I May Have a Scrap Problem... How I Spent My June!

Hi, all!

Has your June been as incredibly busy as mine has been?  It seems like it was just June 1st, and here it is, the end of the month with little in the way of scrap sewing to show for it...  But some months are just like that, aren't they?  

I did do a little bit of scrap sewing, though - I made some more of these cute lozenges using 2.5" x 4.5" rectangles and 1.5" squares for the corners.

I also took my green string blocks and paired them up with some string blocks built around 3.5" I-spy blocks.  I'm liking the way this is shaping up...

And today I took a few minutes of indulgent sewing time and made five more blocks for this top - because a very wise reader told me last month that even though five blocks doesn't sound like much, it's five more than I had yesterday!   

I now have 36 blocks total, and maybe with a few more and some creative sashing, I can finish off a top with these.  I'll play around with some graph paper and see what I can come up with!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

I think I will take July off from scrap sewing - because it's going to be a fun and busy month!  If you haven't heard already, I will be hosting a blog hop called the Twelve Days of Christmas in July! 

Twenty-five quilt bloggers will be sharing some really cool ideas and projects to help you jump start your Christmas crafting.  You can see them listed in the right sidebar with links to their blogs if you want to start following them now.  

Additionally, there will be a Christmas quilt-along on my blog that will show you how to have your own Christmas quilt this year - all in twelve days!  I'll be posting a pic of the quilt design and fabric requirements in the next few days so that you can get your supplies ready if you want to participate - watch for it!  It's going to be a lot of fun, so I hope to see you there!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

So now it's your turn to share - have you had a more productive month than I did?  Let us see what you've been working on to reduce or control your scrap stash - I'll need some serious inspiration to get back on track in August!   If you're going to set some goals for July, share those too - I'll cheer you on even as I watch my scraps slowly multiply throughout the month!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - When It Rains, It POURS!

Hi, all!

It feels like forever since I posted a list on here - two weeks ago was my last one, and I definitely feel at loose ends without one!  The trip to NYC was a lot of fun, though - I wouldn't have missed it for the world!  But now it's time to get back to the real world, so let's see what happened with that two-week old list...

1.  Finish the red t-shirt commission quilt.

Done!  I'm really happy with the way this quilt turned out - it was a stretch to my designing skills, but I learned a lot!

2.  Work on prepping a Christmas quilt-along to go alongside the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop! That involves making up a sample quilt and keeping track of all the steps, then writing a whole mess of blog posts!

This is a work in progress, but I'm happy with how it's progressing!  I've finished my sample quilt and written most of the instructions. Now I have to turn them into blog posts!

3.  Write the estimate for the second commission t-shirt quilt.

Done!  This one's going to have to wait until after vacation, though...

4.  Mail prizes to the winners of the Stash Builder Box giveaway!

Done!  

5.  Make some more string blocks for the scrap quilt - if time allows!

Time?  What in the heck is free time??? No more blocks this week, I'm afraid...

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We gave away a few quilts this week...

This quilt went to a woman with colon cancer...

This one went to a gentleman with cancer...

And this one to a woman who is having serious heart issues.

We also had two new babies...

A bright and spicy quilt for a new baby girl...

And an ocean themed quilt for a little boy!

And these ten quilts went to our local general hospital to be distributed to new babies and their moms!

Not much sewing time in the past two weeks, but at least I managed to get a good bit of stuff done.  Good thing, too, because when it rains, it pours - I've got two more commission t-shirt quilts in my studio to work on, and two more waiting in the wings for after I come back from vacation!  It's definitely a busy time of the year.  So here's my list for this week.....

1.  Finish the quilt-along quilt top.

2.  Finish preparing the tutorial for the quilt-along.

3.  Start preparing the blogposts for the quilt-along.

4.  Prepare kits for vacation sewing.

5.  Pack up tools and supplies for vacation sewing.

6.  Take photographs of the t-shirts for the two commission quilts for quilt planning.

7.  Cut apart a large donated quilt and add borders to make four smaller quilts.

8.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up this week!

Lots of things on the list, but quite a few that are on-going and will carry through vacation.  We leave on Friday, so I'll be using my car time to write tutorials, blogposts, and plan quilts.  And there will be sewing at the beach - mainly in the evenings while watching tv - so hopefully I'll have some pretty things to show off next Friday!  It feels like it's been a while since I got to finish anything - I miss it!

And now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Dreaming of New Projects...

Hi, all!

It's Friday again, and we all know what that means - - - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!  I hope you've all had whoop-worthy weeks - mine hasn't had much sewing, but it's been fun nonetheless.  And I do have some pretty fabric to show off!  So let's get started!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I'm sure you know that I spent last weekend plus a few days in New York City!  Oh, we had such a fine time!  The weather was just gorgeous...

...clear and sunny and pretty comfortable temperature-wise most of the time we were there.  It made for really great pictures!

I particularly love this one of the Flatiron Building - I had never seen it from that particular angle, and it looks so thin there!

I was really glad that I had a day to wander around the Garment District, too!  I love the iconic needle-and-button statue that lets you know that you have arrived in the Garment District - one of my favorite sights in NYC!

I visited some really great trim shops in NYC - buttons, trims, zippers, ribbons - everything you could possibly imagine can be found in these amazing stores!  

But the best part of my day exploring came when I got to meet this lovely lady in real life for lunch!  Chris blogs over at Made by ChrissieD, and lives in the NYC area.  FYI, she travels all over the world and blogs about the fabric stores she find on her journeys.  It's a great resource if you like to travel - her photography is fabulous, as you'll see if you wander around her blog.  She sent me a great walking itinerary to follow when I was wandering around the garment district, and arranged for us to meet for lunch at a cute little restaurant.  Then we wandered down to.....

...Purl Soho, which is such a fun shop, although much smaller than you would think from their website!  Lots of beautiful yarns, Liberty of London fabric, and some of the prettiest linens I've seen in a long time.  I did end up with a scrap bag with an interesting mix of pieces...

...and a bolt end of this beautiful linen!  It's hard to tell from this picture, but the warp is a light teal blue and the woof is a beautiful bright yellow.  In person, it's a beautiful shade of blue-ish green.  Unfortunately, it's hard to tell in this picture!

I also picked up the bundle of solid fabrics in this picture...

...then returned to The City Quilter for the owls and foxes, which I had seen there earlier in the day.  These fabrics are destined to become a baby quilt for one of my nieces!

And Thursday I got to spend the day with these lovelies -  grandkids are the best!!  We had a big old time wandering around Target and re-stocking Nana's pantry shelves.  

So that's what's been going on in my little corner of the world this week - can I get a whoop whoop??

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's got you dancing a little happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you - 

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Not Much Sewing Going On!

Hi, all!

This week, Make-A-List Monday is going to take a brief hiatus, because I'm currently enjoying a New York experience!  

We arrived on Saturday and found our hotel, which looks out over Times Square - it's in the heart of the theater district, with multiple shows on either side of the block it presides over and Schubert Alley right across the street!  

We've already been to see Wicked and Les Miserables; tonight's show is Something Rotten.  Can you tell we like Broadway musicals?

We also went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today - there was an amazing exhibition of clothing throughout the modern age, talking about the hand vs. machine construction.  Here's a few of the more interesting things we saw...

Yo-yos!  Who knew they could be used for clothing?

And if you run out of fabric, just grab some drink straws!

Yes, they are really made from plastic drink straws!!

Beautiful color inspiration....

And look at that black and white - makes me want to run to my sewing machine!!

Tomorrow I'll be hitting up the fabric stores while my husband is working - pictures of that later this week!

I'll review last week's list and get back on track next Monday - but for now I'm going to play! 

So now I'll live vicariously through you - what are YOU working on ?

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? Finally, A Finish!!

Hi, all!

Friday has rolled around once again, and you know what that means - - - it's time to get our whoop whoop on!!!  And I'm excited today because for the first time in weeks, I've got a finished quilt to show off!  So let's get started!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

Meet my husband, the comedian!

I don't often ask him to help me by holding a quilt while I take pictures, but this one was so large, it would have dragged on the ground - so I enlisted his help this morning!

After a brief comedic interlude, he did hold it out so I could get some good pictures.  This is one big quilt!

This quilt really stretched my math and design skills - she had so many t-shirts she wanted to use, but some of the t-shirts had larger printed areas, so the blocks in the center are larger.  That did give some space within that inner border to show off some of her memorabilia, though!

Here you can really see how large it is - it pretty much covers the top of my king size bed!  

I think the back is really pretty, too - Kona Coal combined with a stripe of the two colors used on the front - Rich Red and Salmon.

And look how pretty the quilting shows up!  (No, that's not a stain on the back, it's the sun shining through from the other side!)  

So that's my finish for the week - can I get a whoop whoop??

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you dance a little happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you - 

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight - 

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

I May Have A Scrap Problem... My Stash of Shame!

Hi, all!

Do you have a Stash of Shame?  Fabrics that you have tucked away in a corner that mock you throughout the year?  Stash that seems to increase all by itself? Do you despair of ever using all of that Stash of Shame?  

Meet my Stash of Shame...

Over Christmas when I was cleaning up my studio, I actually put all my Christmas scraps, neatly pressed and folded, into a box WITH A LID in the hopes that they wouldn't multiply when I wasn't looking - that box is full and not much room to expand.  So far, so good!  

And then there's the yardage... I keep telling myself I can't buy more Christmas fabric until I use up what I have, but last year some new stuff jumped into my cart - - - oops......

A few years ago, I made this Trip Around The World quilt with my Christmas fabrics, thinking that it would make a good dent in the stash...

It even has a super-scrappy back!  Did it make a dent?  NO!  That's why I call this my Stash of Shame - I think it will be with me forever, no matter what I do!

So you're probably wondering why I'm showing you Christmas fabrics today.  After all, it's HOT outside, people are starting their summer travel, no one's thinking about Christmas - - - am I right?

Well, there are twenty-six great quilt bloggers who are thinking about it, and planning something special just for you.....

So if you have a Christmas Stash of Shame, or even if you don't, I hope you'll save the date and join us for the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop.  There's going to be lots of fun Christmas projects, gift ideas, and if you've ever yearned to make your own Christmas quilt, there's even going to be a quilt-along that will guide you to make your own beautiful Christmas quilt in an hour or less a day!  Just think - you could finally have a Christmas quilt this year!

So drag out those Christmas scraps you've got stowed away and get ready - it's going to be a lot of fun!!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Pedal To The Metal!

Hi, all!

Welcome to Monday!  I hope you had a big, gorgeous, beginning-of-summer weekend - it was certainly beautiful here!  And I had so much fun reading what everyone was planning to do on their weekend in the giveaway comments - there was a lot of fun going on out there!!  It took a while, but I got through all those comments, and picked the winners for the Stash Builder Box giveaway!  

The winner of the May box is:  Anita Stevens

And the winner of the June box is:  Liz Horgan

Congratulations, Anita and Liz!  I'll be emailing you both very soon to confirm your mailing addresses.   I'm sorry you couldn't all be winners, but I hope you're glad to be aware of Stash Builder Box now and will keep them in mind in the future!

OK, now that the important stuff is done, let's see how I did on last week's list...

1.  Work on the t-shirt commission quilt.

Done!  The top and back are finished, it's all sandwiched, and ready to be quilted this week!  I'm hoping to do that on Tuesday when I have a child-free day...

2.  Meet with someone about another t-shirt commission quilt!

Done!  It's exciting to have another commission job waiting in line! Right now, it looks like this... but that will change soon!

3.  Mail H2H quilts and the prize from last Friday's giveaway.

Done!  I'm happy to say it's all in the mail!

4.  Try to squeeze in a few more blocks for the scrappy quilt on the design wall.

I managed to make five more blocks - not many, but there just aren't enough hours in the day!

5.  Provide chauffeur services to my oldest granddaughter as she enjoys Summer Jam (Vacation Bible School) at my church this week.

Done - and I'm so excited to say that she became a Christ-follower this week!

6.  Visit with my niece for one last time before she moves to join her sister in the Frozen North (aka Calgary, Canada).

Done!  We've shipped her off and she's on her way north.  I'll miss her, but she promises to bring IKEA fabric the next time she comes to visit!

7.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Done!  We only had one, and that was a happy one - a brand new baby girl!  I finished up this pretty donated quilt top for her...

So another productive week is in the books!  Lots to do this week, though - here's my list...

1.  Finish the red t-shirt commission quilt.

2.  Work on prepping a Christmas quilt-along to go alongside the 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop! That involves making up a sample quilt and keeping track of all the steps, then writing a whole mess of blog posts!

3.  Write the estimate for the second commission t-shirt quilt.

4.  Mail prizes to the winners of the Stash Builder Box giveaway!

5.  Make some more string blocks for the scrap quilt - if time allows!

6.  Keep up with any quilt ministry needs that come up.

Kind of a short list, but I've got to get the first three things done without fail, so I'll keep it short.  I'm traveling again this weekend, so it's a short week.  If I have extra time, who knows what I'll get done!  

So now the question is - - - what are YOU working on this week?

Hugs!

Sarah