Tag Archives: Tell It to the stars

Stash Report – Week 9, 2016

Hampton Ridge Finished Top 2/27/2016

Hampton Ridge
Finished Top
2/27/2016

For the fabric stash:

I finished border #4 for Hampton Ridge yesterday!  Wooohoo!  Now that the top is done, it is Quilt #4 in the quilt queue for this year.  At QuiltCon, I was given some fabric and need to add it to the numbers!

  • Used this week: 6.75 yards
  • Used year to date: 19.75 yards
  • Added this week: .75 yards
  • Added year to Date: 1.75 yards
  • Net USED for 2016: 18 yards

For the Budget:

Since QuiltCon ended on Sunday, I spent more money this week.  I bought more thread, more pins, the class fee, and I got Bailey back.

Spent this week: $237.41

Spent year to date: $2565.43

For the yarn stash:

NO knitting done this week.  Maybe next week.

Used this week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 0 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added year to date: 0 yards

Net for 2016: 0 yards

And for Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy at Kathy Quilts, I plan to work on A Rainbow Garden today!  I’m really excited to take this project out and start working on it again.

Rainbow Garden Block #3 WIP 1/15/2014

Rainbow Garden
Block #3
WIP 1/15/2014

see more stash reports atPatchwork Times and hand projects at Slow Sunday Stitching.

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

TGIF, 2/26/2016

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a TGIF post.  But I’ve finally got a finish in a long time so I’m excited to be able to join the various Friday Finish Linky’s!  Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to take a picture of the final quilt.  That’s happening this weekend when I can grab the kids or the hubby to hold it up for me.  In the meantime, we’re stuck with a pre-bind picture.

Tell It To The Stars Off the Frame mostly quilted still need to quilt the borders 1/31/2016

Tell It To The Stars
Off the Frame
mostly quilted
still need to quilt the borders
1/31/2016

I’m so excited for the weekend because it’s a craft weekend for me!  Nothing on the calendar and nothing I have to do other than my crafty to do list. 🙂

 

Linking with –

Fort Worth Fabric Studio

Happy Quilting Friends!

Melanie

Stash Report – Week 8, 2016

 

For the fabric stash:

I finished binding Tell It To The Stars last night!  Wooohoo!  I am so happy to be done with it.  I wasn’t able to get a picture since it was at night and I’m at QuiltCon today so will probably not be able to take a picture until later this week.  But it’s finished and I can sit and relax for a bit.   I also bought a yard at QuiltCon.  Here are the numbers…

  • Used this week: 13 yards
  • Used year to date: 13 yards
  • Added this week: 1 yards
  • Added year to Date: 1 yards
  • Net USED for 2016: 12 yards

For the Budget:

I spent more money this week.  I knew it would happen.  But I didn’t mean to spend as much as I did.  But it happened.  I bought an accuquiltGo! Big.  I’ve been looking at it for a long time and did the demo at QuiltCon and looked at the Sizzix and decided to go for it.  I got the 2.5″ squares die and I plan to use it to help me cut scraps into 2.5″ squares.  One day, I will want to get a die to help me make 1.5″ squares because I want to make a postage stamp quilt one day.  I’ve been accumulating 1.5″ squares in a little bag.

Spent this week: $609

Spent year to date: $2328.02

For the yarn stash:

NO knitting done this week.  Maybe next week.

Used this week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 0 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added year to date: 0 yards

Net for 2016: 0 yards

And for Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy at Kathy Quilts, since I’ll be at QuiltCon taking a wool applique class, I’ll be working on that this morning! 🙂

see more stash reports atPatchwork Times and hand projects at Slow Sunday Stitching.

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

WIP Wednesday – 2/17/2016

Happy Wednesday!

I’m still working on Tell It To The Stars.  I won’t bore you with another picture of the same thing.  Just know that I’ve got 2 sides completely bound.  I’m about halfway through the 3rd side.  With me at QuiltCon this week, I doubt I will get this finished before the next Sunday Stash Report.

I am happy to report that I did get into the Wool Applique class that I was waitlisted for at QuiltCon.  I got most of my supplies together.  The only thing I need to get is wool.  I’ve never bought wool separately (outside of a kit) before so I am planning on getting some at QuiltCon specifically for this class.

The other major thing I’ve been working on is Hampton Ridge. Border #3 is now on!

Hampton Ridge Border #3 is on 2/17/2016

Hampton Ridge
Border #3 is on
2/17/2016

Now I’m working on Border #4.  There are a gajillion HSTs on Border #4.  It’s funny how one step in this process can be broken down into multiple steps.  In this case, we’re using the Star Singles paper thingies (cuz I don’t know what they’re called).  First I had to cut all the fabric, then I sewed on the lines.

Hampton Ridge A gajillion HSTs 2/17/2016

Hampton Ridge
A gajillion HSTs
2/17/2016

And made 21 of these pieces.

Hampton Ridge Border #4 21 star single thingies 2/17/2016

Hampton Ridge
Border #4
21 star single thingies
2/17/2016

Then I trimmed….

Hampton Ridge Border #4 21 trimmed star single thingies 2/17/2016

Hampton Ridge
Border #4
21 trimmed star single thingies
2/17/2016

The next step is to cut, cut, and cut!  There’s a lot of cutting there.  Once all those things are cut, I have to remove the paper and press towards the dark of the HST. My goal for this week is to get all the cutting done.

 

~Here’s to a great week!

Melanie

Stash Report – Week 7, 2016

happy vday

We were able to celebrate the hubby’s birthday last night with our friends.  Karaoke, Korean BBQ, and a 80s/90s lounge bar hit the spot for the event.  It was fun.  For Valentine’s Day, we’ll be having brunch at our favorite tea house with the kids.  We were there last year for the first time and I’m excited to go this year.  The girl and I have been going there periodically throughout the year to spend momma/daughter time.  Today they will be serving a 5 course tea ceremony.  I’m excited.  Afterwards, I think the hubby wants to go hang out with a couple of friends at Pechanga.  It’s a casino a hundred miles or so from us.  I am hoping we can go to the buffet for dinner.  I like to hang out there and read or do some handcrafts while I wait for the hubby.  Tomorrow is his actual birthday and since it’s a holiday, I believe we’ll be doing something.  Anywhoo – on to the myriad of reports…

For the fabric stash:

Nothing used, Nothing added!  Woot woot!  I’m almost done with Tell It To The Stars and I’m tempted to add it.  But I’ve still got half the binding to do so I’ll wait until it’s really done.  Hopefully by next week’s report I’ll be able to report it.  Here are the numbers…

  • Used this week: 0 yards
  • Used year to date: 0 yards
  • Added this week: 0 yards
  • Added year to Date: 0 yards
  • Net for 2016: 0 yards

For the Budget:

I spent money this week.  At the guild meeting, we had a speaker and I loved what she was doing.  Of course I had to buy her stuff and my plan is to use it on a project I’ve been mulling over for awhile and just didn’t know exactly what to do.  I need to get this one done by June so it won’t be big but it will be different than what I’m used to.  I also signed up for next month’s workshop which will be on a beautiful bag.  I’ll probably be spending money then too.  Not to mention that I’ll be at QuiltCon this week and while I’m not planning on spending a lot of money, I am planning on spending some.  Oh and when Bailey gets back from being serviced, I’ll have to pay for that too.  And then starts the rotation of sending all my machines in to be serviced.  I plan on sending them in one month at a time.  I don’t know if I need to send them all in but the Bernina will be in for sure in May.  She’s my workhorse so I make sure to send her in at least once a year.  The others I use sparingly so if I don’t bring them in as often, it’s not a big deal.

Spent this week: $214.80

Spent year to date: $1719.02

For the yarn stash:

I’m working slowly on the Rosie hat and not getting a lot done quickly.  We’ll have to be okay with that but now I wonder if I even need to count my yarn stash.  I’m not buying any yarn at the moment and I haven’t felt the urge to buy.  We’ll keep it up for now but if this continues, I may remove this report at some point.

Used this week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 0 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added year to date: 0 yards

Net for 2016: 0 yards

And for Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy at Kathy Quilts, I’m going to be binding Tell It To The Stars!  Once that is done, I’ve picked out my next hand project.  It’s A Rainbow Garden, my first wool BOM that I started too many years ago.  I think I got 2 or 3 blocks done.  I’m not sure.  I’ll probably pull it out in a couple of weeks. Since next weekend is QuiltCon.

Rainbow Garden October 2013 Block Finished 12/29/13

Rainbow Garden
October 2013 Block
Finished 12/29/13

see more stash reports atPatchwork Times and hand projects at Slow Sunday Stitching.

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

WIP Wednesday – 2/10/2016

Happy Wednesday!

Tell It To The Stars Off the Frame mostly quilted still need to quilt the borders 1/31/2016

Tell It To The Stars
Off the Frame
mostly quilted
still need to quilt the borders
1/31/2016

Sorry for an old picture.  I’ll try to get a better pic over the weekend.  I’ve been working exclusively on Tell It To The Stars.  The borders are all quilted.  I did it with my Bernina and Aurifil 50w #2326 which is a tan color.  I used the same thread on the top and the bobbin and I basically FMQ’d it.  I made it a simple meander which I felt worked really well on the border.

Tell It To The Stars 2/9/16 Borders quilted

Tell It To The Stars
2/9/16
Borders quilted

I took Bailey off the frame and brought him to be serviced.  I took him to a shop I’d never been to before but is down the street from my office and on my way home.  The lady proprietor was very nice and gave me a lot of info on upcoming events.  I did have better luck with Bailey once I started using the bottom line thread in the bobbin so I’m hoping that with the service he’ll be up to snuff for the next 2 quilts ready to be quilted.  I’m still looking into whether it might be the frame so this weekend I’ll be cleaning it real good and putting a level on it to see if it’s simply uneven.  Hopefully that will fix it right up.

I also got the binding half on.  The only thing left to do is pull the binding to the back and hand stitch it.  I’m really excited to get this done.  I was finishing up the borders when I realized that I couldn’t remember what I had done with the binding.  I purchased the fabric as a kit and the instructions said to pull out one of them and save it for the binding. While I was putting the top together the binding fabric was with everything else.  I realized that I included the binding fabric in the backing and no longer had the binding to use. :0  I ended up going through my stash to find something.  I feel what I picked works and I love that I didn’t buy fabric (as I was initially inclined to do.)

And that’s it, I’m hoping to get this done this week so I can report the finish on the sunday stash report.  And for once be in the black.  I haven’t done much knitting this week.  I haven’t done much cross stitching.  We had friends over for the Super Bowl and that took over the weekend.  We always enjoy having our friends over and reconnecting with everyone so I’m not complaining.  I just didn’t get as much done as I usually do. 🙂 Most of my crafting happens on the weekends and the weekdays I use the time to go to yoga.  Since I didn’t spend as much time as I usually do I’m a bit out of sorts and so my yoga has gotten pushed aside so I can get my quilt therapy in.

~Here’s to a great week!

Melanie

Monday Madness – 2/1/2016

Happy Monday!

As with every Monday, I’m still working on quilting Tell It To The Stars!  But, the quilt is off the frame!  So I get to show a new picture of the quilt!  yeah!!

Tell It To The Stars mostly Quilted .. still need to quilt the borders... 1/31/2016

Tell It To The Stars
mostly Quilted
.. still need to quilt the borders…
1/31/2016

It’s not entirely quilted.  I still have the borders to do and I’ve decided to finish those off on my domestic while I take the mid arm to get serviced.  I have to say that I switched the bobbin thread to Superior’s bottom line and it is running much better.  So I think with the service I should be in top shape for the rest of the year.  I think the next thing I need to consider is my frame and whether it is good enough.  I feel a pull on the machine which prevents me from making smooth curves and circles and I think it is because the frame is warped in certain areas and the wheels are not getting good traction.  I don’t know if this is really true but its a good possibility.  The frame is an older wooden Grace frame and before I bought it, it was in the previous owner’s garage.  When I bought it, it sat in my garage which was where I quilted before we moved into this current house and now it is in my living room.  I think being in the garage may have affected the wooden frame.  Not enough to notice but enough for the wheels not to run smoothly.  I’ll be doing some extensive cleaning of the frame before I put my next quilt on and I’ll be checking out different frames this year.  I don’t think I’ll have the mula to upgrade my machine at next year’s Road but I may be able to get myself a new frame.

My guild is having a mini group meeting tonight so I’ll be lugging this quilt along to share.  The meeting is an intro meeting for anyone interested in joining a mini group.  A lot of the mini groups in this guild have been together for YEARS and the only way to join an existing one is to be asked by someone.  For new members like myself, it’s hard to get into an existing mini group.  So, they are getting everyone who is interested in joining together so that we can potentially create a mini group or two of those interested in being part of one.  I hope there are enough people who are interested in an evening group.  I work so I can’t do day time meetings like a lot of the ladies do.

And… I was able to get Border #2 of Hampton Ridge mitered up nicely!  I know this has been waiting for awhile and now that the room is clean and organized, I felt up to tackling that task.

Hampton Ridge with Border #2 finished 1/31/2016

Hampton Ridge
with Border #2 finished
1/31/2016

Here’s a close up of one of the mitered corners:

Hampton Ridge MItered corner of Border #2 1/31/16

Hampton Ridge
MItered corner of Border #2
1/31/16

It’s wonderful to have progress!

I’m looking forward to a great week!

Check out more at  and  Patchwork Timesand Cooking Up Quilts and Bits 'n Bobs

Have a great week!

~Melanie

Stash Report – Week 5, 2016

Nothing used, Nothing added!  Woot woot!  Here are the numbers…

For the fabric stash:
  • Used this week: 0 yards
  • Used year to date: 0 yards
  • Added this week: 0 yards
  • Added year to Date: 0 yards
  • Net for 2016: 0 yards
For the Budget:

Spent this week: $0.00

Spent year to date: $1504.22

For the yarn stash:

Used this week: 0 yards

Used year to date: 0 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added year to date: 0 yards

Net for 2016: 0 yards

And for Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy at Kathy Quilts, I’m going to practice my hand quilting.  Last week, I finished all the hand work for Block 7 of Raining Cats and Dogs!  And that as I mentioned in many posts this week, it was the final block of this top.  Here are the pics again for those who didn’t catch the previous posts this week:

Raining Cats And Dogs Block 7 Final 1/24/2016

Raining Cats And Dogs
Block 7
Final
1/24/2016

 

Raining Cats and Dogs All blocks laid out on the design floor 1/24/2016

Raining Cats and Dogs
All blocks
laid out on the design floor
1/24/2016

Please be patient with me.. there’s not much craftiness going on here this week.  Everything was disorganized after Road and all my scrapbook stuff was all over the floor in my sewing room.  I spent most of yesterday cleaning and organizing and now I can walk in my room.  I also got the SewEZ table on Friday so I put it together and I LOVE It!  I haven’t yet had a chance to play with it but I plan to do something crafty today.

Here’s the mess:

img_9418

Here’s the SewEZ all set up.  Keep in mind this is the Grande so while it’s not permanent like a piece of Koala furniture, it’s not meant to go with me to a workshop or sew in.

img_9420

see more stash reports atPatchwork Times and hand projects at Slow Sunday Stitching.

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie

Monday Madness – 1/25/2016

Happy Monday!

As with every Monday, I’m still working on quilting Tell It To The Stars!  Another post with no pretty pictures since they all look like this:

IMG_8837

I finished quilting the light blue before I left for Road and I started quilting the green.

I’m so happy to announce that I was able to finish the final embroidery of block 7 (the final block I was working on) yesterday and laid out all the blocks on my design floor to snap a picture.

Raining Cats and Dogs All blocks laid out on the design floor 1/24/2016

Raining Cats and Dogs
All blocks
laid out on the design floor
1/24/2016

It’s wonderful to have progress!

I’m looking forward to a great week!

Check out more at  and  Patchwork Timesand Cooking Up Quilts and Bits 'n Bobs

Have a great week!

~Melanie

Stash Report – Week 4, 2016

Nothing used, Nothing added!  Woot woot!

Used this week: 0 yards

Used year to Date: 0 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2016: 0 yards

I was at Road2CA this week and I’ve already posted that I spent a ton of money.  As I was going through the days, I spent money on parking, food, etc.  They were non quilty related but related to being at the show.  That totaled to being $353 for the week.  That’s most of my Road allowance.  It’s nice to know this info so I can budget more accurately for next year but I’m not adding it to my craft expense for the year.  I am adding class fees and material fees for the classes I took and ALL the shopping I did.  And for the week the grand total is $1489.50.  WOW!  Don’t tell the hubby.  Anyway, the bulk of it was due to the SewEZ table and the batting I purchased. Both of which I’ve been eyeing for quite a few years.  They’re not impulse buys. So, the SewEZ table is a one time expense and the batting will last me a good while.

Spent this week: $1489.50

Spent year to date: $1504.22

I also didn’t buy more yarn, And I didn’t finish anything yet.

Used this week: 0 yards

Used year to Date: 0 yards
Added this week: 0 yards
Added Year to Date: 0 yards
Net Added for 2016: 0 yards

And for Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy at Kathy Quilts, I’m going to continue working on Raining Cats and Dogs.  Last week, I worked on embroidering the the gray embroidery of the cats’ eyes and wording. Today I’ll work on the black embroidery.

img_9290

 

see more stash reports atPatchwork Times and hand projects at Slow Sunday Stitching.

~Have a quilty week!

Melanie