Stash Report Week #4 and 15 Minutes

 Since I finished my little quilted pouch, so I have a 1/4 yard of fabric out for the week.

IN this week: 0 yards

OUT this week: 1/4 yard

IN YTD: 0 yards

OUT YTD: 7 yards

YTD Total: 7 yards OUT

I also finished off another spool, so I’ve already used three spools of thread for the year.

The hand hexagons continue to move along nicely.  I’ll be ready to attach the newest piece by the end of the week.  So far this year I haven’t missed a day.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Busy Days

Life has been full of a lot of bits and pieces of tasks lately.  Yesterday I picked up a side of beef and spent some time making room in the freezers for it!

I finished all my green blocks.  There are 130 in this box!  I even pulled out my others greens as I had nothing else to sew, but I will swap out for reds at some point this weekend.

 I have plenty to do today to, so I’m off!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

 

Stash Report Week #3 and 15 Minutes

 There’s not much to report this week.  I didn’t finish anything, so the stash report is still the same.  I did pass through the fabric aisle at Walmart and sternly reminded myself I wouldn’t like the cream/white fabric in the clearance section when I washed something with excess dye in it.  Why are some fabrics magnets for loose dye?

I worked on my hexagons every day this week, attached the latest section, and prepped most of the for the next section.  Once that section is complete, I’ll be half done with the edges.  

We have freezing rain predicted for tonight, so I’m wondering if we will have school tomorrow.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Many Stitches

 I have a flimsy to end the week, using all of my grey and black box blocks and only about half of the aqua ones!  I need to choose a backing next week and get this ready to quilt.

My green squares have turned into block halves this week.  I’ve pinned some for sewing (box on the right).  My biggest question at this point is: How many blocks are there?  I forgot how small a 16 patch block made from 1.5” scraps is!  It’s going to take 300 to make a quilt for Spunky’s friend, and I definitely don’t have 300.

My kids have asked all week how soon it’s spring.  They aren’t old enough to realize our worst winter weather is in January and February!  I have errands to run today, but I hope to spend some time with everyone’s posts for a Rainbow Scrap Challenge weekend.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #2 and 15 Minutes

 This week I finished a quilt, so my stash report is continuing in my preferred direction.  I am starting to formulate what I’d like to order from Vicki, but I need to use a healthy amount of existing stash first!

I also finished a case for my scissors.  (It’s the pieced one, not the embroidered one).  While it has a lot of errors, I learned a lot, which was the point.  Unfortunately, since I used my ramie scraps, it doesn’t count for fabric usage.

IN this week: 0 yards

OUT this week: 5 3/4 yards

IN YTD: 0 yards

OUT YTD: 6 3/4 yards

YTD Total: 6 3/4 yards OUT

I also used up a second spool of thread.  16 patches use up thread quickly!

I made time to stitch on my hexagons every day this week, so the next section is ready to attach to the main body of the quilt.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Moving Along

I worked on dyeing some odds and ends of fabric and “things.”  I would really only consider the orange shirts for BJ to be a success.  Everything else is either a “meh” or a failure.  I had some cotton bandanas that didn’t soak up much dye at all, so I may over dye them later.  The red you see below is supposed to be chocolate brown, but clearly it’s not.  The two pieces below will be quilt backs for small quilts.  My silk scarves (no pictures, I have not learned to photograph them properly) are better, but still not what I wanted.  I guess that means more practice!

I have my first finished quilt for the year.  After making close to 300 box blocks last year, I have plenty of easy Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts to start the year.  This one is already washed and dried and it goes out the door later today.  Next I have the pile of grey/black/turquoise ones ready to make a larger quilt.

The temperature is currently 1 F, with a windchill of -16 F.  I haven’t taken care of the chickens yet, but will have to bundle up soon to do so.  Brrr.

I have worked diligently on my green 16 patches.  The back box is all the pairs sewing into 4-patches, but the front box still has quite a lot of pairs waiting to be sewn together.  I’m not sure I will get them taken care of before the end of today.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

 

January Goals

 I’m a wee bit late getting this post written, but I kept thinking I would have some epiphany while preparing.  Epiphany about what?  Great question.  I don’t know.

December goals were uncomplicated:

1.  Trim scraps, work on hexagon filler pieces, finish two quilts with the remaining 16 patches, sew up the box blocks.  Trimmed, turned corner on the hexagon quilt, finished off the 16 patches, and finished creating box blocks.

2. Finish my window Bojagi.  Done, and I love it so,

3. Make 4 New York Beauty blocks.  I have five done!

4.  Noodle around plans for the new year.  Some noodling done, some yet to go.

January goals are equally simple.

1. Trim scraps, work on the next 1-2 hexagon filler pieces, make 16 patches from green scraps, make a quilt from the RSC 2023 box blocks.

2. Dye fabric.  (Scarves, shirts, miscellany)

3.  Make one New York Beauty block a week.

Stretch goal: take a workshop of fabric dyeing, another in Korean thimbles (golmu), and order some materials for a fabric and dyeing related project.  No quilting fabric!

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Stash Report Week #1 and 15 Minut

 Woohoo!  A new year, new zeros, and much contemplation.

I resisted birthday fabric shopping, as my goal again this year is to use twice what I buy, and to use at least 100 yards.  Why do I want to use twice what I buy?  I do love my fabric, and I love to buy new fabric, but I also see my tastes changing.  Once, long ago (10+ years) I loved to buy prints, including multicolored ones.  I’ve definitely shifted to solids, batiks, and the texture of hand dyed fabric, as they all work well in bojagi, as both sides are visible.  I’ve also started to experiment with other types of fabric, but I don’t want my collections to outgrow my space.

I already finished off a spool for the year, so the new count is 1!

Mr. BJ helped me with a little upholstery this week.  He ripped out the underside of this small couch last winter, and thread and fabric have been hanging ever since.  I used some lovely fabric (with some close-to-matching additions to make it wide enough.  We need to remove the two back legs to properly finish off the end, but that requires an Allen wrench, and this was adventure enough for a day.  I’m impressed with my own efforts, even if they are far from perfection.  It certainly cheers me up to know what the couch looks like underneath.  BJ thought it was quite fun to hide underneath while I was figuring it all out.

Doing this little project also means I have my first stash usage for the year.

IN YTD: 0 yards

OUT YTD: 1 yard

YTD Total: 1 yard OUT

For the last several years, I’ve used my “15 minutes” of daily stitching to focus on my hand pieced hexagons.  They are now an awkward top, with lots of awkward piecing to fill in the sides.  I have a future project I’d like to put in its place, but as I’m not quite ready to settle down with that fabric and the complication of determining a plan (it does require a large fabric purchase, so I also need to “earn” it).  Therefore the report is: 6 of 6 days for 2024.  Maybe by the time I’m ready to quilt my hexagon quilt, I will be ready to switch.  Change is generally hard for me.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge: 2024!

 A new year means new projects for me.

While I started these in December of last year, the goal is to make a New York Beauty block each week until I have enough to complete a quilt.   I won’t make the entire quilt, as it’s a large queen size, but I want either a wall hanging or lap quilt.  Should I make enough competent blocks, the quilt will be a gift for the girls’ art teacher.  I’m using a hoarded stash of Ombré by V and Co., which doesn’t really play well with the rest of my fabrics.

I have two scrappy projects planned for this year: 16 patches made from my 1.5” scraps and flowers made from my 2.5” bricks.  Unfortunately, I’m not ready to cut into my greens for the leaves of flowers until I know how many flowers I can make from scraps, so I won’t start the project this month.  My 2.5” box dwindled nicely in 2023, so it should empty splendidly in 2024!

16 patches made from 1.5” scraps seem to be one of my favorite easy blocks to return to.  The two lap sized ones I have at home are the softest from use.

I did start sewing green strips to white and subcutting.  I have an overflowing box of pairs now, so next week I’ll work on making four patches.  The 1.5” scrap box is full to bursting, so I really must use it this year!  Isn’t it funny how the cycle goes, of diligently using up scraps and then they multiply when you aren’t looking.

I also made my first flimsy from the box blocks I made for last year’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I have another 180 or so to sew up, so this won’t be the last time you see them!  I must have mixed up my order somewhere, as it was not my intention to have a diagonal line of yellow.  I think the next one will be turquoise, black, and grey, as I have a large collection of those.

I know there will be many beautiful fabrics to tempt me.  Vicki has been dyeing some really spectacular stash packs, but I want to finish a few projects before I start buying new fabric.

from the room of Zana’s Ninis,

katie z.