Commenced!

Fabric organization and de-stashing has commenced!

I saw this idea on Pinterest a couple of months ago.

Source

I ordered the cards from Amazon in January, (Ultra Pro Golden Age Size Comic Boards (100 Pack))and finally got started yesterday.

So far it is working splendidly!

I haven't even made a tiny dent. This is just one shelf, I have done two. I have used nearly the entire package of 100 boards. Ordering more today. I am putting pieces that are more than one yard on the boards. One yard and smaller pieces will be folded and put into stacks on other shelves. So far, I have cleared out just part of what was in our closet and a cabinet in our bedroom. In the storage shed, there is a line of boxes and plastic tubs full of fabric. The wall is eight feet wide, eight feet tall and the boxes are one, sometimes two deep along the entire wall, all the way to the ceiling.  This is serious, friends. I have to get this all organized, inventoried and get a good bit of it sold off. There is no way in the world I will ever use this fabric all up!

Quiltathon progress - Thursday

I am so happy today! I actually got time to sew and want to share what I did as far as working on quilts today!

I have the entire top cut out for my Brown/Teal/Pink quilt! Even the boarders! WooHoo!

I just adore that brown on cream dot print! There was no other white or cream in any of the prints, but heck, I went for it anyway!

I put one side border on Felicity's dog quilt. I will share that tomorrow, once all of the borders are on!

Have a great evening!

Getting It Done - a little late starting

Judy, over at Patchwork Times, is hosting her "Getting It Done" challenge.

I just found it today, but it actually started with an initial post on December 31. Whoops!

So here is my starting list for "Getting It Done in 2013".  I still have so much packed away, I cannot do a complete list for my year yet, just the ones I know right off the top of my head.

January:

Felicity's dog quilt - started as a project for her to learn to quilt but turned into a project for me. Started in 2009. Needs borders, quilting and binding.

Nautical Star quilt - top is complete. Needs borders, quilting and binding. This is just a wall, table cover or small-ish lap quilt.

Susie's Texas quilt - started when I did a Texas themed quilt block swap in 1998. Only blocks are done, needs everything else.

Brown/Pink/Teal quilt - just got the fabric for this um.....this weekend! Saw three fat quarters laying together and couldn't resist! Hope to get at least the top done this month.


Ready...set...go!

December creativity and cooking

Since I wasn't blogging, I must have been busy in December. Right?

Well, partially right. David and I spent the week before Christmas sick as dogs with the flu. Since David's job makes them get a flu shot, he had it in November. I cannot get a flu shot because I am allergic to eggs, so I get to "wing it" every year.

We were not lucky this year. The week before Christmas, the day after Felicity and Gregory went to spend their every-other week visit with their Dad, David and I both went down-hill with the flu. David was in good shape after 4 days because he had his flu shot. Me....twice I though I was nearly out of the woods just to relapse. It took me 9 days to feel somewhat like myself again.

On a better note, I did spend some time doing things I enjoy. Creating and cooking!

I finished my crochet rug that I started back in the summer. I don't have a pattern for this, but plan to do a separate post with my own rendition of a pattern, coming up soon.

I also made some oh so cute scarfs to sell in my Etsy store. I have plans for a tutorial on this, too.

Fresh bread! FINALLY, after many attempts over the past couple of years, I had two loaves turn out PERFECTLY! I used Judy's recipe. Here's the link!

I found new love in knit cotton dishcloths, too! I have made crochet ones in the past, and wasn't so crazy about them. BUT until now, I had never used the cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby. I LOVE THIS COTTON is the name and boy do I love it! The Hobby Lobby brand cotton yarn is a bit lighter texture than Peaches & Cream and Sugar & Cream brands that I had always used in the past. Now, I even like the crochet ones I have made, but the knit ones are AWESOME!

I used Sandra's pattern here. However, I found I like mine a bit on the small-ish side and I go up to 36-38 on the needle instead of 40. This pattern is also here (free on Ravelry), called Grandmother's favorite, calling for 44 on the needle, if you like your dish cloths a bit on the larger side.

Oh and in late October, I designed an adorable little hat for my grand-babies. Here is Maddie modeling hers. I just love those grand-babies so much!

In October/November, I whipped up a few quilt table runners. A couple are still in my Etsy store, the others were made for my sister and donations for a raffle.

And finally, on Christmas day.....fresh homemade doughnuts! Found it on Pinterest, of course! Recipe is here. All I can say is: Crazy easy, crazy fast and crazy good!

Now I am off to do more creating! I have a quilt I started nearly 4 years ago that I hope to finish this weekend. Have a wonderful weekend all!

Yes, I bought fabric....

This time for a special project. I am starting on Monday, June 25, on a "Quilt for an Hour" project with my friend, Judy from Patchwork Times.

Once we are in the new house and all of my boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes {oh and tubs!} of fabric.... (get the picture?) are finally unpacked and organized, I won't be buying fabric for a long time.

Yesterday I hit a gold mine! I was at my local Supercenter and found gorgeous fabrics on clearance for $2 and $3 a yard! I wasn't really looking, but a couple just jumped out at me for this project. I ended up finding several in a collection and picked them. I pretty much never buy fabric from the Supercenter for quilts...but this fabric is so nice and thick and wonderful quality. I figured "what the heck" and headed to the cutting table. There were 2 of the collection that I didn't get. I ended up with one that I bought that I won't use in this project, though.

Here's a cut out section of Judy's image to show what fabric will go where:

Source: Patchwork Times

Here is my swatch sheet. (Thanks, Judy, for providing this. It helped tons!)

These are the fabrics at a closer look. The first photo is the fabrics I got at the Supercenter. The second photo, I got at JoAnn's.

I haven't decided which fabric I will use for my binding. I bough extra of all of them, so there will be plenty left for the binding.

Here's the link to the Quilt for an Hour over at Judy's place. Head on over for all of the details and join in with us on Monday, June 25!

What to do with Christmas fabrics

I have loads of Christmas themed fabrics. I have collected them off and on for many years.

Now, I just don't know what to create with them. One can only have so many Christmas quilts, so I need ideas for other things to make with these glorious fabrics.

I have these in mind.

Tutorial for these are Here,  here  and  here.

But I could do 100 of them and still not make a dent in my fabric.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I found these neat Pomander looking ornaments using Yo-yos.

The tutorial for them can be found here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's one more-

Image credit and tutorial link on this post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What ideas do you have to share? Quilts, place Mats, napkins, ornaments. What about some out of the ordinary ideas? What do you do with your Christmas fabrics besides making quilts?

Let's see what comes up...we may all get inspired.

Funky Chicken quilt

I have been an avid quilter for many, many years. However, about 5 years ago when I started my first online business, quilting fell by the way side. I've now made my break back into quilting and started a quilt today. I'm calling it the Funky Chicken Quilt. I cut and pieced the blocks today.

I hope to be able to get the top completely together this weekend and will post more photos when the top is done. It felt really good to be sewing for fun instead of sewing for business for a change!