Tag Archives: cushion project

Monday of week 18, 2021

auditioning fabric for the border

how I did last week –

  1. Cross stitch on Titania – I only stitched on her once.
  2. Continue knitting daily on my morning socks and Weasley Sweater. I want to get to this 100% next week. – I skipped my bullet journal last week so I’m not sure how well I did. I believe I knit probably 3 times last week and for my Weasley Sweater I’m about 1/4 of the way through. It’s almost 1/3 of the quarter so I’m a little behind schedule.
  3. Gardening – My friend Julie gave me some more seedlings so I’ll need to get those planted this week. – I planted one of the seedlings. I’ve got pole beans and something else to plant. I just can’t decide where to put them. I will need to determine that this week though.
  4. Quilting –
    1. finish quilting the orange quilt top – not done
    2. wash the new fabric for the border of the Jan Krentz quilt – done
    3. Judy Neimeyer – Double Wedding Rings – trim the pieces – done
    4. Simple Days – embroider the 3rd block of the January clue – worked on. It’s not done but it’s in progress
    5. Dancing with the Stars – continue piecing more of block A. – yes. I did this. It’s not finished but I’m working on it.

this week –

  1. For my cross stitch – I’m switching projects. More on this another time. But my tiny decisions app picked “bountiful blossoms”.
  2. continue knitting on my morning socks and do at least 10 rows on my Weasley Sweater.
  3. Gardening – Plan the seedlings Julie gave me, as well as the others I bought this weekend. 🙂
  4. Quilting
    1. finish quilting the orange quilt top
    2. Simple Days – continue embroidering the 3rd block of the January clue
    3. Dancing with the stars – continue piecing more of block A
    4. Pull out Grassy Creek and start clue

Happy crafting, friends!

Melanie

Sunday Stash Report – Week 17, 2021

Jan Krentz – Diamond Star – finished top

This top is finally finished and I’m still not sure if that border goes with the rest of the quilt. But I love the border fabric and it’s done so I love the quilt regardless. The rest of the fabric was from my stash and the quilt was part of a SFVQA Guild workshop in last December (2020). It was our first zoom workshop and I didn’t know then but Jan is an excellent zoom workshop instructor. Since then we’ve had multiple and she was the best. Anyway, the middle top was 60″x60″ which is about 3 yards. I bought 2 yards for the border last week and used most of it. So I’m counting 5 yards used.

And this weekend was my LQS, Quilt Emporium’s 40th anniversary sale. The shop has been around for 40 years and Lisa has been the owner for the past 10 years. I learned how to quilt about 15 years under the previous owner, Linda. I’m so grateful for QE, Lisa for purchasing the shop when Linda retired, and all the ladies who are ready to help me whenever I go in. QE is well known for their civil war repros and they have quite a following. But over the last 10 years with Lisa in charge, they’ve added the modern fabrics while keeping their civil war repros. I always find something to take home with me. The above picture is me taking advantage of their anniversary sale. This year everything was 25% off with some things at 40% off. I bought binding for the next 5 quilts that are to be quilted as well as backing for 2 quilts. As a result, I have 19 yards added.

This has put me in quite a hole. But I’m very happy to have bought fabric for specific projects and saved money to boot. I shouldn’t need to come back but in taking part in the anniversary sale, I was able to get a coupon for 40% off one cut in May. So, of course, I’ll be coming back in May! 🙂

Go to more stash reports at QuiltPaintCreate who hosts the Sunday Stash.

The fabric stash:  

  • Used since last time: 5 yards
  • Used year to date: 30.5 yards
  • Added since last time: 19 yards
  • Added year to Date: 43 yards
  • Net added for 2021: 12.5 yards

For yarn:

Nothing used, nothing added. 🙂

I am working on my morning socks and my Weasley sweater. I haven’t had the wherewithal to work on any of my other knitting projects and that’s okay. My crafting is ebbing and flowing and the knitting bug will come again.

The yarn stash:

  • Used since last time: 0 skeins
  • Used year to date: 9 skeins
  • Added since last time: 0 skeins
  • Added year to date: 6 skeins
  • Net used for 2021: 3 skeins

~Happy Sunday!

~happy crafting!

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

Monday of week 17, 2021

auditioning fabric for the border

  1. I really want to cross stitch on Gamer! – Done I tried to cross stitch every day but I couldn’t do it. But I did a bit, and that’s all that matters.
  2. continue knitting daily on my morning socks and weasley sweater.. and anything else I’m able to knit is bonus – Again, I did a bit most mornings and days.
  3. for gardening – done. every day, I go out about 10am as my morning break. I water the plants, check on them and take care of anything that needs to be taken care.
  4. For quilting: start quilting my orange quilt top. – done.
    1. Go to the quilt shop and pick fabric for the border of my Jan Krentz quilt. – done
    2. Reacquaint myself with dancing with the stars – done and grassy creek. – not done.

So I got a lot of a little bit done last week. and I keep working on it.

This week –

  1. Cross stitch on Titania
  2. Continue knitting daily on my morning socks and Weasley Sweater. I want to get to this 100% next week.
  3. Gardening – My friend Julie gave me some more seedlings so I’ll need to get those planted this week.
  4. Quilting –
    1. finish quilting the orange quilt top
    2. wash the new fabric for the border of the Jan Krentz quilt
    3. Judy Neimeyer – Double Wedding Rings – trim the pieces
    4. Simple Days – embroider the 3rd block of the January clue
    5. Dancing with the Stars – continue piecing more of block A.

Happy crafting, friends!

Melanie

Sunday Stash Report – Week 16, 2021

I started quilting the orange quilt. I’m almost done but I’ve still got a about 8 inches all the way around. Originally I was planning to do the borders a little different than the rest of the quilt but I decided that I will keep doing the same motif all around.

So no finish yet. But I plan to have the quilting done next week and then I can start the binding and the label.

I did buy fabric yesterday. I finished my Jan Krentz quilt – except for the border.

Jan Krentz Quick Star 01/01/2021

I applique’d a center star and I purchased new fabric for the borders. I did go through my stash last week and didn’t find anything I liked for the border. And of course, I couldn’t just buy the fabric for the border. I had to buy other stuff too. So I added 4 yards.

Go to more stash reports at QuiltPaintCreate who hosts the Sunday Stash.

The fabric stash:  

  • Used since last time: 0 yards
  • Used year to date: 25.5 yards
  • Added since last time: 4 yards
  • Added year to Date: 24 yards
  • Net used for 2021: 1.5 yards

For yarn:

Nothing used, nothing added. 🙂

The yarn stash:

  • Used since last time: 0 skeins
  • Used year to date: 9 skeins
  • Added since last time: 0 skeins
  • Added year to date: 6 skeins
  • Net used for 2021: 3 skeins

~Happy Sunday!

~happy crafting!

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

Monday of week 16, 2021

Another tough work week passed but I did get a lot of my to do’s done from last week. First and foremost, I finished the cushion project! Yay! I posted pictures on yesterday’s Sunday Stash post. But here you go again

I am regularly knitting on my morning socks and I’ve almost knit daily on my Weasley Sweater. I was able to spend some time Thursday with my knit group and got to my Tranquil Shawl and my advent blanket. Progress has been made!

In regards to my gardening, I made it to Green Thumb nursery and bought soil for my gardening project that I mentioned last week.

I planted a strawberry tower. I originally planned to put strawberries in every pot but decided to plant some seeds in some of them. I’ll plant chives, onions, basil, parsley because that’s what I have seeds of. I also did all my normal gardening chores – fed the worms, turned the compost, put together the new compost bin! and planted all the seedlings I had to be planted. All in all, my gardening work is getting there.

For quilting, I was able to baste my orange quilt. I applique’d the center star and now all I need is to add a border. I searched my fabric stash and nothing went right with this so I plan to make a trip to my LQS, Quilt Emporium, to pick something out. I didn’t touch grassy creek or dancing with the stars. I did do some hand work and finished the first little bit of embroidery on Simple Days.

So now what’s next? This upcoming week, here are my goals –

  1. I really want to cross stitch on Gamer!
  2. continue knitting daily on my morning socks and weasley sweater.. and anything else I’m able to knit is bonus
  3. for gardening – keep watering it, Saturday garden work: feed the worms, turn the compost, empty the kitchen bin into the compost and wash it. repot some of the plants that I potted before, plant some seeds. Put the mulch where I want it to go.
  4. For quilting: start quilting my orange quilt top. Go to the quilt shop and pick fabric for the border of my Jan Krentz quilt. Reacquaint myself with dancing with the stars and grassy creek.

Wish me luck! It’s a short list this week as I’m being realistic and motivated.

Happy crafting, friends!

Melanie

Sunday Stash Report – Week 15, 2021

Pineapple block side of the cushion

Almost missed posting this! And I’m so happy to announce that I’ve finished my cushion.

Star of Jasmine side
Flying Geese sides…

So I’m not sure how to add up all the fabric. I bought 2 yards for the grey background and pretty much used all of it. I know it doesn’t look like much but you use so much when paper piecing. The purples were all bits and pieces from my scrap bin. Add on the welting, the handle, the zipper and the backing (that you can’t see), I’m going to guestimate 6 yards used. I really like the finished product and I learned a few new techniques for future projects. I may even make another cushion because my dog seems to have claimed this one.

Go to more stash reports at QuiltPaintCreate who hosts the Sunday Stash.

The fabric stash:  

  • Used since last time: 6 yards
  • Used year to date: 25.5 yards
  • Added since last time: 0 yards
  • Added year to Date: 20 yards
  • Net used for 2021: 5.5 yards

For yarn:

I feel like a broken record on this one. I’m not knitting as much but last week I knit on my morning socks 5 of 7 days. I only do about 1-2 rounds so not that much but just the fact that I’m getting to it, makes me happy. I also picked up my Weasley sweater again and I’m about 10 rows in. I hope to do 2 rows every day and then 6 rows on Thursdays during knit night. I’ve also enjoyed working on my Tranquil Shawl but I’m not very close to finishing. I only knit on this once a week for knit night. I really need to take a good day time picture so you can see how much I’ve done since last time but I’ve not got that part of my life together yet.

The yarn stash:

  • Used since last time: 0 skeins
  • Used year to date: 9 skeins
  • Added since last time: 0 skeins
  • Added year to date: 6 skeins
  • Net used for 2021: 3 skeins

~Happy Sunday!

~happy crafting!

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

Monday of week 15, 2021

Last week was an awful week of not getting everything or hardly anything done! I take that back. I got stuff done, just not much from my last Monday post.

There continues to be way too much to do and not enough time. In reality there’s just enough time, I just put way too much on my to do list and other things keep sliding to the top of that list pushing my crafty and garden items to the bottom. I really have to give myself some credit. Days have passed and all I can think about on this Monday post is that I didn’t get this stuff done. But, I got my first shot earlier in the week and I had to take it easy. I had the normal symptoms, sore arm, some nausea, and some tiredness. That explains it all. By Thursday I was feeling better, but that was 4/1 and the start of the new quarter which means I have quarterly tasks for work to do and I worked long hours both days. I made it on to knit night. So, what did I do from my list…

Monday – Last Monday my goal was to finish the hand stitching on the cushion project and I did! It was also my goal to plant the 2nd blueberry plant and I did! Today, my goal is to finish the cushion project! I have my minigroup, Nimble Thimbles, meets and I’ll be able to spend a few hours on it.

Tuesday – Last Tuesday, my goal was to plant the last blueberry and attach the welting/cording onto the front and back piece of the cushion. I did plant the last blueberry and I spent some time on the cushion but I only had enough energy to look for the fabric I wanted to use for the welting/cording. I may have pressed it, cut it and got it ready to attach. But the attaching did not happen. This Tuesday, I want to do some cross stitching. I haven’t cross stitched in a month and I want to get back to it.

Wednesday – Last Wednesday, my goal was to plant my last tomato plant and it didn’t happen. I did plant it on Saturday so that did get done eventually. A win in my book. This Wednesday, I’m hosting a new minigroup for newer members of my quilt guild. Those who have joined since the last part of 2019 have not had a real opportunity to meet our members because of the pandemic and I find joining mini groups the best way to form friendships in a guild.

Thursday – Last Thursday, I didn’t plan much because it was knit night and the start of my next busy season. This was smart on my end. This Thursday it will be knit night again, so my goal is to work on my knitting projects.

Friday – Last Friday, I was supposed to buy more potting soil because I was expecting some of my gardening purchases to have arrived by then. And they didn’t. At least not the item that needed the potting soil. So we didn’t go to Green Thumb nursery. They are supposed to arrive this coming week, Tuesday and Wednesday, so I’ll be needing to buy the soil this week. I could have gone to buy the soil last Friday but again, busy with work so I opted not to. I will need to go this Friday. On the quilty, crafty front I still have my orange top that I’m preparing for quilting. This is now the third weekend in a row that this has been on my list to do and I want to knock this thing out this week. There are so many quilts I need to quilt (I think 6) and I just need to do it.

Saturday – Garden – feed the worms, turn the compost, put together the new compost bin I purchased from the city (because I didn’t do this last week) and plant more of the seedlings I have to be planted. And, set up the garden purchases that should have arrived. I want to work on my Jan Krentz quilt, the Grassy Creek quilt, and my long term UFO, Dancing with the Stars by Linda Ballard. Linda will be at our guild sometime in 2022 so I want this quilt to be done for me to show her.

Sunday – We normally zoom from 10-1 every Sunday but I’ll probably spend most of the day in my sewing room finishing up the cushion project and reacquainting myself with some of the other projects on my list – most notably, Grassy Creek, my Jan Krentz top that is really almost done, and possibly Dancing with the Stars (a Linda Ballard UFO from 2012).

Happy crafting, friends!

Melanie

Sunday Stash Report – Week 14, 2021

Current status of the cushion – the welts are on! 4/4/2021

Nothing used or added all week. I’m still working on my cushion but not has hard as I had been. I haven’t had a lot of crafting time as I’ve been working long hours lately. Hopefully that ends soon as I’ve hired some help. I wish they could have come on in March than in April but getting them computers took longer than normal. I see an end to these long hours coming but getting to that point will be a challenge. I’m not great at training and delegating so I will need to get over that.

Go to more stash reports at QuiltPaintCreate who hosts the Sunday Stash.

The fabric stash:  

  • Used since last time: 0 yards
  • Used year to date: 19.5 yards
  • Added since last time: 0 yards
  • Added year to Date: 20 yards
  • Net added for 2021: 0.5 yards

For yarn:

I’m still not knitting as much as I like but at least I picked up my morning socks on a consistent basis. I also did some knitting on knit night. Now that it’s April and Q2, it’s time to pick up my Weasley Sweater and get started on the front piece.

The yarn stash:

  • Used since last time: 0 skeins
  • Used year to date: 9 skeins
  • Added since last time: 0 skeins
  • Added year to date: 6 skeins
  • Net used for 2021: 3 skeins

~Happy Sunday!

~happy crafting!

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

Monday of week 14, 2021

I didn’t get my homework done for my cushion class in time for our Sunday class. But it’s okay. I’ll go over the details another day as it’s Monday and it’s time for this week’s plan.

Last week went well in that I did the things I planned to do. There was just too much to do and not enough time to do it all. So this week, here’s the plan. This is garden heavy because it’s spring and in Los Angeles, spring is a short time before the full heat of summer.

the loan blueberry waiting for its friends

Monday – I’m still hand stitching the Jasmine blocks for the cushion project. I’m almost done and hope to get this done this day. I also want to spend an hour in the garden as its spring and I’ve got a lot of planting to do. Right now I’ve got a couple of blueberries to plant and my goal would be to do one on Monday and the other on Tuesday.

Dragon fruit has been planted and placed in it’s home

Tuesday – We have a number of home projects that are happening this day and I’m not sure how much of that will spill on to me and my time. I do not know if I’ll be able to do anything. But I hope to get an hour of gardening in so I can plant the last blueberry as well as spend an hour on the cushion project. By this point all 3 pieces of the cushion should be ready to go and the next step is to attach the welting/cording to the front and back pieces.

more plants waiting to be planted

Wednesday – So, I think I’ll have enough soil to plant another growbag with my last tomato plant that needs planting. I have 4 currently planted. My mom thinks that’s too much and she’s probably right but I love home grown tomatoes and it’s been years since I’ve been of the mind to plant them. I’m trying 2 new to me varieties that I purchased at TomatoMania. Next step in the cushion project is to make the handle, zipper pieces and attach the strip of flying geese. And if the time is available, connect that piece with the front.

Cala Lily found in my front yard

Thursday – Knit night so nothing else is planned. This is also April 1st and the start of my next busy season. I’ve got quarterly reports and tasks that I need to get started on and while I don’t like working long hours or even on the weekends, I’ll be working overtime and over the weekend to get some of these things done and out of the way.

One of the pepper plants waiting to be planted

Friday – Head out to Green Thumb nursery before they close at 5 to buy more potting soil for my remaining growbags. I am expecting some other gardening purchases to arrive by this point but we’ll see if I’ll be able to do anything other than buy more potting soil. On the quilty, crafty front – I still have my orange top that I’m preparing for quilting. Last week my plan was to spray baste it and I didn’t have time to do that. So I hope to get that done this Friday.

Saturday – Garden – feed the worms, turn the compost, put together the new compost bin I purchased from the city, plant more things, set up the garden purchases that should have arrived, etc. etc. And on the crafty front, pull out my cross stitching for a bit. It’s been almost a month since I’ve touched these projects and I’m itching to get back to these.

a close up of the blueberry plant

Sunday – We normally zoom from 10-1 every Sunday but I’ll probably spend most of the day in my sewing room, finishing up the cushion project and reacquainting myself with some of the other projects on my list – most notably, Grassy Creek, my Jan Krentz top that is really almost done, and possibly Dancing with the Stars (a Linda Ballard UFO from 2012).

One of my favorite pictures from our trip to Fresno’s Blossom Trail

Happy crafting, friends! Wish me luck with the gardening as this is something I’ve not done in many years. Now that we have a forever home, the gardening bug is stronger than ever.

Melanie