Stash Report

March 6, 2011 12:33 am ⋅ Pam

I suppose I really should be showing the back of these blocks, as my fabric usage is primarily of the backing fabric this week. I cut the backing for all 15 blocks. These six are quilted. Additionally, I borrowed a friend’s light box and finished tracing off the snowmen for my red work quilt.

No new fabric came into the house. I did consider buying some Easter fabric to make a border for an Easter quilt, but since I didn’t have the quilt top with me I stuck with my original shopping list of green thread for the sashing on the back of the Dresden Plates. I also bought a package of needles since my DH was looking for a curved needle to repair his snow boots.

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 5.50 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 4.35 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 28.236 yards

Net Used for 2011: 22.736 yards

Check out how others are doing by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate, red work, Stash Busting Report

Three in a Row

March 5, 2011 12:23 am ⋅ Pam

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate

Another Design Change to UFO #10

March 3, 2011 11:31 pm ⋅ Pam

I tell you, it’s as though I’m working on a new quilt, not a UFO started in 2006.

The Dresden Plate started out as a Quilt-As-You-Go (QAYG) project, originally because it’s so much easier to maneuver a 16″ square than a full size quilt under the arm of my sewing machine. I still intend to make the quilt a QAYG project, but since I couldn’t find the blocks I previously quilted, I was free to make a new design. I no longer have a full size bed, so decided to scale the project down to twin size.

For the past four weeks I’ve been pondering how to put the quilt together, but hadn’t settled on a solution. Then earlier this week, Fiona from BubzRugz was the guest blogger at Stash Manicure. Fiona wrote a tutorial on QAYG where she joins her blocks with sashing by machine. I have seen this style of joining before, but did not realize it could be done completely by machine. Since I had 4 string blocks I tried it out. It works pretty well.

Oh, did I mention I finally realized that my 6 1/2 yards of black fabric was not going to be enough for the border, backing and binding for the Dresden Plate and the border and binding for the Dragonfly quilt? I’m committed to the borders and binding on both quilts, but that still left the backing for the Dresden Plate. You do see where this is going, don’t you?

Yes, this is the new design. I have just enough of the gold fabric for the sashing and inner border — if I don’t make any mistakes! I’ll be able to quilt each block with ease and then join them together. I dug through my stash and found a fuchsia and purple floral which came from Mom’s stash and half a yard of a mottled green which I’ll use for the sashing on the back.

I can’t wait to finish this quilt. But first I need to finish the quilting on my friend’s baby quilt. Her great-niece is two months old and needs her quilt!

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate, string blocks, UFO Challenge 2011

March UFO Challenge

March 1, 2011 1:35 pm ⋅ Pam

Judy has announced the # for the March UFO Challenge, and I’m not finished with February’s! Although significant progress has been made. It’s a good thing that Judy let us modify the rules. As a result I have two lists – one of project to get to the top stage and one for tops which need to be quilted. The idea was I would pick one of the two projects and get it done. January I was lucky and got both done, but February the Dresden Plate was on both lists, so I didn’t have a choice.

This month’s number is 1.

On my “get it to the top stage” list is Mom’s 4-patch Stacked Posies that she started the last time she hosted my friends and me for a quilting weekend.

To be "Topped"

On the “To be Quilted” list is a Red, White and Blue baby quilt. This quilt top has been around since Spring 2008.

To be Quilted

So, this month, I’m going to continue working on the Dresden Plate – hopefully complete it. I will also try to get the baby quilt finished. The Stacked Posies is on my list of projects to work on at the quilt retreat next month, so I don’t think I’ll work on it. Besides I have a “new” project to work on — Dragonflies — which I’d like to have done before I go to the retreat – not to mention a few other projects which I need to make progress on this month.

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate, Mom's Stacked Posies, RWB Baby Quilt, UFO Challenge 2011

What’s on my Design Wall

February 28, 2011 1:00 am ⋅ Pam

Yes, it’s my Colorworks Dresden Plate – or what I’ve got done of it. I still lack 5 blocks, but that’s OK. This quilt is so much further along than it was on February 1st.

February 1st

Follow the links over at Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design walls. And check back here after Judy posts the UFO Challenge # to see if I work on this as my UFO for another month, or make it my “current” project and pull another quilt into the mix.

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate, designwall, UFO Challenge 2011

Stash Report

February 27, 2011 1:00 am ⋅ Pam

Nothing in this week — well, a friend did just give me a stack of blocks, but that doesn’t count on the Stash Report — the Tops in Progress list, maybe.

As for fabric usage the beginning and ending of the week saw me cutting fabric for the dragonfly quilt. In between I worked on the Dresden Plate quilt. I cut the dark fabrics for the dragonfly quilt early in the week and then put it up to continue working on the Dresden Plate. By the end of the week I had to cut more background squares for the Dresden Plate. From each width of fabric I got two backgrounds and a dozen squares for the Dragonfly quilt. So, I guess I’m committed to the solid black for the Dragonflies. I think I have 6 1/2 yards left, plenty to do the borders and bindings of both quilts and then some. And yes, I added the black squares to the bag of fabric for the dragonflies and will work on them at the sew-in next month – unless I finish the Dresden Plate before then.

Of course, in surfing the web, I found a postage stamp quilt that I started drooling over. I had to give myself a stern talking to about NOT digging into my 1 1/2″ strip box and cutting squares to use as leader/enders. I don’t want another new project in my life at this point in time — not to mention that I have a stack of bricks to stitch together for a Fun with Bricks quilt, which I started as my leader/ender project last month.

On to the report!

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 5.50 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 4.118 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 23.886 yards

Net Used for 2011: 18.386 yards

Check out how others are doing by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate, Dragonflies, Fun with Bricks, Stash Busting Report

Option #3

February 26, 2011 8:05 am ⋅ Pam

Option # 3

Earlier this week I posted a couple of pictures of a possible layout for this quilt. Essentially dark pink blades up and down or lighter pink blades up and down. My original intent had been the dark pink up and down, but after I sewed 4 blocked together I put them up on the design wall the other way and kind of liked it.

I sent the pictures to my DH to look at. He had them opened in two different windows and kept flipping back and forth. The illusion of movement was neat. His idea was to alternate the blocks. I liked the idea well enough to do a bit of frog stitching to separate the blocks. Admittedly, I didn’t do the ripping until after I altered the picture in Paint.

Six more blocks to appliqué.

Posted in: Colorworks Dresden Plate

Another Favorite Product Gone

February 26, 2011 7:49 am ⋅ Pam

File this under the “Stuff” part of Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid.

Dr Pepper Diet Cherry Vanilla is no longer available in the area. This was my last can. Drank it for lunch yesterday.

DH and I knew it was getting tougher to find. Last week we checked every store that had 12-packs on sale, and a few that didn’t, and came up empty. Then Thursday, DH asked the manager of our local grocery what the deal was. There was a shelf tag, but no DPDCV. The Pepsi distributor was in the store so the manager hollered at him. The distributor confirmed that Dr Pepper Diet Cherry Vanilla is no longer being made in our distribution area, which includes Lawrence and Ottawa to the west and south, but didn’t know about other distribution areas.

Plain Diet Dr Pepper just isn’t the same, so I think I’ll just drink water and tea. Probably better for me anyway.

Posted in: Uncategorized

The Year of the PIG – Question #4

February 24, 2011 8:14 pm ⋅ Pam

Jill’s Year of the PIGS Question #4 is:

What is your last finish and what UFO are you working on now?

As Jill said, this is an easy question. My last finish was my 5-patch Scrap baby quilt on January 31st.

I’m working on two different UFOs at the moment. At the sewing machine I’m working on a brightly colored Dresden Plate on a black background.

I started this quilt sometime in 2006. I’m using a skirt my mom made for me in the early ’90s. One of these days I’ll need to see if I can find a picture of it before I started chopping into it. This is what is left of the skirt.

There were at least two more tiers to the skirt. I had to cut into another layer to get enough pieces.

I wore that skirt frequently for 10 years (clearly I’m not a clothes horse.) I always wanted a black blouse and black slouch boots to wear with it. But never got the blouse made or found the boots. Instead I wore it with a purple “camp shirt” and some sort of black shoes. For accessories I had a “silver” concho belt and a multi-colored turquoise phoenix brooch. I finally rolled over the hem of the skirt with my desk chair one time too many and decided I shouldn’t wear it any more.

When I’m not sitting in front of my sewing machine, I’m hand quilting my Double Wedding Ring Quilt.

Last night I discovered that I only have 2 rings left on the row I’m currently working on, then two more rows for a total of 16 rings to go. I’ve blogged a lot about this quilt over the past couple of year. Clicking on “dwr” on the right of my screen take you to those entries.

Check out the link’s at Jill’s to the last finish others have had and what they are currently working on now.

Posted in: 5-patch scraps, Colorworks Dresden Plate, dwr, PIGS

Option 1 or Option 2?

February 22, 2011 11:29 pm ⋅ Pam

Option #1

Option #2

There will be 15 total plates. Since I’m quilting them in sections, I’ll potentially need to make up my mind before I get all 15 appliquéd (there’s that word again) to the background.

Posted in: applique, Colorworks Dresden Plate, UFO Challenge 2011