I've been absent for a few weeks, visiting friends & working on the tee shirt quilt for the husband of my late riding friend. With the borders, the top is 72" X 90". I put a few smaller decals with the large ones & still had a small gap. I searched through my patches from a long-running ride to benefit breast cancer. I found the one from 2018, the last ride she was able to actually ride. She came to the 2019 ride but wasn't physically able to do the ride. I added the 2018 patch because she was one of the main organizers for that ride so it was appropriate. The process of putting the top together was sad but may help me cope better with her death. I have had to buy stabilizer & fabric for binding, borders, & the backing. But since most of it will be used, I won't count it as stash.
I did use stash to complete an art quilt for the friend I visited during August. My phone won't let me resize (or I can't figure out how to do it!) Its a wall hanging, about 55" square. I'll try to figure out how to post it.

Conchalea: It sounds like you are making great progress on your tee shirt quilt. It will be greatly appreciated.

I downloaded a picture resizing app for my phone. I have an iPhone and the app is called ‘resizePhotos’ which is appropriate I guess.

Connie, sadly I have an android-type phone. Bleh. I have to wait almost 2 years before I can go back to an iPhone. I transferred the photos to my computer so I uploaded the pic of my art quilt to the UFO thread.

Break time! I'm putting together the back for the Post Card quilt. I'm using large scale prints and panels that weren't used in the top. One of the panels is so terribly skewed that no amount of tugging or blocking or anything else was going to save it other than chop it into small bits or use it in a back, so I tried to do the best possible squared edges or else it would make big billows in the back. When Walmart had the $1 a yard sale, I bought a large piece of yardage with globes and such on it. Almost all of it will be used in the back, will have maybe half a yard left so I consider that now out of stash :p

Hubby is starting his bowling league today, my goal is to have the back done by the time he is home. But of course I decided to use a piece of fabric that wasn't prewashed yet -- it's on the spin cycle now. Good excuse for lunch and some Quilting Board :)

Edit: No grandbaby yet. When he missed the 5th, and then missed the outrageous lightening storm we had, I'm figuring the 10th sounds good. I know it will sound good to the son and DDiL.

Woohoo! Just got word, baby born this morning via c-section after some 35 hours of trying. Welcome to the world Leon Mateo. Everyone is doing well, but DDiL is worn out -- no doubt! I'm ready to go and meet Leon but will try and contain myself and hope to see them tomorrow.

Finished up the postcard back yesterday, here's a picture of it and a picture of the border corners folded into the middle since I couldn't figure out a better way to take the picture. Each corner is a different fabric, in the center of each side is a 5th fabric. The batik map of Indonesia was a thrift store find, I think a whole $1.99. The globe/atlas fabric was one of my Walmart $1.00/yard buys.

Congratulations on the birth of your grandson. So exciting!

Fun quilt.

Exciting news, Iceblossom! Your quilt is great.

Iceblossom, wonderful news!
Our granddaughter is making her entrance tomorrow, also via C-section. We're flying out on Friday to see her. How will I ever be able to leave???:)
Enjoy that darling boy!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations on the grandbabies, ladies. My grandbabies are all grown up, and I miss them dearly.

I am excited that my quilting buddy is coming for a mini-retreat till Saturday. And another quilting buddy may come over to "play in my sandbox" too. We will be doing lots of sewing, and prepping some of her tops for the longarm. And tomorrow we will head out Lancaster direction to pick out some blue solidish fabric to use as a border for my Porelain Blue rail fence top. I have backing for it, and fabric for a wider border, but it just needs some blue. None of what I have on hand works. I will buy what I need and no more, unless I can find a good crackle or marble to add to the stash for future projects. I have done quite well on using up stash, still a long way to go, but progress is progress, no matter how miniscule.

Congratulations Iceblossom and SusieQ!

Keep it up grann of 6! Lots of shops in Lancaster...it's been years since I was there. My DSis lives in southern Chester Co. No she's not a quilter, but she took me there anyway! Yes progress is progress. i think that every time I use fabric up too.

Was able to meet Leon yesterday. Such a marvelous thing a new life. I think he favors his mother, he certainly has her coloring which we expected so he has a nice head of dark hair. He also has his mother's feet! LOL, when my son was born and I saw my squiggly toes on him I knew he was mine, Leon has pretty feet :) Love those little unused baby feet.

So no sewing today. Going back for some more visiting and baby time.

Congrats on the new grandbabies! Makes me want one! :D
Grann of 6 have fun playing with your friends! You've done really well using your stash.
I bought a quilt kit off of Bluprint but using it right away so not counted (thank goodness). Long story but was making a quilt for MIL and auditioning colors when she told me she didn't like the colors. She was really liking the color teal. I don't have that many teal fabrics - hence the kit. The good news is my son saw the colors of MIL's and really liked it so after changing some of the fabric out I will make the bargello quilt for him. Already have the backing for that one so not all is lost :). Hopefully will figure out backing for MIL one from stash as well.
Note to self I will not show her again until the quilt is done and wrapped as she seems to want to "manage" the projects.

Well I did well until yesterday. I had to buy a piece of fabric to make a baby quilt. Specifically with bunnies on it. Of all my fabrics I did not have any with bunnies. I am not sure if I am totally happy with my choices but the availability of bunnies is not so good right now. If I wanted owls or kitties I would have been able to wander the aisles and have found a treasure trove. I know I can work around what I have and make it work. I only wish I did not have to buy any. I have been working off my stash for months now with only very little fabric purchases. This has really helped to keep me from spending. No more now. No more...

Julia, good job resisting all the temptations you saw at the store! I know its hard-ehen I chose the fabric for the memory quilt, I saw LOTS of fabrics I loved & wanted. I resisted them, however tough it was.

What fun, Iceblossom and SusieQ. Enjoy your grandchildren.

Mom and baby and daddy went home last night. We had another great loud thunder and lightening storm, not as big as the one on Saturday.

Time to select a new project and time to put off those paper pieced blocks again!

I recently accepted a box of precut squares and have been thinking of ideas to use them with. I also have quite a collection of metallic fabrics. I'm going to go through the box of squares and pull out the metallic ones, slice them in half and make them into kites/squares (the diagonal cuts would be the outside edges).

There was a picture here somewhere posted recently of a quilt done like that with consistent sashing between the scrappy squares. I'm thinking all metallic fabrics with some basic black would work even though I had a hard time working with the black with the postcard quilt.

The quilting shows on PBS will be starting soon, will be a good sorting project to do while I watch them :)

Edit: Here's my inspiration -- Thanks Mim!
https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictures-f5/my-quilting-summer-t306785.html

Edit 2: Darn it! I'm a day off... I guess that's what Friday the 13th does when you think it is Saturday. But in good news there is a quilt show starting at 9:00 so off to sort fabric I go.

Well a couple of the ladies from my Tuesday group and I tried to go to a quilt show today. Only that guild hadn't had a show in a couple of years nor had they updated their website so when we went to the location nothing was there... we were two years too late apparently.

So, when life throws you a curve ball we went ahead and went to a quilt store instead. First time in an actual quilt shop (as opposed to Joann) in months, first time in this shop ever. So many lovely fabrics... I really like some of the current lines and colors and the way the colors grade/move through the fabrics. Could have bought yards and yards but admitted up-front that I wasn't supposed to be buying fabric. The counter ladies laughed and said there were (direct quote!) "No fabric moratoriums here!".

Despite that reassurance, I did buy a yard and a half of a white with colored confetti sort of tossed print that I will use with some of those non-metallic squares that were gifted to me. For that project, I'm using the quilt here as my inspiration. So I bought it for a particular use and am going to congratulate myself on my restraint rather than criticize for the purchase :p

https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...o-t306553.html

The squares will be juvenile fabrics surrounded by the confetti with the sashing made of more of the squares.

In the window of the shop was a quilt very similar to what I'm doing with the first round of metallics. That one only used 4 fabrics and rotated them so squares were formed across the lattice, it looked nice, it was tagged as a 5 yard quilt -- good to know if I wanted to do something more controlled.

Just added my current used totals, when GD gets her FMQ done on 4 little quilts I will be at a -9 yards. The 4 yard Goodwill purchase hurt just a little. My next quilt to go onto the LA will have over 18 yards in it with backing and binding so that will really up the total. I got pictures, but need to resize them on my phone to send them. Ugh..

Had to buy some more of the confetti fabric as my estimation of yardage was off. I was debating between 1.5 and 2 yards and went with the 1.5... so I ended up about half a yard short. Trotted down to the next town to the south (where the shop is) after Tuesday group and had that moment where your heart stops because the bolt isn't quite where you found it the first time! But there was still about 3 yards on the bolt (bought a full yard, needed 20 inches so half wouldn't do and since I'm already back once I don't plan to come back again), so I'm good and will be cutting that today.

The squares turned out to be a variety of sizes -- the focus fabrics I chose are 6.5" squares, 6" finished. The confetti will be the frame and will finish at 2" for a 10" block. Since the sashing doesn't need to line up I'm using blocks that 6-6.5" and cutting them at 3" wide rectangles for consistency even if the length varies a bit here and there.

The original project used 5" charms so this will come out quite a bit larger and perhaps rather awkwardly sized, but it's part of my go forth and sew and fix the problems later concept.

I have already contacted someone who would like to have the remaining novelty fabrics :)

I also put together the first set of the metallic squares and found the finished blocks will be 7" which is sort of an odd size but I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm using pretty much anything that sparkles, has gold or silver or foil or whatever, I'm calling the project "Scrap Metal" which is a pretty good name coming from me, who is usually more of the Purple quilt variety. From the box and my own precuts I ended up with 32 blocks and still have plenty of small pieces and yardage to go. Still working on the sashing and layout so don't know my final count and how many more to make, but I'm planning on playing with EQ a bit now that I know the block size.

One of the future projects I'm doing with the metallics will be a very modern quilt using a couple of those Benartex Catitude blocks and gold embellished Asian themed fabrics, so at group I sorted those out of my 10" swapping square collection. The remainder got sorted into the current Scrap Metal project.

When I mention my swapping squares, keep in mind that most of them have been in my stash since right around Y2K! And I have been using them in projects all along, have consolidated my two boxes into one box. The two biggest collections were what I'm planning to work on in the coming year, Civil War and Metallic but there are still other themes waiting for inspiration.

Good going, Ice. I would have bought what was left on the bolt, but that has gotten me to where I am. My friend and I went to our LQS to find a blue for my blue quilt, found it finally at another QS. It isn't perfect but it works, so that is good. I started planning my next project, actually 2 down the line, and found I needed dark brown and a sand color for a good contrast. We couldn't find the colors I wanted, so ended up ordering it from fabric.com. And me being me, I ordered 15 yards of each, making the fabric only $5 a yard for Kona. I will definitely use it in the future quilts. I need 4 yards of each for the project, and it was about 75 cents a yard cheaper to buy more then 14 yards. I know I will use it, so my conscience is clear....sorta.:D I have 5 charity large lap size quilts ready for the longarm, so the yardage I used is close to what was purchased.

Sounds like some great projects going on. grann of 6 solids are always handy to have on hand. You'll likely go through them in no time.

I am sifting through larger pieces hoping to find backing for quilt for MIL. I have started the project so that's something but since changing the quilt and it being a kit to make instead I would rather find the fabric in my stash. Wish me luck! If not the right amount of fabric then something close that I can add a teal fabric to tie into the front. Happy sewing everyone!

Okay, I have a quick question...

Is it truly a moratorium if the material is from someone else's stash? :eek:

Over Labor Day, my friend gave me a tote full of 6-1/2" squares. I told her that she was conspiring against me because I couldn't add them straight to the last batch of 5-1/2" she gave me...https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png

I finally got through this new set of fabric and was able to configure another "20" sets--all Queen sized. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/shock.png

Madeline, I'd say using someone else's stash is definitely in the moratorium spirit!

I've finished washing all of the unwashed fabric I had in the house and now just have to fold the humongous pile.

These were the fabrics I was originally going to use for the BH On Ringo Lake mystery, but ended up going scrappy. I decided to do a Jacob's Ladder design with them, but I don't know how well the peach is going to show up on the lavender.

I would just try switching the backgrounds, and see it that is more pleasing to the eye. Might work? I like the colors you have going.

I agree, play around with the colors, but I like it. I like doing Jacobs Ladder. Not crazy about Bonnie Hunter's stuff, too scrappy for my taste. I go with more orderly scrappies.

I like it, too, joe'smom...will be a pretty colorway. I've only done one quilt in jacob's ladder. I get bored. Lol... But I love the design when done.

Grann...I'm not a fan of BH's scrappy stuff. There are a gazillion blocks in her stuff and I'd lose my way with scrappy designs. Her sew alongs look pretty organized, tho, in terms of organizing scrap colors... The board's quilts are all so beautiful and they are very disciplined...

Joe's Mom, I'm missing your vision of what you want the finished product to look like but I like all the fabrics shown. If you are forcing yourself to go ahead stop for a moment and accept this free pass to get a fabric you like better :)

Went to visit the grandbaby today and bring some cooking, also volunteered to do some laundry and bring that back tomorrow. Son works for a tech company and they actually do have some degree of family leave for all, he has to go back to work on Monday but will be able to take a couple weeks off again when Mom goes back to work.

Stopped off at the big Goodwill (it's right on the way...) and found a really nice panel by Springs of an underwater print with a Sea Turtle among other things. Happens that one of my groups of "I'm not calling them projects" fabrics has an undersea theme featuring sea turtles! Paid $3.99 for it which is about the upper limit of my cheapness.

I got a wonderful thank you card from DGD today, thanking me for the quilt. She said the colors are exactly what she would have picked if I had asked her to choose fabrics. So that makes it all worthwhile. So I guess even though I don't hear it often (or at all) my grandchildren appreciate what I do and have done for them. You can only hope what you do when they are little sticks with them when they grow up.

Joe's Mom, sometimes we have to make quilts for people in colors we don't care for, or aren't crazy about the combinations, so just have to go with the flow and enjoy the process, and hope they will appreciate it in the end. I once did a quilt for a bride and groom, her favorite color being lime green, he wanted purple and black, and somewhere they wanted dogs incorporated in it. I made a Jenny Doan binding tool star in purples and greens with a black background. Oh, and they wanted a flannel back. So I was able to find an adorable dog print on a lime green background with purples in the dogs collars. I must say it really turned out nice, and they were thrilled, so that is what mattered.

I have been pondering what I was going to do with all my charm squares and jelly roll strips I have cut. I decided to put some of them in a box and send them to my friend who can't afford to buy precuts. I have plenty more I will send to her later. Shipping is so expensive anymore that I have to do a little at a time. I still have a lot of JR collections and layer cakes to use up, so I sure don't need to spend time using scraps when I can use some of the yardage stash and precuts that go with it.

Very nice, Irish Rose. I think I have some of that sunflower fabric in my stash somewhere.

Very pretty quilt, Irishrose2!

Well done, Irish.....I have avoided buying that ombré collection when I see it in shops. You quilt is so pretty using the fabric line.

Yesterday I had the happy accident of getting “lost” on the wrong side of the Baltimore beltway on a beautiful sunny day. With nothing pressing on my schedule, I went for a joy ride to Hobby Lobby and then to a new-to-me quilt shop.

In both stores, I kept my wits about me and bought only what I need for immediate projects. Flannel backing. That’s it. Two yards for two baby quilts and two for my throw on the design wall waiting fir backing.

This moratorium thread has been a great influence on my thinking. I like the feeling of being strong enough to say “no” to impulsive buys on pretty fabric in favor of saying “yes” to what I need to finish my current project.

Congratulations Zozee, on resisting all those gorgeous fabrics flaunted before your eyes. I agree, the moratorium has given me a new outlook when I go to the quilt shop. I have a 20% off coupon for my next full price fabric purchase, from filling up my "50 yard card" at the LQS. I am finishing up a Christmas quilt that was a kit in my stash for 2 years, and I think it is going to need a purchase for the backing. I just looked through my stash and saw one that work, but since this one is for the Cancer Center, I would like something nice on the back. So the coupon might come in handy for that.

I thought I had already replied to some things but maybe not, so forgive if I'm just not seeing it...

Anyway, lovely project IrishRose, and we know by now I like a bit of piecing on the back, well done!

Nice stories Gran, is nice when our quilts are appreciated.

Well done, Zozee! I think it's ok to get a few things so we can use some of the old things and all of us need some basic stuff, whatever that is for each us like particular colors or solids. At least that is what I tell myself. The real change I've made is the impulse buying of new fabric and the concerted effort to use stash. I do buy much less at the thrift stores, the other day there was a huge piece of yardage, 8 yards at least for $3.99. The print was ok, sort of a summer lawn theme and it was certainly big enough for a back. Old me would have snatched it up in a second, new me stood and thought on what I would be likely to use it for in the next two years, couldn't think of a thing, and put it back.

Did I already respond to the other person who was gifted some squares? Anyway, we can't always refuse gifted fabric for whatever reasons that may be! And that's how my current two projects have arrived on my to-do list when they certainly weren't there a couple of months ago.

Today hubby is off work but is going to visit my mom and I'm staying home and working on the Confetti quilt, putting on the last side of the framing on the focus squares. I'll need to cut a bunch more rectangles for the sashing. Originally I was going for no more than 2 pieces of each fabric for sashing, going to bump that up to 4 for the good ones.

The Confetti fabric is just 42" usable fabric and I need every thread of that for the 4 10.5" blocks. Had already cut the strips or else would have cut the rectangles differently and it was just too close for comfort so since I had that extra fabric I just cut a few more strips. If I had just half an inch of extra fabric I would have felt better. It was certainly doable, it just wasn't what I consider fast and easy slice and dice. When I layout the blocks I may decide I need an extra row of blocks, I'll have enough with the trimmings left and the remainder of the yardage.

I'm glad the Moratorium has helped many of us make more thoughtful purchases in fabric stores. It's difficult in the face of so much temptation, too.

I went to the local quilt show yesterday. So many gorgeous quilts, but several that had fabric I think I have to have. Luckily, none of the vendors had the one I like best with them, though one has the Super Nova panel in her store and it's only about 10 miles away. It's pricey, so I won't go get it unless I need it. Temptation, get behind me!

Irishrose your quilt is fabulous! Such wonderful colors and the quilting is lovely too.

Way to stay strong at the quilt show. Maybe I should have just channeled your willpower. I didn't attend a quilt show several weeks ago because I didn't think I was strong enough not to do stash buying though I would have loved to see the quilts. I just wasn't sure I was strong enough to say no to the vendors.

Ooooo pretty, looked up those supernova panels at Equilter. That was the sort of thing catching my eye at my recent quilt shop visit. Good thing I got out quickly, there are lots of fabric out right now that I just love and covet.

Doing some laundry today and have to admit to a thrift store buy I couldn't resist. I think it is a late 70s/early 80s Marimekko screenprint, not a panel but the repeat is probably close to 30". Width is wider than standard, 48" I think it was -- since I can't make a quilt to fit a standard width of fabric to save my life, I think I can make do with the extra inches. Slightly heavy but not bad for fabric weight, a glorious large scale Noah's Ark/Animal print it will make a great back for some of my donation jungle themed fabric. About 5-6 yards for $5.99. Hubby took the camera today, maybe I can snap a pic tomorrow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimekko