UFO #2 (May) - DONE

Oh, how I love this quilt!  It has been on my bucket list for a long time, but I may have created a monster as I want to do some more Log Cabin quilts.  I looked at many quilt galleries and decided to do a center "star" layout--this was after I had made a few blocks.  I decided to use more dark blues in the 4 center blocks--then decided I didn't like them.  I finally pieced them in the backing; I don't usually make pieced backings but this quilt "grew like the house Jack built," and I was cutting it close on having enough backing fabric.  (I should have taken a picture of the backing fabric because it looks like a watercolor picture in blues.)  Anyway, using those four blocks means I don't have leftover blocks, and that is good! 

The quilt is 90x90--too large to get the top in the picture.  It sort of looks like a giant X in the picture, but I don't really see the X when I look at it on a bed.  I will be quilting with feathers in the blues, and will use the quilting to make the star and corner pieces stand out.  Anyway, the quilt now resides in the Longarm UFO stack, with the backing and binding, just waiting for the longarm quilter (ME!).

In the meantime, I quilted my first T-shirt quilt for a friend--Carol and her daughter did an excellent job in preparation and piecing, so it was easy to quilt.  It was presented to the granddaughter at her graduation from high school yesterday.  Unfortunately, it added another "to do" on my list; I still have my son's T-shirts and think I will surprise him with a quilt--which would be better than keeping them stored in a box!

I love the blue/yellow combination--and think my next log cabin will have to be blue/yellow or blue/yellow/green blocks.  I do have a Christmas Baltimore Album quilt (Longarm UFO stack!) in blues and greens that I really love.

STASH REPORT - Week 22, 2012

Used this Week: 0 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards

Used year to Date: 112 1/2 yards
Added Year to Date: 52 2/3 yards 

Net Stash Decrease for 2012:  59 3/4 yards
Oh, what a sad day on the mountain--nothing new to report!  I don't even know for sure where the week went, but I think it was occupied with gardening, household chores (and, no, my house isn't any cleaner unfortunately), and other mundane things--but no sewing.  

STASH REPORT - Week 21, 2012

Used this Week: 9 3/4 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards

Used year to Date: 112 1/2 yards
Added Year to Date: 52 2/3 yards 

Net Stash Decrease for 2012:  59 3/4 yards
This "high math" is tough!  I've decided to round to the nearest quarter yard instead of getting into thirds and twelfths.  It just gets too complicated.  Anyway, it was a good week in the sewing studio--one backing and binding made my numbers look good.  I finished my May UFO (pieced top) yesterday and shifted it to the longarm UFO stack--I'm happy with it and will post it at the end of the month--blue/yellow log cabin pattern.  It's been on my bucket list for a looooooong time!  I have a T-shirt quilt to put on the longarm now; it is a grandmother/mother gift for a high school graduate.  After it is quilted, I will piece a Carpenter's Wheel patriotic quilt (hopefully before the end of May) so I can participate in Judy's feathers instruction. 

STASH REPORT - Week 20, 2012

Used this Week: 7 1/4 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards

Used year to Date: 102 3/4 yards
Added Year to Date: 52 2/3 yards 

Net Stash Decrease for 2012:  50 1/4 yards

Happy Mother's Day to all those mothers out there!  The homily at Mass last night brought tears to many of our eyes--and laughter to our hearts.  Each of the mothers/children there could relate to so many of the things the deacon enumerated--from cleaning up barf to standing on the sidelines of a sporting event (rather than staying in the warmth of the car) to hurting for our children's hurts and being proud and thankful for their triumphs.

It's a good thing I sewed the first part of the week as I was at HMQS (quilt show in Salt Lake City, Utah) the latter half of the week (wonderful time!).  I'm working on my May UFO which is a log cabin in blues and yellows (see Carla Barrett's http://www.flickr.com/photos/featheredfibers/page11/).  This has been on my bucket list for a long, long time!  I have 4 blocks sewn together--and won't use them as I don't like them.  I decided I would make my log cabin in a star design and was going to use dark/medium blues for the 4 center blocks of the center star--but, as I said, I don't like the dark blue.  So I will make 4 more in which I use all medium blues for the center of the center star.  Oh, well, it was an experiment that didn't turn out like I wanted!

I gifted 3.5 yards to my quilting buddy, Sandi.  These were leftover "blades" and leftover fabric from my Christmas Dresden plate quilt (UFO #10 for April).  I don't want to make any more Christmas Dresden plates/fan quilts--so I sent the leftovers to Sandi as she wants to try out her ruler--and likes to shop for Christmas fabrics!  I still have some Christmas fabrics left but it is larger cuts and I will keep it for future projects--just not Dresden plate/fan quilts!

My husband gave me several "friendship boxes" (each containing a fishing lure/item) for Mother's Day--and each made of a different wood.  I love them!!  And want you to see them, too.  He also got me several pair of SmartWool socks--said it wasn't a very romantic gift and I told him it was a wonderful gift.  There's nothing quite like the feel of a new pair of SmartWool socks--or any new pair of socks!!

See the turquoise in the walnut "box?"  Can you identify the other types of wood?  What a lovely gift!

HMQS classes were good--now I need to go downstairs and practice, practice, practice!  That may affect the completion of the May UFO--but what fun!  I love feathers and have lots of new ideas to try.  If any of you are longarm quilters, I highly recommend Claudia Pfeil's classes--and Jamie Wallen's classes/CDs--what wonderful feathers they both make!  Have a great Mother's Day and a wonderful week!

Advent Calendar panels...

Here are the 2 panels I purchased:

Christmas Memories II (Paintbrush Studio 120-319)

704 Angel Advent Calendar (Hensley Studio)

STASH REPORT - Week 19, 2012

Used this Week: 6 1/2 yards
Added this Week: 2 yards

Used year to Date: 95 1/2 yards
Added Year to Date: 52 2/3 yards 

Net Stash Decrease for 2012:  42 1/2 yards
One quilt back and a start (barely!) on May's UFO--thank goodness for the quilt back!  I stopped at Stitch 'n Time yesterday afternoon as I am searching for a Moda Marble for another project.  Nope, didn't find the marble fabric (I find one of the disadvantages of quilting from stash is that often there's just not quite enough of a particular fabric for the project I want to do!), but I did find 2 Advent calendar panels that I just "had to have!"  I seriously argued with myself (I already have too many projects!), but the thought of sending 2 completed Advent calendars to the granddaughters in Hawaii next Christmas won the battle!  I will post pictures of the panels later today.

In the meantime, we have at least 1 hummingbird visiting our feeders, I have seedlings started, and I will freeze dry some chives today and pick a few stalks of rhubarb.  I can't believe how early our season is this year--definitely a change from past years! 

Hope everyone will visit Judy's site to see those stashes being reduced!