July Stash Report and Goals Update

July was a busy, productive, and hot!!! month. Also a fun one. July is indoor season here because of the heat, so I spent a lot of time in my sewing room. I was able to escape the heat for a few days at retreat, which was nice. But we've had temps over 110 all month, so thank goodness for air conditioning. (Don't tell me "But it's a dry heat." Temps that hot are brutal no matter what!)

The masculine geometric top I was working on has been quilted and is now ready for binding, which is prepped. I should easily get that quilt finished soon, because the agency it's destined for desperately needs quilts. They must have had an influx of clients recently because their quilt supply is depleted. Each client gets a comfort item to keep. 

The Four Patch Shuffle quilt has been quilted, bound, and donated to the same organization. 

Four Patch Shuffle

I accomplished a lot at retreat: a donation top that's been a UFO since 2014; another top that's salvaged from some spare parts from when I was making my book quilts; and blocks for a new project. I've already packaged up the donation top along with fabric for backing and donated it to PCQ for someone else to finish. It will get finished more quickly that way. And since the piecing is so simple, someone skilled at using pantos can enhance it with a pretty quilting design.

2014 UFO

Those retreat flimsy finishes helped my stash report. I indulged in some stash enhancement, mostly for the side triangles for Kaffe Shuffle and the patriotic version of Scrappy Celebration my friends and I are making, but my usage for the month and the year way outpaces my acquisitions. 

July Stash Report: 

IN this month: 7-3/4 yards (5-1/2 yards Ritter retreat. 1/2 yard (2FQ) from Jean. 1-3/4 yard 35th Ave shopping.)
OUT this month: 17 yards (2 yards bright polka dot backing and 5/8 yard binding for 4 Patch Shuffle. Bright SC2 blocks & related fabric shared, est. 2-1/2 yards. Kaffe Shuffle top, 4-1/4 yards. Pink/Orange donation top 4-5/8 yards, and donated backing, 3 yards.)

IN YTD: 33-1/8 yards
OUT YTD: 99 yards
YTD Net Change: 65-7/8 yards OUT.  Wow, nearly three times as much yardage used as I've brought in this year. And that doesn't even count what I've used for charity quilts from PCQ's stash. WOW! 

I counted only the sashing and side triangle fabric out now that there's a finished top using the leftover Cut and Shuffle blocks. The sashing and side triangle fabrics are recent acquisitions specifically for this project. 

Kaffe Shuffle

Since July was such a productive month, I feel good about my goals update. 

July Goals Recap: 

1. Finish prepping for retreat. Have fun at retreat! Yes and YES!

2. Bind Four Patch Shuffle. Done and donated.

3. Make blocks for Road Trip sampler and work on layout. Yes, made blocks. Layout is still to be determined. 

4. Make blocks for Bright Scrappy Celebration. Made blocks, laid them out at retreat. Bright SC (SC2) is now a completed flimsy. Now making blocks for SC3 in patriotic colors.  

5. Quilt something on the club's long arm. Yes, quilted the gold geometric print masculine top.  

6. Find or create a new project to work on at social sewing. Yes, working on SC3, Road Trip blocks, and a Kaffe gradient project. 

Other: worked on prep for teaching a color class starting in August. 

Kaffe Gradient

August Goals: 

1. Prep for and teach the first two lessons in my color class.

2. Continue making SC3 blocks.

3. Work on my Kaffe gradient project.

4. Make backing for SC2 and quilt it. 

5. Continue making Road Trip blocks; work on layout. 

6. Make backing for Kaffe Shuffle. 

Road Trip sampler blocks

I'm sure August will be another hot month so I'll still be staying indoors. I'll have time to work on my projects, but much of my time will be devoted to preparations for a six-lesson color class that I'm teaching to some of the PCQuilters*. I was never a teacher, so now I have a whole new respect for what they have to do to plan and prep for lessons, and how much time it takes! Looks like I have a busy month ahead of me....

Wish me luck that I can stay on track and get all this done! 

* (Please don't ask me to teach the color class on the blog; it's not gonna happen. It's much too hands-on.)