I Went Shopping

Even though I promise myself that I mustn't buy more fabric, I do - on occasion - fall off  the wagon. It makes sense to stumble when a 20% discount is available, wouldn't you agree? This is one of my rules for further fabric purchasing -  when possible, take advantage of sales. 

Two other rules that I try to follow: have a specific quilt selected requiring the new purchase or for completing a quilt already under construction. Now if a sale falls in line with either of these goals, then you can bet I am taking advantage of it. *grin*

The fabrics shown above DO meet the rules/requirements. In the last post or two, I mentioned that I bought more background for the fall leaves I was making. Thatched (Robin Pickens) is on the bottom of the stack, and I now have plenty to complete the quilt. (And I will probably have some left over.)

The four (4) fabrics on top are all 1-yard precuts, and I plan to use them in yet another 9-patch quilt I want to make. I'm thinking of a specific inspiration pattern that I will imitate with modifications, and while it might not see action for awhile -  it will definitely see action at some point. I figured it made sense to get them when I could take advantage of a 20%  discount.

That 'paint-spattered' print does not meet my buying requirements, but gosh, it looks like it would work with so many things. It just seemed suited to having around for future planning. I finished the bolt, getting roughly 2-3 yards.

The floral print in this photo was absolutely screaming to be bought. Instead, I left it behind. Yep. Walked away from it. Later I heard Becky (one of our retreat gals) gushing over this very same line of fabric - Sienna by Max and Louise for Andover Fabrics. We made a second trip to the fabric store the next day and I got 4 yards. The folded 1-yard cut I'd gotten the first day without even knowing that it was a Sienna piece. Seems like it was meant to be. You can be sure I am searching for just the right pattern in which to use this floral.

The final piece I got is for a new category of fabric purchasing  - clothes or quilts for Cate. Yes, since having a baby granddaughter to sew for, I am always on the lookout for pretty prints to make her little dresses and rompers. The mauve, pink, orange and maroon colors seem perfect for a little girl's dress. I have a new pattern and will get going on it ASAP.

And just look at our little angel in a dress made by me from the stash. Even for her, if I have enough of a suitable stash fabric, I will use it rather than buy more. This pic was taken Sunday while she and her parents visited Mom, Cate's great-grandmother. *smiles*

So, where exactly do I stand on the whole notion of curbing my fabric buying? Well, some might say it's a draw, but truly, I am buying much less than I once did. The stash I have accumulated for 40 years needs to be whittled down, and I am really working on doing that. My purchases are more carefully considered and carefully weighed before pulling out my wallet. 

Truly.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Fall Leaves

Every year as fall approaches, I've admonished myself for not having made a quilt to reflect the showy, colorful leaves we enjoy here in south-central Ohio. This year, if all goes as planned, I am finally going to have my quilt. 

The 24 blocks above were all made at last week's quilt retreat. I had the parts cut out and ready to sew - a smart idea for every retreat project, I've learned. All the fall fabrics are from my existing stash. Since I wanted my background fabric to be consistent, I bought a couple more yards of Thatched, by Robin Pickens.

Now, since being home from retreat, I have 50 blocks completed. I needed to make more 'sub-units' - that is, stem parts and HSTs. It takes no time at all to get a block made if the sub-units are done up ahead of time. It's fun to pull random browns or golds out of a pile of 2.5" squares and then 'build' a leaf with ready-made parts. These blocks are 6.5" (6" finished).

Mostly, my efforts have been to be as random as possible with each leaf blending in a wide variety of colors and prints. Just for an experiment, though, this morning I made a leaf from all dark colors, and another leaf from all gold colors. 

I like these controlled looks, too, and they will meld effortlessly into the rest of the leaf blocks.  I don't know how many more leaf blocks I will make - perhaps I will stop at 72, for a quilt that will be 8 blocks wide by 9 blocks long. I have a full tub of brown fabrics, so a border is very likely, both to make it larger and to use more stash.

Happily looking forward to making more colorful leaves!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Still Making

 As the year comes to a close, I am still making quilts. I'd been in a bit of a funk in the weeks leading up to Christmas, but an idea struck me in some odd moment, and now I am back to work, focused on a strong finish to this strange, pandemic year.

Of course, you have all read about my 4-month focus on the churn dash block. I made dozens - many dozens for 3 different quilts. So this most recent push for churn dash blocks was for the block exchange that we Frankfort girls had at our Christmas gathering a couple of weeks ago. I took 42 blocks and came home with 42 exchange blocks of all manner of colors and combinations. 

That stack of blocks has been waiting for inspiration, and finally this week it came. Half-square triangles for the setting blocks. 

I dug into the stash for a suitable combination and came up with this dark burgundy and cream pairing that will do nicely. The blocks need to be 6.5 inches, so I whipped up a handful to see how the results would look - hey! a winner!

My ancient stash provided these two fabrics - an old Kansas Troubles fabric from their line called Stitches on the Oregon Trail, and an old Kaye England neutral called Matters of the Heart. Very pleasing. 

In place of partying to bring in the new year, you'll find me stitching. Happy New Year!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

My Little Churn Dash Quilt

Late last night I stitched the final few seams on my little quilt - the navy churn dashes set on a field of poison green. I made it up to imitate a quilt made about 5 years ago by my friend Sheryll. Read more here.

The picture was taken before I had had a chance to trim it down. I purposely made the setting and corner triangles a bit large so that I would have any wiggle room in case I needed it. The final size is right at 23" wide and 34" long. The individual blocks finish at just a smidge under 4".  I used triangle paper called Thangles size 1.25 and the little HSTs do come out just at that (mostly).

The photo above is a little mountain of block parts ready to be pressed. All the individual rows were sewn together and I was about to press them in preparation for sewing the rows together to make the blocks. Seeing how much work goes into the piecing is sometimes overwhelming. I want it to be done right now! Patience is definitely a virtue for the quilter. I do enjoy the process, and have to check myself when I find myself wanting to race through it all.

And here they are - 24 freshly made, pressed and starched churn dash blocks that come to 4.5" unfinished. I was really in an efficient assembly line groove, let me tell you!

The fabrics used in this little quilt all came from my stash. The green is from Jo Morton's collection from years ago called Lucinda's Needle. The navy is from a line called Remember the Ladies by Brackman and Thompson. I have had both pieces for quite awhile. The neutrals in the churn dash blocks were 2 FQs, but there was no selvage identifying them.

So there ya' go - something besides a 9-patch came off my machine this week. Feels pretty darn good. Now I must turn my attention to those pillow cases mentioned in yesterday's post. And, I have to wear my teacher hat for awhile this week, too, as I have another round of essays to read and grade.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Future Quilt

It doesn't matter how many projects a quilter has planned, ideas for new ones just keep coming. As if I don't have plenty on my to-do list, I have put together another fabric group for a "someday quilt" I want to make. The idea came to me after purchasing one of the fabrics from Terry's stash sale. That, plus my recent handwork on making 4-patch blocks. These two factors likely were the impetus for the birth of this idea.

The bottom fabric in the grouping above is the fabric that made my idea take shape. It reminded me of the pale rose or pink fabric I used in that doll quilt from earlier this year. I really like the look of that little quilt, and figured it would look pretty darn good as a full-size quilt, too.

Here's the little quilt.

So I have the rose-colored fabric for the setting squares. The neutral fabric on top will be used for the 4-patch blocks. I will attack my stash for the colored portion of those blocks. Should be easy to come up with plenty of variety.

And, of course, the black will serve to be the setting triangles. I think it will be a success, and I look forward to getting to work on it. Someday.

I will never, ever run out of quilts to make.
Ever.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sell Your Stash!?!

If anyone ever told me that I would one day sell my stash, I would think he or she had lost all sensibility. Don't worry, I am NOT selling my stash, but a dear friend is.

I know. It makes one shudder to think of it.

For whatever reason - and I am sure she has a few - Terry has measured out her stash and is offering it for sale to those of us in the Frankfort group and close friends in other circles. I will leave you to drool over the goodies.

After sewing together on Friday, Jan, Sharon O. and I went over to Terry's to have a sneak peek. We helped Terry out a bit by carrying all the fabric you see in these pictures from her upstairs sewing room to her downstairs dining room. Whew! It was a job, and I don't see how she would have done it by herself.

Yes, I did make some purchases. I don't believe I have taken a picture yet of what I bought, but it was mostly neutrals in darker tan and beige colors.

I have been absent from blogland for a few days; too busy running around and teaching, I reckon. I hope this coming week slows down a bit.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

4-Patch Doll Quilt

 Look what I made on Thursday afternoon. I had no pattern; just made it up as I went. When one has plenty of fabric, pretty things can happen!

I found my inspiration on Pinterest. Many people view Pinterest as a great time-waster and I will admit to wasting many hours there, but it also has been a valuable source of inspiration for me time and time again. 

I'd pinned the quilt shown below ages ago, but it was making its way through another cycle of pinnings and it popped up in my feed. Click on the picture to go to the source. I love it every time I see it. So by gosh, I just went upstairs and made it.

 Selecting fabrics out of the stash was an adventure down memory lane, as many of the fabrics I chose have been used in previous projects. The 2-inch strips and the background fabric are shown above.

These fabrics became the setting blocks and the setting triangles. The pink has been in my stash for a very long time; the black is relatively new.

Here is a side-by-side comparison:

Mine is less subtle, but I still adore it. It was a very satisfying way to spend a Thursday afternoon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Visit to LQS

A recent visit to my local quilt shop (LQS) was quite fun, and I didn't spend a dime, either. After quilting with the Frankfort girls last Friday, Sheryll and I went to Old Town Fabric Shop to look for fabrics she could use in a snowball quilt she had planned. I wrote about that project here.

My intention was to take my birthday gift certificate with me and splurge on some pretty stuff, but I left the certificate hanging on the front of my fridge, doggonit! Plan B: look and look and shop and shop. If I happened to find a fabric I was crazy about, I would think on it over the weekend, and go back with my certificate and get it another day. And I did find a fabric that met the criteria. It's red with white flowers; I haven't gone back in to get it, but I have thought about it all week and I do think I will. I really want it.

So, while visiting with the ladies at the shop, I got to take a sneak peek at a beautiful quilt they are getting ready to display. I got permission to take pictures. You'll be upset with me for not having details on the pattern.

 

Simple half-square triangles - broken dishes blocks, perhaps? I think the fabrics are all recent lines by Barbara Brackman. I wish I had attempted to take a full-quilt shot, but I didn't want to trouble the gals. It is quite large, and will be absolutely stunning when it is quilted and displayed. I must remember to get a picture. I am sure this quilt has a name, and a pattern, but that too will have to come later, as I didn't write it down. Counting on me to remember it is a big mistake.

I tell you, my list for 2013 is long enough! But when I see gorgeousness like this, it tempts me to add another item to that list. I have quite a lot of Brackman fabrics, so I think I could replicate this rather handily. And just think of the stash-busting that would occur!

I'm talking myself into it, aren't I? *grin*

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Stash Use

As we begin a new year, I am reading quite a few blogs whose main topic is stash reduction. I have tried really hard in the last couple of years to do this, and honestly, I feel as though I've been relatively successful in that effort.

Fat quarter purchases from January 2011.

The first year or two after I retired, I had a lot of time available for online fabric shopping. Needless to say, I bought a good bit, usually on sale, but in larger cuts. My justification was that these larger cuts could be put to use as quilt backs.

Now I had spent a good 15-20 years buying fabric, so I already had a large stash. The last thing I needed to be doing was enhancing it! But I did. It became apparent after awhile that I had to reign in the spending and accumulating.

As fabric has gotten quite a bit more expensive in the last couple of years, it was easy to decide that more fabric, even on sale, was counter productive. I needed to do some serious "stash attack" - make quilts using the gorgeous fabrics I've amassed and enjoy both the process and the finished product.

Gracie likes it when I leave the stash drawers open. She likes investigating.

It's been a good bit of fun, I have to admit. I am rather proud that I've made as many quilt tops as I've made, and most of them from the stash. I look forward to actually getting a few more of them quilted. At that point, (I hope) the larger cuts I bought will be used for backing as planned.

All that said, I don't think I am ready to join the ranks of those bloggers who are forbidding themselves from buying any more fabric. Nor will I join those who are keeping score of yards used from the stash as opposed to new yardage added to the stash. Sounds like too much math for me.

Quite a few boxes have arrived here that were full of fabric; not so much lately as there were back in 2009-10.

Since I am not forbidding myself from buying more fabric, I have established a few ground rules that I try to follow. No more wanton buying just for the sake of fabric accumulation. No siree! I have rules!

Rule #1: If at all possible, buy when there are sales.

These were great sales purchases. Theme? Making 60-degree angle table runners.
These, then, follow 2 of my rules - #1 and #2.

Rule #2: Have a definite project in mind if buying more than a fat quarter. No more impulsive purchases!

Rule #3: Take swatches from the stash that need another fabric (or a couple) in order to become a project. I have several pieces that just don't seem to go with any other thing in the stash.



This is a fabric that needs some mates. I don't have anything that looks right with it.
Alas, it was an impulse purchase.

Rule #4: Determine what new lines of fabrics I really, really love. I have an ongoing infatuation with Kaffe Fassett, French General, and 3 Sisters. I used to buy those with wanton disregard for when, where, or how I would use them. Now, I try to be extremely selective when buying from these lines, or any lines, actually.

Rule #5: Limit buying to trips or outing with my quilting girlfriends. If we are planning to go on a shop hop or to a quilt show, then I will cease buying for a few months, and save for buying while on the outing. There are generally some good deals and some new stuff.

Not a lot has been going on in the sewing room the past few days. DH is nearly done with the painting, and is steam-vaccing the carpet. I might actually begin moving some things into the new room tomorrow.

Instead of sewing or quilting, I have been reading! I finished a book last night that I checked out of the library on Wednesday -- The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory. It was a page turner, as every other Gregory book has been. I need to figure out the ones I've read and begin a year of filling in the gaps. She has written A LOT of historical fiction which revolves around the throne of England through the years. I love that kind of stuff.

I understand this is one of 4 books in a series called The Cousins War. I will try to be more careful to read books in the correct order; I fear this is the final book in the series. Ah, well, I will figure it out.

That's all for now, quilters. If you have any ideas on stash reduction, I'd love to hear them!

Happy Quilting, Friends!