Sunday Stash Report

This week has been cool and wet here in Central Queensland. Now you could expect it to be cool since its officially mid winter but we are on the Tropic of Capricorn so we don't do winter too well. Yes it gets cold overnight (sometimes down to zero but that's pretty rare. Under 10 normally) but during the day we usually get to the mid 20s. A common saying here is we get 2 weeks of winter where you have to leave your jacket on all day. Its been low to mid teen maximums this week on quite a few days. So we little thin blooded precious babies have felt the cold.

And its wet. That isn't usual. We normally get summer rain... infact not too far north of here people don't talk summer winter spring autumn when it comes to seasons. Its the Wet season and the Dry season and the winter months is the dry season. So winter rain isn't common but this year we have had the highest rain falls for June and July for many decades.

So cold bleak weather - who wants to go outside. Not me that is for sure. Its been great weather to stay home and sew. I got over my horrid cold but Fixit Guy came down with it so - he's not been wanting to do too much that would distract me from sewing.

SO I have accomplished quite a bit this week and have heaps of finishes. Mostly they have been small things but - whatever. A finish is a finish.

Fabric Baskets: I made 3 of these for the Handmade with Love stall. 2 of them have Christmas fabric on the outside which came from the HWL stash but the linings all came from my stash as well as one outer so a small bit of usage. .21m 

Pencil Cases: I've made 13 of these this week to the new pattern I found. The tutorial can be found here. My sister sent me the feature fabric that I used in 10 of them. I had to input the fabric as well so its not "pure profit". 1.59m

Table runners: I finished off 8 of these this week. I had made the tops last week but got them all finished off so can count them at last. I handed 3 in without photographing them. I made 8 following the picture of one I found on the Pinterest. It was only the picture not a pattern. (I can't assign credit as the picture didn't say)

 and 3 from leftover scraps. Some of the fabric came from Handmade With Love stocks so I only counted half of what I made in my calculations. 1.56m

Bessie's Bears: Finally quilted and bound the baby quilt I pinned out a few weeks ago. I called it Bessie's Bears in honour of my mum who stitched the embroidered bears on it. Its based on the Missouri Star Quilt Company pattern "Sparkle".  Its going to a great niece in Sydney. I'll take it when I go down in August. 4.02m

I deliberately didn't put all the pictures going the one way so the quilt can be used in any direction. Of course if my niece in law is OCD that might just drive her nuts... I don't think she is

I love my mum's embroideries. She isn't stitching anymore so the remaining embroideries I have are being carefully hoarded in order that each of my nieces and nephews will be able to get a little of mum's work

Summer Reading QAL : yesterday I finished off my bookshelf wall hanging. I had the "shelves" all done for a while now but finally got cracking and put it together and then quilted and bound it. I even put the hanging sleeve on it and the label so its all done. The pattern is by Daisy Fredericks of Lazy Daisy Quilts (and Reads). The pattern is on Craftsy here. Pam and Lynne from The Stitch TV Show ran the QAL. I added .2 to my fabric tally to allow for the sleeve and the extra wastage and piecing for paper piecing. 1.14m

Pippin wanted in on the action.

The only fabric in was the .5 m of super hero fabric my sister sent me.

I have ordered some Pokemon fabric from Equilter to make some more pencils, book bags, zipper pouches etc to capture some of the market created by the Pokemon Go craze sweeping the world. Hope they are popular. I don't have to count that till it arrives though... phew

Wks 28 and 29

Fabric used                          8.31 m
Fabric Added                       0.51m 
Weekly Net                          7.80m

YTD
Fabric Used                      71.64m
Fabric Added                    36.86m
Year Net                            34.78m

Linking up with Patchwork Times

Mid Month Goal check in

Only 10 days in the month left so that means I am 2/3 through the month and a great time to check how I am going with my goals. I really enjoy setting goals for myself and seeing how I am going with them. I set myself a huge list this month and quickly decided I was unlikely to get through all of them but was willing to give it a go.

Basically I listed all the things that I had on the go without really thinking through the logistics of it. Mind you I did have my 5 day quilt retreat (actually it was 3 full days and 2 half days) so think I expected to accomplish so much then... which I did but not perhaps as much as I had hoped.

My goals for this month were

• Assemble the Amy Gibson 2012 BOM quilt (from Craftsy) - top together unless I decide to add another border but think its done.
  
• Finish Diamond Dash quilt - done!

• Finish Twilter's Hashtag quilt - done! (No photo as my phone just went flat so can't upload the photos)
• Catch up on the Summer Reading QAL (run by The Stitch TV show) done
  
• Complete Birds of the Air blocks for Twilter swap - done
• Make hanging towels for HML Done
  

• Make Pencil pencil cases for HML stall - I have made 2 and have more cut out to work on but haven't touched them since I last reported. I didn't specify how many I would make so having made 2 I guess that qualifies as Done. .sort of
  

That's 7 completed as of today.

• Make three baby quilts - blocks made and one centre put together. 
  

So that is one goal started.

• Make 3 casserole carriers for HML stall - no progress
• Make backing for the Hexie quilt - no progress
• Make backing for My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes - no progress 
• Pin and quilt Onya Bike - not done yet (not enough pins when I went to do it last Wednesday and have now decided I will leave it till our club's Longarm quilting machine arrives and I'll do it on that which won't be till next month

And 3 with no progress made and one deferred.   My priority for the rest of this month is going to be the baby quilts. We were told yesterday that we have another great niece or nephew on the way so that is another quilt I will have to have done by the end of the year so better get these three completed.

WIP Wednesday written on Wednesday but posted Friday

What a busy week of sewing I have had working on lots of different projects.

Being at a Patchwork retreat for 5 days gave me lots of sewing opportunities and also walks with views!

Sparkle Quilts. I made 27 blocks for 3 baby quilts. Since I got home I have put the centre of one of them together. This quilt is based on the Sparkle Quilt by Missouri Star Quilt Company pattern. In instead of 5 coordinating coloured squares I put a picture fabric in the centre. Some of these were embroidered teddy bears that my mother stitched. At 94 she no longer embroiders so the squares I have left have to be used sparingly. 2 of these quilts are for her great grandchildren so they will have some of the special stars.

I used a smaller sashing than recommended. At Patchwork today I laid out the next one with the wider sashing and feel it looks better. I'm not planning on unpicking the one that is done but will make the next 2 as per directions (I reduced it cause I felt I was running out of the fabric. I have since found the rest of it so have enough to do the wider sashing.) I deliberately put the embroideries facing into the centre and the other centre pictures going different ways so the baby quilts wouldn't have a right or wrong way.

 

 

Amy Gibson 2012 BOM Craftsy Class Quilt. At the retreat I got the last 2 blocks for this quilt made and today at patchwork I got the blocks put together. I sashed them in grey and put white corner stones. 

Summer Reading QAL. I got all 16 blocks for this made and put together. I was on a roll. I really only needed to make 5 to get up to date. The QAL is being run Pam and Lynn from The Stitch TV Show 

Today I had planned to pin out "Onya Bike" up at Patchwork, taking advantage of the great pinning out table and the assistance of some of the women up there. (My friend Lindy is usually willing to help me and some of the others also help out too on occasions) I was just getting my stuff together to take up - checked I had enough batting (I am down to the last of my roll) picked up my tin of pins and thought... that's a bit light. And then I remembered I have 2 quilts pinned ready to be quilted so wouldn't have anywhere near enough pins to pin out this monster quilt. Sigh. However at our group meeting today I was reminded that our group has recently received a grant to cover the cost of a long arm machine. It is already ordered and should be here in a few weeks and I will have time (I hope) to get it quilted on that before the special birthday it is a gift for. 

Stash Report and Goal Check

I have nothing to report this week as far as finishes go. I have been busily doing patchwork related stuff all week. I spent the first part of the week getting ready for my patchwork retreat which started on Wednesday, cutting fabric and generall prepping stuff for the time away. Then from Wednesday lunchtime till about 3 PM Sunday I was on the retreat. I did lots of sewing - made a total of 27 Sparkle blocks (from the Missouri Star Quilt Companies tutorial) which I will use in 3 baby quilts. I made all 16 of the paper pieced blocks for the Summer Reading Quilt Along. I made the last 2 blocks for the Amy Gibson 2012 Block of the MOnth on Craftsy. and I did a bit towards a couple of pencil cases but there were no finishes.

I did acquire some fabric at the Retreat. My friend Vicki and I won a quiz on the meanings of various quilting short forms (RR, UFO etc). We won 5 fat quarters that we cut in half so we both got some of each of the blocks. My gift in the mystery gift swap came wrapped in a fat quarter. And then there was the chunk of material I ended up with in the Silent Auction. (I put bids on lots of items just to get things moving. There were some pretty random or should I say ecclectic mixes of things in each lot.) I don't know how much was in the bundle and I won't be counting it as I am going to give it to Handmade with Love as it will make great shirts for boys.

Fabric Tracking Week 24

Fabric Used                 0.00m
Fabric added                0.90m
Weekly net                   -0.90m

Year to date
Used                           39.38m
Added                         36.35m
YTD Net                        3.03m

Since we are almost half way through June, its time for a review of my monthly goals. They have grown from 10 to 12 since I wrote them at the beginning of the month

• Catch up on the Summer Reading QAL that is being run by Pam and Lyn from The Stitch TV Show. Done. (I have done all the blocks.... got a bit keen this weekend)
• Make Hanging Towels for HML - DONE 
• Make Birds in the Air block for Twilters Swap - DONE and posted

That is the good news.

As for the remaining 9 goals. I've made progress on 3

• Assemble the Amy Gibson BOM quilt - I have completed the last 2 blocks for it. Still need to square up the blocks. I have all the sashing cut for it.

• Make 3 baby quilts (This is a late addition. I forgot to put it on at the beginning of the month) - I have the blocks made. Now to assemble them
• Make Pencil Pencil Cases for HML. I have completed 2 and have 6 more started. (this is another late addition to my goals.)

The last 6 haven't been touched

• Make backing for Hexie quilt 
• Pin and Quilt Onya Bike - hope to pin this at Patchwork group this week.
• Complete 3 more casserole covers 
• Quilt Hashtag quilt  
• Backing for My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes. This came to PnP with me and the box did come out from under the table but only so I could raid the fabric in it to use in the Summer Reading QAL wall hanging. 
• Quilt Diamond Dash 2 quilt 

So my ambitious goals for this month aren't looking too good. "Onya Bike" is my priority. I want to get it pinned and quilted this month and the other quilting projects will have to wait. 

Sorry there are no pictures but its got way too late and I need to go to bed. I might come back and add them tomorrow but then again......

Linking up with Patchwork Times