Stash Report Week #14

April 5, 2009 9:04 am ⋅ Pam

No dent in my stash this week, although I did get my geese sewn together and one more row sewn together on the music quilt.

On the other hand, I did bring fabric into the house. Last Sunday, when Sandra, the list mom from Stashbusters, was in town, we got together for a visit. She gave me a couple of potholders she made (and I’ve enjoyed using this week) and a yard of pretty green fabric.

Friday morning I picked up the yardage for the borders to OTR. Saturday another 1 1/2 yards for a bag I’m making for a gift. But it was Saturday afternoon which really caused my stash to grow.

A friend of a friend had fabric from her mother’s or grandmother’s estate. The boxes contained a little of everything, about 1/2 of it cotton. Of the cotton I brought home 13 pieces. I just finished measuring it. There’s 48 1/4 yards there — but it’s all 36″ wide. I did some fancy math to figure out what the works out to in 42″ wide fabric on the theory that if a pattern today calls for 1 yard of fabric, 1 yard of this vintage fabric won’t be enough — I’ll need about 42″.

Fabric Added this Week: 47.75 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 98 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 22.08 yards

Net Stash: +75.92 yards

Posted in: music quilt, OTR, Stash Busting Report, vintage fabric

Can I Stop Cleaning?

April 3, 2009 9:43 pm ⋅ Pam

In two weeks I’m going to a 4 day quilt retreat. Invariatebly, I take way more than I can accomplish, but I like a variety of projects so I don’t get bored. Not finishing what I take is not an issue for me (if it was, my UFO list wouldn’t have 33 partially completed tops on it). Anyway, this year I’m going to focus on borders. – Note to self, find knee pads for crawling around on cement floor.

However, working or borders all weekend will get boring, so I’m going to take atleast one PIG (project in grocery sack). I easily have a dozen to choose from, but decided I wanted to work on Springtime at Heritage which is the kit pictured above.

I bought it in Septemeber and it’s been kicking around in my sewing room ever since. The only problem was I couldn’t find it.

My sewing room is divided into two main spaces — a u-shaped area with my personal computer, work computer and sewing table and the rest of the room where I hope someday to have two casual chairs and an occassional table. Or where I can set up a couple of tables and have friends over for a sew-a-thon. On the wall are shelving units with my fabric, completed tops, ufos and pigs. That’s the only area which is really well organized. The u-shaped area is messy but functional and the other half of the room needs cleaning.

So, for the last couple of days I’ve been “cleaning at” the other side of the room a couple of minutes at a time looking for the fabric kit. Tonight I finally found it. So can I stop cleaning?

Oh, click here for the quilt pattern I’m using.

Posted in: Springtime, UFOs

QCC – Quality Control Cat

April 3, 2009 8:16 pm ⋅ Pam

Cats and quilting go together at my house. I’ve owned, or been owned by three cats since I started quilting. Fluffy and Grey were the original QCCs. Seven wasn’t interested in quilting — or for that matter living with two other cats. But after Fluffy and Grey crossed the rainbow bridge, Seven realized she had to fulfill the role of QCC.

I don’t know what it is about cats and quilts. One time I brought several quilt tops into the living room to show my mom. Seven was sound asleep in the bedroom. I’m not certain all the air got out from under the quilt top when I shook it out and laid it out on the floor, before she was there laying on top of it.

Another time I had a top on the floor, blocking access to the kitchen and sewing room. Seven walks in and comes to a screeching halt, stopping BEFORE she touched the quilt top. I have to assume she didn’t like it. My DH picked her up and told her she had hurt my feelings, so when she came back through the room, she gingerly stepped on the top and briefly sat on it before walking off. Somehow.

Tonight when I came home, Seven was sitting on the couch with DH. I pull out my Old Tobacco Road quilt and lay it on the floor. Seven doesn’t move.

I pull out the inner green border I just bought, and lay it next to the quilt. Seven remains on the couch.

The flying geese are stretched out next to the green border. No response from Seven.

Finally, I lay the purple outer border next to it all.

Seven leaps off the couch and jumps on the quilt and fabric and starts ‘massaging’ the purple fabric, before reclining on the quilt.

I have to assume she likes it.

So here is some Haiku DH and I wrote about a year ago for Quality Control Cats

Mom is a quilter
Her quilt needs my approval
I must lay on it

And for Seven specifically:

Seven is QC
Approving quilts is her task
Hair removal mine

Posted in: haiku, OTR, Seven

A Gaggle of Geese

April 2, 2009 11:33 pm ⋅ Pam

Purple geese in yellow skies for my Old Tobacco Road quilt. I went with this option because I’m leaning toward a purple border. Of course when I get to the quilt shop, who knows what I’ll find.

Posted in: OTR

No More Tears – And a Finished UFO

March 31, 2009 12:00 am ⋅ Pam

I’m counting this quilt DONE! I started it in 2005. It’s been tossed into the UFO pile on several occasions, but I finally decided DONE is better than PERFECT. There’s still a hint of pink on the background which is not showing up in the picture. And there are only 2 packages of crystals – amber and red. When I ran out of crystals, I sewed the bead back on that came off in the wash, turned it over and signed it with a Pigma Pen.

Posted in: finish, Poinsetta, UFOs

48 Hours Later

March 30, 2009 10:17 pm ⋅ Pam

Looking at the backyard, it’s hard to believe that 48 hours ago, there was 5 1/2″ of snow in the yard. It warmed up significantly Sunday. Now it’s raining.

Several people suggested Shout Color Catcher and/or Synthrapol to get the bleeding out of my Poinsetta quilt. I know it didn’t look bad in the photo, or in a dark resturant, but in the light of day, it was really bad. Sunday afternoon I bought some Synthrapol and washed the quilt according to directions. You should have seen me shuddering at the though of HOT watter on the quilt. The only way I was able to use HOT water was knowing that I had nothing to lose. It still wasn’t good, so I ran it though the wash again. Now, in bright light I can see the spot (looks like the photo), but in dimmer light it’s not too bad. I’m going to go ahead and put the crystals on.

Posted in: Poinsetta, snow

Old Tobacco Road Center Complete

March 29, 2009 3:10 pm ⋅ Pam

The center of OTR is done. I think it’s growing on me. Now I’ve got to locate the instructions for the next step, and the rulers to make the flying geese. I’m not certain if they will be yellow geese on purple skies or purple geese on yellow skies.

Posted in: OTR

Stash Report Week #13

March 29, 2009 8:24 am ⋅ Pam

No fabric purchases, just the hot fix tool and a couple of bags of crystals for the Poinsetta quilt.

I did get plenty of pieceing done this week, but it was fabric I had cut prior to the fist of the year, so I’m not counting it.

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 50.25 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 22.08 yards

Net Stash: +28.17 yards

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

March Snow

March 28, 2009 6:56 pm ⋅ Pam

I’ve continued work on my OTR and now have the rest of the blocks sewn together into rows. I thought I’d take a break and check on the snow.

It’s been snowing for about 6 hours. So far we’ve accumulated 5 1/2″ — at least in my backyard. I just heard a weather update that said the snow is supposed to be tapering off.

Posted in: OTR, snow

Moving Along the OTR

March 28, 2009 2:33 pm ⋅ Pam

For the last couple of days I’ve been working on my Old Tobacco Road quilt, a Bonnie Hunter mystery from last fall. I now have the center half finished and decided to stand back and see how it looks.