Are you Purging?

If you haven't heard yet, you need to head over to Stitched In Color.  Rachel has done a beautiful thing.  You see, realizing that we all have unloved fabrics cluttering up our sewing spaces she has started a purge-a-long to put those unloved fabrics to use, thereby giving us all permission to start new projects.  I don't know about you, but I definitely need a good enabler in my life  ;)

Here are my purge projects, in no particular order:

1.  these formerly abandoned HSTs are nearly a quilt top now {just need borders}



2.  this is a giant star that I made with some seriously unloved fabrics that were given to me.



3.  these unloveds are going to be a donation quilt - I have a few more squares to cut before I start sewing.  but I'm not telling what I'm making just yet :)



4. A charm pack of Amy Butler Dots has been hanging around in my stash for too long unused.  I'm not sure what this project is destined for yet, but the top is nearly done.  More details to follow :)  {yes, I'm being secretive today}



5.  I keep the trimmings from quilt backs after quilting.  this pile has been hanging around waiting for me to separate the fabric from the batting for awhile.  because the batting strips were so skinny, I tossed them.  I have more small bits of batting than I can reasonably expect to use anytime soon.  {Those will need to be sorted out later}

before...


after...


that's it for me for now.  what about you, are you purging?

I messed up big

ok, so I was working on my cracker quilt.  I have eleventy-billion five inch squares that need to be cut on the diagonal so the resulting triangles can be sewn to the rectangle units I've already pieced.  

Everything was going fine, until my rotary cutter got a mind of it's own and veered off away from the ruler.

I had precisely enough blue plaid five inch squares to make my quilt.  The fabric is an OOP '30s print from Connecting Threads.  

The panic hit a split second before the little voice in my head you're always saying it's ok to substitute something from your stash.  no need to madly search out a source of a fabric match.  introducing another fabric to the quilt just adds interest.

so I went and had a look through my stash.  and found a half yard of the blue plaid I forgot I had.

tomorrow I will cut a five inch square of fabric from my stash.  no panicked searching for more of an OOP fabric.  and all is right in my little quilty world again  :)

some improve curves

I'm working on a project from the second week of Curves Class involving improv curves.  The top is done, and I just need to baste, FMQ, and bind.

I used a sharm pack of Salt Air by Moda, and I love how the improv curves mimic ocean waves and extend the theme of the fabric! :)



I pulled these AMH Innocent Crush fabrics out of my stash for the Triple Zip Along!  Yesterday I cut them up, and hopefully today I will sew it all together!

Hopefully I will be able to get a bit of sewing time this week to turn these WIPs into finishes!

What sewing did you do this weekend?
i'm linking up to Design Wall Monday over at Patchwork Times!

So Maybe I Started Something New....

Have you come up for air from the Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales yet?  I might have gone a little crazy :)

In my defense, most of what I bought is for the kids' crafting.  And the sales were so goooood, how could I resist a little fabric too? hehehe

I don't have any pictures of my booty purchases to share yet because the fabric is winging its' way through the mail as we speak, and the craft supplies are for something I will share in a couple of days.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to leave you hanging with no pretty fabric goodness at all ;)

Best thing about my trimmings bowl {aside from my Mom bought it for me}: when I'm done cutting for the day, an overflowing bowl reminds me how much progress I've made, even though at this stage of the game it doesn't feel like much has been done.

This is what my Madrona Road FQs look like now :)  Big squares are 5", littles are 2.5"
It got a little crazy towards the end of sewing for the craft fairs, frantically trying to get enough inventory made while still serving up three square meals a day and all that.  I promised myself that if I stuck with it, I would spend Black Friday cutting up my Madrona Road FQs.  I spent more time cleaning {and shopping!} than I had planned, so it actually took me 5 days, but that is a whole 80" square quilt cut up and stacked in the palm of my hand!

This is the conversation I had with my 7 year old while I was cutting the last of the FQs today {keep in mind he is constantly moving around my cutting table and doing his own 'sewing' while talking}:

Mr 7: Am I old enough to use a rotary cutter? {picks up his sewing, he needs me to thread the needle}
Me: no
Mr. 7: why do you use a rotary cutter instead of scissors?  {hands me needle to be rethreaded}
Me: {rethreading needle before going back to cutting} because it's faster
Mr. 7: {now sitting on a still-folded & wobbly step stool in the narrow space between my cutting table and the large window, still sewing}  you're going to cut your finger off
Me: no I'm not {while thinking 'yes I am'} {repeat needle threading}
Mr 7: {looks down at the carpet} Oops, I dropped the needle
Me: please just get out of there!

No wonder it takes me so long to cut fabric :)
How about you - did you score any great fabric deals?
When Wednesday morning rolls around, I'll be linking up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced!

WIP Wednesday

More fabric squares are being turned into more coasters in preparation for the two craft fairs I am attending this weekend.  I'm counting on a lot of people needing a place to put their drinks this Christmas season ;)

You may not be able to tell from the photo, but each of the fabrics I'm using has either gold etching or glitter - nothing says 'holidays' like some bling, right?

I am taking part in a 2.5" square swap through The Curious Quilter {this is my third round}  This time, I'm swapping with nine fabulous ladies.  I only put five stacks in the photo, but there are nine little stacks of 100 different fabrics each that will be mailed out tomorrow morning.   I made a stack of 100 to keep for my PSQ at the same time, which brings the total to 1,000 2.5" squares.

Next step, sewing 1,625 2.5" squares together.  By Christmas. {!}

Ok, I may need to rethink that deadline...
What have you been sewing lately?
I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

this, that, & the other thing

So far this week, an overflowing bowl of trimmings is all I have to show for my puttering.

But did you see that selvedge?  I cut into my jealously hoarded Meadowsweet yardage!!! {finally}

Love cutting into my favorite fabrics, it makes me happy :)

These are going to be a tote bag.  I've had the pattern for a year at least.  The main reason I've put off making it for so long is because I'm totally confused by interfacings & stabilizers & all the mysterious white stuff that all looks the same on the bolt to me but apparently do different wonderful things inside bags & purses which I don't understand & I can never find the one the pattern in my hand is calling for & what the heck does it do anyway so how do I know if I can substitute any of these fine looking white things or if I'll ruin my beautiful fabric if I don't use the right stuff and did I mention what the heck is the difference between interfacing & stabilizer anyway and why do some patterns call for both?!? 

Whew. 

Am I over thinking this a bit? 

Yeah, I thought so, too. 

So I decided to just jump in & skip the mysterious white stuff.  What's the worst that can happen?  {don't answer that.  I prefer blissful ignorance.}  I know my Mom has all the answers to my interfacing/stabilizer dilemma.  One of these days I need to bring her to Joanns so she can explain the mysteries of those white bolts to me.

Anywho, even after my breakthrough interfacing decision I've been dragging my feet, hesitant to start sewing.  The thread issue was bothering me, and it took a couple days to come up with a solution I can live with.

You see, there will be some topstitching on each of the five different fabrics I will be using.  I don't have any coordinating colors, and I'd have to buy a different color for each fabric.  Very little of each would be used, with the remainder destined to sit around unused for who knows how long.

I have plenty of white thread, but I really felt it would show up too bright/starkly, since there isn't any white in the fabric.  It is more of a cream.  {does that make sense?}

I don't have cream or off-white thread.  I don't have the time to drive an hour both ways to Joanns for decent thread.  But I couldn't bring myself to use the white.  I really think it would ruin the bag.

Today I rummaged through my thread collection & found a tan thread.  On the spool, it doesn't look like a good candidate, but a single thread seemed to almost disappear when I laid it across the fabrics. 

Finally, a thread I can live with!   

Now I can start sewing :)

(are you beginning to see why it takes me so long to work through some of my projects? hehehe)

Well, I had 'this' 'that' & 'the other thing' I wanted to post about, but this is already a bit wordy and I've only worked my way through 'this', so I think 'that' & 'the other thing' will have to wait for another post :)

Do you have some favorite fabrics you have been hoarding?  What are they?

Somewhere, over the Rainbow...

Thursday morning a friend called and invited me & my boys to go on a picnic by the ocean on Monday {of course I said yes!}.  Thursday evening I thought 'wait, I don't have a picnic blanket!'  so I pulled out a Wizard of Oz kit my Aunt gave me and started cutting, very happy to think I would have a picnic blanket by Monday.

Fussy cutting the panel didn't go to well, but other than that the piecing was easy enough.  Then Saturday, just as I was sewing on the last border strip, I remembered I was out of batting.  {sigh}

At least the top and backing is ready to go when I get the batting.

the top folded on top of the backing fabric:

main border:

this is the best pic I have of the top:

My boys were nice enough to put aside their drawing to hold this up for me, and they were so proud of themselves for helping, I didn't have the heart to tell them it came out awful & ask them for a do-over.  I'll get a better pic after it is quilted.  :)

PS - if you haven't already, go check out the Stale Fabric Swap. there's lots of fabric fun to be had :)

Drunkard's Path QAL

I know I'm a bit behind schedule, but I have started working on my Drunkard's Path QAL.  It took me a long time to decide what fabric to use.  I was going to purchase new fabric, since the QAL directions start with charm squares and I don't have any in my stash,  but in the end I decided to use the Happy Mochi Yum Yum that I had on hand.

My Happy Mochi had been set aside to make a starburst quilt, but I needed more of the collection to make that pattern work.  So by my reasoning, by not buying more fabric for the starburst quilt and not buying new fabric for the DP QAL, I saved quite a bit of money which I can spend on a different quilt, hahaha :)

I'm using Kona Coal with my Happy Mochi Yum Yum.   Does anyone else think that name has the perfect rhythm for a conga dance?  Go on, try it {Hap-py Mo-chi Yum-Yum} :->

I've got my charm squares cut, and most of those cut with the template.  With three weeks to go, I'm sure I can catch up.  After all, there is a giveaway at the end :)

I'm linking up to WIP Wednesday - hop on over to see what everyone else is doing.  It is Lee's WIP Anniversary, I really don't think you want to miss it {hint hint}
Happy Wednesday Everyone!

what I've been up to...

Lately, there hasn't been alot of sewing happening here.  I just can't seem to find my mojo.  Instead, I've been enjoying my cleaning.

Yes, I really did just say that.

Although, it would be more accurate to say I'm enjoying decluttering - which is my way of saying ditching everything in the house that isn't nailed down or absolutely essential to daily life  :) 

Every now and then, the amount of stuff in my house, and the chaos it causes, finally drives me bananas and I set out to purge as much as I can.  My kids are starting to get nervous whenever I walk into their bedrooms :)

Even my stash  has been bothering me lately - or more precisely, the amount of space it takes up.  And since I've been a bit aimless in the sewing department lately, I grabbed two boxes, a stack of scraps and random stash, and my roatery cutter and started cutting.  2.5 inch squares into one box, 5 inch squares into the other. 

After a couple days of cutting, I decided to make two 'tops' out of these bits and pieces - a postagestamp from the 2.5" squares and a disappearing ninepatch from the 5".  These two 'tops' are going to be the front and back of the same quilt, queen size.  Now this project ought to move some stash on out :)

This will be a long-term project, 'cause by the fifth day I had really cut enough 2.5 & 5 inch squares for awhile and put the boxes on a shelf  :)    But after a few days of cutting fabric even when I didn't much feel like it, I think I've found my motivation to tackle that WIP list agian {yay!}

PS - Sorry for the lack of pictures, but I left my camera in my Dad's car the other day {and this is one item definately necesary for daily life}   but you probably don't need to see a box of squares, anyway {even though it really is a pretty box}  :)