Sunday Stash - January 19, 2020

I finished a little tablerunner this weekend.

8.5 x 16.5 (if squared off), so 0.2 yards out of the stash.

Fabric in:     0 yards
Fabric out this week:   0.20 yards
Fabric out total:  0.85 yards
Spending:   $0.00

Linking to Sunday Stash at Quilt Paint Create.

Sunday Stash - January 12, 2020

I didn't manage to get this posted yesterday, but there were some finishes :)

I got my PQ Challenge #1 done, and finished binding a small UFO.

A little mug rug, 8 x 11. I was going to gift it, but there's a little hole right at the top of one of the borders. 0.14 yards busted for the mug rug, and 0.51 yards for Hitchhiker..

Fabric in:     0 yards
Fabric out:   0.65 yards
Spending:   $0.00

Project Quilting- Challenge 1

The first Project Quilting Challenge is "Notably Numeric."

I couldn't think of an idea for a while- and then I remembered that the answer to everything is 42.

So, then- my tribute to "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy." Total size is 15.5 x 20.5 inches. And there are 42 squares.

"Don't Panic" is large, and I hope it's friendly.

I even managed to find a dolphin to include.

The bonus of small dogears? No urge to save them!

Sunday Stash - January 5, 2020

A fresh slate for the new year.

Fabric in:     0 yards
Fabric out:   0 yards
Spending:   $0.00

I'm binding a mug rug, so should have some usage next week.

Linking to Sunday Stash at Quilt Paint Create.

January 2020 OMG

I'm linking up my One Monthly Goal to Elm Street Quilts.

My goal for January is to get this quilted. Stretch goal is bound and finished, but I'll stick to quilted for accountability. The quilting plan is circles.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge- and catch-up

February's color is yellow:

And it doesn't appear that I posed January's red:

Linking to Rainbow Scrap Challenge :)

January Block Report

It was a good month - 37 blocks total, and I met my goal of sewing some every day (except for that one day I went to the ER!).

A variety of blocks as well- happy little crumb blocks, that are starting to go together; some 25-patches that'll be stuffies like Hope the Turtle; and hand-pieced blocks. I need to get going on my guild challenges, so that'll be a few blocks more.

No photos, because the memory on this computer is so full I don't get photos displayed!!

Linking to Prairie Moon Quilts for the block report.

OMG for February

I missed January at Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal February Link-up, but have high hopes for this month!!

I need to finish this little string quilt, for a sweet baby girl- my grand-niece.

I have this incredibly cute fox fleece to back it with. Quilting will be easy-peasy, I just need to clean off the dining room table to baste it (or take it to work with me to baste it there).

Hand-Pieced Quilt Along - Block 2

Block 2 is half-square triangles, again in pink and teal:

The QAL is co-sponsored by Elm Creek Quilts and Simple. Handmade. Everyday. 

Sunday Stash January 27, 2019Pat

Linking to quiltpaintcreate for the Sunday stash report.

I don't think I lasted very long last year at this; we'll see how it goes this year! I'm not sure if starting this late is a good omen or a predictor of things to come.

I actually have a few finishes so far this year. I've re-joined the 52 week sewing challenge, so that gets something done every week - this week it was the phone rest I posted earlier. And Project Quilting will get a few things done - two small quilts so far.

Finishes so far this year:
Christmas trees mini-quilt - .15 yards

 Hope the turtle - .22 yards

Catbus - .26 yards

Guitar pick bag - .05 yards

Patriotic heart- .09 yards

Phone rest - .06 yards

Grand total:  .83 yards

And I haven't *bought* any craft supplies, but I won two fat quarters at the January guild meeting, and brought home a trash bag full of really nice yarn from a knitting buddy today.

Used last week:                        0.83 yards
Used year to date:                    0.83 yards
Added last week:                      0.50 yards
Added year to date:                  0.50 yards
Net used year to date:               0.33 yards

Sewing challenge

For the second year, I'm following the 52 week sewing challenge on Facebook. Last year was a fairly spectacular fail- but I'm on the 3rd week and keeping up :)

This week's challenge was:  Sew Something Red!

I made a phone stand/pincushion.

I started with this really cool stick figure fabric that I've been hoarding for a while.

I really wanted to be sure you could see these kitties.

I cobbled this together from a lot of different phone/tablet stand tutorials. I started with a rectangle 9.5" x 10", folded in half to 9.5" x 5". Do NOT sew as below- or you won't get a pyramid. Sew that bottom seam, leaving a space for filling, and the seam on the right, also leaving a space for filling later.

My space for the bottom channel is smaller, maybe half an inch. Big enough to get my funnel into. The one for the other side is a little bigger, easier to stuff fiberfill into. Again, ignore that seam on the left that's WRONG. 

 

What you want to do instead, is to leave that entire top half open, then refold it so that your side seam is in the middle of your closed tube.

When you turn it right side out, you get a little pyramid on the end.

Now you create the bottom support and channel. I drew a pencil line 3 inches up from the bottom and top-stitched along that line, then two more lines a quarter-inch farther towards the bottom - so a 2.5 inch total width for the channel.

Now, time to fill! Most of the tutorials suggest rice, but since I have access to crushed walnut shells, that's what I use. 

I did this inside a tub to contain any spills. I stuffed a little fiberfill into the end first.

 Pour the walnut shells in- they don't want to go all the way in, so I use a chopstick to push them in.

I also finished with a little soft stuffing- fiberfill was just too hard to get into the smaller opening, so I started using scraps of batting, which worked much better. 

Sew that closed, and you have your sturdy base/handy pincushion.

I stuffed the bigger top part with mostly fiberfill, but also added some walnut shells to give it a little more weight, and it's done.

Red, White, and Blue - Project Quilting Challenge 2

This week's challenge theme from Project Quilting is "Red, White, and Blue."  I took the opportunity to make another in my collection of quilted,  beaded hearts.

Hand-Pieced Quilt Along

I've started the hand-pieced quiltalong, co-sponsored by Elm Creek Quilts and Simple. Handmade. Everyday.  

I'm using a combination of turquoise/teal and pink, with my favorite Kona PFD as background. My first block is done!

My seams are a little too big, but  I can adjust for future blocks.

Project Quilting - Season 10, Challenge 1 - Hope Springs Eternal

Well, this challenge went through some changes.

I had a spiffy little art quilt drawn up.

Then my cousin posted a photo of a little lovey she'd made, and I was...challenged!  Although she wound up sharing a link, I changed the animal completely and realized it fit the challenge.

This little girl TOTALLY symbolizes Hope for me, in so many ways.

The back is a 25-patch, quilting in a spiral. Tummy and underside of head are fleece. Head is lightly stuffed; flippers and tail are not quilted or stuffed.

DOH. Edited to add the link to the challenge at Persimon Dreams. Go vote for your favorite!

I Like Thursdays

Oof- first post since APRIL. Ye gods.
Linking to Not Afraid of Color, who is a much better blogger than I am :)

I like looking at old photos - this one is from summer 2013. This kid is taller than I am now.

And that'll be it for photos- I need to go through and clean up what's on the computer so I can install updates!

Hopefully- will blog more later. But it's a start, y'all.

OMG for April DONE

Linking up to Elm Creek Quilts!

April's goal was modest- to get a crumb block quilt sandwiched and basted.

I did that AND got it DONE done.

My youngest is now the happy owner of a requested summer quilt :)

I like Thursdays- 2018 Week #17

Linking up to LeeAnna at  Not Afraid of Color. 

I like finished objects. This is a summer quilt for my youngest, using crumb blocks.

I like hanging with my kids. I'll get to hang with the oldest over the weekend :) She's in the process of buying a car, and I'm heading down to lend moral support. I'll get to see my brother and sister-in-law as well. I also like the HEAT and will enjoy a lot of that in Florida :)

I like Thursdays - 2018, week #16

Linking up to LeeAnna at  Not Afraid of Color. 

Oops, almost missed AGAIN.

Last week I was out of town, but there'd be no excuse this week!I

I was at a business meeting...and so the whole post is pretty much about how much I miss the South. I miss being hot and sweaty and sticky eleven-and-a-half months of the year. I miss it being SO GREEN all the time. I miss being able to eat seafood that was swimming in the Gulf yesterday, and not having to worry that it's been tainted with Old Bay. I miss the food in general. I miss the music.

I'm not completely naive; there will be some things I'll miss about Maryland- I doubt the variety of ethnic food we have here will be available, but it's a trade-off I'm willing to make. Nine more years, if the stock market recovers, and I'm retired and moving.

Anyway.

I like New Orleans. It was a treat when we lived in Mobile to head over for a day trip, and I haven't been back since we moved to Maryland nearly enough.

I like fried shrimp.
But only wild gulf shrimp. Farmed shrimp is disgusting. I had a shrimp po-boy for lunch one day, and shrimp and mac & cheese for dinner one night. The French Quarter Festival was going on the same time as my meeting.

I like snowballs. And thanks to a friend in the area, I was "in the know" about the Mango Freeze. It was SO GOOD.

I like zydeco.  There was a lot of different kind of music at FQF, but I sought out the zydeco. (I did actually attend all the meeting sessions- but I could walk to the French Quarter for lunch and dinner.)

Sean Ardoin:

Zachary Richard:

I like seeing people dancing in the street:

I like festivals. They seem to be more common down South, and are more likely to be free

I like walking along the river. And only in New Orleans are you likely to see Porta-Potties heading upriver in a john-boat.

I like beignets. A box of beignet mix came home with me- I wound up having to go through security twice at the airport, and both times the box of mix got taken out and wanded

And Maryland isn't all bad- things are blooming here now, but we had frost warnings last night!!! Crazy weather.