happylab

Good news and off the wagon news. Good news I’m starting a new QAL = all from stash, about 6 yards. Off the wagon news - I bought 6 1/2 yard pieces for $20.00 and a few small appliqué kits = scenic type. I went to our regional quilt show this weekend and bought a few notion items. Good news, I received fabric from a guild member who didn’t want fabric. One piece was 24 yards, so it was split between 2 of us. I plan to use it as backing fabric. Back on the wagon I go.

Iceblossom

The thrift stores have been kind and haven't tempted me with any fabric lately. I am remaining resolute about no new fabric. I did, however, get a couple of very nice tops on tag day so super cheap, $2.99 for a perfect condition Liz Claiborne since it was on tag day. The $4.99 top I paid full price is also very nice, and again perfect never-worn condition.

Quilting-wise had a bit of a stumble last week, went to go to small group and my car didn't start! No big deal, just battery. Waited a bit to see if the lady who lives down the street was going past or maybe the group would see my email progress reports. Ended up walking there, just a bit over half a mile and mostly flat so no big deal. Had my baby quilt top to sew the binding down. Left the wonky bright box + border in the car and it has stayed there all week. Spent a week of no quilting! Lots of computer games and cooking and tv instead.

Today I put together the backing for the purple quilt. I've had it pre-cut and prewashed and waiting for a couple of weeks now. I don't know what I did wrong, but the two "halves" were like 6" off from each other. There was a third piece a little longer than wide (but smaller than the "halves") that I had to piece together to have enough room. It isn't going to be ample especially with my mistake, but there is a good 3-4" on each of the narrow sides, and 6+ top and bottom and came from stash, one of my wild and crazy large scale backs. I was worried for a bit that it was going to be too small and I'd have to do another purple quilt to use it up.

Next I'm going to piece the back for the Wonky Bright quilt. That will help determine how big a border I can put on it. I'll have the ladies look at the border piece tomorrow. I still don't like it with the back, but I found a nice piece of black and white flowers with just a touch of highlighter green that makes a happy binding that works with both fabrics. Maybe also pull a couple other options for the border since I did sort of have plans for the piece I'm probably going to use.

Tomorrow will be the last bit of hand sewing the binding of the Under the Sea baby quilt top. I still haven't committed to what project next... but I'll have to have something portable in time for next Tuesday.

juliasb

I am so proud of myself! I was drawn to buy some newer pieces that would just go into my stash since I am doing some scrappy quilts right now so I didn't buy it! I withdrew right in the middle of ordering online! I have a couple quilts that I am working on right now. I still have 2 baby quilts to finish the bindings on and the scrappy quilt laying right next to me as I type. it is going to be hard to do, not buying any new fabrics but I am continuing to put my best foot forward. This forum is definitely helping me to achieve this goal.

grann of 6

Everyone is doing great. I kinda slipped off the wagon again, that darn Bluprint and their big sales. I got some fabrics that ended up being $3.50 a yard, can't pass that up. And it goes with stuff in my stash, so it will get used soon. Right now I am working on some scrappy blocks that were left from a previous project. I counted the 4 patches and there were 311, yes, 311. Don't know how I over-made so many, but they are now getting used. I found a layer cake in my stash of the same collection, Eliza's Indigo, and some yardage of the neutrals I had used, so I made up a bunch of Indian Hatchets, better known as snowballed 4 1/2" squares to alternate with the 4 patches. I have 10 rows sewn together, have 8 or 10 more to do, depending on how many blocks I have at the end. I started in the center and am working out, sort of chevron looking. I may have to buy some yardage for the backing, since this is all blue/brown/natural, and I don't think I have enough of the large print I used for the previous quilt. If there is enough it will have to be pieced because I found several pieces of it in the stash. Anyway I will be glad to be done with this one, laying out and sewing the blocks is very tedious. The next quilt will be a pattern called Jamaican Stars, using strips from 2 batik JRs, and some neutral almost white batik for the background, and a very dark brown batik for the little squares. The backing is already purchased from the $5 bin so the quilt is planned around the backing. The JRs have been in the stash way too long. Anyway, the stash is slowly getting busted, as long as I stay home and don't go shopping.

SillySusan

Good for you! You are doing such a great job... using your stash for so many projects.

Yes, it is difficult to pass by all that wonderful fabric, but you are achieving a goal of reducing your stash. And, yes, the folks here are so nice to encourage us to get control of our run-amuck ton of stash. Thanks, guys. After two years of avoiding buying any new fabric, and quilting like a crazy lady, I see some dents in the bins, tubs, stacks, etc.. Yeah!!

Darcyshannon

I did buy some yardage on sale 50% off for a backing for a friend’s graduation quilt. Her boyfriend is moving away for graduate school and she may get a job near by. She lost her dad a few months ago so she is dealing with a lot of change. It was the right fabric and I hope this will be a quilt that will comfort her for many years. On sale it was about $6 a yard.

Darcyshannon

I did buy some cute fabric at a Memorial Day sale. I think I will turn it into a top. I am trying to sew some clothes now.

Iceblossom

Ouch! That's the sound of Iceblossom falling off the fabric moratorium.

From another thread on the boards I decided to check out the sales at Walmart. Word is they are getting out of the cut yardage and there is lots of stuff for $1.00 a yard. Not so many at my store... but with 20-50 bolts left at the $1 price there was a lot of them left from the time period of the wonky brights. There wasn't anything I liked better to use as the border for the wonky bright project but I still bought what was left on 3 bolts -- 15 yards of fabric for $15, and a bunch of prepackaged strips and such for the crumb quilter at $1 a package, including 5 fat quarters for $1. Could have done a lot more stash building but that's not the chapter of my current life

Plus yardage to the stash, but the price was right!

Smaller group than normal at my Tuesday group, but we agreed that while the border fabric and the back are pretty awful together, they both go well with the binding. So good thing the back is the back and the front is the front! Should have pictures in a day or two.

grann of 6

My WM had a big watermelon bin full of bolts of fabric for $3 a yard, but it was pretty poor quality fabric for the most part. There were some juvenile prints that might have made good crib sheets, but since I am not in that phase of life anymore I passed on it. It might be down to a $ now but I will pass on it.

I have my brown/blue/natural quilt almost done, have 14 rows done. I decided to count what I have left since the 4 patches seem to outnumber the hatchets. I am about 80 short of hatchets if I want this to fit my queen size bed. So I found another layer cake of the miniature gatherings I'm using for the block, so I cut more 4 1/2" squares and rummaged around to find some more dark brown fabric to make the corner squares. I want to be able to mix the new blocks in with the other ones so it doesn't look too mishmash. I need to get it pretty much together by Thursday because my quilting friend is coming to stay for 3 days and needs to use the big table to lay out a couple of her quilts. Friday she wants to go shopping out in Amish country, so I am going to have to gird my loins to resist more fabric.

Iceblossom

Ok, I've recovered from my fabric buying and am back to work after a couple of weeks of barely any progress on anything (other than watching tv...).

Today I prewashed and cut the borders for the wonky bright project, the rest of it goes into the crumb box but it is long, like 3 yards by 20-24". Still it works with these wild and crazy fabrics. Also made the binding out of the black & white and "highlighter" green fabric from stash. Will take picture after I put on the border probably between now and Tuesday, be prepared and have your shades close to the computer!

Still haven't picked a "real" project to work on next but I have a couple quick little donation projects I can whip out while I'm mulling over larger commitments.