Monday, February 22, 2021

MYSTERY UFO'S

 I have a habit of starting things, getting bored, packing the project up into a storage container, and stashing it under my cutting table.  

And there they all are.  Lots of them waiting for me to finally decide to see what might be interesting to work on for a change.  Many of these containers have multiple projects in them.

This little basket looked interesting.  Lots of 3 1/2 cut squares.

Along with this additional stack of 3 1/2 inch assorted blue cut squares.  

I will say one thing in my favor I always include the pattern or picture of my idea and extra fabrics.  Often just a picture likes this keeps me clued into what I had in mind in the first place.  

And I have a project to work on and a plan to save it from the growing stack of UFO's stacked under the cutting table.

Last week's scrap quilt project is finished.  I still don't think it is a raving beauty.  Fortunately my charity group are not overly picky and do not expect heirloom quilt tops.  I had hoped to empty my scrap bin of colorful scraps.  That did not happen.  There is still about 1/4 of that large pin filled back up.  

My daughter's peacocks have been raiding their neighbors walnut orchard this weekend.  A new large and tall fenced and netted roofed pen is in the process of being constructed to contain them.  It is not quite done, and they managed to escape on Saturday and made their way to the neighbors orchard and eventually were found laying around their swimming pool in the afternoon sun.  Fortunately the neighbors are nice people and found the five invaiders lounging around their pool to be quite humorous.  





Monday, February 15, 2021

THE FABRIC STASH PLAN

I periodically do some reorganization of my sewing studio.  Over this last year now of being pretty much home bound due to the Covid virus I have worked on better organization and the realization I have way too much stashed fabric and scraps.  I tend to be frugal so scraps have been used to make many charity quilts and also given to a friend that also does charity wheel chair lap quilts.  While the stash has diminished some there is still lots to deal with.  

These are a sample of my primarily Kaffe Fassett fabric scraps, but the truth is it along with a good deal of other similar prints and odds and ends of other fabric they are out of control.

The goal/plan is to empty this once overfilled wired storage basket.  It would be nice to put some nice new fabric it in.  Time to move out the old and in with the new.

I finished this quilt top for my charity group on Sunday afternoon.  It really didn't make much of a dent in the stash.  However, I am not done I am working on another one some what similar in pattern with the hopes that it will actually leave me with that empty storage bin.  

This quilt top will really be scrappy, probably not quite as pretty as the above finished one, but often what looks not so appealing turns out to really be fun and interesting.  Since I need 25 of these blocks to make a 55 by 55 inch quilt top plus have enough to cut bindings for it too, I may just complete my goal.

This little beauty, one of my daughter's many chicken has been named Houdini.  She is one of 10 little sisters that were a FFA project for one of my grandsons.  She and her sisters were moved into the larger pen with the ducks which has no netting roof on it.  So my daughter clipped all their winds so they could not fly out.  Well, thus the name Houdini given her, as she is up and out and back in again over the fencing all day long.  They do lay lovely little pale green eggs about half the size of a regular chicken egg.  So they are productive little hens.  And no she is not near a road in the background that is path provided for the boys around their property when they were younger to ride their bicycles and scooters.  They live on 3 acres out in the country and it provided the boys with a safe play area right in their own yard.  

Monday, February 8, 2021

NEW PROJECTS AND A FINISH OR TWO

 New projects are always fun to work on.  With lots of scraps and left overs finding a project can be an interesting hunt.  Often other blogs will post a block or quilt and one gets a great idea to try out a different setting or color way.  

This past week I dug around in my stash and pulled out a pile of Kaffe Fassett leftovers from a couple of different quilts plus some addition really old fabrics that had been hanging around for ages.
I cut some 4.5 inch white squares and used 2 and 1.5 inch strips to finish the 9.5 inch blocks.  Three rows done and 4 more to go.  It should finish at 54 by 63 inches.  It is destined to be given to the charity division of my quilt guild.  With Covid keeping us away from meeting monthly I have tried to keep up at home with making them.  I have 6 done over the last several months and this one and two more mystery quilts that will be donated once the mysteries are revealed and I get them done.
I finished the top of the Cozy Stripes quilt this past week.  Fortunately I do not have provide a back, batting, or quilt it.  Others in the group take care of that.  Just this top and prepare a binding to go with it and it is off for others to finish.  The quilt will finish at 62 by 70 inches.
I did manage to finish my three Valentine Day runners.  Two daughters and a granddaughter received them on Saturday while celebrating one of my daughter's birthday.  A nice surprise to add to her gifts and fun for the other two to get something fun for the day.
These four have been very naughty lately.  They refuse to stay in their pen and have been causing havoc.  You see here they just hop out of their current pen and they are off.  They have been up to absolutely no good.  My daughter's husband and possibly the neighbors have had enough.  His threats of having BBQed peacock seems to have been taken seriously.  Even my daughter admits that she has been running around after them trying to keep them out of trouble.  The contractor was called and this last Friday a new large pen 10 feet high and an area of 25 feet by 20 feet is being constructed with a netting ceiling to keep them contained, along with plenty of perching areas.  While husband is gone, he travels with his business a couple days a week, they may get a temporary release for good behavior as long as she has time to watch them and keep them from causing too much trouble.
      

  
   

Monday, February 1, 2021

HURRY VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING

 I am once again hurrying to finish up a couple of gifts for Valentine's Day.  Sort of a last minute whim.  

I dug this runner out of the closet this past weekend for the dining table and it gave me a plan to make one for my daughter and granddaughter.

My color choice was reds and pinks instead, as I have a good stash of scraps in those colors.

A quick trip around the fused hearts with a blanket stitch.  This is my favorite machine appliqué method especially if I am rushed.  I really can go at a pretty good speed.  

The appliqués on the larger runner are complete and the smaller one is ready to get hearts fused on.  So given a day or two to spray baste and quilt and get the bindings on I should have them on their tables before the end of the week. 

Yes, I got the middle tree fixed from last week's post.  It is all quilted and bound.  Once finished I am much happier with it than I thought it would finish up.

This is Madilyn the pea hen.  She is the my daughter's only female peacock.  She has 4 males that are very busy romancing her with no success at all.  She really is a beauty, no wonder the boys are all crazy about her.