Monthly Archives: December 2013

Q4 Wrap-Up and Year-End Stash Report

Sunday Stash,

WARNING: There are graphs ahead! You non-mathy types may want to avert your eyes.

First up, the summation of the Q4 Finish Along Goals.

  • Dresden Garden – Not done.  It’s been hanging in my powder room waiting for the center applique to be stitched down.
  • Jingle – DONE! Huzzah.
  • Royal Garden – Top and back are done, but are waiting on some long-arm time to get it quilted.

Oh well. 1 for 3. I’m not disappointed since Jingle was A BEAST to quilt.  I’ve made progress in lots of projects, although many are quilt-alongs which move at a slower pace than I usually sew at.

For the year-end tally, there’s a couple other small entries from the last few days to throw in the mix before the Official-Official count is closed.

  • Used this last few days: 1.25 yards
    • 0.75 yd for a vest for my son’s play on the American Revolution
    • 0.5 yd to make a mailbox for my daughter for Valentine’s Day
  • 2013 Used: 405.75 yards
  • Added this last few days: 0 yards
    • Woohoo!
  • Net Used for 2013: 211 yards
  • 2013 Used for Charity: 150.5 yards (37% of total used)

The most common question I got asked at the beginning of the year was if I was going to try to beat my 2012 usage in 2013. In truth, I didn’t really set a goal for 2013 usage.  I wanted to use more than I brought in, and I did that.  Likewise, I’m not setting a 2014 goal either.  There’s a very good chance I won’t get to do as much sewing in 2014 as I have the previous years since I start my new job (which is a promotion with more responsibility) in mid-January.  I’m still working at home, but the demands on my time might shift.

I did surpass my charitable usage this year, which is always nice.  There was a lot of top-making that was giving to Quiltin’ Jenny for her prayer group to use up a lot of stash in colors that just aren’t part of my normal palette, and that helped tremendously (both my stash and the recipients!).  I’m starting 2014 off with a charity finish, too, since I need a demo quilt for the January meeting of the AMQG.  I expect charitable sewing will continue to be a part of my quilting, but again, I’m not setting a 2014 goal as I might have less time for personal sewing as well.

So, a good year with nice projects finished, and poised for progress in 2014.

Sunday Stash - Almost There!

Sunday Stash

A bang-up finish with several finished this week! I’m going to a do a year-end wrap up post on my stash usage (with graphs!) on the 31st.  I might even have some clothing fabric usage to report if I make anything out of cotton fabric.  But for now, this week was spent finishing up gifts.

Non-reported usage is, of course, for the next step for Celtic Solstice. On the right are all my bits made so far.  So pretty and bright! It’s almost time to start thinking about backing fabric, especially since I have two gift certificates for two different quilt shops burning a hole in my pocket.

Celtic Solstice Step 5 Celtic Solstice Step 5

  • Used this Week: 7.25 yards
  • Used year to Date: 404.5 yards
  • Added this Week: 0 yards
    • Woohoo!
  • Net Used for 2013: 209.75 yards
  • YTD Used for Charity: 150.5 yards (37% of total used)

See more stash reports at Patchwork Times!

HtbaS - Episode 161

A rather scatterbrained podcast as I record my part in 3 sessions during family activity, and include the blooper reels from my conversations with Allison, Daisy, Jaye, and Tanesha. Sadly no bloopers for Sandy since we just dived into the conversation, and you can’t actually hear Tanesha in her reel, but imagine her making a lot of grand hand gestures while on a video call.

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The Allons-y Aeroplane Bag (and Another Thing)

Finished Projects

Allons-y Aeroplane Bag

I finished this bag many, many, many months ago, but sat on it (not literally, although the cats did) until now as it was a gift for my sister for Christmas.

You might have guessed that I like Doctor Who. As does my sister.  I wanted to make her a bag, and figured it would be the perfect coming together of timelines to make her a Doctor Who themed bag.  The “Allons-y” phrase was uttered by the 10th Doctor, played by David Tennant.  The exterior is a TARDIS blue, in as close to woodgrain as I could get.

Allons-y Aeroplane BagThe bowtie fabric is a nod to my favorite Doctor, the 11th, played by Matt Smith.  Alas, I did not have any fez fabric to use, but bowties are cool.  And hey, I fit the entirety of space and time inside the interior pocket.

As always, I recommend Sara’s patterns, and this version of the Aeroplane bag is one of several I’ve made.

Bonus inclusion of another gift I made for that side of the family!  These little quilted letters were made for my New Niece using this tutorial from some layer cake squares.

Quilted Letters

Paparazetti Baby Quilt - Finished!

Finished Projects,

I finished this baby quilt a couple days ago, but between rain and Christmas, I’m just now getting the pictures posted.  I’m going to star the post with a picture of the “Mama” quilt this was inspired by, the Paparazzi quilt designed by my friend Chris (pattern for sale here!).

Paparazzi Quilt

I gave Paparazzi to one of my husband’s cousins (or 2nd cousin - families are hard!) for a wedding gift.  Lo and behold, they announced a pregnancy shortly thereafter, so I knew that all those “waste” triangles from making Paparazzi would come in handy in a baby quilt for the same couple.  So I present the Paparazetti baby quilt:

Paparazetti Baby Quilt

Paparazetti Baby Quilt

I threw a little more teal into the baby version than the original to tweak the color scheme just a bit.  We know it’s a baby girl, so the colors worked out well.

Each block measures 6″ finished, so my waste triangles were some weird size unfinished since it’s a 4×4 block layout.  Depending on the fabric placement, some blocks looks like spinwheels, and some look like throwing stars.  What a super cozy theme for a baby quilt: dizziness and death.  Hmm.  At least the colors are pretty!

Once I can stomach going back to the post office after the holiday season, I’ll get it shipped off to the expectant couple.

Random Finished Handmade Gifts

Finished Projects

I’ll have another random finished handmade gift post once all my family has opened gifts, but these particular gifts are for people who don’t use the interwebs that much (or do, but don’t know where to find me!), so I feel safe posting them ahead of time.

Untitled

I made this Divided Basket Tote for a grandniece, who is into crafts and is taking sewing lessons and likes the color purple.  Yes, I’m not even 40 and I have a grandniece that’s older than my kids. Families are weird, what can I say?

I tried to take a picture of it about a million times and this is the only one that doesn’t have a cat sitting in front of it, half in it, behind it, or under it.  Apparently this particular tote is popular with cats, is what I’m saying.  Regardless, pattern is by Noodlehead, and I recommend it.

This fun little tablerunner was one of my first pins on Pinterest when I didn’t know what the pattern was (or that it was a pattern - I thought it was a store-made thing).  Imagine my surprise when I see it as a spotlight pattern from Craftsy on Facebook this week! And it’s made by Sweetwater, a favorite fabric designer of mine.

Snowman TablerunnerMy version is a snowman short, mostly because I could only fit five snowman in my WOF for the ivory, and it’s probably going to a quilt muggle in the Dirty Santa exchange with my husband’s family.  I didn’t feel like FMQing the snowman bodies and went with some festive buttons instead.  It’s getting paired with a cake pop making kit for the exchange.

Sunday Stash - In the Home Stretch

Sunday Stash,

More steady progress this week as we hurtle towards year end!  I’ve got some projects poised to be finished, but am not counting on getting them done by New Year’s Eve.  We’ll see, but I’m really trying not to pressure myself into doing things just to finish them. I would like to enjoy the process, so I’m working on that in 2014.

I did power through clue 4 for Celtic Solstice, though, so I still get my speed fix! 10 points if you can find the creepy Yoda stare that will be embedded in my quilt. Yet another reason to put this in my daughter’s room once it’s done - creepy Yoda can keep an eye on her once these fricking Elves on the Shelf leave!

And I’m up to 322 out of 576 units needed for my parent’s quilt.  I’m in the middle of quilting a baby quilt, so that will tallied in the finished column for next week.

  • Used this Week: 4.5 yards
    • 4 yd for Cut the Cake (I only had the top in my stash, so only get to credit that yardage)
    • 0.5 yd for teacher/administrator gifts
  • Used year to Date: 397.5 yards
  • Added this Week: 0 yards
    • Woohoo!
  • Net Used for 2013: 202.5 yards (woohoo!)
  • YTD Used for Charity: 150.5 yards (38% of total used)

See more stash reports at Patchwork Times!

HtbaS - Episode 160

I talk about some last minute Christmas gifts, life updates, and finally answer those BFSI questions!

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WIP Wednesday: Paparazetti

WIP Wednesdays

I am feeling a bit scattered this week, for good reasons that are not at all related to quilting.  There is good news for work (received today after much ANGRY CAPS LOCK repressed emails earlier in the week), and good news for my daughter at school, and two and a half weeks of vacation coming up for me & kids. Huzzah.

So while I’m working on Celtic Solstice and Scrapitude and my Tula Pink EPP project and the units for my parents’ quilt, I’m throwing together a baby quilt, too.  I’m calling it Paparazetti right now as it’s made from the waste HSTs of my Paparazzi quilt.

This is the center, and it will have a 2″ border of Snow and a teal border added to it to bring it to a decent size.  I should be able to finish up those borders at my sew-in tomorrow night and get it sandwiched and quilted this weekend, I think.

Special guest appearance by the cowboy boots I got in college, and have started wearing regularly in the past couple months. They remind me to kick some butt.

Cut the Cake - Finished!

Finished Projects

Cut the CakeI couple months ago, I tested a pattern for my friend Chris over at Frecklemama called Cut the Cake.  Because Chris is awesome, she actually quilted the top for me and I got it back and put the binding on it this week!

We went with the most recent American Jane line Potluck from Moda for the “cakes”.  It’s got bright colors in 30’s prints reminiscent of feedsacks, and turned out super cute.

This version of the pattern finishes at about twin-size - 72 x 85″.  As I was trying to take pictures the wind kept blowing and turning my clothesline around since the quilt was acting as a big sail.

Cut the CakeI fell in love with the tiny chicks and yardstick prints in this line, and it worked well with a lime green solid.  Lime green is known as a neutral in my modern quilt guild.

For the back, we found a great text print (not from the same line), and there was enough from trimming the backing to use for the binding, too.

Cut the Cake - BackYou can find the pattern for sale on Chris’ website, or on Fat Quarter Shop.  It uses a layer cake of fabric plus background & sashing, and can be embellished with applique candles or flowers to make it extra festive.