieces are quite large.  For instance, the first month we are working on the tree blocks ... each block measures around 12 1/2 x 28 1/2 ... that is a large block!  In the group, our esteemed leader, Julie Kursave, laid out a timetable so it would be easy to keep up with the stitching.

Month 1 was trees, month 2 log cabins, and month 3, angel block.  When you get three good friends together, two sewing machines, and lots of Christmas cheer this is what you get:

I did most of the tracing of the applique shapes on the pellon (we are using the double applique method because I have a bolt of pellon that I have had forever); Mindy did cutting and sewing, Michelle did cutting and sewing, and I did a little sewing, but in addition to my pellon job, my main job was turning the shapes.  It is great to sew with friends because you share material and ideas.  I just love the combinations that come out of teamwork and brainstorming!  Julie joined us later and she had a beautiful Christmas quilt she was starting to cut out, but I didn't get any pictures of it unfortunately.

Michelle's block before she got is glued on:

Mindy's block:

Needless to say I love their blocks more than my own!  Aren't they lovely??

There are two tree blocks in this quilt, here is my other block:

What a great day, and I am amazed that even in February, I still love Christmas music!!  We did get a good jump in our angel blocks, and will continue to work on those next month.

Stash Report - Week 8

Late on my stash report again!  Good gravy .... did some sewing, and also did some adding to the stash!  I needed a little bit of fabric to add for my 1,000 four patches and alternating 1,000 blocks!

Used this Week: 2 yards

Used year to Date: 26 3/4 yards

Added this Week:  1.5 yards

Added Year to Date: 19 3/4 yards

Net Used for 2015: 7 yards

Slowly moving in the right direction!  How about you????

Finally did it!

 I finally quilted a quilt on my longarm last week.  I cannot even explain to you the longarming funk I have been in.  It hasn't been this bad for a really long time.  I threatened myself and managed to knock this out last week for my friend ... It felt good to have a finish.

This was a delight to quilt because it was a flannel top and back.  I love how quilting soaks into flannel!

I free handed a circle swirl to give it texture.  There is a lot of pattern and color going on in the quilt, so I wanted the quilting to blend into the background.

Some large circles, some smaller ... Like the differences ... After all, I am not a machine, so they will all be different!  Used my favorite Omni thread in a new color to me, Cinnamon Stick.

I love how it showed up against the dark colors, and looked equally great on the light.

Glad to have this quilt to do ... She did a great job.  Now onto the next one!

Stash Report - Week 7

Still working on the same fabric pieces from last week.  Nothing new out or in!

Used this Week: 0 yards

Used year to Date:  24 3/4 yards

Added this Week:  0 yards

Added Year to Date: 18 1/4 yards

Net Used for 2015:  6 1/2 yards

Stash Report - Week 6

Oh have been so busy sewing last week that I forgot my stash report!  

Used this Week: 4 yards

Used year to Date:  24 3/4 yards

Added this Week:  0 yards

Added Year to Date: 18 1/4 yards

Net Used for 2015:  6 1/2 yards

APQ Quiltalong 2015

I was very excited to see the new APQ Quiltalong for this year.  There are three patterns using four patches, but the quilt that I thought was just adorable was the first one shown, designed by Lissa Alexander.  You can read her blog here and see links to other designer blogs that are participating in the Quiltalong.  http://modalissa.blogspot.com/2015/01/apq-quiltalong-go-four-it.html?m=1

Ok great ... Reading the directions I first need a bunch of 1 1/2" strips sewn together, then cut into 1 1/2" segments.  I can do that!

First of all, I want to show you this awesome light I bought at IKEA for 14.99.  Bonnie Hunter had mentioned it on her blog as being a great little light.  I broke the light bar on my Bernina years ago and have been stumbling along without one.  Even my sewing machine repairman suggested just buying a clip on light.  This light is super bright, stays where put, and has a long neck and a long cord.  It works so well, I am going to buy one for my longarm too.

See all the strips piling up behind my machine?  I used my June Taikor strip cutter (only because I don't have an Accuquilt 1 1/2" die), and just kept chaining my strips.

Haha ... Pile of strips!!  Now to iron them

open.

A beautiful stack of strips, just ready to subcut.  I took a layer cake of Road 15 by Sweetwater ... I loved this line and had intended to use this layer cake for something else.  But one of the new rules for my stash is "no saving fabric."  Not for some old project, not for the "right" project, not for a person ... It's outta here! Let's face it ... We rarely ever follow through with what we intend it to be used for and there is always more fabric we can buy!!  I have lots of Sweetwater leftover fabric and it will pair well with others as well, so that's what I am starting with.  I am going to need A LOT of fabric, so who knows where this will lead.

Ok ... Yay!!  From strips to 1 1/2" segments .. The segments are sewn into 4 patches.  Hey, wait a minute ... That makes a four patch that only measures 2 1/2" .... And I want a king size quilt .... Whaaaaaattt?!???  Tune in for more later ...

New Project

I know I have been quiet this week.  Remember when I said I got so much done in January I had to take it while I could get it?  Well I think I hit a little slump!  I've been doing a lot of reading the last couple weeks.  Seems like I need to take my mind off my worries, but that's a story for another day.

I bought a pattern and fabric a couple of weeks ago while shopping with a friend.  I blame it on her!  Rarely do I want to copy something I see, but this just spoke to me!!  So I've been working on it for the last week.

Ta-da!  Isn't it cute?  Made with charm packs.  The Community line of fabric from Moda.  Cut them in half diagonally and then sew the strip down the middle.

It took me a while to lay it out the way I wanted it, so instead of chaining the whole thing together like I normally would do, I only took 6 squares at a time.  Much more manageable.  I thought this pattern looked fairly easy and fun, and then I realized it is both, but ... See where those four points cross and meet ... They all have to match ... Ugh!

Ok ... Marked the 1/4" on my machine with painter's tape to give me an edge to push up to.  I have been using my walking foot solely, and it hits the needle bar and causes the needle to not be in the right position.  That's why I marked my quarter inch.  In order to get it, my needle is moved two clicks to the right from middle!  My sewing repair man is going to reprimand me!

See what I mean about these having to line up?

And I have to get those centers to line up too ...

If you know me, you know that I am a fanatic about pinning.  When I have joins like this, I seriously over pin. 

If I think I am going to have trouble with the seam matching, and I did on these strip joins, I pin in three places.  One pin in the seam, and one pin on either side of the seam.  Works like a charm!

Now all I need is the three borders to put on and I am done, and call it another finish!  Now I seriously have to stop piecing and get to my longarm.  I have several customer quilts to do.  What have you been working on?

Stash Report - Week 5

Oops ... Forgot my stash report this week.  Made a backing for my Richmond Reds quilt and also the Community top too.  In addition, I used a yard of fabric to make a new ironing board cover.  Nothing exciting, just muslin.  I also added some much needed background fabrics this week.  I found some on sale, so bought at least a yard of each.  I only have smaller pieces of backgrounds, so I considered it a good investment.

Used this Week: 6 1/2 yards

Used year to Date:  20 3/4 yards

Added this Week:  4 3/4 yards

Added Year to Date: 18 1/4 yards

Net Used for 2015:  2 1/2 yards

Still moving in the right direction!!