Post-Paducah Stash Report

I had such a good time. 
It was such a fun weekend with my friends and the best Paducah hostess ever. I haven't laughed that much in ages! We crammed as much into 3 days in Paducah as is humanly possible. Then we added shopping, good food, chocolate wine, and show & tell. And the quilts were stunning! Every year they just get more and more awe-inspiring.

Of course, I can't go to Paducah without enhancing the stash.
IN this week, 20 yards of regular width and 9-1/2 yards of wide backing.
OUT, 3/4 yard used for binding. The stash definitely won this week!
April and YTD totals to come next weekend.

Here are some of my Paducah finds:

Michael Miller coordinates

(shown with MQG challenge fabrics)

 

Additions to the teal & lime collection

 

Stash builders, just because I liked them

 

Backings

 

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times; check out everyone else's stash reports over there. I bet I'm not the only one with a bit of stash enhancement from Paducah this week!

DWM 4/21/14: Oh la la!

Today I'm working on a group project; my portion is the binding. I found the French text fabric, and the project's designer/instigator was with me at the time and she agreed it's perfect. It even includes her name, Cherie. How cool is that!

 

This'll keep me busy today, then I have only two days until Paducah. Can't wait! It's always like girls' weekend out, plus the quilt show, plus fabric shopping, plus good food, wonderful hostess, lots of fun....Always one of my favorite events of the year!

 

Linking up today with Judy at Patchwork Times; check out what everyone has on their design wall over there. 

Stash Report 4/20/14

Yay, nothing in this week! That will soon change  - Paducah, here I come!
Nothing out this week either.  No sewing happened here this week.
I'll total up the ins and outs at the end of the month.
Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times. Check out everyone else's much more interesting stash reports over there!

Thank You Vicki!

This arrived in the mail yesterday:

Hand made by Vicki Welsh

This is a beautiful hand made glass soap dish and hand made soap from Vicki Welsh at Field Trips in Fiber. She sent me this wonderful gift because my turquoise dog story received the most votes in her Dye-Mentia poll. The story is here. Thank you, Vicki!

This soap dish looks great in my new bathroom. My husband admired it; he appreciates the hand made nature of it. He likes hand crafted things that have meaning. It's cool how you can see the colors, the stripes and the bubbles in it.


This is Bax, the dog that rolled in the turquoise dye. That was nine years ago; he was five months old at the time. We had just finished remodeling our kitchen and I did not want him getting turquoise dye all over it. I grabbed him, plunked him into the sink, and spent about an hour hosing him off. I wish I had photos, but at the time I was too freaked out to think about it.

Bax, 2013

Linking up with Really Random Thursday over at Live a Colorful Life. Check out all the random stories over there.

DWM 4/14/14: Bee Blocks and BOMs

Updated 4/16/14: Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. Check out all the inspiration over there!

Keeping up with bee blocks and BOMs is always one of my goals each month. Here's April progress so far:

Marie's block for Sew Bee It:

This little block is only 7-1/2".  Those little squares are only 1".

It's from the Gypsy Wife pattern. 

Too stinkin' cute!!!

 

 

Carolyn's block for CSQ Piecing Group:

 

 

QF First Saturday Main Block:

 

 

QF First Saturday Alternate Block. Oops...

Looks like I'll spend some quality time with my seam ripper on this one.

 

 

QF First Saturday Blocks, 9 months of blocks

 

You can see the Oops at the top with its blue & white HSTs turned in the wrong direction.

Even though I love batiks, I have to admit I'm not loving the First Saturday blocks.  I just threw them up on the wall for the photo and didn't arrange them in any color order, but I'm not sure I'll like them any better if I fuss over the placement. They actually look better in the photo than they do for real.

 

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times; check out all the inspiration on everyone else's design walls over there. 

 

 

 

Stash Report 4/13/13

I stayed away from fabric shops and on-line temptations this week. I thought I was doing so well! But then I checked out the freebie table at STLMQG and came away with 5/8 yard.

I also stayed out of the sewing room this week until yesterday. The only thing I can count out is 1/8 yard for a bee block, and that's counting generously. I'm giving the block's owner a leftover piece of one of the fabrics I used so she can use it elsewhere in her quilt for continuity.

I'll total up the April ins and outs at the end of the month. With Paducah coming up soon, I'm sure it will be a month of way more in than out.

Here's why I stayed out of the sewing room:

Jan, Dad, Carol 4/10/14

 

My sister & I went to Arizona to visit my dad. He has advanced dementia and lives in an assisted living home there. We found him in better shape than we expected to. He didn't recognize us except that he understood we were there to visit him. He's always been a talker (huge understatement!) and he was talking quite a bit, but it's extremely difficult to understand him and whatever he says doesn't make any sense anyway. It was good that Carol and I went together, it's easier than going alone. We got to visit our brother while we were out there, too.

 

In other exciting news, I won a handmade glass soap dish & hand made soap from Vicki Welsh at Field Trips in Fiber - check out the link. How cool is that! Her glass soap dishes are lovely, and the blue & white one will go with my new bathroom. Thank you Vicki!!!

 

 

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times; check out everyone else's stash reports over there. 

DWM 4/7/14

Design floor today...

Pin basting the Dresden rows project. Trying to figure out the best way to quilt this, given my poor FMQ skills. Any suggestions?

Linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times - check out everyone else's design wall inspiration over there.

Stash Report 4/6/13

A little in, some out...

Yesterday I picked up a yard of text print for the binding on a French-themed group project. The project's instigator and designer was with me and she thought it was perfect. Here's a close-up:

French Text from Blank Quilting

Also this week I used part of a four-yard cut to make the backing for my Dresden Rows project, probably about three yards worth, give or take. I'll have to figure out how much is left. I'll total up the numbers at the end of the month. At lease I used more than I brought in this week!

Not much sewing planned for this coming week. I'll be taking care of some other responsibilities so I won't have much time in the sewing room.

See how others are managing their stash over at Patchwork Times.

Bathroom Progress

The great bathroom renovation is underway, and much has been accomplished. Before pictures are here.

The hall bath is just about finished.  The mirror needs to be cut down (the new vanity is taller) and I still need to get new towels and rugs, but other than that, it's done. Taupe, pale aqua, and white, very serene and spa-like. The vanity top is actually the same material & color as the shower surround; the shower wall is more true to color. We are using this bath while the master bath is being renovated, and everything is working fine.

Hall Bath Done

The master bath is underway. Demolition took place on Monday; plumbing Tuesday and yesterday. Here's what it looks like now:

Master Bath WIP

In other progress, I've decided to work on the Dresden Rows project next (see yesterday's post). The  top is now squared up and ready for me to make the backing.

I'm hoping to get more of one of the prints in the Broken Chevron project at Hancock's in Paducah later this month, so that project is still on hold for awhile longer. If I can find more, it will enable some design modifications to extend some of the chevron parts into a border. If not, I'll just piece the blocks together and call it done. Either way, I still like it.

Linking up with Really Random Thursday over at Live a Colorful Life; check out all the other random stories over there.

WIP Wed. 4/2/14 - Back to WIPs

Now that the book quilts are finished I might be able to sneak in a little sewing on some WIPs that have been on hold for awhile. What should I tackle first?

Broken Chevron Project

 

Dresden Rows Project

 

What do you think?

 

Linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced - check out all the inspiration over there.