Reflections on 2009 Quilting Goals

December 31, 2009 3:07 pm ⋅ Pam

My quilting goals for this past year were simple enough.

At the beginning of 2009 I have way to many projects in the works. So I’m going to work on getting them done this year, along with not buying speculation fabric – or even fabric that I’m not ready to use immediately. That doesn’t mean I won’t buy fabric, just that I’ll pay better attention to what and when I buy it.

So what happened? Before January was up I had bought a few FQs and fabric for a quilt, which I still haven’t made. There were two more purchases over the year of fabrics for quilts which now sit as PIGS (Projects I Grocery Sacks), but I’d like to think the rest of my purchases were either immediately made up or to fill holes in my stash.

On the other hand, I finished 7 UFOs and 6 new projects. They are recapped on the 2009 Finishes page.

I also moved 11 quilts from the “working on” stage to the “completed top” stage. Only 4 of those were new starts in 2009. There are another 4 quilts which were started last year which haven’t made it to the “complete top” stage.

Overall, I accomplished plenty in the quilting realm of 2009. But I really need to work on FINISHING things instead of starting new.

Posted in: goals

My New Blogging Home

December 30, 2009 10:02 pm ⋅ Pam

A year ago I ventured into blogging about my quilting to participate in Judy’s Stash Busting Reports over at Patchwork Times. Not knowing anything about blogging, I picked Blogger. It was easy to use right off the bat.

However, I’ve occasionally wanted to post a pattern in PDF format and I like the idea of pages – neither of which I’ve been able to figure out how to do on Blogger. Then earlier this month while working on my husband’s web page (www.tedavara.com) I discovered that WordPress supported both of these things. So here I am.

I’ve imported all of the Blogger entries, but the links still point back to the original post on Blogger. I’ve thought about editing the posts, but I’d rather simply move forward. This is still a work in progress, but let me know what you think. I had followers on Blogger and I hope they follow me over here to my new home.

Now back to quilting!

Posted in: Uncategorized

What’s On My Design Wall? – 12/28

December 28, 2009 11:58 am ⋅ Pam

Another week where I am recycling an old photo. There’s nothing on my design wall this morning.

I finished Raising Cane yesterday and I don’t want to start anything new. Not that I don’t have plenty to work on. My goals for the rest of the year are to get the borders on Ladder to the Stars and finish the rest of those seams on the DWR. I’m not sure what’s up with the DWR.

So last night, instead of doing either of these tasks, or even working on step 3 of Carolina Christmas I was playing with WordPress to see if I would like it better than Blogger. I like the idea of pages and with WordPress I can upload PDF files. So this may be my last Design Wall post from Blogger.

But I will not work on it any more until I get the DWR ready to baste! Keep reminding me of this. I really want this quilt on our bed by the end of November.

Check out what everyone else has on their design wall this last week of 2009 over at Judy’s blog.

Posted in: Carolina Christmas, designwall, dwr, Ladder to the Stars

Raising Cane – A Dorothy Young Mystery Quilt

December 27, 2009 1:58 pm ⋅ Pam

This morning I added the borders to Raising Cane.

Originally, I had a beautiful butterfly print for the border, but it just wasn’t working when I finished the center of the quilt. Then I remembered a stripe fabric I bought that didn’t work for it’s intended purpose. It was perfect. The top now sings.

While I was debating the border, I finished up Part 2 of Carolina Christmas.

Posted in: Carolina Christmas, Raising Cane

Stash Report Week # 52

December 27, 2009 10:31 am ⋅ Pam

Well, here it is my final stash busting report of the year. I started these reports to play along with Judy at Patchwork Times and to see exactly how much fabric was coming into the house and then being used. While I was at it I tracked all of my expenditures — thread, patterns, notions, classes, etc. I must say it’s been an eye opener.

This past week I had fabric coming in and going out. My LQS had a 40% off coupon — first one I think I’ve ever seen in 5 year. So, I bought 6 yards of bright white on white. I’ll use it to finish up Carolina Christmas and then put whatever is left back in the stash. Along with the WOW I was given a Civil War charm pack. So 6.69 yards in this week.

I didn’t quite use as much as I brought in this week. I made a baby quilt from Dorothy Young’s current mystery quilt Raising Cane. Two more borders and then I have top and 2 yards out of my stash. This week I also made a pillowcase, bound two labels (didn’t discover the error until I started to put it on the quilt), and I’m counting the fabric I’ve used so far in my leader/ender project Oklahoma Backroads. In all that’s just shy of 5 1/2 yards.

Fabric Added this Week: 6.69 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 289.273 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 5.487 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 114.263 yards

Net Stash: +283.786 yards

It doesn’t look like it, but I was more selective in my purchases. I can only think of two or three yards of fabric (or FQ equivalent) that I bought just because I liked it. Most of my purchases were either everything I needed to make a quilt (which I still haven’t done) or to finish something I was working on. The rest of the inbound number is the result of generous friends who know I love making scrap quilts and they where cleaning out their own stash. It’s taken 24 years, but my husband has finally said “no more fabric”. And I agree, until I get some of what I have worked up. Then, we’ll see.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

Merry Christmas, Snow and Wind-Up for the Weekend Quilting

December 25, 2009 5:53 pm ⋅ Pam

Merry Christmas!

A blizzard was predicted so instead of venturing out to my mom’s and brother’s for Christmas, my husband and I stayed home and called our families today. Looking out the front window the roads don’t seem too bad, but then I watched the weather report and last night’s storm is supposedly going to whip around and get us again.

We are considering ourselves snowed in (we could get out if we had to, but are choosing not to get out on the roads), I’m working on a couple of quilts. The pink, yellow, lavender and butterflies is Raising Cane, a Dorothy Young mystery. This is up through step 8 which is the last step posted so far. I have no idea where this is going and can’t wait to see the finished quilt.

The pink on the bottom right are my ‘bonus HST’. The dark fabric is what I’m using as my leader/ender project. They are for Oklahoma Backroads, a Bonnie Hunter quilt. I’ve got the 4-patches made and I’m 1/4 of the way through the ‘picket fence’ pieces.

Since I’m waiting on clues, I can either baste the music quilt together and start quilting it, or go back to Carolina Christmas. I finally decided that I really want to finish Carolina Christmas with the bright white instead of off white. So, I bought 6 yards of a bright white on white. I think it’s more than I need for this quilt, but since I only have the two pieces I’m saving for my redwork snowmen, I could use some WOW in my stash. I’d like to get both Carolina Christmas and Raising Cane to the top stage, so I’m leaning toward more piecing.

Tamara at tamara quilts is starting a Wind-up for the Weekend Mr. Linky to see what everyone is planing on working on over the weekend. I’m going to play along – of course it will be interesting to see what actually gets done because I’m a great one to plan one thing and do something else entirely.

Posted in: Carolina Christmas, Christmas, Raising Cane, snow, Wind-Up

Stacked 4-Patch Race Cars

December 24, 2009 7:26 pm ⋅ Pam

Another UFO finished in 2009. This is “Race Cars”. In 2008 I taught the 4-Patch Stacked Posies and this was my class sampler. Finished it measures 47 x 59.

I hope everyone is having a safe and Merry Christmas.

Posted in: finish, race cars

A Start & Finish in One Night

December 24, 2009 12:15 am ⋅ Pam

Ok, it’s not a quilt, but it is fabric out of my stash! A while back a friend gave me a pillowcase kit and as simple as pillow cases are to make (although I make them harder encasing all seams) I simply had not gotten around to making this up. So tonight after shopping for what seemed like hours (wait, it was hours — not that we bought a whole lot), this was all my brain could handle.

Before we left for shopping, I finished binding the 4-Patch Race Car quilt. I need to put the label on it and wash it, then I’ll get a picture posted.

Posted in: finish, pillowcase, race cars

What’s On My Design Wall? – 12/21

December 21, 2009 8:32 am ⋅ Pam

I am recycling an old photo. There’s nothing on my design wall this morning.

Today I hope to finish the quilting on the 4-Patch Race Car quilt. I had tension issues yesterday and ended up ripping out everything I put in. Once that’s done, I have a pillowcase to make, and maybe one of those bulletin boards with ribbon.

Nothing like last minute quilting.

Check out other design walls over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: designwall, race cars

Stash Report Week # 51

December 20, 2009 2:03 am ⋅ Pam

Finished the back to the music quilt and I made the back and cut the binding for the 4-patch Race Cars. I’m going to try and get it quilted today. Nothing fancy, diagonal stitching through the squares and cornerstones. I’m not sure what I’ll do in the border.