November Block Count

I've been tackling awkward to count projects, so bear with me!

7 "blocks" for an orphan medallion quilt.  It's more like rows, using up orphan blocks and bits and pieces that don't fit the scrap box.

1 "block" for a pillow.

42 log cabin blocks for a started and finished baby quilt

2 more roses for my big appliqué quilt

25 more blocks for the plus quilt

8 Bits and Bobs

For a total of 85 new blocks.

Add that to my 789 blocks from previous months, and I'm happy with my 874 blocks!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #48

TWO little finishes this week add up to four yards.  I finished my Orphan Medallion quilt, using up most of my blue orphan blocks, and roughly 3 yards of stash. Then I whipped out a pillow cover for a large pillow form for my bed.  DH and I both have been using it without a cover, and it's going to get gross.  Now I can remove the cover as needed.  I even made it reversible, so one side matches our winter quilt and the other, our summer.  It used roughly a yard.

I did buy fabric this weekend, but since it won't arrive for a week or so, I'm not going to account for it. We'll see what's really in stock.  It was an order I placed after dealing with JoJo vomiting on me (twice), we think because he had a migraine, and then dealing with all that all day.  Yuck.

IN this week: 0 yards
OUT this week: 4 yards

IN YTD: 71 1/4 yards
OUT YTD: 129 1/4 yards
YTD Total: 58 yards OUT!

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

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: This, That, and the Other

There's a binding being stitched down today!  My Orphan Medallion top came together faster than I thought, so I pieced a "frankenbatting" and basted it quickly before Thanksgiving break was in full swing.  I worked on the straight line quilting a little every day, finished it Friday, and whipped out the binding in the evening after the kids were (finally) in bed.

Friday night, I couldn't figure out why I had accomplished so few of my regular tasks.  Then I remembered: hours of Christmas present wrapping, to beat the baby; electrical assistance, since DH installed new lights in the basement/playroom/sewing room (they're so bright!); and more loads of laundry washed and folded than should be legal.

The Assistant has discovered the tedium that is sewing rows together.  I do the pinning, and I showed her how, if she sewed five seams a day, we'll have a top by the end of break.  She's reluctantly willing, especially now that we have all the rows in pairs.  I'm pinning foursies for her this morning!

My Bits and Bobs worked up nicely this month.  I finished eight, and now I desperately need to cut more, as I think I only have three or four more of the tiny nines cut.

I finished one more bloom, so I guess that means I need to prep more.  I've been more focused on hand-quilting my only remaining "real" UFO, but it's not portable, so I guess I'll have to give myself a stern talking to!

December 14 is officially my induction date, so there will be less sewing and more Christmas prep getting done in the next two weeks.  Once the Orphan Medallion is done, I think I'll work on a pillow cover for a currently naked pillow form. We use the pillow, so I really should cover it before it gets dirty.  My mission is to use stash, scraps, and scrap batting, so it's time to get busy!

Be sure to check out all the wrapping-up or finished-up projects this weekend!

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

Stash Report Week #47

I finished my log cabin quilt, so one last quilt (possibly for the year) was finished.  It would have been nice to use twice as much as I purchased/won/received, but I don't have 17 yards worked up in anything that's nearly ready.  Oh, well.

IN this week: 0 yards
OUT this week: 4 3/4 yards

IN YTD: 71 1/4 yards
OUT YTD: 125 1/4 yards
YTD Total: 54 yards OUT

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: the Finish Edition

The Assistant is working away at her quilt.

The binding on the plus quilt wrapped up last Saturday evening.  I washed it, dried it, finally photographed it, and it's rolled up for gift giving.  It's quilted with a crescent shaped meander, is backed with the last of the large print along with a coordinating blue, and finished about 60" square.  Teacher quilts, check!

Then, while I was in the quilting frame of mind, I quilted rows of loops on my log cabin.  While this is not technically a rainbow scrap challenge quilt, I was spurred to make this now when I had finished scrappy projects and had the fabrics already in my stash.  The Assistant and Spunky helped me with the layout.  We attempted a number of other layouts, but this was the only one we all really liked.  The Assistant said she would "really, really" wants to keep this quilt, but I think I'll keep it in reserve for a donation.  I may need to make her a larger version at some point for her bed!  (The fabric for the top is two half yard stash packs from Vicki Welsh.  Buy some.). The backing is a Simply Color ombré with a piece I "thought" matched more closely.  It did in the basement light, but clearly not in more natural light!  The Advent log cabin finished up roughly 48" x 56".

My third appliqué rose is entirely basted, and we'll see if I make much progress this weekend.

Finally, the orphan block collection is shaping up nicely.  I don't do random well, and starting with the Dresden plate as a center piece might not have been the best idea, but it was what needed to be used. I will add another half border of pinwheels, I think, from leftover blue triangles, and then this will be big enough.  I will NOT piece the backing, so I'm limiting this to about 40".  That should give me a nice baby quilt for giving away as needed.  I've enjoyed the process of selecting bits to incorporate, and I'm grateful that is all fabric I would have pitched otherwise.  A found quilt, indeed!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Be sure to check the other fun scrappy projects, many of which are wrapping up, each Saturday.
(JoJo took a picture and was so proud of himself: possibly the best useful early Christmas present ever.)

Stash Report Week #46

I found it a necessity to finish the binding on the last teacher quilt, as I ordered fabric this week.  I ordered a background fabric for a quilt for next year, some elastic for skirts, new thread clipping scissors as all mine are dull, and, just for fun, three yards of glow in the dark white.

I also finished off the 25th spool of thread for the year.

IN this week: 7 yards
OUT this week: 6 1/2 yards

IN YTD: 71 1/4 yards
OUT YTD: 120 1/2 yards
YTD Total: 49 1/4 yards

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

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Quilting

Five weeks...

My plus quilt, the final teacher quilt of the year, is quilted.  I should I have been able to finish the binding yesterday, but I was simply exhausted.  Soon enough.

Q was home from school for three days, and it's hard to keep a well-feeling but sick six year old occupied!  All the piles in his room are finally cleaned up, and an entire diaper box of recycling left his room.  Meanwhile, while JoJo was in speech, I had to sit in the car with Q and Miss G, so another bud is finished for my appliqué.  I will confess I don't love the shading on this, but I'm following the pattern.  Yesterday I basted the next pieces for the third big flower.  Maybe I'll finish one or two more before the baby, and then who knows how long this will sit!?

The log cabin quilt is basted for quilting, since the Assistant and Spunky helped me with a layout and it was quick to stitch up. I'm glad these two quilts (the plus quilt and the log cabin) were small and quick to baste.  I foresee only one more quilt top possibly needing basting in the next few months, which is good, as I can't sit on the floor.

Next to my rose appliqué pieces, you can see my "newest" project.  My orphan block box has been filling, and I've run out of needed projects, so I decided to pull out all my blue orphan blocks and make something.  If they don't go into this quilt top, I'm getting rid of them!  I don't really want to appliqué the center by hand, but that's what I'll do after the plus quilt binding is done.  In the meantime, I'm sorting the odd bits I have and figuring out what can be used.

I turned on the heat this morning for the first time, not for myself (I'm still happy in shorts and short sleeves), but for the kids who one and all complained of freezing.  It was a balmy 62 in the house, and not bad with socks on!

Be sure to check out all the lovely "wrapping it up" projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this weekend!

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

November Goals

In October, I wanted to...

1.  Wrestle the scrap tubs.  I've already trimmed, I'll make more Bits and Bobs, and my wildest wish is to get the Odd Fellows blocks to a flimsy.  Done!  I even had Odd Fellows basted.

2.  Finish PK's stocking.  That will leave me with DH's, but I'm waiting for a new design to be released before I tackle his.  Done!

3.  Finish the teacher's quilt.  If Odd Fellows moves along quicker than expected, I'll start another one.  Done!  I did start the last one!

4.  Cut out my hourglass scrappy project for next year.  Done!

I also started the Rose Appliqué project for my current travel work.

In November, I hope to...

1.  Manage the scraps: trim (done!), more Bits and Bobs, and finish Odd Fellows (also done!).

2.  Finish the teacher quilt (a plus quilt).

3.  Make progress on the Rose Appliqué.

4.  Finish the purple and pink log cabin quilt.

5.  Make progress on Tell it to the Stars.  It's long overdue for more quilting.  I've decided to tackle the borders first, so I can put the binding on and save the fraying edges.

If time permits: the final stocking and the baby's placemat.

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #45

A finish, a finish!  I have a finish!  I estimated yardage on this one, as I didn't really want to agonize (again) over how many triangles I could cut from a width of fabric.

I exhausted another spool of thread, so that's 24 out for the year.

IN this week: 0 yards
OUT this week: 14 yards

IN YTD: 64 1/4 yards
OUT YTD: 114 yards
YTD Total: 49 3/4 yards OUT

I'm hoping for two more finishes this month, so I wrapping up all the projects I can.

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

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: a Finish!

That's right, I finished my Odd Fellows quilt, and I'm happier with it finished than as a flimsy.  I quilted a simple meander, bound it in a light blue, and spent two days of a cold binding it.  I love it washed up and crinkly!  This is for my oldest nephew, and I am hopeful he will like it as a Christmas gift.  It was definitely the epic quilt of 2016.  I like to think my piecing of triangles improved, but I'm not sure my cutting is much better, and that's really where I hit snags.  Either way, it's done and glorious.  (I certainly love that I used extra wide backing for the back, so there was no piecing involved.  It softened up nicely after a wash, and my nephew's favorite color is blue, so if he gets tired of the front, the back makes a nice top!)

My overflowing box of scraps was trimmed down early in the week.  I'm glad I stick to attacking and emptying it once a month, as it's not too terrible at this stage, but I get enough of a break that it doesn't seem like I'm cleaning them up all the time.

All the plus blocks are done, and even sewn together in batches of four and eight.  These are from my stash and scrap boxes, chosen specifically to use up the multicolored print, which I love but never use.  The last hunk of it will be built into the backing.  I think by next Saturday I'll be ready to quilt it.

I've also begun a new quilt, of pink and purple hand dyes.  I'm making Bento box-type blocks, and already only have three logs left on each block.  This would have been a quilt for my baby if he had been a she, so now I think I'll donate it to the mom's group at church.  Because it's delightfully mindless mass sewing, I will have time to play with block arrangement while I finish the plus quilt.

I think I'll run out of scrappy sewing before the baby comes in midDecember.  Maybe that will encourage him to come early instead of being induced!  (Probably not, but I can hope.)  I've already cut two of my four scrappy projects for next year, and sorted some scraps for the third.  I'll have to print off directions for the fourth and play around with size, as I'm hoping all of these will become next year's teacher gifts, so they don't need to be queen-sized!

Be sure to check out all the other colorful "in progress" projects this Saturday!

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

November UFO Update

I finished 3 UFOs this month: the appliqué quilt, my mom's quilt, and an added mug rug/mini.  I added three projects: the aforementioned mug run/mini, a teacher quilt, and I cut a scrappy quilt for next year.

Active(ish):
1. Tell it to the Stars
2. Stockings (7 of 8)
3. Bits and Bobs
4. Odd Fellows
5. Placemat for PK
6. Mini 9s
7. Rose appliqué 
8. Hourglass blocks
9. Plus quilt
Not Started Yet/Delayed:
1. Scrappy DWR (I'm collecting fabrics still)
2. Pillow (I don't currently need another, but the fabric was passed from a beloved deceased
3. ABC appliqué 4. Orphan blocks

October 1: 12 UFOs
Finished: 2
Started: 3
October 31: 13 UFOs

I finished the Bricks teacher quilt and decided to "trash" the embroidered pillows.  When I took a good look at the pattern, I didn't know most of the stitches and really don't want to add more/different hobbies outside quilting.  My sister took the patterns, and if she ever wants to do them, she can, and if not, we can pass them on.

I started a new travel quilt (the rose appliqué), cut for another scrappy quilt (hourglass blocks), and cut the final teacher quilt.  Fortunately, I should finish two quilts in November, so I'll be able to reduce my numbers.  I won't make it under 10 before year's end, but I will have cut my list from January's 21!  The quilts I'm cutting will all finish next year as my Rainbow Scrap projects, so if I could finish up the stockings and my TTS quilt, some real UFOS would be done.


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

October Block Count

October turned out to be a lively block-creation month!  I sewed 1 appliqué rose, 75 "plus" blocks, 3 Bits and Bobs, and the final 35 Odd Fellow Blocks.  That's 114 new blocks!

Added to my already finished 562 blocks, I have a hefty 789 for the year.  Seven weeks to my due date!

from the room of Zana's Ninis,

katie z.