Week 7 Stash Report

I led a double life this week: I was a good girl and a bad girl. I bought the backing for my husband's Civil War quilt (a California King!) but also started a new quilt totally from my stash (or rather, the stashes of my Spring Chicks group).

Let me explain. . . I needed 8 yards for the back of a huge quilt and really needed an appropriate Civil War-type fabric which I don't have in my stash. 8 yards! Found just what my DH wanted and found it online on sale!

I also got together with my 9-person quilting group and exchanged 2 1/2" strips to make quilts for the Sutter Hospital Breast Cancer Auction, held every 3 years. We'll be turning in 9 quilts before the cut-off date, September 1st. See the quilt I'm working on for it HERE.

My totals:

Fabric purchased this week: 8

Total fabric purchased this year: 27

Fabric used this week: 5.5

Total fabric used this year: 32.75

Net used: 5.75

I'm not proud of these totals but I plan to do better. . .yeah, next week. . . LOL!!

Fun new quilt!

I saw this great pattern at Road to California and came right home to make it! Last week, my "Spring Chicks" group met and exchanged 2 1/2" strips. With these strips, the challenge is to make any quilt we want and have them finished by August 2nd. And it's for a very good cause: see, every 3 years, Sutter Hospital in Sacramento holds a quilt auction with all proceeds going to their Breast Cancer Center.In past years, the auction has garnered hundreds of quilts from generous quilters, quilt groups and guilds and has netted over $300,000 from them! This year, all quilts are due on September 1st and all 9 of us Spring Chicks are donating our finished strip quilts to the auction. I hope this quilt strikes someone's fancy and they donate a nice, large sum to the auction and take home this colorful, twin bed-sized quilt that we all had a part in, wrap it around them and feel the LOVE!!

I know I have until August 2nd but I have time NOW so, here's the top! YAY!

What's on my design wall?

I had a pretty prolific week! I finished the Mended Hearts quilt that my friend asked me to finish for her niece the day before she died. It took so long because I just didn't want to give it up! I felt her beside me every time I worked on it and knew when it was done, that I probably wouldn't feel that loving intensity again. But here it is and I know her niece is going to treasure it. I put a nice label on the back documenting the sad but loving story of Lee's desire to complete it for her.

I also worked on my quilt guild's challenge and it's almost done but can't post a photo of that one until the 'reveal' at the end of the month. Don't want to give away my design :-)

I'm also working on a BOM by Anne Sutton at Bunny Hill Designs and have kept up very nicely so far. It's only my 2nd applique quilt, a fall theme (my favorite time of year) and I'm loving it! Really need to get myself another applique project to work on in the evenings when I sit and watch TV with my husband.

So, what's on YOUR design wall this week? Take a look at Judy Laquadara's wonderful blog and see! (Don't you just LOVE to see everyone's post??!!)

Stash Report Feb. 6

I found perfect fabric for the Civil War quilt I'm making my husband in the Hancock's catalog and bought 2 yards. It has pictures of Lee, Grant and Lincoln and my husband approved! Only thing is, he's decided he wants it for our bed, a California King! I drew it out on EQ7 and it will be 102" X 102". Ahhhh! 2 yards for the borders isn't going to be enough (I don't like to piece borders). Does that mean I have to reorder 3 yards? No. I'm going to break my rule and piece the borders.

I worked on my quilt guild's challenge and made a bib for my father-in-law (at his caregivers request--she was tired of using so many paper towels.)

Yardage purchased this week: 2

Yardage purchased year to date: 19 yards

Yardage used this week: 1.75 yards

Yardage used year to date: 27.25

Net used 2011: 7.75

Oh, here's my #10 UFO for February: 2 1/2 yards of beautiful red and black stretch fabric for a skirt. I haven't started this one!

Happy Quilting!!

Stashbuster 1-30-11

Remember the Civil War quilt my husband asked me to make for him? And remember the 10+ yards I bought for said quilt last week at the big quilt show I attended? Well, I HAD to buy border fabric, right? Two yards out of the Hancock's of Paducah catalog--the fabric with the Civil War generals depicted on it. ? That's it!

The 2.5 yards I used was a vintage tablecloth my grandmother embroidered in the '50s. I cut it up to make a blouse/jacket. (See my Design Wall Monday post tomorrow!)

Yardage purchased this week: 2

Yardage purchased year to date: 17 yards

Yardage used this week: 2.5 yards

Yardage used year to date: 25.5

Net used 2011: 8.5

Happy quilting!!

A Garment on my Design Wall

I went to the Road 2 California quilt show last week and among the great vendors there, I found one specializing in antiques: antiques quilts, tablecloths, hankies, blocks, etc. I collect antique quilts and give a lecture to guilds on the history of fabric in America but I swore to be a good girl and not buy another for my collection. I came close to buying 2 redwork pillowcases with sayings that really got to me: the first one said, "I slept and dreamed that life was beauty", depicting butterflies and blossoms. The second one read, "I woke and found that life was duty" with an image of a woman with a broom in her hand. Sad, huh? Didn't buy them.

Then I saw a rack of blouses made out of vintage tablecloths, doilies and cutter quilts. OMG! They were wonderful! But at $110 to $150, a little pricy. Then, a lightbulb went off above me! I have 4 drawers full of embroidered and crocheted items that my grandmother and mother made and they've been sitting there, unused, for a couple of decades! I don't use them because they are stained and not the right size for my tables. Making them into garments I would wear would be a tribute to my forbears as well as the ultimate recycling of otherwise unusable items.

So, I found a simple, non-dart blouse pattern, chose an embroidered tablecloth my grandmother made eons ago and put it on my design wall. I made some calculations, marked it up and started cutting.

This is the back. It started as a 50" round tablecloth that fit a table my mother replaced with a rectangular one when I was about 10 (1963). It's the one I chose to make first because it's the least 'special'. If this one turns out as great as I think it will, I'll cut into the really pretty ones and make more! Can't wait to finish it and wear it!

UFO #6 FINISHED!

Six days early too! I'm so proud of myself! I really didn't want to finish this quilt--didn't really like it that much. (See the 'before' photo of #6 here). See, I made this on a mystery quilt retreat and I wanted it to be a Christmas quilt, thus the red and green fabrics. The pattern turned out not to look very Christmassy so I was disappointed. But, of course, now that it's quilted, I like it a whole lot more! You like the quilting? I did it on my regular machine, a Janome 6600. It's 60" x 76" and I'll probably donate this quilt to the next community service organization that holds a silent auction for some good cause. This is a quilt both men and women will like.

Looking forward to February 1st when Judy pulls the next UFO number. THANKS, JUDY!