Yay me! I slipped into the glory of on-line shopping just long enough to go to the one place I was going to go to get the rest of the yellow for Aunt Debbie's quilt.

Whew. The temptation for retail therapy has been rather high.

Now off to finish up the plane quilt layout. I really slacked off last week, but all of us are really energized after our Tuesday group and yesterday was gorgeous. Think I mentioned the hubby got in a minor accident and we are down to one car? Although I can walk to group I elected to drive him to/from work. I managed to pass the donut shop on the way there, but not on the way back and instead of tempting the others with fabric, it was with highly processed carbs.

And the donuts were delish!

I'm home from Florida. Did some vacation shopping. Also, covid, birthday, mother's day, and anything else I can think of. My suitcases were heavy but still under the weight max for the airplane.
Now, I'm ready to play with DD's project.

I got myself a fat quarter bundle for beating a weight loss goal. It was on sale, to boot!

I joined a group of gals who sew for a local hospital, women's shelter and and nearby VA home. I joined just as the shut-down started so I never met with then until a month ago. At this first meeting I found what fabric they needed to make their items. I plan on "unloading" or should I more politely say, donating lots of my stash to our projects. This week-end I found 20 yards (2 yards per cut) for quilt backing for small throw quilts. One member uses 2.5 strips to make fabric rugs that are sold at craft fairs and the money donated to the group. I had a bin full of odds and ends from jelly rolls and sashing. I filled one of those brown paper grocery bags half-full.

All in all I am guessing I removed about 25 yards of fabric from my stash. Can't see a difference but It is gone and I did not have to sew a stitch.

In the spirit of the Moratorium, Unicorn, I hope you loose more body weight than gain Bwahahaha

WMU how fun to be able to share your extras with your new quilt friends!

Picked up the pattern for the volunteer group's Christmas stockings yesterday. Oh goodness I can see the Christmas fabric disappearing from my stash already! I am meeting this afternoon with my Zoom quilting group and I will be making Christmas stockings for part of my time with them. I am shooting for 50, not all this afternoon, but eventually. I will squeeze in more as the summer wears on. It feels so good to be cleaning out good fabric that is unwanted or unneeded.

What fun, WMUTeach! When I did my first purge of fabric I found I had two boxes of Christmas fabric. I kept out the true red/white/green and sent the rest of the box to the Forgotten Children's Fund to make stockings. LOL, they did not see me coming when they ran their Craig's List ad but I kept the group very busy indeed.

Sigh. Been having all sorts of problems with Aunt Debbie's quilt. The background fabric said 43" width, I needed 42, but it only had 40" usable, those darn big selvedges and then about a half inch from them, those little "pookie" holes in the fabric. So, instead of getting 4 solid squares, I can only get 3 across. Even if I piece what I have, I'm still short. And of course -- it's trendy seasonal fabric and now discontinued. After much searching I was able to find someone with yardage and I bought the 2 yards they had. It's almost the same price as if I had bought 6 fat quarters (because they would still be narrow I could only count on one 10.5 square per FQ!! Is ok, looks like the binding will be made with the remaining floral.

And then just this morning, I was cutting the solid blue fabric. Now, I'm sure they gave me straight cuts from the bolt (each side was 36" after all), but on the grain it was severely warped and trimming it to grain meant I lost two full strips, one on either side -- the yard I bought was again, 2 inches more than I needed until reality hit. I didn't have the quilt drafted when I ordered either, I debated whether or not to buy more at the time... as I say, I like it when I have half a yard too much more than 2" too short...

That's ok, is a Kona and now I know (University of Michigan Blue = Kona Navy, yellow is Bright Yellow) I can get those easily. Already ordered, will get here about the same time as the background.

Back to work for me, weather is good enough that I can bring some of this to group today. We are still meeting outside, our host's husband is in fragile state and even with vaccinations, she's keeping the house a clean zone.

Well, Benjamin ( quilting son in Kentucky) has finished another quilt from the Jinny Beyer MoonGlow quilt kit I sent him- I bought it as a BOM years ago, put the first block together then all the remaining went into a box- years ago- I finally decided I was never going to get to it so sent it all to Ben. Today I’m packing up a new box to send him- he needs more Black fabric- and I just found a 6 yard piece that’s been buried for a long time. I will put a few more pieces of colors in as I’m getting his package ready and he’s been doing ( practicing/experimenting) thread painting and I have lots of variegated threads I will send. He does everything on a Brother Project Runway machine and is enjoying trying out all he can do with it. In the meantime I’m able to Declutter, find new inspiration from what I have and haven’t had to purchase anything except 1 yard of fabric I needed to finish a project.
here are some of Ben’s most recent endeavors. The MoonGlow quilt, an exploding star he played with and the thread painting he’s trying

How funny, I was just thinking about that Moonglow project! I think the blue color bars fabric I'm using for the comfort quilt was from about the same time period (maybe my fabric is just a bit earlier). But there was a bunch of stuff about luminosity and ways we were playing with fabric at that time period. I originally bought the pieces intending to use them for Seminole piecing but just never got to the intended project.

I should have that comfort top finished today. Our member who was going to do the quilting just can't -- she was the recipient of the last comfort quilt project and has too much going on. She's also the furthest away, but we have adjusted the participation and batting to the closer three. Hope to have it done by June 2 or 9th, but my participation ends earlier.

The extra background floral I had to get for Aunt Debbie's quilt arrived yesterday. Hooray! I'm hoping the blue solid (along with some black yardage because I also was out of black) will arrive today and can all get prewashed together.

We are taking a little overnight trip next week on Monday, be home Tuesday. My old dog Buddy is down to "not much left" in terms of time. Going to have a really nice road trip and doggie walks together while it is still possible. We found a fun Air BnB bunk house at a ranch in the middle of nowhere, best described as past Tri-Cities but not yet Walla Walla, basically the opposite diagonal corner from where we are, down by Idaho and Oregon. The hubby has never been to that part of the state, I haven't been since I lived in Idaho in 1978. I understand that they grow grapes now and it looks much different than the dry wheat and such as I remember.

ckcowl, your son is very creative and does beautiful work! How long has he been quilting?

he hadn’t really sewn at all before the Covid shut down caused him to lose his job, about a week after losing his job he sent me a picture of himself sitting in front of his machine- set up on a TV tray- trying out each stitch it would do. He had asked for a machine a year earlier to hem some pants, I sent it to him- his life was busy and he had not even opened it until the shut down happened
he has been totally self taught- on occasion sending me a picture with an ( ok, what did I do wrong? ) question.
I believe he has made between 30&40 quilts in this past 15 months. Each one a surprise . He sent me up a box with 12 to get quilted for him but he’s even quilted a few himself.
im in Michigan, he’s in Kentucky

What a wonderful story! Did you have an inkling that he was so artistic?

he has always been my ( rainbow child) so good with colors. I used to have a pattern for a quilt I wanted to make, pull the fabrics I planned to use- he would stop by- I would say...I’m going to make This.... these are the fabrics I chose, what dio you think?
he would pull a couple out- toss them over his shoulder... then after a couple more he would gather what I chose and disappear to the fabric shelves- come back out with all new fabrics and say- there ya go...and leave again.
generally when I was planning a French bra or Bargello quilt- he could always put those runs together. And, he’s always drawn great pictures. He is having fun playing with textiles now.
When he decided to cut up old jeans and make a quilt I was so surprised when he showed me his quilt
heres his denim quilt and a few others he’s created- the purple and teal one is one he sent me to quilt that is a special gift for his big sister

ckcowl: It’s fun seeing his quilt designs. Thanks for sharing.

Iceblossom: Enjoy your trip!

Ckcowl- love seeing his wonderful quilts! Amazing what he has accomplished in the past 15 months.

Thanks for sharing.

Rob

Ckcowl, it is always interesting to follow the journey of creativity of an artist. Some start out as little children while other fall into their :"gift" much later. Truth be told, my guess is that they have been learning aspects of artistry all along the way and then found a venue that allowed all of the pieces to fit together. I often think of my SIL, who tried every craft under the sun: basket weaving, tole painting, crochet, embroidery and on and on. Some how, some where she fell upon quilting and in about two years she went from novice to master quilter with stunning colors, precise piecing, applique, fine celtic knots with bias strips, story quilts and all hand quilted except baby quilts. She was the fastest hand quilter with the tiniest stitches. She tried every technique and no pattern was too challenging for her. She discovered quilting in her late 30's or early 40's and passed away at 48. Her passion for quilting has been and still is inspiring 20 years later.

You son has found the place where his artist skills have intersected and what beautiful work he is creating. You must be so proud to find that he is following in you interest in fabric and color but he is exploring new ways of using this interests to create pieces that are eye catching and likely a little challenging then ..... on to the next challenge. I am enjoying his journey through your postings along with others on the Board.

All the extra/re-ordered fabric for Aunt Debbie Bleeds Blue is now in the prewash! Don't think I mentioned it here, but in my recent thrift store travels I found one of the Mabel Extra Wide Ironing Boards, which has long been on my list of things I am actually looking for! I have a new ironing board cover on order, that should get here in a day or two. It is an amazing thing, this ironing board -- for someone who hates to iron as much as I do yet manages to do so much of it, I am in love with my new board. LOL, it is so adjustable in height, I now have the perfect surface height. It is so sturdy that I am tempted to do gymnastics and vault over it but then reality comes back... it does make the ironing better and that's what counts.

I decided yesterday as I was putting the rows together for the comfort quilt that I need to add one more narrow inner border, I think it will help attach the outer border, just looks too stark/slapped on right now. It was too late to start that yesterday so it is my morning task to cut the few extra pieces, and top will be finished today.

And yes, I've been enjoying the stories of Benjamin as they are being posted! Isn't a wonderful thing to see someone take off creatively?

Thanks all of you enjoying Ben’s journey with me- at first I was( unsure) about posting his stuff- he doesn’t have a computer or internet-
I love ( showing off his work for him) he’s searching for a way to take it further- hoping to help him find a future

ckcowl...I think between you and your son, you are making lemonade out of lemons. Ben with no job because of Covid and finding a way to be productive as well as a developing a new passion...and you, finding a home for extra fabric, plus the satisfaction of watching Ben's progress.

Success!!
 

So here’s the last 3 I made. The 2 baby quilts I did have to buy panels, but the third one is all from stash other than my backing. I don’t have quantities big enough unless I piece one together. I’m really liking my new Juki that made these hassle free.

I Love the two panel quilts. That dinosaur one is fabulous, the ‘Sweet one is so cozy looking ‘. Your all stash quilt is wonderful too- I love the colors . That center is great use of zigzags ( which can be problematic sometimes) you sure made them work for you- very cool quilt.

Fun stuff, Acheela! Thanks for sharing :)

For our quiet posters, remember that just not buying fabric is noteworthy in this group. The need for retail therapy for this past year or so is also real, so if you succumbed, you can admit to that too!

I got the comfort top done, can't take a good picture because hubby is still in bed. As a group project, I'm pretty happy with it, but just as I was pressing the last seam, my finger went completely through the top! Somehow, someone had missed an entire seam in her block and despite all the manipulations it hadn't been discovered until almost too late. It was an easy fix with a basic needle and thread, but was pretty impossible to get to with the sewing machine.

Tomorrow morning we leave for our little overnight trip to amuse the dogs. I have looked up to see possible fabric/quilt shops on the way but none are on the itinerary, still I know the rough locations should that come up...

Just laundered and loaded another quilt backing- another 3 yards x 108” back used from my stash. I think I have 4 or 5 wide backs left before I will have to start trying to piece some backs. I also used a yard of fabric for binding on the quilt I finished quilting today and cut out 2 new ( cover- ups ) for residents at work. They are double sided so I used 2 yards of fabric- each uses 1/2 yard of 2 different fabrics. I need to make a few more but have been spread a little thin lately.

I love what you did with those panels, acheela!

Great use of stash and panels, Acheela! Glad to hear you’re enjoying your new machine.

Rob

I'm back from my little overnight and did not use any travel exemptions but I did eyeball the one quilt shop as we went by! Our destination was exactly what was promised, a bunk house at a little old farm that allowed doggie guests in the middle of nowhere, just miles and miles of rolling desert/some wheat, as far as you could see in any direction.

Yesterday morning our first stop on the way home was Palouse Falls park. Gorgeous but the real delight were the yellow bellied marmots frolicking in the green maintained grass of the park. There must have been 30 of them in little groups cavorting about!
https://parks.state.wa.us/559/Palouse-Falls
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-bellied_marmot

Today it's back to the fabric and finish cutting Aunt Debbie's top.

Well, I’m going to take an exemption today. One of the ladies in my quilting guild is having a garage sale. It starts at 8am, and I took off work to be able to go. I’m excited to go see what I can find!!

Well... got some great stuff!! Picked up three bags FULL of batiks, two new rulers, a rotary cutter and a cutting mat. Happy Camper!😊

acheela: Nice quilts and great garage sale finds!

I passed on another free shipping day from MSQC. Nothing I wanted I would've used right away. I've been plugging away again FMQing a lap quilt that's been under the needle for weeks. The designs I chose are very dense, and it looks like I'm going to use up most of a So Fine! cone because I went through at least a dozen bobbins already. When that's done, I'm going to treat myself to some new knock-off wonder clips since all of mine are holding together another WIP.

I went to the fabric store in the country to get binding for my quilt to auction for the women's shelter. Found one that will work and also found a fabric I want for a quilt using a Kaffe jelly roll. I purchased the binding and left the other one there as it would have been stash for now. Yay for me.!

Yay for you!
think of it as "stash at the store" instead of stash you have to store...

So far so good, 3 days into our vacation and I haven’t shopped. I brought a travel project with me which is occupying my mind and keeping me from temptation. ;)
we’ve seen a few Quilt shop signs but none open when we were driving by so that helps. Maybe I will put a good dent in this ufo I brought to work on and go home with money.

ckcowl; what a plan!

I purchased someone's destash and found these 2 fabrics within. They are very old fashioned and not to my taste at all....but they look perfect together. I had about 3 yards of the white and 2 of the green.

The block is a simple Cats Cradle. A true one would use Birds in the air block not hsts.

I miscut the side setting triangles. And of course there is no more so i had to improvise with the pink. (There was some *very creative* language!)

The giftee is my Aunt. Still need to do the back but I have some white green pink leftovers. And I have some leftover blocks from my cousin's wedding quilt...so now to work on the back....

Pleased to say first t-shirt quilt is done and delivered. I was able to get it quilted before we left for graduation and hand stitched the binding while up to DD's. I forgot to take a picture, but hope to have DD get one for me. I used 3 1/3 yards of fabric in sashing, borders, and binding. Of that I pulled 1 2/3 yards from my stash. Now onto finishing number 2 which is almost done.

spam reported

Spam reported too!

It looks like someone tried to highjack this thread. If possible I hope this message goes through alright. Here it is going on the Beginning of June and I am staying as close as ever to working fully from my stash including all but one backing. But I shared that last time I posted.

spam reported