I’m back from Los Angeles!  Nothing used and nothing added this week – but not for lack of trying.  I intended to go to my LQS in Los Angeles (I really miss those ladies) but just didn’t have time.  Why do quilt shops close so early?  I can’t leave work early enough to go and by the time I’m ready their closed! 🙁  It is good that I didn’t go anyway.  I wanted to get fabric for Celtic Solstice but I haven’t yet got the paint cards for colors so I would have just been buying fabric blind.  I also didn’t have time to go through my stash and pull out the fabric I had so —- It’s good I didn’t go. 🙂

I was able to get a lot of the hand work done on block 6 of Raining Cats and Dogs.  I finished applique-ing everything in Los Angeles and all I have left is the embroidery.  I plan on getting that done today.

When I returned from my trip I had two packages waiting for me:  A couple of Aurifil threads from The Quilt Bear:

Aurifil Thread Club
The Quilt Bear
#1243 – Purple
#2710 – Pale Blue

I’m part of the Aurifil Thread Club from The Quilt Bear. It has been a great way to build my thread collection without having to go through the agonizing mental anguish I go through each time trying to figure out which color to buy.  If I do not need a particular color I do not buy it.  But then when I’m quilting or piecing – I just use what I have.  I do not stop to go to the store to buy something that matches.  This is especially true when I’m playing in the moment.  For recent projects I have been able to go to the collection and actually match my thread.  It has been great and actually made this investment worth it.  Aurifil isn’t cheap but the thread club is $20/month and includes shipping!  I do not know how they do it but if I went to buy the thread locally it would cost me $12/spool +tax.  If there are some colors I do not use – it’s okay because I never know what I’ll need when.  One time my mom used some to patch something up and even my daughter used some when she got into making her hair bows.

The second package contained this:

500 Quilt Blocks
by: Lynne Goldsworthy and Kerry Green

It’s cute and pretty and some eye candy for those nights when I want to quilt but can’t for whatever reason.  Great for inspiration!

Yesterday I was a workhorse in organization and cleaning.  I put away my summer clothes and pulled out, washed and put away my winter clothes in my dresser.  I’ll be working on the kids clothes today.  I also cleaned my office/sewing room and pulled all my stuff/crap from the curio and re-organized. I had been feeling slightly discombobulated whenever I looked inside the curio.  Nothing was labeled and I kept going through things to find whatever I was looking for.  So I pulled everything out, put projects in their plastic bins, labelled them, etc.  I think it looks pretty and now I have room to get more stuff!  

The Curio on 11/10/13

My fabric stash is located elsewhere — this just contains my BOMs and 2 quilt tops ready to be quilted, current projects I’m working on, and even some recent UFOs from PIQF that I haven’t yet added to my UFO list.

I was also able to get Easy Street‘s back done and I’m working on basting it now.  My sister brought back our big folding table yesterday so rather than spray baste like I was planning on doing I am using that table to pin baste.  I haven’t pin basted on a folding table before so we’ll see how it goes.  I’m not able to clamp to it to keep everything tight and secure.  I ran out of pins so I’ll have to head out and get more.

Stash count: **I started counting 5/23/13…

Used this week: 0 yards
Used year to Date: 32 yards
Added this Weeks: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 153.25 yards
Net Added for 2013: 121.25 yards

see more stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Wish I was quilting!

Melanie