Author Archives: Pam

I made my first quilted item as a visual aid for a math project in 7th grade. Over the next 25 years quilting was hit or miss, but quilting took over all the other crafts I've done in 2003.

Stash Report

May 18, 2014 7:02 am ⋅ Pam

If I had only stayed away from the thrift shops and garage sales….

Saturday morning, I pulled a list of garage sales that I thought might be good prospects for shirts. My plan was to call and see if there was an open machine where I rent time on the long arm and then go to the sales afterwards. But given it took nearly 15 minutes to find a parking place last weekend, I started toward the shop before I knew there was a machine available.

There wouldn’t be one until 1 PM, so that gave me plenty of time to hit the sales. The first stop — clothes $5 a bag didn’t have any cotton shirts, other than t-shirts. I headed to the second stop, a fund raiser for a youth group. There were 6 shirts, but at $2 a shirt – admittedly a better price than the big thrift shops, I only bought 2.

I thought I had been told there was a quilt shop out that direction, so I searched on my recently updated Garmin and found one supposedly 6 miles away. It was closer to 11 miles away and when I got there I realized that was the shop which closed several years ago. Oh well. On to the next destination.

Before I could get there I spotted a guy waving a sign “Blowout sale. Thrift Store”. Naturally I turned in. Shirts were $1 a piece normally, and for the sale buy 3 get one free. I picked up 4, including a reversible shirt — blue on one side and green on the other.

Back into the car, spotted another shop, but no shirts and tried again to get to my next stop only to find another thrift shop with a sale going on. Picked up 2 more shirts at $1 each.

Finally got to the quilt shop I was headed for and they were having a “garage sale”. They are moving at the end of the month. Saw a lot of cute stuff, but given I knew I was going to be buying a punch card for long arm time, I managed to not spend any money.

Pulled in at 1 to the rental place. Two hours later, I had quilted Sydney’s latest quilt and purchased 3 cones of thread — all at 40% off.

Swung by to pick up “lunch” — it was pushing 4 when I got home, ate then took a nap.

8 shirts – 12 yards. I don’t get to count the backing as that came out of Sydney’s stash, but I did make a pillowcase. I think I need to finish something of my own soon.

Fabric added this week: 12 yards
Fabric added to date: 73.879 yards

Fabric used this week: 1.111 yards
Fabric used to date: 49.382 yards

Net used to date: -24.497 yards

See how others are doing with their stash over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

Blogger’s Quilt Festival – Scrappy Quilt

May 16, 2014 12:39 pm ⋅ Pam

Amy’s Creative Side is hosting the Blogger’s Quilt Festival.

My entry in the Scrappy Quilt category is the Spool Challenge quilt. This was the leader/ender project that Bonnie Hunter lead beginning in July 2012. Over the course of a year I made 334 spools. The great thing about this quilt is with the exception of the backing it came entirely from my stash.

When it came time to buy the backing I found the perfect fabric (it’s the body of the pillowcase in the picture below). Everyone who saw it looked at me funny — until they saw it with the quilt.

When I started making the quilt, I had no idea where it was going to end up. By the time I quilted it, I knew who I was giving it to.

Boo claimed it when it was unwrapped and placed under the Christmas tree, but ultimately landed on this beautiful antique bed.

Doesn’t it look like it was made specifically for that bed? I had no idea they owned it.

Do hop over to Amy’s Creative Side to see all the quilts.

Posted in: Spools

Q is for Quartered Star

May 15, 2014 5:15 pm ⋅ Pam

The letter for this May is Q. Dorothy calls this block Quartered Star. Nine months to go, but the blocks all go together quicker than picking the fabric out, so it’s not too late to join.

Click to join apocketfullofmysteries

Posted in: Alphabet Blocks

Scrappy Irish Chain

May 14, 2014 1:28 am ⋅ Pam

I’ve finished the Scrappy Irish Chain. I used the pattern from Bonnie Hunter’s Adventures in Leaders and Enders. The 4 patches were done as leaders/enders — but for two other quilts that I decided I wanted a different look to. So, I repurposed the 4-patches, found a length of background fabric and completed the quilt top. It had to age before it was ready to be a quilt.

Details:

Repurposed the 4-patches 3/21/12
Completed the top 10/11/12
1593 pieces / about 6 yards of fabric – all from stash
Wide backing (works out to about 5 yards of 45″ wide fabric) – the only new fabric
8 – 2½” strips for binding – from stash
Warm & Natural batting
Superior Omni Thread – Light Tan in the top
Used just over 3 Super Bob – Cream(?) pre-wound bobbins
Continuous Curves in the dark part of the chain
Alternative blocks quilted with G1-10 from Pam Clarke’s book Quilting Inside the Lines
Quilted in two sessions on May 9th & 10th (about 4½ hours total)
Finished binding May 13, 2014
Quilt top measured 68″ x 83 before washing and 63″ x 79″ after

Edited:

Quilted on a rented Nolting long arm – I can’t remember which one.
Made a pillowcase to go with it from the backing and binding.

Posted in: finish, Irish chain, UFOs

What’s On My Design Wall

May 12, 2014 6:43 am ⋅ Pam

Friday night & Saturday morning I quilted my Scrappy Irish Chain. I’m still attaching the binding to the quilt. I can’t wait to wash this and see how it crinkles up.

Check out what others have on their design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: designwall, Irish chain

Stash Report

May 11, 2014 9:20 am ⋅ Pam

The plan was to use the green as the binding on the latest quilt – but I found something better in my stash — should have looked there first. The spider webs will go into that Halloween quilt I’m going to make some day. The good news is it was all 40% off, but it is 2 yards added to the stash.

On the other hand, I get to count the backing and binding on my Scrappy Irish Chain that I just quilted.

Fabric added this week: 2 yards
Fabric added to date: 61.879 yards

Fabric used this week: 5.559 yards
Fabric used to date: 48.271 yards

Net used to date: -13.608 yards

Check out how others are doing over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

Trip Around the World – Hexagon Style

May 6, 2014 5:15 pm ⋅ Pam

Six more hexagons and I’ll be ready for some more neutrals. But now I wonder. How long is this going to be a toteable project? I started off thinking I would stitch hexagons into strips and then attach them to the center, but found out quickly that was not the best plan.

For now, I guess I’ll just keep going and then worry about it later. It will be a few more rounds before it doesn’t fit in my bag.

Posted in: EPP

What’s On My Design Wall

May 5, 2014 8:10 am ⋅ Pam

Actually, the music baby quilt is finished and delivered. I’ve called it Lullaby for Chloe, as this was a gift for the high school orchestra director’s newborn daughter Chloe.

The center went together quite quickly as did the final borders and quilting once I got the embroidery done.

The batting is Warm and Natural. The quilting thread is cairo-quilt 100% cotton in Honey Gold. I quilted it on my DSM. Straight stitching through the chain, stitch in the ditch around the border, echoing of the top, bottom and middle staff line in the border and then an eighth-note in the background. (Click on the pictures to see the detail.)

The backing is a piece of baby animal music fabric I bought back when I made Ted’s music quilt. It wasn’t quite wide enough so I added a strip of gold to either side.

Quilt started 3/15/14
Top completed 4/29/14
Quilt completed 5/3/14

Next up – prepping the backing for two quilts I’m quilting Friday and Saturday.

Hop over to Patchwork Times to see what others are working on.

Here’s the link to the 2nd Quarter Finish Party over at The Littlest Thistle and my 2nd Qtr list.

Posted in: baby quilt, designwall, finish

Stash Report

May 4, 2014 9:03 am ⋅ Pam

Last week I let my fingers do a bit of shopping — but no new fabric. The good news is I get to count the fabric for the baby quilt out as I finished it yesterday! Pictures later today.

Fabric added this week: 0 yards
Fabric added to date: 59.879 yards

Fabric used this week: 3.725 yards
Fabric used to date: 42.712 yards

Net used to date: -17.167 yards

Check out how others are doing over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

P is for Pennsylvania

May 3, 2014 6:06 pm ⋅ Pam

The letter is “P” was the letter of the month for April. I’m just now getting around to making the blocks. Dorothy identified it as Pennsylvania. Funny thing about block names this is not at all what I thought I’d be making when I heard the block name. It is the 16th block of Dorothy Young’s Alphabet BOM. It’s not too late to join.

Click to join apocketfullofmysteries

Posted in: Alphabet Blocks