random projects

Since i've been getting so many big projects finished this month, I decided I should see what was on my cutting table in the towering stacks of "to-do". First, my Dala horses, there are 6 blocks in this set-3 blue, 2 yellow and 1 red. I dont know how i'm going to set and finish them. The original plan was to make more blocks and make either one big wall hanging or 2-3 smaller ones. Now I dont know.

Next is a set of stack and whack style circles from Christmas fabric. Enough for 8 blocks. Original plan was runners-probably 2. One with 5 blocks and one with 3.

Then my stack of veggie/fruit blocks. I think there are enough there for a twin/full size quilt. They need to be trimmed and sashed together.

The ballet slippers are multiples of one I did last summer. I've got 2, one white background and one black background sitting there. These will be finished as small wall hangings and donated as raffle prizes to the kids dance school.

Believe it or not-thats only 4 of the 13 projects that I found. There are also: scrub tops for my SIL the xray tech, dresses for my neice, aprons, 2 other quilty ufos that i'm not sure i still have the instructions for, and at least 3 baby quilts in pieces.

I've still got 3 big quilts basted but i think that I am going to start working on some of these projects just for something different to do.

This is the whole table with everything spread out instead of stacked up like usual.

Intentional UFO's?

On stashbusters yahoo group anything that is not finished at the end of the calendar year automatically becomes a UFO for the following year-so all these count even tho I started them in November of last year and already have all 17 of this go around finished. I have 14 more bigger ones still to finish. There are: 4 snowmen, 3 halloween, 9 nutcracker, and just 1 gingerbread toppers. I stacked the same size multiples to make it easier to take pics. Most of these will be set aside until later this year when i'm hoping my friend will agree to share a table at the craft fair, otherwise they will be teacher gifts and co-worker gifts for next Christmas.

#17 & #18

I was having a hard time getting these pics taken but here they are finally! These quilts were finished several days ago. First is a halloween quilt that got started in December, the second one was started back in Germany, probably in 2005? Both quailfy as oversize twins or just about full size.

#15 & #16

Here are 2 more finished quilts! The black and yellow one is something like 82x86. I think its going to be used as a comforter on our bed-top quilt for extra cold nights!

The heart quilt was a mystery from a while back. I think its the only mystery i've ever been dissapointed in because i picked Christmas fabrics for something that really should have been a Valentines quilt. Oh well, done is done. This one is about 75x90.

stash report #4

I've been doing really great quilting and finishing quilts this month but this week I had a slow down sort of. I got 5 quilts basted, 4 of them quilted, and none of them bound! So i'm adding all 5 backings to this report, 4 of the tops(the 5th was counted last year) and none of the bindings. So here goes:

This week:
fabric in:8yds for aprils baby quilt and bindings
Fabric out: 55 yds!
Quilts finished: none(but i'm darn close on 5!)


Year to date:
Fabric in: 28 yds
Fabric used(total): 136 yds
Net Fabric used: 108 yds
Finished quilts YTD: 14
New projects started YTD: none!

#13 & #14

I finished these 2 last week before we went to mom's but could not get my quilt holders to help me take pics. I finally got a substitute and Sami to hold them up for me. The tree skirt was started last fall-it is about 60 in across, and the Blue and Yellow one was a mystery in 2007-its almost 70 in square. Thats a total of 14 ufo finishes for 2009 and i've got 3 more basted and ready to quilt!

stash report week #3

This week:
fabric in: 0 yds
Fabric used: 35 yds
quilts finished: 7

Year to date:
Fabric in: 20 yds
Fabric used(total): 81 yds
Net Fabric used: 61 yds
Finished quilts YTD: 14
New projects started YTD: none!

Decision time

My quilt holders had time to hold up one more before they left for school this morning. This wildlife quilt was started new year eve 2006. I put the borders on it last summer and finished it Tuesday(Jan 13). This one has a decision attached to it. I had originally planned to send it to a friend who was having some health issues at the time of piecing but now those problems have been taken care of and I don't know if he still needs a quilt. The other place it could go is on OUR couch since the one that is there is 30's prints and the rest of the room is wolves and horses. Decisions, decisions!

This one finishes at 72x87 and was a mystery online.

Batting issues and finished quilts

I've about run out of batting-again. In December I was down to the last bits from my bolt of warm and natural batting, so when Hancocks had batting 1/2 price over new year I bought a new roll 20 yards-90 in wide. I'm now down to 3 pieces ready for 3 big quilts and the roll is already gone. I've still got some bits that i can use for small projects like runners and such but my big quilts are going to have to wait until I can find a way to buy another roll of batting. Joann's has it on 50% off this week and they have the 40 yd rolls...so now i need to find about $200 laying around.

These 4 quilts were finished last night and I pulled them out of the dryer this morning. The first is a 45x45 baby quilt made with the "dissapearing 9-patch" pattern. Then next 2 are from a line called "under the influence of fabric." The square one is about 50x 50 and the other one is about 30x50. The yellow and blue one is 45x60 and made from left over blocks and fabric from the quilt I made one of my brothers for his wedding. He and his wife may get this to use as a wall hanging over thier bed, or it may go to the next baby that needs one.

stash reports

Stash report for week 2:

Used 46.5 yards(this counts old tops from before I started keeping count of yardage used)
Bought: 20 yards(6 backs and some stuff for swap blocks)
Net used this week: 26.5 yds
Net used ytd:26.5 yds
Finished:7 quilts(all ufos)
Started: nothing new!

mysterys solved

I got 2 more quilts done friday(yesterday). Both are old mysterys about 60x60. It feels really good to get all these off my ufo list! I went and bought backs for 5 more quilts friday night-4 that qualify as baby size and one thats a big twin/almost full. Now the challenge is to get them basted tonight or tomorrow so I can sew all week again while the kids are at school.

on the line

I had a request to see what my storage for ufos, so here's my tops waiting for quilting. There are 17 baby or bigger tops each on thier own hanger, and 35 or so runner tops which are all sharing a pants hanger. If I have the binding and backing for a specific quilt its hanging with the top but only 6 of these have thier backs figured out. I am guessing that if I quilt 2-3 a month and buy 1-2 backs a month I should run out of tops well before the end of the year, not counting the runners. There are also 2 hand pieced antique quilts hanging here and counted in the 17 but I do not believe that I will even attempt to do anything with them, mostly because they need some repair work that I dont think i'm qualified for and also because I dont think that I have the time or patience that hand quilting them would require.

more finishes

I'm on a roll! I've gotten 3 more quilts finished in the last 2 days. Its amazing how much I get done when I have 5-7 uninterrupted hours in the sewing room. I've got 2 more basted that I'm hoping to get done tomorrow. The first is a Christmas mystery (2008) that I did in Easter fabric. The second is done with the "Holly Jolly" Line from Moda that I pieced last summer (2008) and the 3rd is an old one from when we lived in Germany (2004). The first 2 are 60something x about 80. The pink and green one is about 70x90.

first finishes of 2009

I Started this red and white quilt as a mystery on new year eve 2006 or new years day 2007. I'm not sure which. Its 60 inches square and I realized after I had sewn the top together that I had turned some of the blocks so that the real pattern does not show up properly-the white squares are not where they all belong but I was not about to re-do it when I was not really impressed with the project. The pink and green one was started in 2004 while we lived in Germany. Its about 64x72. The background pinks on both the center blocks and the border are the same color-but the print on them makes them look different which I think is why I did not like the top. Its also much softer colored than my usual quilts.

Late picture

I finished these stockings and counted them in my end of year tally but never got a chance to post pictures of them so here they are now. This is the 4th set i've made from this pattern, one for each of my brothers' families and one extra set. I've got a 5th set done but I cannot remember where I put them so i can't take pics until I find them again. I just hope I did not put them away with the rest of the Christmas stuff or I wont see them till next Christmas!