End of the year- 2011- Stash Report

My quilting has almost come to a halt getting ready for Christmas.  This afghan (in progress above) took almost a month of my time.  A friend commissioned me to make it (meaning I got paid!) and it took me over a month.  The good news is the recipient (another friend) absolutely loved it. 

The good news is that I used 295.5 yards of fabric this year.  The bad news is that I bought 143.25 yards.  But, my mantra this year was not to buy fabric that didn't have an immediate purpose.  I stook to that- almost!  So some that was bought was put into quilts right away.  I ended up the year using 155 yards from my stash- so not bad. 

I made 22 quilts this year.  Next year I hope to step up the level of my skill and make less- 12 or so (not counting the baby quilts for gifts of friends new grandbabies).  And I hope to work on my machine quilting skills.  I participated in Judy L's 2011 UFO Challenge and I completed 11 UFO's.  December's is still staring at me because of the above afghan.  It was great to get those done!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Used this Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date: 295.5yards
Added this Week: 7.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 143.25 yards
Net Used for 2011: 155.25 yards

November UFO

My November UFO was my Mardi Gras Quilt.  I machine appliqued the masks and feathers.  The longarmer did a great job with a custom pattern of beads, jester hats, crowns, etc.



It's ready to go for Mardi Gras 2012!

Stash Report- October 30, 2011

Last Sunday the Stitchy Fingers quilting guild had the pleasure of showing all 13 of our Heartstring quilts at church.  The minister said a beautiful prayer and blessed the quilts.  Now they are off to the Quilts of Vallor project to go to worthy soldiers.  It was a very special and moving experience for all of us.
Nothing used this week as I am working on a large entirely paper-pieced quilt.  This will take over a month to complete.  Hopefully I will have it ready for our quilt show in April.

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used Year to Date: 277.25 yards
Added this Week: 1.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 107 yards
Net Used for 2011: 170.25 yards

Design Wall Monday

This summer I made Flavin Glover's A Day at the Beach.  It is a horizontal pictoral of a beach scene.  It is being longarmed now.  Don't have it back yet.  I love the beach, so this is one of my favorite quilts ever.  This one is mine to keep. 

 Last month one of my best friend's daughter bought a house in Destin, FL.  She loves the beach and it was her dream to work and live there.  She is a lovely, responsible girl, in her 20s.  I've watched her grow up through the years.  This is her housewarming gift.  A Day at the Beach which I modified for a throw.  While the one above is big- over 90 X 70, this one is 54 X 72.  It was a great size for me to machine quilt on my domestic machine.  I loved machine quilting this one.  I did wavy lines in the clouds, starburst lines in the sun and beach unbrellas, stitch in the ditch in the sailboats, swirls in the water and just a loopy pattern in the sand.  Hope she likes it!





Stash Report- October 2, 2011

Yesterday I went to a class on making this Grids & Grommets purse.  I love classes where you go home with a finished project!  Of course I had to make mine wth my favorite fabric- Kaffe Fassett's reds.  There were some beautiful purses made- some in muted batiks, Christmas fabrics, animal prints and more. A couple of ladies even used cheater fabric.  Several used a jelly roll.  Love this purse because you can make it in a day.  Plus, it was a lovely day with friends.  This purse took a total of 2.25 yards.  Tomorrow I'll show you what took the other 9 yards!

Used this Week: 11.25 yards
Used Year to Date: 277.25 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 104.5 yards
Net Used for 2011: 172.75 yards

September UFO

This is my September UFO for Judy L's 2011 UFO Challenge.  I took this class in 2009.  It is called Bali Sea Star in the book Scrap-Basket Surprises by Kim Brackett.  It is made using batik jelly rolls.  In the class I made 2 blocks, came home and made 2 more.  Then there it sat for 2 years.  Thank you July L for doing the 2011 UFO challenge or I don't think I ever would have finished this one!



Stash Report- September 18, 2011

Baby Hearts!  That's what I've been working on the past few weeks.  I made 2- one for a baby boy to be born tomorrow and the one above for a baby girl due in October.  This is my "go to" pattern for baby quilts.  It's an easy pattern and a size that's manageable to quilt on my home machine.  The mothers of the recipients loved them!  I also finished my September UFO for Judy L's 2011 UFO Challenge.  I'll show that on a later post.

Used this Week: 19.5 yards
Used Year to Date: 266 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 104.5 yards
Net Used for 2011: 161.5 yards

Stash Report- August 28, 2011

Last weekend I got together with my quilt guild and made Heartstring Quilts of Vallor.  We made 6 that day and by the time we send them off in about a month we will have 10 to send.  We distributed the common center piece (red or blue) a few months prior and asked everyone to come that day with their string blocks pieced.  The scrappy look in these quilts works very nicely. 

Used this Week: 10.25 yards
Used Year to Date: 256.75 yards
Added this Week: 8.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 104.5 yards
Net Used for 2011: 152.25 yards

August UFO

A Day At The Beach

This is my August UFO on my list.  Finished piecing the top.  It is a pattern by Flavin Glover using courthouse step log cabin blocks.  I started on this one in July having cut out the strips for the blocks last year.  They sky alone was 58 blocks!  I thought I'd never finish making them.  Not to a longarmer.  I just love this quilt and had to make it.  This one is a keeper- mine.

Sorry for the distorted quilt.  It's hard to take a picture of a large quilt and this one is 90 X 70.  



Stash Report- August 7, 2011

I was doing so good- until my local quilt shop got in this new Kaffe Fassett fabric.  Just had to have some!  Also- one of my quilt guilds is doing a Big Brother contest.  I was the first voted out the house, so I won the fat quarters.  Add that to the stash!  But the good news is that since my last stash report I've finished 2 quilts, so I'm still in the positive.  In fact, I've crossed a milestone- busted 150 yards so far this year even with my purchases.  My goal is 200 yards for the year. 

Used this Week: 22.25 yards
Used Year to Date: 246.5 yards
Added this Week: 6.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 96.25 yards
Net Used for 2011: 150.25 yards

My last week of summer, so hope to get some sewing in this week.  Then return to work for a new school year. 

July UFO

July's UFO is my Halloween lap quilt. After seeing my Halloween quilt on my bed last October I decided I wanted one for my couch this year. After buying Halloween fabric on sale last year, I pieced it this month. Now it's off to the longarmer hoping she'll use that fantastic quilting pattern she used on the Halloween bed quilt.

Stash Report- July 23, 2011

This is my stash as of January 2, 2011

And this is my stash as of July 23, 2011.

See a difference?  I see a little difference.  For one thing, I can now fit it all on that one shelf.  According to my numbers, I have used 134.25 yards from my stash.  To date I have made 18 quilts this year including finishing 7 UFOs.  On my list of quilts to make in 2011 I have 10 left to make. 





Used this Week: 13 yards
Used Year to Date: 224.25 yards
Added this Week: 2  yards
Added Year to Date: 90 yards
Net Used for 2011: 134.25 yards

Yesterday was our Gulf States Quilting Association meeting in Lafayette, La.  After the meeting we shopped at 2 local quilt shops.  Lots of beautiful fabric.  However, I stuck to my 2011 mantra and only bought fabric for which I had a purpose.  I bought 2 yards for an upcoming project. 

Have a great week quilting!

Stash Report- July 17, 2011

It was a good week for quilting!  This week I finished my June UFO.  Yes, I know I am a few weeks behind, but here it is.  My red and white bed quilt.  Top is finished, now to be longarmed.  I also finished a Halloween lap quilt top which is my July UFO.

Yes, it is very yellow.  But since it is Halloween let's just say it will be shocking on my couch!  I also have a Christmas lap quilt I'm working on and should finish by tomorrow.  That one is for donation.

Used this Week: 32.25 yards
Used year to Date: 211.25 yards
Added this Week: 0  yards
Added Year to Date: 88 yards
Net Used for 2011:123.25 yards

Yeah!  I am over 100 yards net used for the year.  And I can't believe how little it looks like I've used in my stash.  What's up with that?  Is it multiplying overnight?  Sticking by my quilting mantra this year- only buying fabric that has an immediate purpose (unless I hit a great sale, of course).  

Stash Report- July 10, 2011

I have been out of town for 6 weeks and in that time I did not touch a sewing maching.  Shocking, I know.  I did go through withdrawl the first couple of weeks.  Before I left I went to a class taught by Paula Toups on her sunflower wall hanging.  The top is finished, now to quilt it. 
When I got home last wee the first thing I did was start sewing again!  I was near finishing a quilt top and completed it this week.  In those 6 weeks, no shopping for quilt fabric except for 3 yards for a quilt back!  It is so good to be home.

Used this Week: 13 yards
Used year to Date: 179 yards
Added this Week: 3 yards
Added Year to Date: 88 yards
Net Used for 2011: 91 yards

Design Wall Monday- May 23, 3011

Heartstrings

This is my Heartstrngs quilt top.  For several months now while sewing I will cut any scraps into 1 1/2" strips.  Focusing on red and blues, I crafted this top figuring it out from the Heartstrings blog button.

You can view the heartstrings blog at http://heartstringsquiltproject.com/  Each month they have a heartstrings project.  I just love the February lime green hearstrings quilts.  Such a great way to use your scraps.

Stash Report- May 15, 2011

Fininshed my UFO for May!  Another Saints quilt.  However, this one is for me.  Another one I made which was very similar to this one was donated for a raffle for the son of one of our staff.  He is a young man with a wife and child, has kidney cancer and hasn't worked in over a year.  We sold tickets for $5 or 5 for $20 and raised $1,400 for him.  He was so grateful!

I am officially off of work until August 15.  I hope to get lots of quilting in.  But have plans to spend a few weeks with my daughter in NYC and a few weeks of beach time in Florida.  Happy summer!

Used this Week: 10.75 yards
Used year to Date: 157 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 85 yards
Net Used for 2011: 72 yards

Design Wall Monday

Working on my summer wall hanging for my door.  I have all the pieces on with fusible web.  Now to maching applique, then quilt. 

Stash Report- May 1, 2011

I haven't posted Stash Report for a couple of weeks and in that time I've had 2 finishes.

Used this Week: 31.5 yards
Used year to Date: 146.25 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 85 yards
Net Used for 2011: 64.25 yards

Here's one of the finishes- Elizabeth's Wedding Quilt

April UFO

My UFO for April is finished. It was my Mardi Gras lap quilt. You can't get a good idea of the quilting in this picture, but it was longarmed and the design is Mardi Gras masks, beads, crowns, etc.

Design Wall Monday- Total Eclipse

It's Done! I took a class with Judy Neimeyer last month at the GSQA seminar. The quilt I chose was called Total Eclipse. I finished the top today. Here it is!

Stash Report & Lady Gaga

Don't even care about stash report and the fact that I bought 4 yards this week. I went to the Lady Gaga concert last night. This is a picture I took of her. The music and her costumes were fabulous.

And here I am dressed as Gaga heading out to the concert. Fun night! We should all act like teenagers every now and then. Good for the soul!

Anyway, here's the boring stash report. Still piecing my Judy Neimeyer Total Eclipse- when I'm not dancing!

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 117.75 yards
Added this Week: 4 yards
Added Year to Date: 85 yards
Net Used for 2011: 32.75 yards

Stash Report- March 27, 2011

Not much sewing going on this week. I went to our GSQA Seminar last week and I am still trying to catch up at work having missed 2 days in the busiest part of the semester. But it was worth it! I did add 2 yards of Kaffe Fassett fabric from a vendor at seminar. I had to restrain myself as they had Kaffe fabric and batiks 1 yard cuts for $4.95/yard.

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 117.75 yards
Added this Week: 2 yards
Added Year to Date: 72 yards
Net Used for 2011: 45.75 yards

Design Wall Monday

Spent the last 5 days at our Gulf States Quilting Association seminar. I spent 2 days in a Judy Neimeyer class. I chose her pattern called Total Eclipse. This is the progress I made. I couldn't wait to get home and plan out the color choices for the other blocks in the pattern. As always it was a great time spent with quilting friends. Can't wait to finish this one! This will not become a UFO!

Stash Report- February 27, 2011

It's Mardi Gras time here in New Orleans. This is a picture of some guys dressed as BP executives in suits "tarred & feathered." It's parades almost every day from last Friday to Fat Tuesday, March 8. Hence, not much quilting will be going on here since I live on the parade route and will have a continuous parade of guests. However, I did finish my NY Beauty and a donation quilt this week also. Hence the big numbers. They are both large quilts and the backing accounts for quite a bit of this.

Used this Week: 32.75 yards
Used year to Date: 113.75 yards
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 62 yards
Net Used for 2011: 51.75 yards

UFO # 10 Finished! New York Beauty

Got kind of emotional this morning as I sewed the last seam in my queen size New York Beauty quilt. This UFO has been 1 1/2 years in the making. Such a feeling of accomplishment to finish this one! Now that the top is finished it will go to the longarmer. Never dreamed I could finish this one in a month! I set my goals on the calendar of the number of blocks to make per day and did not waiver. Woo Hoo! I'm done!

Design Wall Monday

I have been making New York Beauty blocks- for my scrappy New York Beauty quilt. Here are a few I made this weekend. I'm using my calendar for # of blocks to make per day and haven't slipped yet. I should be finished the 120 blocks needed by this weekend. Then to put it together. This my UFO #10 for February.

Stash Report- February 13, 2011

No completions this week. Still sewing away making those blocks for my February UFO. I'll show them tomorrow on Design Wall Monday. I couldn't resist- I bought fabric online for the Super Bowl Sales last Sunday. I knew what I wanted and I couldn't resist the batiks at $6.80 per yard when I saw the new batiks coming out are $11+ per yard.

Used this Week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 81 yards
Added this Week: 17 yards
Added Year to Date: 62 yards
Net Used for 2011: 19 yards

Design Wall Monday

This is what UFO #10 looks like at the beginning of February. I have 24 blocks made and I need 120 to complete the quilt. I am setting daily goals for the number of blocks to make and so far so good. I should be finished piecng the blocks by the end of the month reserving a few days for piecing the blocks together. I could make less blocks and use sashing. But, no, I like the way the New York Beauty blocks look without sashing. I started this project in a class 1 1/2 years ago. So, I will love finishing this one!

Stash Report

I finished piecing the top called Summer at Mom's as a wedding gift for a May wedding. Now it's off to the longarmer. I have to say that I like it so much that I actually thought about taking the couple's embroidered name and date off and keeping it for myself! But I can always make another one, right?

My favorite is the borders:

Now back to work on this month's UFO- my overwhelming New York Beauty! Counting the wedding quilt helped my numbers this week. Now if only I can resist all these Super Bowl fabric sales I've gotten emails about!

Used this Week: 13 yards
Used year to Date: 81 yards
Added this Week: 1.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 43 yards
Net Used for 2011: 38 yards

January UFO Finished

The number chosen for January was #6. That means I have to piece the Avignon lap quilt. Here is the state of it at the beginning of January:

And on January 14, 2011, I finished piecing the A Breath of Avignon lap quilt. Now, it's off to the longarmer.



February's UFO is #10- which is my New York Beauty. This will definetly be a challenge as I have 24 of the 120 NYB blocks done. That means I will have to make 96 NYB blocks this month and piece the top. Better get to work now!

Design Wall Monday

Pinwheels, pinwheels, pinwheels. I am working on a quilt for a friend's daughter as a wedding gift this May. The pattern has 120 pastel pinwheels! I am using Kaffe Fassett's pastel fabrics. The center is all pinwheels with a white border. The border has an appliqued green vine with leaves. The pattern is called Summer at Mom's and was a free insert in a brochure about McCall's Quilting magazine. I am setting goals: 20 pinwheels yesterday, 10 today, etc. Should be through the pinwheels by the end of this week. Then- put it together and add the borders. You could say I am in pinwheel heaven!

Stash Report- January 23, 2011

Just had to have it! I bought a kit this week for a quilt that I saw made up by a fellow guild member. It is gorgeous! Problem is the quilt shop only had it left in a twin. Scoured the internet and could not find it anywhere else. So- bought it and then began to look for the fabrics to make it a queen. Fabrics are discontinued and nowhere to be found on the internet. Went to my LQS and bought fabric close enough in color to work into the log cabin blocks. This really added to my stash this week. C'est La Vie!

Used this Week: 12 yards
Used year to Date: 68 yards
Added this Week: 27.25 yards
Added Year to Date: 41.5 yards
Net Used for 2011: 26.5 yards

Design Wall Monday

This weekend I worked on a quilt for my brother.  He said the best quilt he ever saw was a reversible Saints/LSU quilt.  He said you can put it out on whatever side for the team that is winning!  Clever idea.  So....  I did the LSU side in a bonafide quilt pattern.....

I figured that if I made the same quilt for the back (Saints version) the longarmer would have difficulty getting these perfectly together.  So, I did the Saints side in simple 10" blocks.

Brought it to the longarmer this afternoon.  Picked out a quilting pattern of footballs and helmets.  Can't wait to see how this one works out. 

Stash Report- January 16, 2011

This is a banner week for me!  I finished 3 quilt tops and am delivering  them to the longarmer tomorrow.  One of them is UFO #6- complete!  Another is a quilt that is larger than queen.  Between the top and the backing I used 24 yards of fabric I bought last year.  I won't have a week like this again for a while.  I hope to get another lap quilt pieced this week.  Then I'm going to work on a wedding quilt which will take weeks to piece.  I have found that using the calendar Judy L showed us has really helped.  I come home from work and feel like I have to accomplish what is on the calendar for that day!

Used this Week: 36.25 yards
Used year to Date: 55 yards
Added this Week: 4.5 yards
Added Year to Date: 14.25 yards
Net Used for 2011: 41.75 yards

UFO # 6 Finished!

UFO # 6 was the A Breath of Avignon lap quilt.  Finished is considered pieced.  I stared January with it in this condition:

Now it goes to the longarmer.  Nice to have a complete UFO.  Without this challenge, who knows when I would have gotten to this one!

Stash Report- January 9, 2011

I was off of work this week and got much quilting done.  Friday night I was at my brother's house and he described to me the best quilt he ever saw.  Of course, I had to go to the quilt shop on Saturday and purchase fabric for that quilt since I did not have adequate of that specific design in my stash.  As I said, I'll buy fabric if I have a specific purpose for it.  My thoughts are that when a man makes note of a quilt he likes, I listen.  Since I have not made one for my brother, that will be his.  BTW- the quilt he was describing was LSU on the front, Saints on the back. 
The picture above is my door hanging for February that I finished this week. 

Used this Week: 18.75 yards
Used year to Date: 19.75 yards
Added this Week: 9.75 yards
Added Year to Date: 9.75 yards
Net Used for 2011: 10 yards

Design Wall Monday- January 3, 2011

Have I started on my January UFO yet?  NOOO!!! I found something else to distract me- but that is the problem all along isn't it???  Planning a trip to see my sister soon.  She moved into her new house 5 years ago and I have yet to see it.  And I realized- I have not made her a quilt.  Soooo....I am making a Batik Block Beauty for her.  At our quilt group's November retreat we played the game Left-Right-Center with batik fat quarters and I won.  These went perfectly for this quilt.  That and some black Kona cotton I got on sale last year. These are the strips of 8 1/2 square batiks with black sashing.  They are just waiting to be sewn together with black strips between and a plain black border.  And the best part- I made a quilt entirely from my stash!



Stash Report- January 2, 2011

This is a picture of my stash.  As you can see, the fabric is creeping over into the space for towels.  I stop keeping track of my stash at the end of last October.  When Judy wrote on her blog about the cost of fabric, be proud of your stash, I decided to add to it.  Now I have enough fabric that I can probably put together a quilt or two without going out to the quilt store for fabric.  My goal this year is not necessarily to reduce my stash substantially, but to only buy fabric when needed for a specific quilt to be made at that time.

Yesterday I made a Valentine's Day wall hanging.  Pictures later.

Used this Week: 1 yard
Used year to Date: 1yard
Added this Week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Used for 2011: 1 yard

Here's to Happy Quilting in 2011!