Voila! I figured it out....happily!

Remember that I went to a Sherri Lynn Wood workshop some time ago?


As you can see from this photo, I was a bit discombobulated by my work. I kept at it, but while there was something I liked, there was more I didn't like. People kept telling me it was good. That was nice, honestly, but I have to be happy from the inside. So I decided to put the whole thing on the design wall when I got home.

On the design board waiting for a plan

There it stayed and stayed. Life kept getting between me and it, including other pieces. Then last month I came up with a challenge for my traditional guild: bring a UFO/unfinished project to the February meeting with the intention of bringing it to an advanced stage for March. 

For example, I'll bring the SLW quilt pieces (that's my name for it for now) and tell the group I plan to bring it to a completed quilt top for the March meeting. Then in March I should commit to finishing the quilt for April. 

Reworking part 1

The problem was that I needed to get to a stage where I could make a commitment. What I had simply wasn't working for me, but I liked most of what I had. To add to the twist, I wanted to incorporate AHIQ's first challenge for 2020, hourglass blocks. 

I played and ripped and moved and added and subtracted and all sorts of crazy things for about three days. Then I read a couple of posts on the AHIQ blog and found the answer. Back to the design board, but with a plan I liked. Funny how a plan makes such a difference.

Reworking part 2

Reworking part 3

At this point (ready to go to the guild meeting) I have long strips of improv pieces that will be arranged in Chinese coins fashion. I've chosen a neutral brownish gray beige oddity for the background. 

  Final plan without the background

Once I arranged the strips in the order I wanted them, I pinned them with numbers, folded them neatly into a project box. Then added three stacks of magazines for the monthly mini (we buy tickets, the winners get to choose from the "minis" on the table until we run out) and even folded and stacked the two quilts I plan to bring for Show and Share. So I'm ready. Now to remember my phone, dues, and my stack of items. 

Stash Report: March 2016

What can I say? Oops?  Actually, I needed enough of one color of Kona solid to begin putting together my circles quilt. So I bought six yards while we were in Alexandria. And remember that I had two commissioned quilts that needed backing. (I'll report one this week!)

And remember that I've been wanting to collect text fabric for a word quilt. Plus, I found two great sources of text fabric. 

Stash Report for March 2016
Additions and Subtractions	Yards	Projects from stash	Projects from purchases
Used this month:	9½	Scrap Quilt (8 yds)	Memory Quilt (WIP)
Added this month:	14	NICU gowns (1/2 yd)	Circle Quilt (WIP)
Used in 2016:	29	Small Projects (1yd)
Added in 2016:	16

Now most important is to remember that I don't have to count the additions when I do use them.  How did you do in March--are you in the red, like me, or in the black?

February 2016 Stash Report | Quilt Block Adoption Event

How much stash did you use this month?  I should just keep a running total. No, I do not. I do most things the hard way. Sometimes that just happens to be the fun way, but in this case it is not. It requires math. Again.  

I start by figuring out which quilts I finished during the month. To do that I look at my blog posts. It's much more reliable than my memory. Then I figure out how much fabric I used for each quilt. 

Stash Report for February 2016
Additions and Subtractions	Yards	Projects from stash	Projects from purchases
Used this month:	10	Marley's Chevron (8 yds)	none
Added this month:	2	NICU gowns (2 yds)
Used in 2016:	29.5
Added in 2016:	2

Since I haven't purchased much fabric in several months, it's easy to keep track of additions.  Regardless, it's easy to fill out the report. With good reason I chose to keep it simple and easy. 

So how did you do this month? Are you in the red or the black? Here's something that might be helpful if you're thinking of letting some orphan blocks go. Anything you've decided you don't need can be put up for adoption!

Quilty Orphan Adoption Event

Starts March 18, 2016

From Mary: Please note that the "I" in the following post refers to Cynthia, not me.   I've simply copied and pasted from her post to this one so that you will get the word of this great opportunity to help others. 

Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than housework will be hosting a linky party starting Friday March 18th (and closing on Sunday March 20th) where you are welcome to link up your own blog post sharing a project you wish to abandon or orphan blocks you wish to pass on.  You can offer as little or as much as you want.  It can be blocks, patterns, kits, fabric, quilt top - anything that you hope someone else will use and you wish to alleviate the burden.

Here are some details:

1.  I am going to ask that any "orphan" linked up must be given away for free.  (If you are wanting to destash for money, there are other venues to do that on.)  I think it is fair that if you need to, you can ask that shipping costs be paid.  Just be sure and put that information clearly in your post.  And know that both parties enter into the deal at their own risk.  I hold no responsibility.

2. Have clear pictures and descriptions on what you are putting up for adoption.

3. Define the criteria for how you will decide who will adopt the item.  Is it a random number giveaway, do you only want it to go to charity, or is there some other criteria that needs to be met?

4.  Be sure and identify where you are located and where you are willing to ship to.

5. Define how long you are keeping the adoption open and when you expect to award the adoption.

Last Fall, there were over a dozen WIPs that found new homes.  Many were adopted by quilters who were finsihing them for various charities.  If you are curious what was linked up last time, here is a link even though all the adoptions are closed. 

Thanks again to all the quilters that participated in the past.  If you adopted a project, I would love it if you shared a photo!


Mary again: How brilliant is this idea?! What are you able to let go? I think I may have a piece or two. I'm going to dig around and find that tub of WIP's. 

Modern Feathers: Yellow Bag

Back in September I began a new work, which I thought might become a quilt using feathers.  I found the Anna Maria Horner tutorial and played for a while, but you know I had to do my own thing!  I began playing differently and eventually figured out a few things of my own.  I wrote about how I went from the Horner tutorial to my own feathers.  See that post here.

Anna Maria Horner tutorial feathers

All's great when you're having fun, but when you get stuck...

Mary Marcotte applique feathers

And did I get stuck!  The first block looked great, but it  did not play well with the second block.  The yellow background is the same in both blocks, so obviously my colors are off in the pictures, but my real problem is that the feathers are so different I just didn't feel that they could work in the same quilt.  

I did what I generally do when I get stuck--set the blocks aside. My brain needs lots of time to process problems.  In the end the feathers sat on the edge of the work table for almost a month.  

I finally decided that I had to do something with the two blocks and chose to make a quilted book tote.  It's large enough to hold several books.  Plus, the long, durable straps can hold whatever weight I might put in and are a perfect match for the yellow fabric.  

I took these pics yesterday afternoon and used the bag today: quite happy to report that it works as well as I had hoped.  
Love yellow? Make a feather bag.

Linking up with

Crazy Mom Quilts--go check out her half inch HST's!