FABRIC STASH - WEEK 2-4, 2017 (1/15-29/17)

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What a dismal stash report!  If I don't start putting in some time soon, I won't even reach 100 net yards used for 2017! I finally got serious about working on this month's quilt (see Judy Laquidara's blog) the latter part of last week and then worked on it this week.  For such a small quilt (I'm making it for a twin bed), it sure is taking lots of time to finish.  This is the quilt Sandi (my long-distance quilting partner) and I are making as our challenge this year--applique pattern called Country Cottages.  We're both feeling a bit blah about sewing/quilting right now so we chose a pattern that doesn't have too many pieces, or so we thought.  We were supposed to be adding a bit of dimension to each block, which she is doing.  I decided I didn't really like the quilt and did not add any dimension to mine.  These two quilts will look sooooo different, as our quilts usually do.  I decided to go with a monthly holiday theme, but had no specific quilt fabric for the months of May, June, or August.  Oh, well.  The block I like best is November--the colors are so bright and beautiful.  If I were making the quilt again (which I'm not!), I would use jewel-tones for all the months and would not use holiday themed fabrics.  Today I worked on sashing and the first border (matches the sashing)--and it took all day to do that and get the rows together.  I still have a couple of borders to put on, but not tonight.  Unfortunately, that means my stash numbers will not move again this week.

We got more snow the first part of the week--it's really stacking up!  Our road is one vehicle wide now.  Now we are in a deep-freeze with single-digit and below zero temperatures, with snow predicted to start again on Tuesday.  We truly are living in a winter wonderland here--so beautiful.  Roads--well, that's another story.

 

While I haven't been quilting, I have been working on my yarn stash.  I started a baby quilt--and then started a ripple quilt with yarn I've had for a long, long time.  I will have to get more yarn to finish the baby quilt--maybe tomorrow if we go to the nearby big city.  The ripple afghan is all single crochet so it is progressing, but slowly.  The good news is that I will only have 2 skeins of off-white yarn left in the yarn stash, plus small leftovers from prior projects.  Soon, I should be able to work on embroidery projects and painting projects--in addition to quilting, of course!

 

 

FABRIC STASH - WEEK 1, 2017 (1/8/17)

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Nothing used, nothing added.  I did get started on this month's quilt, which is the challenge quilt Sandi and I are doing.  She started hers a couple of months ago, and I finally got mine started yesterday.  I hope to get a couple of blocks stitched (applique) today.  The quilt is Country Cottages by Shabby Fabrics.

 

We seem to be out of the deep freeze today--we register a balmy 17 degrees!  That's a change from below zero weather.  We had to drive through a snow storm coming home from Mass last night--everyone was driving responsibly through the Canyon except one person.  Thank goodness we didn't find him wrecked beside the road.  The long term forecast shows snow for the next several days.  Our resident deer family has been burrowing into the snow at the edge of the property and sleeping there.  They love using Smokey's path because they don't have to struggle in the deep snow.  I'm happy to have a day to sit by the fire, work on an afghan (and maybe a quilt), and watch some football games.  DH drove for the local dealership last week--to Salt Lake City--and had icy and snow-packed roads all the way.  I was so happy when he called and told me he was on the outskirts of our tiny town--God is good!  The Pass is always scary in the winter months.  The trip took longer than normal because of the "ice skating" they were doing!

I hope everyone has a productive week.  It's good to have Judy working on a quilt again!

FABRIC STASH - WEEK 1, 2017 (1/1/17)

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First stash report of 2017, and a time to review stash usage and completions for 2016.   My goal was to use a net yardage of 200--my gross yardage used was 198 and my net was 175.  Close, but no cigar!  It is interesting to review the usage and completions for the past 5 years.  2013 was a year punctuated with medical problems, which is reflected in the totals.  I have reduced the new fabric purchased, but still have not reached the net stash decrease goal.

 

2012:  18 quilts finished - 223 yards used - net stash decrease 95 yards

2013:  9 quilts finished - 137 yards used - net stash decrease 119 yards

2014:  19 quilts finished - 186 yards used - net stash decrease 98 yards

2015:  21 quilts finished - 205 yards used - net stash decrease 165 yards

2016:  15 quilts finished - 198 yards used - net stash decrease 175 yards

 

Guess I'd better get down to my quilting studio--Judy Laquidera has drawn #3 as the quilt to finish for January!

 

 

 

Stash Busting Goals - 2017

I'm excited to reduce my stash; it's so great to start with a clean slate!  Perhaps I can resist the siren call of the beautiful new fabrics.  I will continue to purchase fabrics as needed to coordinate with my stash fabrics, but hopefully I will resist buying fabrics that I "just can't live without."  My goal is for a net reduction of 200 yards in 2017.  My 2017 goals are:

 

A) Reduce the LongarmUFO list.  That will start in January.  I won't put a definite number per month since that didn't work in any previous years.  Quilted quilts take up more space than pieced tops--but that would be a good problem to confront!

 

B) Reestablish a UFO/NewFO quilt top list--this will be A,B, and C lists, as follows:

DONE 4/22/17  1a) Brown-Peach Quilt (NewFO)

2a) Solid/Scrappy Quilt w/Quilted Spirals (NewFO)

DONE 1/31/17  3a) Sandi-Pat Challenge Country Cottages Quilt (NewFO)

4a) Embroidered BFC Cupcakes (NewFO) (machine embroidery not done)

DONE 3/14/17  5a) Blue/Yellow TeaTime Quilt (NewFO)

6a) Bear Claw in Bear Claw (NewFO)

7a) Scrappy 16-Patch Quilt (UFO)
8a) Embroidered Morehead Angels (NewFO) (machine embroidery not done)
DONE 2/22/17  9a) Embroidered BFC Shoes (NewFO) (machine embroidery not done)
10a) Sandi-Pat Challenge Quilt-Manipulated Quilt (NewFO)
DONE 5/17/17  11a) Scrappy Twirling 9-Patch (NewFO)
12a) Penguin (NewFO)
1b) Embroidered Redwork Angels (NewFO)
2b) Scrappy Birds in the Air (NewFO)
3b) Dizzy Geese in R/W/B (NewFO)
4b) Biscuit Quilt (NewFO)
5b) Scrappy "Corners 81" (NewFO)
6b) Embroidered Child's Parable Quilt (NewFO)
7b) Sunshine Pineapple (NewFO) 
8b) Selvage/Scrappy String Quilt (NewFO)
9b) Halloween  Black-Orange Star Quilt (NewFO)
10b) Color Spectrum Jigsaw Puzzle Quilt (NewFO)
11b) Courthouse Steps Quilt (NewFO)
12b) Basket Quilt (NewFO)
1c) Double Dresdan Quilt (NewFO)
2c) Waterwheel Variation Quilt (NewFO)
3c) 3-Size Blade Dresdan Plate Quilt (NewFO)
DONE 3/28/17  4c) Blue/Yellow/Green Modified Labyrinth (NewFO)
DONE 4/25/17  5c) Blue/Mauve Dbl Labyrinth
DONE 7/12/17  6c)Blue/Mauve Half Log Cabin
7c)
8c) 
9c)
10c)
11c)
12c)

C) Work on Machine Embroidery/Embroidery/Crochet/Decorative Painting UFO lists.  All of these lists are on paper; I will list completions as they are finished.  I will attempt to include more pictures of completions and stash on my blog.