Stash Report Week #9 and 15 Minutes

 My stash report has been funny this year.  I set a goal to buy no more than 20 yards of fabric, so I’ve been good and have purchased nothing so far.  Yet my stash report is not headed in the right direction!  This week, the lovely Vicki sent me a small box packed with scraps as a “get well soon” gift.  It was so kind of her, and I (and Miss G and PK) have thoroughly enjoyed sorting them.

IN this week: 5 yards

OUT this week: 0 yards

IN YTD: 33 3/4 yards

OUT YTD: 23 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 10 1/4 yards IN

I estimates the gift at 5 yards.  It’s scraps, and it’s not worth the energy right now to measure it piece by piece or weigh it.  Thank you, again, Vicki.  These are delightful scraps!

Meanwhile, I play with Vicki’s fabric every day for my handwork.  This week went well, and I hand stitched faithfully all week, for 54 of 58 days.  The yellow star is all done, and (gasp!) I also finished a blue flower tonight.  This week I’ll work on green flowers.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Baby Steps

 Hey, I turned on my sewing machine!  I even finished two blocks.  They aren’t pressed, as my iron is heavy and I’m trying to behave myself on lifting restrictions.  Still, progress is being made.

I also finished my yellow hexagon star.  Yay!  Usually, these large stars take me well more than a month, but as I have more time in my chair and less time at my sewing machine, it was easily done.  I’ve even started a blue one (although I suspect I have too many blue flowers and need more green and purple).

I also did a silly but needful project of cleaning up some of my email.  I had dozens of comments I failed to reply to (my apologies) and hundreds of garbage emails.  I find that the last few months, with the crazy of finding a new house, moving, and then surgery, I’ve ignored far too many emails.

Today, I hope to spend a blissful hour or so sorting through a lovely box of scraps from Vicki.  They will certainly keep me sitting during my recovery!

Spunky’s birthday is suddenly 11 days away, and I haven’t ordered her a birthday present.  I think I need to get on that next!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

P.S. Rainbow Scrap Challenge

March Goals

 In February, I hoped to...

1.  Scraps in yellow: trim the scrap bin, make a yellow hexagon star after I finish the pink one, and make Modern Vintage and Farm quilt blocks in yellow.  Done.

2.  I’d also like to sneak in the yellow twin quilt.  Well... I finished three blocks so far.

3. Work on the Assistant’s pineapple quilt?  I did cut all the strips for the pineapple tops, so let’s consider this accomplished!

4. Make masks.  The wire in my original masks is wearing out, and the Assistant needs a fresh ones for school.  Done.  It’s amazing how fast masks are to make now that I’ve made over 100!

In March, I dream of...

1. Scrap management: trim (later in the month), hand hexagons, modern vintage, and farm quilt blocks in the chosen color.  This may be late in the month, as I think pressing on the rotary cutter is a no no right now. 

2.  Finish the blocks on this twin quilt and maybe, maybe finish it in March.  I have one more quilt for the other twin, and then I need to think about placemats!

3.  Sew on the pineapple tops.  I should do something with them!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #8 and 15 Minutes

 No stash changes!  It’s a positive that I haven’t bought anything, so we’ll count this as a win.

Also a win: we survived the polar vortex without any major disasters.  A furnace froze (it’s inappropriately in the attic), three sink pipes froze (thawed without bursting), and despite rolling blackouts threatened, we managed not to be without power.  We spent 13 days below freezing, a record for us.  Our low was -17 F, with a -30 F windchill.  Some days our furnace ran non stop, despite a blazing fire, closed blinds, and other conservation measures.  Our propane tank will need refilling, and our electric bill will probably be eye-popping, but as we aren’t in Texas, the bill should only be in the 100s, not 1000s.  This bitter cold made it awfully hard to do the “rest” part of my recovery!

I managed to work on my hexagons every day this week.  47/51 days for 2021.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z. 

Tiny Stitches

 The last two weeks haven’t seen me in my sewing room much.  Instead, here’s my yellow progress:

I did finish these two “Double T” blocks before surgery and don’t think I’ve posted them yet.  7 more and I can make a baby quilt!  Maybe next week...

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

P.S. It’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge weekend.

Stash Report Week #7 and 15 Minutes

 No changes on the stash.  It was a quiet week, but that’s fine.  I am seriously tempted to order a little fabric as an “I’ve survived” treat, but so far I haven’t found anything that’s quite right.

On the 15 minutes front, I managed hand stitching 5 of 7 days.  I missed the day of surgery (I actually thought about it, but just... didn’t) as well as the day I finally came home to my house from my parents’.  It was a bit chaotic and I was tired.  That gets me to 40 of 44 days.  That’s pretty good, considering what 2021 has been so far!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

P.S. I’m linking up to Kate’s 15 Minutes Linky!

On the Other Side

 And here we are, four days post surgery!  It’s always nice to have the nerve wracking part over even if recovery is going to be long and dull.

Sunday, while trying not to fret, I finished up most of my yellow blocks for February.  Here are my “farm quilt” blocks, made from a fat quarter collection of cork fabrics.  This is going to be a fantastic quilt!

I also finished my Modern Vintage blocks.  I had so many different yellows that I cut four blocks instead of three.  

The next hand pieced hexagon is well underway, with the first two rounds finished.

Finally, I started on the yellow twin quilt, but failed to take pictures as I packed up the sewing room.  I’m making the Double T block, which I decided was appropriate for twins and could also double for “double trouble,” which I imagine they will be.  I need a better way to organize the blocks, since they are large, but I suppose I have time to consider possible solutions over the next week or two.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z. 

P.S.  I like to link up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge each Saturday!

Stash Report Week #6 and 15 Minutes

 This week, on the stash front, I made five masks.  Since I made them triple ply this time, they used a bit more fabric.

IN this week: 0 yards

OUT this week: 1 yard

IN YTD: 28 3/4 yards

OUT YTD: 23 1/2 yards

YTD Total: 5 1/4 yards IN

I do believe last week I made an error on my math, but I haven’t made it back to the post to correct myself.

On the 15 minutes a day front, I did well.  The large pink hexagon star is done!  (Please ignore the toothpaste on one of the hexagons.  I have helpers.). I’m working away on the new large yellow star.  After this, I’ll be interested in some smaller hexagon flowers.  These large hexagon stars take all month, and I tend to lose enthusiasm when I feel slow.  I have stitched away 35 of 37 days in 2021.  Next week, since I have surgery, I suspect hand sewing will be the only kind of sewing I accomplish next week.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Sunshine

 Um... I found this week both interminable and far too short.  I had two days eaten into by pre-surgery  appointments, along with well child checks for two of the boys (so I don’t have to try to get them in when I can’t drive or lift anything).  Surgery is this coming Tuesday, so if you don’t hear from me next Saturday, it’s probably because I didn’t do anything.  In case you’re wondering, I have to have pelvic floor repair and a hysterectomy.  I did lots of cutting this week in an effort to be prepared for a few weeks of not sewing.

This week, I cut the pieces for the tops of the pineapple quilt for the Assistant.  I also cut all my Modern Vintage and cork farm blocks.  Finally, I discovered I didn’t cut a crucial block part for the yellow baby quilt I intended to sew later this month, so I cut those!

When it came to sewing, I have two modern vintage and a few of my farm quilts sewn up.  I really need to get a proper leader ended organized!  (Oops... I’m sorry they’re sideways!)  I think I’ll make more corn later in blue or multicolored, as when we grown corn for cornmeal, I grow either Hopi blue or Glass Gem corn.  My bee is blue and yellow as the black fabric had disappeared behind the pile.  Oh, well.

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

P.S. I’m linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this Saturday.

February Goals

 In January, I wanted too..

1. Scraps: trim the scrap bin, finish (maybe?) the strip twist quilt, work on my hexagons (finish the orange and make one in pink), make pink blocks for Modern Vintage and farmhouse.  I trimmed the bin, finished the strip twist, finished the orange hexagon star and almost finished the pink one, and made my pink blocks.  Nice.

2.  Assemble, possibly finish my Morewood Mystery.  I did!

3. Finish the temperature quilt.  Yup.

4. Cut future quilts.  I cut hundreds of pieces for the split star quilt, which gives me enough to be getting on with.

In February, I hope to...

1.  Scraps in yellow: trim the scrap bin, make a yellow hexagon star after I finish the pink one, and make Modern Vintage and Farm quilt blocks in yellow.

2.  I’d also like to sneak in the yellow twin quilt.

3. Work on the Assistant’s pineapple quilt?

4. Make masks.  The wire in my original masks is wearing out, and the Assistant needs a fresh ones for school.

Now I’m off to sew!

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

January UFO Report

 I began 2021 with 7 UFOs/ongoing projects but rapidly increased it by three.  It’s a good thing I finished three quilts, so I can end the month right where I began!

1. Scrappy DWR

2. Pillow

3. ABC appliqué

4. Hand hexagons

5. Modern Vintage

6. Split Star

7. Farm quilt with cork fabric

The finished projects are: temperature quilt, Morewood Mystery, and strip twist.  I started Modern Vintage, cut the split star, and began the farm quilt blocks.  Let’s see what happens in February!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.