Mini Challenge Quilt + Stash enhancement

I set a goal of completing my mini quilt for Mad City Quilt Guild's booth at Quilt Expo this week.  I didn't meet the goal, but I am almost there with a nearly completed top.  I've been sneaking in bits of cutting and sewing into every day and it's been fun!  These wonky stars are a little ticky-tacky.  Sew/press/trim/repeat.  I love how they look, but they require more effort than one would think!  This in progress step is a little bit ugly duckling--  it will be a swan with just a bit more sewing!!  My next goal for this is to make sure it is 100% complete by August 24th, so I can hand it in at our next meeting. (I've been notoriously late with my entry in past years!)

Also under my needle this week is a "leftover" project.  These are trimmings from Heather's Twirly Star quilt that she was going to toss out-- I intervened and said I would turn them into something.  The pieces weren't uniform, but I didn't feel like squaring up.  I just started sewing the triangles together into rectangles and then put the rectangles into rows.  No plan, just sew them together as leader enders.  It seems to be time to formulate a plan!  I think I'll make a strippy baby or lap quilt out of them.  This yellow/gold fabric from my stash seems to be a good complement for sashing.  I auditioned a red with gold metallics and a red/purple stripe.  Neither one worked. Hopefully the lack of squaring up won't cause too much of a problem when I sew the rows together!

Lastly, I received a lovely little package in the mail from Massdrop this week.  A Tula Pink fat quarter bundle!! I couldn't resist!

Linking up with Molli Sparkles, Sew Fresh Quilts and Patchwork Times.

Time to get sewing!

Now that I've got my sewing room put together (it still needs more work, but it is mostly functional), it is time to start creating!  I have a million projects that are in progress that I should work on-- instead, I'm dying to start something new.  I hope to make 2 baby quilts in the near future and have them planned out (sorta) in my head.  But first, it's time to make a mini-challenge quilt for the Mad City Quilt Guild's booth at Quilt Expo.

This year's theme is "My Favorite Color".  That's tough!!  I like many colors and had a hard time choosing.  When unpacking my sewing room, I re-folded all of my yardage.  Blue-Green fabric seemed to be a trend.  Not quite blue, not quite green: Blugreen. =)  So that's what I'll use.

The guidlines for the mini's are that they should be approximately 12" x 12" and use one colorway plus a neutral.  I joke all the time that lime green is a neutral and would like to make a mini like that--but I'll be conventional.  I've pulled these aquas and plan to make a 'Sparkler' mini with 2" cut squares.

Amanda Jean made a mini and it is my inspiration. I've had this quilt pinned for ages and hope to make a bigger version someday.

http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2015/07/a-quilting-marathon.html

--Can't get the hyperlink to embed. :/

Sewing room progress:

Found my thread!!  It was in a box marked "closet".  I was able to hang this antique printer typesetting drawer and it holds my thread nicely.

My closet is still a disaster zone.

Hopefully the next post will have a completed Blugreen Mini to share.

Xoxo

Sewing room update

A week has passed and I'm getting closer to a functioning sewing room!

Yesterday my mom helped me install foam insulation for my design wall.  I'll be covering this in felt, but the insulation makes it easy to pin (if needed). Nearly the entire wall is covered!  I can't wait to use it!

I decided to combine functions in my antique dresser.  Fabric yardage will go in the drawers and I made an ironing board topper.  There are 6 layers of batting and then a covering of reflective fabric. Managing large hunks of fabric will be much easier!

Most of my fabric is organized (small miracle).  I started folding my fat quarters into a standard method last night.  It's amazing how much easier it is to view fabric when it is all the same.  When one cut is folded this way and another folded that way, I don't seem to consider them as something to use?  I seem to remember, "oh, I bought that at Expo last year" and not, "that's a good blue".   Going forward, I hope to re-fold all new fabric to match my stash right away when it enters the sewing room.  We'll see how that goes!

With just a little more work, I can start sewing soon.  One problem-- I haven't found my thread or other notions!!  They better turn up soon!

xoxo

Busy, busy summer- without much sewing!

Summers are usually extra busy and don't leave much time for sewing.  This summer is no exception.  Except it is even busier than most years, because of a big vacation in Europe followed by moving homes!

I spent 2 fantastic weeks in France, England and Scotland.  Here are some of my favorite pics:

Selfie at the Louvre

 Liberty of London!!!!!!!

 The haberdashery section

I came home with 2 meter remnants. =)

Eilean Donnan Castle in Scotland

My travel project: Fingerless Gloves.  This pattern made me use my brain!

 The woolens in Scotland!!  Amazing!! I would have LOVED a bigger suitcase.

 Three Sisters Mountains in Scotland.  Breathtaking!

I got me a Deerstalker!!

And the bagpipers-- they were everywhere and I loved them to bits.

After getting home, I had 6 days to finish packing my home and move across town (with 4 of those 6 days at work!).

My new place is much, much larger than the old one and my new sewing room is going to be fantastic.  I've been there for 2 weeks and this weekend, things started to take shape.  Here are a few pics:

Looking in from the doorway

Standing near the closet

A cutting table I made from cubby organizers + a tabletop

Organizing my stash! 

Hopefully I will get to create soon.  I'm happy to fold fabric and organize things, but I can't wait to start a new quilt! =)

xoxo

Big changes, little bits of sewing...

I'm in the middle of a big life change!  Selling my current condo and buying a bigger/nicer/newer one. Just like the Jeffersons, I'm movin' on up!!

My free time has been focused on the buying + selling + loads of paperwork needed to make this happen.  I'm listing my place tomorrow, so I've been packing up all non-essential items and moving them to my storage unit.  The goal is to make my place look spacious and appealing.  Spacious is a relative thing, considering there is only 853 square feet total!!

Here is a photo of my sewing room from a few months ago:

And here it is today:

Finn has been helping pack!

I'm nearing the end of my packing and treated myself to a bit of sewing time last night.  I thought, "if I can finish up or move some of my current projects along, it will make it easier to pack them!" =)

My Elephant Parade is slooooowly inching forward.  It should almost be called the Snail Parade!  I still want to re-make the blue flowers in the style of the red ones, but in the meantime, I sewed the sashings on and started assembling the rows.

One of my neverending ongoing projects is "Little Ladies".  It's a paper pieced pattern and I use all scraps.  The rest of the blocks are packed (who knows in which box!!).  I'm not sure how many Little Ladies I have so far (25?).  Quite some time ago, I cute one of the papers up into the components and set it on my ironing board.  Instead of packing the small bits of paper, I made up this girl.  This fuschia fabric is part of my Cartwheel quilt and that is one of my favorite parts of the project-- each dress is a reminder of something else I've made. 

I managed to enhance my stash this week with another package from Massdrop.  Lizzy House, Mini Pearl Bracelet fat quarter bundle. Squee!!

Because I'm packing and moving, I've declared a moratorium on buying fabric (until I move into my new place!).  Here is a sneak peek at my future sewing room (the palm tree + dragonflies are gonna go!)

Linking up with Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash and Judy's Design Wall Monday

xoxo

Not enough sewing going on. =(

It's getting nice outside and that means less time to spend inside sewing.  

A few Saturdays ago, I did manage to complete all of the blocks on my Elephant Parade, but I think I want to re-do the blue flowers and make them in the style of the red ones.  I like the scale of those better.

What I'm able to do rain or shine is enhance my stash!  Yesterday I stopped by The Sewcial Lounge and picked up some goodies AND did a super quick Make-n-Take Infinity Scarf.  They had the fabric cut and pinned.  All I needed to do were 2 seams and small amount of topstitching.  The fabric is silky soft!

Somehow I stumbled across these scissors on Amazon a few weeks ago.  I was looking for inexpensive snips to take on a plane.  These are sold by different companies and are listed as different sizes, but they are IDENTICAL!  Crazy!  What else is crazy is how much I love them!  I'm tempted to buy several more (they were $5 each).

The last stash addition is courtesy of MassDrop.  One.Hundred.Needles!!!  I will have no excuse to not change my needle more frequently. =O

Another thing that doesn't stop because of nice weather is dreaming about new projects.  I'm very, very, very tempted to join in (late as usual) the Hillside Houses Quilt Along.  Check out Pretty Little Quilts and see how cool this pattern is.  I think I have almost enough stash to make this?

xoxo

Baby Steps with Elephant Parade

My elephants are moving along!  All of the big and little elephants are complete and I've started on the frog and turtle.  I kept saying "Frosch und Kröte" while working on them (even though Frosch und Schildkröte would be more accurate).  This was a book I read in high school german class and translates to Frog and Toad. =)

I had a very difficult time selecting the greens!  Green is a color I'm drawn to and have an abundant selection. I could probably make a Turtle Parade!

Since it was Caturday, I'll share a picture of my sweet baby, Finn.  He was "helping"!