Stash Report Week #37...

September  10-16, 2010

Another week has gone by with not a great deal to report.  My poor machine has been in the shop since Monday and I'm not sure when I'll get her back.  Late last week she started acting up and the needle will no longer move to the right.  Because I use my walking foot for piecing and move the needle to get my quarter inch seam, that's an absolute must for me.

While I was dropping her off, I took a look around the store, Carolina Sew-n-Vac.  They've gotten a number of new fabric lines in and they're starting to carry a lot more pre-cuts.  I picked up 2 charm packs while I was there - Pure and Luna Notte.  I already have one of each, but I've noticed that you can make most of the Schnibbles patterns with 2 charm packs and a background.  I find it's a great way to 'inexpensively' try out a new line.

Pure and Luna Notte

There are about 1.5 yards between them.  I also got a package in the mail a couple of days ago with one of my prizes for winning Viewer's Choice for the Pets on Quilts Show.  By the way, thank you to everyone who voted for me!  I won for the category "Dogs on Quilts" and "Other Pets on Quilts".   The Quilted Kitty
donated a ceramic cat mug and coaster along with 4 fat eighths of kitty fabric.

Prize from the Quilted Kitty

The fabric will be great in a charity quilt and my bee is headed to the beach in another week to do just that!

As for what I've used...  That would be nothing.  Between working on my CQ block, a week of jury duty and my favorite machine in the shop, I've been pretty much a bust in this department.

So...
Purchased-this-week: 2 yards
Used-this-week: 0 yards
Purchased-to-date: 199.25 yards
Used-to-date: 328 yards
Net used: 128.75 yards

 Here are another couple of funny pictures of Cricket, my parent's cat.  She's the momma to my Jack and Sam...

She looks just like her daughter!

Until later...

"For nothing is impossible with God."   

Luke 1:37 (NIV)

CQ Update #2...

I'm making more progress on my crazy quilt block.  I decided to change direction a bit after getting some good advice from my friend Thearica.  She suggested I mix it up some and work on the seam embellishments (for several very good reasons). 

I'm grateful for the advice.  I'm finding it takes much less time to embellish a seam rather than a block.  I've already managed to finish 5 of the seams and have started on another.

CQ in progress

First, I stitched some butterflies using 2mm pink silk ribbon for the bodies.  Each butterfly is made up of 4 chain stitches - two on the top and two smaller ones on the bottom.  Then I added antennae using a straight stitch with metallic thread and sewed on beads for the tips.

 Seam #1 - butterflies

For the second seam I made a row of flowers using a buttonhole stitch for the stems and chain stitches for the leaves.  I used 2 mm green silk ribbon for the stitches and then added flower sequins and beads to the top of each stem.

Seam #2 - Flower bed

For the third seam, I used a fly stitch and 2 mm bright green silk ribbon.  I then sewed a bead to each tip.

 Seam #3 - Fly Stitch

The fourth seam was the time consuming just because I really wanted to make sure the roses were on there securely.  I used 2 mm light green silk ribbon for the cross stitches, rose charms in between the crosses and green beads where the silk ribbon intersected.  So far, it's my favorite one.

Seam #4 - Rose garden

And the final seam I've completed was a simple chain stitch using metallic thread.  It was definitely the quickest to stitch.

Seam #5 - Metallic chain stitch

Can anyone offer suggestions for taking better pictures of the stitches?   They're so small, I'm having trouble showing the details.

I've got jury duty tomorrow so I won't get anything done until that's through.  But I'm happy with my slow and steady progress on this block.  I'm still not sure yet if I'll make the deadline of Sept. 22nd, but I'm thinking it'll be pretty close.

I caught Sam napping on one of the many kitty magnets around here.

Sam on the binkie

All the cats seem to love this one.  The black feet in the picture belong to David.  They were playing nice today and sharing it.

David napping the day away

I've finally found an all natural diet cat food to try for Sam.  I'm hoping I get a few free moments to run by the pet store and pick her some up tomorrow.  Please say a prayer that it works for her!  The extra weight is just awful for her joints and I cringe every time I hear them pop.

Until later...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who does not change like shifting shadows." 

 James 1:17 (NIV)

CQ Update #1...

I've made some more progress on my Nature CQ quilt.  Last time I shared, I had just finished putting the background together and I was ready to start embellishing.  I'm now glad to report that I've added embellishments to 3 of the 11 blocks.

For the first blocks I decided to stitch an apple tree.  I started off with 6 lengths of 24 gauge wire and twisted them together.  I couched the wire down to the background in several places just so it was easier to work with.  Then using a total of 4 strands of DMC floss in 2 different shades of brown, I wrapped all of the wire to create my tree trunk.   It took me through most of the movies "A Dog's Breakfast" and "My Name is Bruce".  (Neither of which were my pick.)  And this is what I had when I went to bed last night...

Tree trunk for apple tree

I was eager to work on it some more today because I figured adding the apples and foliage would be a lot more fun.  And they were.  But both still took a considerable amount of time.  First I added the apples which are red beads I found at JoAnn's.  And then I added the leaves using 4mm silk ribbon in 2 different shades of green.  I used the detached chain stitch all around the apples.  And finally I secured a bird charm to the background.

Block 1 - Apple Tree

All together it probably took me around 5 hours to make and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt. 

So then while watching episodes of "Bones", I started on another section.  (I don't know how I missed this series.  It's pretty good and Mr. Quilting Bug and I are going through and watching it from the beginning.)  I've heard that all CQ blocks are supposed to have a spider web and spider on them although I have no idea why.  I used a silver metallic thread to create my web.  It was a little hard to work with as it kept wanting to kink up, but it stitched up pretty quickly.  I used long straight stitches and then couched them in the middle to make them more stable.  Finally I added a spider charm to the web.

Block 2 - Spider and Spider Web

We were only part way through an episode of 'Bones" so I kept on working.  I wanted to do something simple and I decided to add a bee to the smallest block.  I have a book that details how to make one using silk ribbon and some very simple stitches.  The body and wings are ribbon stitches, the eyes are french knots and the stripes and tail loop are running stitches.

Block 3 - The Buzzing Bee

I've got to do some more thinking about the rest of the blocks now.  I know I want to add some roses, hydrangeas, a daisy and some tulips, but I need some more silk ribbon before I can start any of those.  As for the others, I have some rough ideas.  I need to flip through my books some more.  And I know once I've finished each of the blocks, I'll still need to go back and add some embroidery to each of the seams.

Here is a picture of the most recent litter of kittens at my parents.  Aren't kittens absolutely adorable?

Mama and her new kittens

I'd love to take the white one home with me, but I think my husband would divorce me.  He still has no idea how he's ended up with 4 cats and a dog.  It must be love.

Until later...

"Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." 
1 Peter 5:7

Stash Report Week #36...

September 3-9, 2010

This is my most anemic stash report this year.  Nothing came in (yeah!) and nothing got used (boo!).  I'm working on a king-sized quilt for a good friend, but I won't count that until the top is done.

So...
Purchased-this-week: 0 yards
Used-this-week: 0 yards
Purchased-to-date: 197.25 yards
Used-to-date: 328 yards
Net used: 130.75 yards

I hope you've been more productive this week - in whatever way tickles your fancy.

Until later...

"If you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely" 

1 John 2:1( LB)

Back in class...

I was always one of those kids who loved the start of the new school year.  I not only looked forward to seeing my friends, but I just really enjoyed learning.  One of the things I like most about quilting is that I'll never know it all.  There will always be something new to it - a new technique, a new notion, loads of new fabric, new patterns, new quilts, and on and on.  I can be a perpetual kid.

My latest learning curve is a small crazy quilt I'm working on.  It has to be 10-12 inches square and depict a nature theme.  This is my first ever crazy quilt and I can already see how a person could dedicate years (and lots of $) to this art.  I spent an inordinate amount time just deciding on a layout.  But last night, I finally finished putting the background together...

Crazy Quilt background

Thanks to a very generous friend for supplying me with the fabrics for this!  They're a combination of silks and damasks and velvets and other 'difficult' to work with fabrics.  She also gave me a selection of beads, charms and laces to use to embellish the patches.  (FYI - She has an online store where she sells some of these items.  It's http://coveryourlittlepiggies.com/.  Check it out!)

Now I've got to get started on embellishing it.  The deadline is coming more quickly than I'd like.  But this will be a great chance to finally do some silk ribbon embroidery.  I've been wanting to try it for years.  I'll share some progress pictures as I work on it.

On a different note, I won a giveaway from Spun Sugar Quilts when they were doing the blog tour for Barbara Cline's new book, Star Struck Quilts.  I didn't win the book (which I wanted) but I did win this little prize pack...

Prize pack

I so love getting packages in the mail!

Until later...

"My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

The little details...

Not too long ago, someone turned me on to Sandra Leichner's blog.  She's a quilt artist whose talent lies in combining applique with embroidery to create some amazingly lifelike quilts.  And she's inspired me to try to step my work up a notch.

Lately I've been working on block 10 of the Ladies of the Sea quilt by Sue Garman.  I haven't finished the entire block yet, but already I've found some places to add some special touches.  Here's a picture of the cornucopia on the block without any embroidery...

And now I've added a stem stitch to the red and green apples, a small satin stitch to the bottom of the pumpkin stem and some straight stitches to the top of the oranges...

It didn't take a lot of time, but I like how it looks.  What do you think?   I also added some detail to the Mayflowers on the block.  Here's before...

And after I added a turkey stitch to the centers...

I'm now working on the actual ship, the Mayflower.  I don't know if I'll find any areas to add to here because the ships are already pretty detailed.  But I do know that I'll keep an eye out in the future for more opportunities.  For such a small time investment, I think the embroidery adds a lot to the overall look of the block.

P.S.  If you haven't read Sandra's blog, I'd recommend you take a look.  Especially if you like applique as much as I do!

Until later...

Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. 

Philippians 2:6-7 (LB)

Home sweet home...

I hope you had a wonderful long Labor Day weekend.  Gabriel and I have returned from our travels where we had a great time with family and were both thoroughly spoiled.

I don't know if I've mentioned before that Gabriel is not a world traveler and she's not very fond of the car either.  By that I mean, she hates to get in it and when I force her, she usually pays me back with copious amounts of puke all over the seats.  Unless Mr. Quilting Bug (aka her hero) is with us, then she's on her best behavior.  But for various reasons it's usually just the 2 of us, a bucket of vomit and a trunk full of cleaning supplies.

I hope I'm not being too graphic for you...

However she was really a perfect angel on the drive down this time.  Thank you Benadryl!  Until we actually arrived.  I brought her to play with my sister's new dog, but she was a pill to anything with a tail.  She was mean and cranky and generally out of sorts.  But with a lot of this...

Gabriel sleeping

and this...

Papa and Gabriel

she perked right up.  And by the next morning she was full of vip and vinegar and ready to take on this one...

Chance and his new collar

Chance was the reason I brought Gabriel down.  They played and played and then played some more.  My plan for Gabriel to drop a pound or two might have worked except I forgot to account for a certain someone's constant need to feed anything that breathes (aka my dad). 

 It's a hard place to be if you're looking to drop some weight.  Or even maintain your current weight.  In fact, it's always best to wear some stretchy pants when you visit.  Luckily, I know the score and packed appropriately.

So I spent the weekend visiting with my family, eating copious amounts of artery clogging food and I even spent a whole day with my mom cleaning out her sewing room.  I love organizing things.  And sewing.  And fabric.  And spending time with my mom.  (Not necessarily in that order.)  So I had a grand time.  And when we were done, we had even found room to hang a few of the wall hangings I've made her...

Mom's sewing room

It turned out to be one of those rare visits where I got to spend a lot of time one on one with each of my parents.  It doesn't happen that often and I really treasure those moments.  I know I'm so blessed to still have both of my parents with me and trust me, I don't take it for granted.

I'll leave you with one last picture from my trip.  This is my parent's cat, Cricket.  She's the momma to my Jack and Sam.

Cricket in the pantry

Until later...

"God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work."  

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)