Finished: Map Bag

We have a stack of road atlases for the surrounding states and have always left them in the back of our van as, if we take them out, we inevitably forget to bring them on trips.  For the last few years, a red plastic bag has sufficed as a carrying case, but in a sick-in-in-the-car episode over Christmas break (I'll spare you the details), the bag was used.

I told myself I should make a map bag, then mocked myself.  I don't need another project on my growing to-do list!  When Vicki proposed her UFO challenge, I decided to add the map bag to my list and ignore it for a while.  After letting the idea percolate (lots of ideas percolate while I'm holding the baby and can't sew), I decided I would get out one of my little stacks of coordinated fabrics remaining from a challenge and use up what I could.  Sure, I could have simply cut up the fabrics into scraps, but there were some larger prints and awkward sizes that I was loathe to cut unnecessarily.  Also, these are not treasured fabrics that I would fear to get dirty.

The maths involved in piecing together disparate scraps into a cohesive piece of fabric always keep me cutting even when I should be done.

It is properly rectangular, but I should have removed the atlas inside before taking a picture!

I quilted the outside to some some scrap batting and whipped out the bag in record time last Sunday.  I've been waiting to find my camera before loading the bag in the back of the car.

Only one pile of coordinated scraps remains, and then I can remove that from my project list!  I have a plan for what remains after tearing apart the sewn bits and cutting them down for scraps.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

O Happy Day

(o happy day). After a week of ridiculous searching, I located my camera under a couch cushion.  Perhaps I should mention that I checked under that cushion at least twice before.

JoJo fell off a chair and cut his eye (same eye, more dangerous place) but escaped the trauma of more stitches.  We seem to be in another stormy season with him, and right now he wakes up at 5 am and can't get back to sleep, so we could both use a nap.

Catholic Schools Week made for an insane schedule this week, right up to a dead battery at school!  I still managed some stitches here and there and plenty of ironing.

Some of my 16-patches are pretty low contrast in retrospect, but I love turquoise so I'm not worried.

My Bits and Bobs (Omigosh modified) in blue are caught up.  I still have more 1" strips to sew, but as I found no pinks in my box to sew, I'll just sew more blue in February!

The second quilt using 2.5" bricks is in the process of being quilted.  I find I failed on contrast for this quilt as well, with my lime and aqua both mediums.  I will quilt the aqua with a darker thread and the limits a lighter thread, so we'll see how this ends up.  I still like it, and am once again reminded how much I have to learn!

Be sure to check out the last of the blue projects this weekend.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

UFO List, February Updates

Well, I finished a thing or two, but I also added more than just a thing or two!  Anything that's new or changed since the beginning of January has notes in parentheses.  I'm really hoping to finish the chevron quilt awaiting quilting, the kitchen towels, a baby quilt, and maybe the Easter clothes.  One of the new quilts is actually something to keep the Assistant busy.  She's not ready for pinning, so I need something to she can piece simply.

I've never thrown away a project (yet).

January 1: 32
Projects Completed: 2
Projects Started (Found? Remembered?): 3
Projects Trashed: 0
January 31: 34 (eek!)

Finished
1. Chevron in light blue
2. Map bag (one of my sets of coordinated scraps!)

To Quilt
1. Tell it to the Stars (now basted)
2. Chevron, Aqua and lime (moved from in progress)

Blocks Done
1. Hand pieced hexis

In progress
1. Omigoshish
2. Chevron, blue, black and brown
3. 16-patches
4. Triangle scraps
5. Queen sized Carrie Nation
6. Donation Rainbow Star
7. Blue and yellow Carrie Nation (all cut in January!)
8. Doll quilt (new and by request)

Non-quilt projects
1. Placemat
2. Easter clothes
3. Funeral dresses
4. Pillows
5. Someday, inherited embroidery
6. Kitchen towels
7. Customer cushions (new)

Future projects
1. Glacier fabrics
2. Giant chevron for my mom
3. Sets of coordinated scraps (one down, one to go!)
4. Hand pieced 5" squares
5. Memory quilts
6. Crazy quilt (customer)
7. Horses quilt
8. Odd Fellow block
9.  Scrap crystal
10. ABC quilts
11. Scrappy DWR
12. Lime/Aqua/white diamonds
13. Alzbe's Tshirt quilt
14. Tom and Hannah
15. Orphan block quilt
16. Irish chain in green and brown (new!)

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

January Block Count

72 Carrie Nation blocks
17 Bits and Bobs blocks
2 Rainbow Star points
6 9-patch triangles
20 16-patches
11 rows for a chevron quilt

128 blocks is a great start to the year!

From the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Midweek Memory Loss

It's easy to tell when I'm sleep deprived: I lose things.  Not only do I lose them, but the loss is thorough and epic.  I had my camera Saturday to post for Scrappy Saturday, but when I looked for it Sunday morning, I turned up nothing.  I have a finish to post, so it would be fitting that I can't find the camera.

Of course, the loss is irritating, so I spend plenty of time each day looking and searching and tidying. Nothing.  I have looked in all the usual places: emptied my purse/diaper bag, checked the armoir, my desk, my sewing area, under the cutting table, in and under the couch.  I've even checked the unusual places, like on the basement shelves, in my stash area, in the kids toys, on my junk shelf.  Where did I put this fool thing?

I suspect I put it somewhere clever to keep it out of JoJo's reach, but it was so clever I can't remember.  Being unable to remember my own hiding spots makes me feel pretty silly.  There is the chance one of the boys ran off with it, but I should find it soon if that is the case!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #4

I finished a skirt for myself, so two yards out!  I'd love to finish another quilt soon, but I don't have any to top stage, so it will be a while.

I also used up another spool of thread, for 3 spools used for the year!

IN this week: 0 yards
IN YTD: 0 yards

OUT this week: 2 yards
OUT YTD: 6 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 6 1/2 yards OUT

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Better in Blue

Last weekend was rough with more sickness, but I never succumbed and the wee ones are much perkier now!  We also had stitches out, crowns placed, and a two-year old checkup to juggle.  Boy, howdy, when's my day off?  I'm ever so grateful for my mom during crazy weeks as she is (almost) always available to help.

I did manage a splendid sewing day with a friend/former student of DH.  She'll be getting married in June, and we're working on a rainbow Carrie Nation quilt.  With 48 blocks completed, we now have turquoise, black, grey, and lime green blocks done.  Wine red blocks are in the works.  I do so enjoy sewing with someone else.  It's nice to visit with another adult instead of only the kids all day.  (I do love to chat with the kids, but sometimes one likes to visit about things other than trains and magnetic blocks.)

My 16-patches have all made it to the half-block stage, and my zig zag quilt pieces are all cut and mostly sewn into pairs.  I'm not sure what the coming week will bring, but I hope to finish the 16-patches and maybe stitch together a row or two of the zig zag quilt.

We've started garden cleanup and preparation for spring.  It's coming, folks, much sooner than I will be ready!

I finally blogged about my blue baby quilt from the last few weeks!  I'm going to enjoy all the other blue projects as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Finished Quilt: Baby Blues

Done for over a week, but blogging time is hard to come by!

I love this little quilt.  It finished at approximately 36" x 48".  The entire quilt is from my scraps and stash, and I love how nicely all the different blues play together.

 The blue streaks are unquilted, and each white area is quilted with a slightly different pattern.  It was a fun and quick way to sample some new free motion patterns without too much commitment.

Now it's washed and ready for a new baby due in March!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Easter Clothes

The tiniest clothes are done, even down to buttons and embellishments!

Miss G gets a slip that I can put a onesie under, depending on the weather, and JoJo's vest is all done.  I'll be hunting for a new shirt for him, I imagine, but I have time for that!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #3

I finished a vest for JoJo and a dress for Miss G for Easter and didn't buy anything!

IN this week: 0 yards

OUT this week: 1 yard

IN YTD: 0 yards

OUT YTD: 4 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 4 1/2 yards OUT!

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Long Days

Today is day eight of fever and illness in our house, and only JoJo and I are still standing.  Poor Miss G has been running fevers on and off since Wednesday, which means this momma is ready for a sanity break.  She and I will be visiting Minor Emergency this morning since her fever spiked again.

 Then there's the matter of a broken furnace.  Enter large fires in the wood burning stove and, two days later, a brand new furnace, inside and out.  Did I mention I need a break?

I did sew scraps, although plenty of them weren't blue.  I'm really having trouble getting on the ball, aren't I?  And it was plenty of sewing, because when Miss G did feel well enough to watch her brothers play or to sleep in the swing, I RAN for the sewing machine!  I love my babies, but it is so hard to not be able to make them well again.

My triangle blocks are done, although in green.  I used up all my blue triangles last year and haven't made any more yet.  That's okay, though, as I have more than enough green triangles to fill half the quilt!

More bits and bobs for Carrie Nation blocks

Last Sunday my friend and I sewed away and finished the 12 black Carrie Nation blocks.  Next will be the light green, as pictured above in the un-ironed heap of 4-patches, and then gray, since I don't think that will be one of our colors this year.  We'll see how many we get done this Sunday (or if we even sew, since the baby is sick!).

I am working on another chevron quilt.  It was mostly cut, so I've stitched together the lime and aquas.  Next up is the aqua and whites.  I hope this quilt turns out as lovely as I've envisioned.

I also sewed a vest and dress for our Easter get-up (every year, I sew our Easter clothes.  They're nothing fancy, but I like them!).   I even ironed them, but they're put up to be safe from sticky fingers with scissors, so I'll have to get a photo another day.

Look for bluer projects this Saturday as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Stash Report Week #2

I did receive fabric for my birthday, but since I ordered it for myself and it arrived last year, I'm not counting it as in for 2015!  A baby quilt is finished and ready to be washed, so I'm starting the year out right.

I'm hoping, month by month, so stay out of the fabric stores until all the fabric I have fits in my existing bins.  Off to sew!

IN: 0 yards
OUT: 3 1/2 yards

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Bits and Bobs

It was another piecemeal week for me, with a little sewing here and a little sewing there.

The big kids and DH went back to school this week, and I was amazed to discover that in the last two weeks, Miss G has become much more alert and therefore much more demanding of my time.  Hey, that's what I'm here for, right?

I had hoped for a bit more sewing time, since it was my birthday week, but looking at this photos, I'm quite content with my sewing.

I finished the first quarter of the Rainbow Star, the blues and purples.  Now this will wait until February for more work, unless I finish all my goals for the month.   I love how it's coming together thus far.  I admit, I'm always a little nervous until the pieces are sewn!

 The first 12 of 154 Carrie Nation blocks are done.  (Just remember, bits of these have been in progress for several weeks, so it's not as though they went from start to finish all in the last seven days.)  The recipient of the quilt will also be helping me piece it, starting this Sunday, so we'll see how this one develops.  I hope to finish the black blocks this month too, so you'll see more of these!

 The baby quilt top from last week is quilted and the binding machine sewn on.  I think I might have finished it Friday night but Miss G had a giant burp and barf all over me.  I had to shower and do laundry instead!

 I only quilted in the white streaks, in light blue thread.  Each streak is a different pattern, as I need to move beyond meandering in my machine quilting.  I'm looking forward to washing and drying to see the texture.

Be sure to check out the other scrappy projects every Saturday.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

A Little Bit of This...

... a little bit of that.

I will get on board with the color of the month, just not quite yet!

Since I didn't know what color we would have, I grabbed the first stack of 2.5" squares in my box of Carrie Nation bits.  It happened to be bright/light green, so all the large four patches are done (and pressed!) for those.  There are 13 colors to make this quilt queen-sized, and the wedding is in June, so I'll be sewing at least two sets of blocks this month, probably the turquoise and maybe the dark blue.  So far, so good!

I sewed up all my blue triangles in November and apparently haven't created any more yet, so I blindly selected a random assortment of triangles from the bag and sorted into bits for my Omigoshish quilt (I need a new name for it, since I'll be departing from the Omigosh quilt).  Here's the result.

 I also sewed lots of bitty triangles, which are pressed and awaiting trimming.

My 9s and 6s quilt is finally finished!

These 16 patches are intriguing me more with every batch.  Here are my grey-blues, which ended a bit muddled as a friendly little soul named JoJo helped sort them onto the floor not long ago.  I love them anyway, and I'll surely get my fix this month as I'll be adding my aquas to the collection.

 From the chevron prep squares I sewed in November, I assembled this baby quilt.  We have friends expecting a boy in March, and I haven't done a lick of sewing, so now I'm ready to quilt.  I even found the Simply Color ombre in blue in my stash, so the backing is ready and the batting pieced.  Here's to a quick first finish for the year!

 A few bits are sewn together for my Rainbow Star.  The hardest part on this quilt will be keeping all the squares and triangles in order (without JoJo rearranging them).

Speaking of JoJo, since you've heard plenty about him in my posts, he nearly lit the house on fire on Wednesday.  I was grocery shopping and DH was home when JoJo filled the toaster oven with hot pads, plugged it in (foiled again!), and turned it on, then left the room.  The smoke alarm alerted James to an emergency, and only the toaster oven and contents were destroyed.  We were fortunate.  Now I have to consider what to do about this precocious child who silently leaves the room when you blink.  The toasty smell in the house is finally fading, and the kitchen looks cleaner with the empty counter space!

Be sure to check out the other Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects this weekend.  I'm looking forward to plenty of new inspiration.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.

2015 Project List

I periodically like to publish a list of the projects I have in progress as well as those I plan to start eventually.  I'm trying to keep myself to less than 10 projects "in progress" at a time.  I need enough to have variety, but not so many that I never feel as though I'm making progress.  Besides, when the need arises, I'd like to be able to start a new project for a special gift without feeling completely overwhelmed.

Hopefully I can finish a few quilts before new inspiration strikes, as I see I have enough quilts on my future list to keep myself occupied for more than a year!  Time to get sewing.

To Quilt
1. Tell it to the Stars

Blocks Done
1. Hand pieced hexis

In progress
1. Omigoshish
2. Chevron, light blue
3. Chevron, blue, black and brown
4. Chevron, aqua and lime
5. 16-patches
6. Triangle scraps
7. Queen sized Carrie Nation
8. Donation Rainbow Star

Non-quilt projects
1. Placemat
2. Easter clothes
3. Funeral dresses
4. Pillows
5. Someday, inherited embroidery
6. Kitchen towels

Future projects
1. Blue and yellow Carrie Nation
2. Glacier fabrics
3. Giant chevron for my mom
4. Sets of coordinated scraps
5. Hand pieced 5" squares
6. Memory quilts
7. Crazy quilt (customer)
8. Horses quilt
9. Odd Fellow block
10. Scrap crystal
11. ABC quilts
12. Scrappy DWR
13. Lime/Aqua/white diamonds
14. Alzbe's Tshirt quilt
15. Tom and Hannah
16. Orphan block quilt

from the room of Zana's Ninis,
katie z.