I’ve picked the fabric for the Cookie Jar block.  My first thought was I’d use the red from the knob on the lid for the letters, but now I think I need a brighter red for the knob — and definitely a brighter/lighter color for the letters on the jar.

The last day of vacation/holiday, I just flitted from thing to thing, never settling on any one thing.  First thing this morning my DH and I got the legs back on our new to us dinning table.  We were told it is circa 1910.  Who knows.  I just know that I like it and the price couldn’t be beat.

Then we watched the Rose Parade and I worked on the DWR.  I’ve met my goal for January and then some.

As for other quilting — I trimmed up 40 HST for Ocean Waves, made two blocks and 12 pinwheels.

Judy has picked #5 for this month’s challenge.  That’s the Cookie Jar block, quilting 1 ring of my Double Wedding Ring Quilt and making 2 of my Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler blocks.

I’m not sure which two SBS blocks I’ll make.  I guess we’ll all see the surprise at the end of the month.

But first, I have to clean up the sewing room.  I’ve got parts and pieces, tops, kits and other stuff strewn about the room.  I need a major clean in here, but really, I don’t think it will take too long to set things to right if I would just focus.

Bonnie Hunter released the last clue to Orca Bay this morning.  She did a great job keeping the quilt a mystery. I had NO idea where this was going.  Although I kept up with the clues early on, the larger string blocks did me in.  Since then, I’ve made sure I’ve done a few of each clue.  Now I’m glad I didn’t keep up any better.

Pictured are all of my star blocks and larger string blocks/triangles that I have completed.  Now that I know where this is going and have them up on the wall, I can see clearly I need to lighten up the purple — which I think was red in Bonnie’s quilt.

I’ll use this post to link up tomorrow for the progress report.  Monday you’ll be able to click HERE to see how other are doing on their Orca Bay.

I was off from work last week and I hoped to get a bunch of quilting done. Instead, if I wasn’t go, go, going, I was reading.  In fact it was tough to sit at my sewing machine.  I guess I finally got that break from all the quilting I did last year.  But I do have numbers to report as I took some time to visit quilt shops over the week and I finally got the backing made for a quilt I’ve started quilting.

Fabric Added Last Week: 4.25 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 4.25 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: 5.61 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 5.61 yards

Net Used for 1.36 yards

I’m going to continue to count my usage as I have been  – which lately has been as I’ve finished stitching the units.  I love watching the numbers go up as I work on things.

The links to other stash reports are over at Patchwork Times.

This morning I was doing a bit of clean up on my files, and realized I hadn’t posted a picture of my latest finish.    A while back I made this LeMoyne Star as a practice block and really liked how it came out – so did my husband.  He said it would be a great wall hanging.  So, it’s been floating around my sewing room waiting for me to finish.

I started off with a 12″ frame — it’s a 12″ block right?  All the points were “chopped” off — then I broke the glass.  So Christmas Eve I went back to the store and bought the 12 1/2″ frame.  It’s perfect.

Yesterday was spent quilting on the long arm.  I finally have the feathers on the Compass Lone Star.  Now to finish up the rest of the blocks, quilt them and attach them to the center.

As for the other quilt, after a false start which I’ll have to rip out, I settled on a quilting design — only before I could finish up the last two rows, I had to re-thread the machine and I couldn’t get it to take another stitch.  By then I had been at it all day and decided to come home.  Perhaps next week I’ll get it finished.

I’m scheduled for time on the long arm in the morning.  My intention is/was to quilt this quilt.  I’ve already attached the backing to the leaders.  But I have no idea what to quilt.  It’s for my nephew and his wife and it’s already “girly” with the flower print, so I want to avoid quilting flowers.  At the moment I’m leaning toward basic diagonal grid work  — which means I can quilt it here at home.

It also means I need another quilt to quilt that has a backing and that I have an idea on what to quilt. Perhaps and early night (well for me) and getting up early is the answer.

Here it is 1 o’clock and I’m just now getting my design wall post written.  I nearly forgot about it!

Although this is what my wall looks like right now, there’s all sorts of things scattered in my sewing room that I’m working on.  Part of the backing for a quilt is under the needle right now.  I’ve got an appointment to quilt tomorrow, so I’ve got to get the quilt prepped.  Then I’ve got to get back to the pink and black bag that didn’t get finished for Christmas or the frog quilt which at least now has a design.

But up on the wall are the blocks I’ve made for my Christmas BOM quilt which I started in 2003 and is my main UFO Challenge for 2012.  The blocks are more or less in the right location, or were until I put my Orca Bay stars up on the wall.

I’m still piecing the string blocks from Clue #4, adding wings for Clue #5 (although they are all cut) and making stars for Clue #6.  And to think I want to take on a new big project at the first of the year.

I’ve got Ocean Waves to get done by May, my Double  Wedding Ring to finish, progress to make on Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler. And that’s just the official list.  Unofficially I plan to finish my sister’s graduation quilt (it’s just 5 or 6 years late), my nephew’s wedding quilt in time for his 2nd anniversary, finish everything which was on my 2011 UFO Challenge list (piece 2 tops and quilt 4 tops) and finish at least the quilt tops to any quilt I started last year (Log Cabin, Candy Sunflower Seed, and Orca Bay) — I’m ignoring the fact that I started a postage stamp quilt.

To see what others have on their design walls follow the links over at Patchwork Times.  To see how other are doing with their Orca Bay quilt, follow the links over at Quiltville’s Quips & Snips!

A couple of days ago I found myself at Just Takes 2.  I’m not sure how I got there, but believe it or not I’m considering participating in this quilt along. The only thing holding me back is I’m not sure what fabric to use.

The quilt, ( by the way it’s a mystery) is inspired by the “Infinite Variety: Three Hundred Years of Red and White Quilts” exhibit, so red and white would be an obvious choice.  But do I want to do the expected thing?  My stash sure won’t allow it.

I have a few days before the first pattern is released, so perhaps I’ll make a decision before then.

Merry Christmas!

It’s the last stash report of the year and when I figured my numbers I had a surprise.  50 yards net used!

This past week I did a little Christmas New Year’s quilting and when the brain wouldn’t go any more I did mindless piecing on Orca Bay.  None of the last three steps are complete, but I have completed some units/blocks from each clue.  It’s the HST squares for Ocean Waves which put me over the top.

Fabric Added Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 130.686 yards

Fabric Used Last Week: .274 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 180.745 yards

Net Used for 50.059 yards

For other final reports of the year, check out the link at Patchwork Times.