What's Happening...

So, part of what I did last week was try to organize my Longarm UFOs, putting the various types (applique, machine embroidered, hand embroidered, Lone Star, etc.) together.  I think I'd better revise my quilting resolutions for this year! 

And this isn't all as I still have some hung up.  Most of these have the backing and binding made and "packaged" together although there are a few that are just the top.  I think instead of striving to use 200 yards of stash fabric, I will just try to complete each of the "monthly draw" quilts (Judy Laquidera's project) and spend time getting these on the longarm.  I'm already wondering where I can store them when quilted--they will take up more room then than they do now!

FABRIC STASH - WEEK 8, 2017 (2/26/17)

Used this Period: 16 yards 
Added this Period: 0 yards

Used year to Date:  26.67 yards
Added Year to Date:  3.5 yards

Net Stash Decrease for 2017:   23.17 yards

 

Done!  I finished the shoe quilt on the yellow background in a Triple Irish Chain setting.  The quilt measures 81x108.  I'm debating whether to make shams to match the quilt since I have 2 extra shoe blocks.  Came close on the yardage used in the Irish chain, even after buying the extra 1/2 yard of one of the fabrics.  I pulled the backing fabric from stash; it was a 10 yard piece purchased on sale several years ago for $2/yard at Hobby Lobby in our previous home town.  They used to reduce the price of fabrics after 6 months, which made for some excellent bargains on excellent quality fabrics.  I haven't found those bargains at Hobby Lobby for years.  Here is a picture of the quilt (almost all of it), and close-up pictures of three of my favorite shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now back to the funky teapots.

FABRIC STASH - WEEK 7, 2017 (2/19/17)

Used this Period: 0 yards 
Added this Period: .5 yards

Used year to Date:  10.67 yards
Added Year to Date:  3.5 yards

Net Stash Decrease for 2017:   7.17 yards

 

Well, nothing to report--but I'm getting closer.  I had the alternate blocks (Triple Irish Chain) finished for the February challenge, and all of the embroidered shoe blocks were done with the exception of adding the pieced sides on 7 blocks--and I ran out of one of the fabrics!  Quilting from stash!  I needed 5 more inches of the fabric that added light and beautiful color to the whole quilt.  It was a JoAnn's specialty fabric called Monet's Garden.  I had 49 inches when I started, and thought that would be enough--wrong!  It is a pretty distinctive fabric, and I couldn't visualize how I could substitute any other fabric.  I did a search on the internet, and was not successful.  The next day I did another search using the same search terms but in a different order--and found it!  I had to order a half yard--a bargain at any price--and it arrived on Saturday.  I got those 7 blocks finished and have started putting the rows together.  I'm so thankful for the person who sold their fabric on Ebay!  I should have something to report next week--yea!!

 

While waiting, I started on a blue/yellow funky teapot applique quilt (Nancy Barrett design).  I have made this quilt in lavender to purples on a black background (which I really like.)  I have a blue-yellow fabric with teapots that I will use for the backing--which was the reason for another teapot quilt.  At the same time, I will use the yellows & blues for another quilt on my bucket list.  Currently I have 1 teapot block done and one partially done (out of 20 blocks).  I'm continuing to crochet on an afghan I started which will deplete most of my yarn stockpile.  I've had the yarn for this afghan for years--finally will get it done though it is going slowly!  I also have a baby afghan started--had run out of the main yarn which was why I started on the second afghan--have the yarn now and will finish the baby afghan after I finish the other one.

 

DH and I went to the Senior Center Valentine's Day luncheon; the stuffed pork chops were good.  We were asked to participate in a "newlywed" game with 2 other couples--they separated the husbands and wives and we each answered questions about our spouses--then our spouses said what their response would be to those same questions.  DH and I tied with one of the other couples and then won the tie-breaker.  Do you remember where you got your first kiss from your spouse?  Or what you were wearing on your first date?  One of the husband's replied that his wife was "wearing clothes" on their first date (they had celebrated their 62nd anniversary!).   It was a fun time and we will enjoy the prize--a gift certificate to a local restaurant!

 

We have small amounts of snow predicted for the next week, but it hasn't amounted to much.  I talked to a friend last night, and she said they had 5 feet of snow on their roof and were helped by a couple of young men in getting it off.  We still have about 3.5 feet on our roof, but the warmer weather (high 30's) is making the snow level go down.  Of course, those temps are creating a lot of ice rinks in our little village, too!

FABRIC STASH - WEEK 6, 2017 (2/12/17)

Used this Period: 0 yards 
Added this Period: 0 yards

Used year to Date:  10.67 yards
Added Year to Date:  3 yards

Net Stash Decrease for 2017:   7.67 yards

 

Nothing added, nothing used that can be counted.  But I have been spending a lot of time in the quilting studio!  I finished embroidering all the shoe blocks for the February challenge--whew!  One of those shoes had almost 32,000 stitches.  I thought I would do a 4x5 setting, so I needed 20 designs and had 18 new designs that had not been incorporated into a quilt yet.  I found one single design that I had not used and followed the color suggestions and hated it.  It was a "sewing" shoe and has a tape measure ruffled around the edge--and the suggested color of the tape measure was "cognac."  Looking up that color on the internet shows this:

 

Tell me the last time you saw a sewing tape measure that color!!  Anyway I was not happy with their color choices, so I decided to use 2 designs that were used in previous quilts--designs I love.  Finally finished 20 designs to use and started thinking about how I wanted to put it together--and decided to do a Triple Irish Chain for alternating blocks--and that meant I only needed 18 blocks--sigh!!  I now have 2 extra blocks on my yellow background that I need to use for pillows or shams!  I have 4 of the TIC blocks made--will continue working on them this week.

It's been a busy week.  We went to lunch at the nearby Senior Center on Thursday and was met with a prize of chips and salsa--I won the Super Bowl prediction contest from the previous week!!  I could not stop laughing--DH and another "football knowledgeable" man had their prediction sheets done and were discussing all the ins and outs of the upcoming game--and I had not even started.  I picked Brady and the Patriots (nearly everyone else picked the Falcons!) and then had to ask the guys some questions to fill in a couple more blanks--and then did a guess on the final score.  Guess it's better to be lucky than knowledgeable!  (I cheer the Broncos not only when they make a touchdown, but on multiple replays of the same play!)

Our little town had their Winter Jubilee this weekend.  We drove down our one "main" street on Friday to look at the snow sculptures.  The town provides participating businesses with a "cube" of snow (use plywood sheets to form the cubes which are all the same size) and the businesses then make a sculpture and use spray paint to color it.  Tack & Treasure won last year by sculpting a horse head on each side of the cube; this year they made a complete horse standing in a pool of water with a fish jumping out of the water.  The fitness center made a barbell with hands on the "pipe" between the bells--it was good.  I really liked the hotdog in a bun with a "can" of Pepsi.  The town did a "bonfire" with a marshmallow dangling over it.  The tackle store had a shark jumping out of water with a frogman climbing out of its jaw!  There were so many good sculptures--it will be interesting to see which one won the prize.  

Temperatures have climbed above freezing this week and the snow turned to rain.  Our road up the mountain was an ice chute, and all the parking lots were ice rinks.  The snow became very unstable, and the Canyon was closed for a couple of days because of numerous avalanches.  One experienced snowmobiler was caught in an avalanche and died--just really unstable snow all over.  The snow level has really gone down with the rain and warmer temps.

And that's what is happening in my little studio and on No-Name Mountain!

FABRIC STASH - WEEK 5, 2017 (2/5/17)

Used this Period: 5 yards 
Added this Period: 0 yards

Used year to Date:  10.67 yards
Added Year to Date:  3 yards

Net Stash Decrease for 2017:   7.67 yards

 

I finished the backing for the January UFO (#3) which used 5  yards.  That quilt is pictured here:

Now I am doing the embroidery for the February UFO (#9)--and it is taking a long time!  I have 6 blocks embroidered--only 12-14 to go!  I haven't decided how to set these blocks together yet; I started on the embroidery because I knew it would take a lot of time. This will be my 4th shoe quilt.  One of the next 6 designs has over 31,000 stitches--wow!

Still snowing here, mixed with rain when the temps get over freezing.  There were so many pools of water on the highway through the Canyon last night, it was almost like boating!  There are quite a few avalanches as the snow is unstable.  One buried a boom truck but it was uncovered in a couple of hours.  That would have been scarey!  

FABRIC STASH - January UFO/NewFO

Used this Period: 5.67 yards 
Added this Period: 3 yards

Used year to Date:  5.67 yards
Added Year to Date:  3 yards

Net Stash Decrease for 2017:   2.67 yards

 

It's done!!!  January's UFO/NewFO is done--the top and binding are made, but I still need to make a backing.  Not my favorite quilt but it's OK.  The quilt measures 63x77.