STASH SHOPPING--STASH BUSTING

DD came over with the three girls. I pulled out some of my stash. That which was the easiest to get my hands on. She went home with an armload of some nice fabric to add to her stash. She left with the instructions...save all of your scraps. Do NOT throw scraps away!!!

She's made a couple necklaces...sew a tube of fabric, Thread on a bead, then insert a marble or something similar that is round, thread on a bead, insert a marble, bead and so on. Sew up the open end. They are really cute. Reminds me of some I made a long while back.

Her shopping for her stash resulted in stashbusting for me....both a good thing!!!

Quiltbook

I forgot... to say in my other post tonight....I ordered Bonnie Hunter's new quilt book Scraps and Shirttails It came this week. She autographed it TOO!

It's beautiful!!!

I am now grabbing up shirts and any shirting fabric I have in my stash to put in container with this book until I can decide which one I want to do and start busting that stash.

You can go here to order a copy.

I'm back

I'm back. Been a hectic few days/week. On top of that computer went on the fritz. But a dear son-in-law came by tonight after he left his office and worked on it and got it working. The screen still not normal but at least the colors are correct and not as fuzzy.

Been working on the blanket. Want to take a picture of it to show the two different rows of crocheting. Also been decluttering some stuff around here...tossed a pile of Sew News, a few Threads, a variety of other magazines. Kept my Sew Beautiful, Creative Needle, and various quilting magazines.

Been Christmas shopping and some wrapping has been done.

Before computer went on the fritz I was entering a lot of new information in my Family Tree Maker...I found a new line and it is intriguing.

Stashbusting--receiving blanket and burp pads

Today I went through my baby related stash fabric. I pulled out a piece of flannel with lady bugs on it to do a receiving blanket for my newest granddaughter. Her nursery has a ladybug theme. I also pulled out a ladybug design fat quarter to use with diapers to make a burp-pad or two.

The flannel I use 1-1/4 yards so its basically a 45 inch square. Turn the edges under a scant 1/4 inch and turn again the same amount. Pin very well. I use a metal crochet hook and punch a hole with it through the flannel right next to the edge of the folded area, pull Pearl Cotton thread number five weight, do a single crochet, then a double, and a single again in the same hole. Skip over a little bit I guess around 1/2 inch or so and do it again all the way around the square. When I get to the corners, I do several of these closer together to make sure the corners are secure.

The burp pads I take a pre-folded diaper, do a decorative stitch with some pretty threads down the seams down the diaper. Where the diaper looks like it has been divided into thirds lengthwise. More or less to hide the folded edges and pretty it up some. About 1/3 from the bottom I'll add a machine embroidery design that goes with the fabric I'm going to put on the two edges. Maybe some words such as drool rules. The baby's name. At the top and bottom edge of the diaper I take some baby theme fabric, cut two pieces about six inches by the width of the diaper plus 1/2 inch. Fold in half, so it's three inches or so by the width. Sew the narrow side raw edges with 1/4 inch seams. Press, turn right side out. Turn down 1/4 inch along the top width raw edges, press. Slip one of these units over the top edge of diaper and one over the bottom edge of diaper. Pinning carefully catching both the top and bottom of the folded unit carefully and using edge foot I stitch stitch the baby theme fabric to the diaper on both ends. Pinning careful helps in catching front and back of the themed fabric to diaper nice and tidy. If it doesn't match up as well as I desire it...I use a decorative stitch to catch it all down so it isn't noticeable.

Hope to get to work on these two projects Thursday. Tomorrow cooking for middle daughter's birthday dinner. Tuesday and Wednesday going Christmas shopping. Thursday I'll be stuck home as AC/Heating guy coming to service the units for yearly fall checkup....so Nana is hoping to get in some sewing time.

Quilter's Horoscope

Be sure to check your quilter's horoscope here by Pauline Rogers. I heard about it on ...ansewon's blog. I love her blog by the way always feel like I've have had a glass of tea and slice of pie with a friend when I visit her blog.

Anyway my horoscope said:
Taurus - April 21 to May 20 Taurus is the quilter who always finishes a project, as they are persistent and determined. When attending workshops or using a pattern they will follow every instruction to the letter. They can be greedy when it comes to their stash, as they know the value of material. They save every bit of scrap. However, they are warmhearted and loving to such a degree that they have given away nearly every quilt they have ever made. They are gifted artists, excelling at sewing, patchwork and quilting. The stitching in their quilts is of such high quality that their quilts will endure for eons.

Well..........Always finishes a project.......don't tell Pauline but I have a quilt Dresden Plate folded on quilt rack I made at least eight to ten years ago and the binding still isn't done........Three years ago at Mid-Atlantic bought a kit for a quilted wall hanging for grand-baby's room.......still not done....I have cut out freezer paper patterns for some of the applique....the gaudy tacky Grandmother's Flower garden I pieced from scraps......

the hexagons are too large for my taste.....it's huge....has yet to be quilted. Oh mercy, there is a double wedding ring I haven't finished piecing from a LONG time ago...I would estimate 1996....and there's an orange peel that isn't that old only eight years old that I haven't touched in seven years....maybe eight years. Bugs in Jar from what five years ago....not finished by a long shot.

Follow instructions to the "T" you say.......well yes you might be right...but I do vary or mix some different patterns and ideas together.......like the apron I did for a Halloween in July apron swap...I used three different patterns from three different websites to make it. Inspired by a child's apron. Enlarged it to adult size using another pattern, but I changed some of the measurements and some single layer of fabrics I doubled to hide seams. And I used a third quilt block for the bib part. Don't you know the swap partner never did send me the apron she made for me or she never made one to send to me....supposed to have been mailed out the first day of August or within a couple days and here it is October the 4th and nothing!! How is that for a professing Christian? I emailed her that it never arrived if she insured it she should file a claim. And nary word. She even posted on this blog she had received it, liked it and the other stuff I had included in the package. I consider myself to be a Christian too and I believe in the Golden Rule--do unto others as you would have them do unto you....She did say she was late getting it done...machine issues, but going that week to her mom's to work on it...I at least thought she'd send an email she was still working on it or whatever the situation is with the deal....guess I should forgive her and not hold a grudge that would be the Christian thing to do. Boy oh Boy do I get off subject and RAMBLE ON AN ON!!

YES I AM GREEDY...you hit the nail on the head there Pauline...I save every scrap over one inch wide. I was cutting up some scraps the other day and a few pieces were from when I was in high school in the 60's...brought back memories of dresses, shorts and skirts I made...some from 74 when I went to Hawaii with college roommate and her mom on alumni trip after we graduate...that spring.

Give most of them away??? Well, I think I've kept most of them---still greedy.........but first grandson has Noah's Ark I did....couldn't find a crib pattern for Noah's Ark that I liked. But I found one for a pillow I liked a lot so DH enlarged a pillow pattern and I turned it into a crib quilt. Then first granddaughter has teddy bear crib quilt I made for her. Youngest grandson has a motorcycle quilt that he designed....he saw two pieces of fabric and he told me he wanted me to make him a quilt using them and how he wanted the blocks to be. And then a quilt...throw in various prints in pink and brown that daughter wanted I did finish that and gave it to her. I bought the fabric and patern at the Mid-Atlantic after the wall hanging.

Well now, that was therapeutic...I have to make quilts for four more granddaughters. And I keep thinking of all those UFO's I need to finish.