November Challenges

I joined in on quite a number of Challenges to help me focus on my UFOs and such.

I love the accountability and will keep reporting, even if I'm behind

I'm putting them all in one post because it's easier to keep track of. 

This is the current status of the projects I've NOT completed.

 Elm Street OMG -

June - Irish Stars pillow covers

August - Work on Baby Clothing quilt

October - Finish TQPM test quilt

November - Gray Cancer Quilt

Get It Done 

February Ann's 2006 NYE project

March  - Jo's Club Teal & Brown

April - Copper & Teal Quilt

May - Tie One On

July - Under the Sea

August - Chicken Makings

September - Color Guard Pillow

October - Miscellaneous Fall Blocks

November - Home in the Middle

6 & 6 

September - Harry Potter quilt started

June - Sparkling Sampler

July/October - Windowsill Wonder

November - Harry Potter quilts begun

All People Quilt APQ 

April - Map of Texas

May - Ann's Mystery Star (NYE?)

June - Mira Red Hat Purse

July - Miscellaneous panels

August - Christmas Squares from Carol

 October - Liberty Blocks

Was going to be a quilt, but needed more pillows.

November - Pixie Garden

Scrap Attack - Going through my scrap drawers

March color is green.

May Color is Christmas

June Color is yellow.

July Color is Novelty

September  Color will be Black

October - Catch up month

November -White/Neutral

Color Challenge - 

October - Dark Green/Sage

November - 

 Stashbuster 

February #53 - Fall Panel 1

May # 7 - Bread & Butter Stars

August #101 Orphan Blocks

They are becoming pillows for an children's home.

I doubt this UFO will actually be completely gone, but there are blocks being used.

August #129 Sparkling Sampler

September - #3 Bloom

September - #41 Miscellaneous 4 patches, 9 patches, 16 patches.

So many more to use, but one is better than nothing.

September - #103 Paris
October - #10 Calico blocks

October - #65 Hawaiian Applique - quilt-smart
October - #110 - Pink & Purple 9 patches
I'll be using these for a pillow
November - #11 car organizer. 
November - #51 Flower shop Quilt 
November - #111 is already finished
New number is Christmas Embroidery

Quiltville Mystery

I was not going to start anything new.

I've been working to not do BOM or BOW.

I've avoided other mysteries.

But, Marianne has reminded me that quilting is my hobby and needs to be fun.

So, I am going to join in on Bonnie Hunter's Good Fortune mystery.

She posted the fabric requirements this morning.

I'll be working with my scraps.

Yes, I think I have enough of all the colors, except the sizes for the neutrals.

I won't know until the cutting directions are posted.

So, I will be pulling from my

Blue, Green, Red, Orange and neutral drawers.

From past experience, I know there will be some smaller pieces, and that is all great for my scraps.

I am excited to play along and use my smaller pieces of fabrics.

Organization task

I need to clean off my bookcase and organize the books there.

It is once again time to purge what I know I'll never use.

I also need to figure out magazines and papers and notes....

How does your book case of quilting books look?

Yes, these are only quilting books, but are all that I have.

Design Wall

This design wall has a quilt from leftovers of Simply Woven.

I disliked the pattern because I used jelly rolls and they had the pinked edges.

Things didn't always turn out right.

Instead of the woven part, it will just have these two cuts.

It is going to a person fighting cancer. 

The red and black are for additional pillows.

I have 8 more pillow forms.

I think I have enough of them for the reason, but a few extra is OK.

This mess is all the Fall blocks that were leftover from different things. 

I am not all that good at quilts like this, but thought I'd give improve another try.

I am making HST into plying geese as a common theme on the pieces.

We shall see what becomes of it.

I'm linking to Small Quilts Doll Quilt's Design Wall Monday.

Motivational Monday

21 - 27 October 2018

1. Clean off and put away items on a flat surface

This will be what it is until the bookshelf space is found by DD and I get the extra bedroom closet shelf reorganized. 

I still have two projects on the side of my cutting table, but the trash is taken out and I'm put all the fabric in the bin to be put away or put it away.

My pressing table was a mess!

It is now clear except for the baby clothing that needs to be stabilized.

I like having my diffuser on the table and adding some nice smells to the room.

All the stuff on the right is used almost daily.

I went through everything and what is left is the coaster batting cut and a couple pieces for a coaster.

I am going to use this basket to house the items I am working on and don't need to have near my cutting tables.

I did use them to make Halloween coasters this week.

There are still more left for Thanksgiving and Christmas coasters. :)

Everyone loves a coaster.

If you didn't see the coaster tutorial, you can find it here. 

I can't say I did much on this area.

I need to figure out that place to the right of the sewing machine.

I will never have an empty desk, but I can see wood and things look like I can find what I'm looking for.

2. Continue to stabilize baby clothing
Not much done, maybe only a couple of pieces.

3. WITB
This container is where all the cut off pieces and fabric that has not been used in a quilt or has been used and there is leftover pieces.
Inside that container was the container on the right.
It had little pieces - all scraps

 These are the scraps that came out of those two containers.
I do think I need to use up more white scraps.
Maybe it is time to make crumb blocks since there are smaller bits. 

You think it is empty, but what happens when you quilt?

It fills up again.

Guess I need to come up with a plan for weekly putting away of used fabrics.

4. Quilt Old Quilt

Had to make a backing. 
Why is that so difficult for me?
All the pieces are ready to sew together.

5. Bind Windowsill Wonder

28 October -3 November 2018

1. Clean or organize bookshelf.
2. Continue to stabilize baby clothing
Not much done, maybe only a couple of pieces.

3. WITB
4. Quilt old quilt

Pincushions

Having fun making pincushions.

Stash Report

quilt paint create links to all our stash reports   

Used this Week:                                              9.80 yards

Used year to Date:                                      208.49 yards

Total out of stash this Month (October)            33.58 yards

Added this Week:                                            0.00 yards
Added Year to Date:                                      50.25 yards
I met the 200 yard goal, so I modified it to 50 more yards this year.

New Goal:                                                   250.00 yards

Yards to goal:                                                41.51 yards

Net Used in quilts 2018:                             181.01 yards 

Making those pillows are allowing me to use half a yard per pillow.

A couple of other fun facts are:

Prairie Moon is doing a 350 blocks challenge this year:
Number of equivalent blocks:                1310

Perimeter in inches                             18328

Number of UFOs finished this year:            36

UFO Yardage Used                              132.86

Amount of yardage used in UFOs              73%

Number of Bobbins Used this week            4
Number of Bobbins Used this year          166

Number of Spools Used this week              0

Number of Spools Used this year              41

Kate at Life in Pieces is doing the challenge of 15 minutes of sewing.

Days of Stitching                                      83%

Number of Days this week                       7/7

Number of Days this year                       254/307

Days Organizing                                       91%

Number of Days this week                       7/7

Number of Days this year                        280/307

20 minute challenge                               25%
Number of Days this week                     4/7
Number of days this year                      30/119

Elm Street Finish

This is my TQPM test quilt.

I can't show you the complete quilt, but it finished.

Linking up to Elm Street.

Coaster tutorial

I was making Halloween coasters and thought I'd share the tutorial again.

The last share was with lots of other things, so....

Coasters

THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE

Supplies:

5 coordinating pieces of fabric

(I've also used all different fabrics or two or whatever I had on hand)

Batting

Cutting tools

Thread

Cutting Instructions:

Cut 5 - 4 ½  x 4 ½ inch squares of fabric

Cut 1 - 4 ½  x 4 ½ inch square of batting 

Pressing Instructions:

Fold 4 of the squares in half, wrong sides together and press

You will have your batting, a 4 ½ inch square for the backing and 4 rectangular pieces.

 Assembly Instructions:

1.     Place 4 ½  x 4 ½ inch square of batting on table 

  

2.  Place unfolded 4 ½  x 4 ½ inch square right side up on top of batting.    

3.    Lay remain 4 pieces (the folded ones), with raw edges towards the outside, and layer as if you were folding a box top to keep it shut.

 

Things to notice: When sewing you want to have the layer on the upper right to be the one on top. This allows you to sew without catching the folds.

4.    Stitch ¼ inch around the outside edges.

Make sure to catch all layers.

  

5.    Trim corners

6.    Turn 

This is what it looks like while turning.

After it is turned, it might need the corners pushed out. 

Don't use a sharp point, or you might go through the seam. 

I use a rounded chop stick.

Finished

 

 Use it as a coaster. 

it can be used for stemware too.

  

It is washable and is loved by everyone.

When I gave them away at the office to my staff, other employees would come to see if I had any left that they could buy.

I always made more to make sure I had extra to give away.

Great for scrap use if you are only making one or don't care if they match.