Design Wall Monday - March 31st and Weekly Goals

Any time that I spent in the sewing room this last week was pretty much spent quilting on my funquilter and not sitting at the sewing machine.  I did start to work with my left over blocks from the other red/white and black quilt I was making and got the sashing done at least.  I was thinking of a piano key border but finally found a fabric in my stash that I could just do a large border with so going to hopefully work on that today.  

My goals for this week:

1.  Quilt at least one customer quilt (Hello Kitty)

2.  Get bindings put on the Layer Cake and baby quilt I quilted last week and send them off to my binding fairy.

3.  Get the outer border on and binding made for the smaller b/w/r quilt above.  

4.  Need to cut out a project for the next sewing group.

Sunday Stash Report - March 29, 2014

Unfortunately don't have any big finishes or yardage usages to report this week.  I have been in kind of a funk and it has resulted in not much sewing.  On the good side I didn't feel like sewing so I did get three quilts quilted on the long arm.  One for a customer, one a baby quilt I had made a few months ago and also quilted my layer cake quilt.  

We had to close the quilt shop we owned in December due to not enough business.  With the holidays, myself being sick for a couple of months and then lousy weather I didn't really miss the shop.  We have continued to sell some items on etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/oldetownestitchery if you are interested) but that isn't keeping us very busy.   I guess now the not having a specific purpose to get up for in the morning and missing all the great customers is kicking in.  

Also the DD snagged a great summer paid internship for this summer so will be away from home most of the summer for the first time.  Was really looking forward to her being home from college but this is a great opportunity and I am very excited for her.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to get out of a retired/empty nest funk I would appreciate it.  I know everyone goes through it.  We so look forward to this time in our life but then wonder What Next?   We are lucky as I know so many people that didn't make it to retirement age and know we will adjust in time.

Anyway enough of that.  I did need to pick up black fabric for sashing and fabric for backing from my mini shop so this week for once purchases are more than usage.  

This weeks Stats:

Used this week:  3.25 yards (backing)

Purchased this week:  4.75 (backing and sashing fabrics)

Fabric used YTD:  84 yards

Fabric purchased YTD:  24.75

Still great numbers.  

I have been playing a little with working with the left over black and white blocks so hope to have a picture of that to post tomorrow.

Black and White Left Overs

I had 16 left over black and white and red blocks from a yet to be put together quilt.  In trying to decide what to do with them without making any additional blocks, I pieced them into groups of four.

Then I was wondering about sashing etc.  Plan black just didn't work so added the red corner stores.  I like this much better.  

So far the quilt measures about 42 inches square.  Trying to decide on one wide border, multiple borders or maybe something pieced like a piano key.    Think I will just have to leave it on the design wall for a bit of aging before I decide.  

Today's Project

I have been in a quilting funk the last few days, just have not wanted to work on any of my projects and didn't feel like starting anything new either.  Decided to channel my not wanting to do any piecing into getting some quilts quilted.  

Today's project was to quilt my layer cake quilt.  I really love this springy quilt.

Tomorrow I hope to get a customer quilt done and after that if I still don't want to work on any of my current projects I will try and come up with a backing for another of the quilts in my stack waiting to be quilted.  

Actually maybe this is just what I need to get a few more things to the finished point.  

Design Wall Monday - March 24, 2014

Last week I was at a two day retreat and spent day one making black and white with red blocks.   After counting them I realized that I had 16 more blocks than what was needed, oh well, sounds like another quilt.  

Anyway the quilt I had made these blocks for was pinned on my design wall, arranged and then numbered and stacked neatly to go with me to my next sewing function this coming weekend.  I like having simple to sew things ready for sewing groups so that I don't have to think and can sew and visit at the same time.  

My left over 16 blocks I put on the design wall to try and figure out what to do with them so they didn't get put away and forgot about (done that many times).  Decided to sew them into 4's but that is as far as I have got.  

I am thinking about putting a black sashing between the blocks and all around and then adding a couple more borders and making it into a small charity quilt.  Any other ideas?

Goals for the week:

1.  Bind two table runners that I quilted yesterday

2.  Quilt Customer Quilt

3.  Quilt layer cake quilt

4.  Sash small quilt above.

Have a wonderful week.

Kathie

Sunday Stash Report - March 23, 2014

I sewed a ton this week at three days of sewing functions.  A lot of what I was working on will not be counted in this weeks stash report but glad to be making progress on several items.

I did finish my layer cake quilt top, made a backing and also the binding so is now ready to be quilted.

In looking for something else I found lots of little 4 patch and rails blocks so I started sewing those into bigger blocks.  No idea what I will end up doing with them.

I also spent time making additional blocks for what will eventually be a queen sized quilt.  With having to make 99 blocks I get very bored and just make a few at a time.

I also spent a whole day working on red/white and black blocks but since they are currently on my design wall i will be showing those tomorrow.

My current stats are:

Fabric used this week:  8.75 yards (LC top, backing and binding)
Fabric Purchased this week:  0

Fabric Purchased YTD:  20 yards
Fabric Used YTD:  80.75 yards

Retreat Day 1

Day one of our retreat was fun.  We are right on the water which is usually great but with a grey sky and snow still on the ground from our snowfall yesterday it wasn't near as pretty as usual.

We definitely had a good turn out of people.  One lady was demonstrating how to make a small purse, another how to make a crochet necklace and many ladies were helping others with layout and color ideas. We had a wonderful pot luck lunch and I got just about as much sewing done as talking.   Nice day!!

I managed to make all my strip sets for my black and white and red quilt and then cut them into blocks when I got home.

A friend of mine had been working on a couple of black and white runners and I had seen a couple of other quilts, one black and while and yellow and another black and white with a pop of bright green so I just had to get out my fabrics and finally use them.