January 2017 -- Brought to you by #6 and Purple

Let's kick of January with APQ challenge for item #6 and the Scrap Challenge for Purple. 

Part of the all people Quilt challenge this month was item #6 -- for me this was last year's BOM from Sewingly Yours, it needed quilting and binding. -- I got this one completed by mid month. 

The SoScrappy color this month was Purple, so I made my 1st scrap bin (-1 yard)

Turns out it was the wrong size so I gifted it to a friend and made another one that fits in the space better. (-2 yards)

Thanks to a time off with a stomach virus I fount myself home a few days mid month and I was able to work on some other colored scrap projects to make a dent in the very full purple bin. (-3 yards) 

This year I have decided to make a patchwork chunk each month and once the 6 dominate rainbow colors are made I'll have a good size improv throw -- here's the purple starting point. 

My next choice was inspired by a bee block that I made for Laura this month called Paint Chips but instead of putting in the neutrals I started patching together the strings. strips and smaller chunks of scraps into long rows or varying widths -- based solely on the common size of my scraps (these happen to be 4, 5 and 7.5). I plan to make these in each color through out the year for another rainbow quilt . 

 

I made some Kitten blocks this month and may add to this throughout the year. 

I also took my long 2.5 inch strips and 2 inch strips and made a jelly roll race style quilt from them -- this will be quilted up and donated to charity, I also pulled out fabric for backing (-5 yards)

There are still a good dose of purple scraps for future projects and bee blocks but I am ready to work on another color next month. 

In other quilting news, on New Years day I managed my first finish of the year -- the EEVEE project I have been working on for a friend. (-1.5 yards)

I signed up for another traveling quilt that started this month so I did a fabric pull for that and made my starting block (-3 yards) 

Stash Bee kicked off the year with these fun paint chip blocks for Laura (-.5 yards) -- I also put together some extra colored patches that she can finish up with some neutrals for her quilt.

I was the queen for the triple block bee so I started with my sample blocks (-.5 yards) and made a few extras (-.5 yards) 

my hive mates came through with these blocks so far -- 12 more yet to come in but I know most of them are in the mail already.

I'm also doing the Bee Hive group again this year and it actually got a late start because of needing more participants so hopefully this one will roll into the rotation next month. 

This month I had Marth's Traveling quilt and added the feather blocks to the bottom. (-1 yard) 

I completed my project for the upcoming Pink Swap and it's ready to ship out early February. (-2 yards)

While I was sick I also found some orphan HST units that needed to be turned into this quick pouch that will be a gift. (-1 yard)

I went to a local shops yard sale and scored a sew steady table for my feather weight, and 6 yards of fabric. 

The last weekend of the month I got started on the last of the traveling quilts from 2016 -- Jana's Traveling Quilt with the Sea theme so I added some Palm blocks (-2 yards)  I actually finished her traveling quilt as well so it looks like only one traveling quilt to work on next month instead of 2.

As a Bonus APQ finish this month was a smaller throw size version of my Jewel Box quilt that will be gifted very soon. (-3 yards)

January was a good month for sewing and I made significant progress on several items and had 7 completions. I only purchased 6 yards of fabric but managed to use 26 yards. I also took a class and got certified to use the long arm at my LQS -- maybe this will mean quicker finishes in the future.

Moving right along with these quarterly goals 

For the love of scraps

It's not a very well kept secret that I love scraps -- I love my scraps, I love friends scraps and sometimes I even buy scraps but here lately the scrap situation is running over and it's time to regain some control of them. 

Not to long ago I realized that I had stopped processing the scraps into charms and this had overly doubled my overflow box. Previously I had been using the accuquilt each time it got full and reloading the other precut scrap bins. It's still a great method but I was finding that I often went into the scrap chaos for fabrics for bee blocks and in building new projects and if I had cut these down into charms they wouldn't be the right size any more. I even went through the charms stock pile and pulled a few fabrics out that I still wanted to use and sent the rest out to a friend that makes scrappy charity quilts -- it was a 10 inch pile of charms. 

So now I was left with the random sizes and larger pieces but I knew these would be more beneficial to me if I could get them in less of a jumbled mess. To me the most logical method seemed to be sorting them by color because that's usually how I look for fabrics in making projects and if I were going to continue pulling fabrics for bee blocks this is how I'd be looking for pieces to use. (stock photo -- I wish mine were this neat and few) 

Once I got them all in piles all over my floor I reused 3 of the paper boxes to help contain them in the mean time. My plan was that in the new year I would start the Rainbow Challenge with So Scrappy and month by month start processing the different piles, not yet sure at that time what my color challenge projects would be but this was at least a good start. (Forgetting that I have a separate area for string scraps at the time. -- OOPS) 

January rolls around and the color is purple -- it's like she knew that was my heaviest color and was testing my commitment to this quest. First off I decided that the paper box method was a no go long term and I wanted pretty cubes to put each color in (knowing that I wasn't done with the acquiring of scraps), first I thought about a store bought method like this one ...

but my husband reminded me that would mean another piece of furniture coming into the room and our cats are very drawn to these fabric bins for some reason and destroy them quickly -- and this could get expensive (ie. less money for fabric). He suggested that i make bins and we could hang them or use the shelves I already had in the room, and it would use some of the scraps -- it's annoying when he's right. My initial plan was to use this pattern and make the large size. 

Of which I did make the first one and it turned out so lovely 

but then realized that when I put it in it's new home this was not the right dimensions -- so i gifted it and went back to the one hour basket that I've made numerous times 

I needed it taller and longer so time for quilt math. I finalized the size at 15 x 8 x 6  it was going into my new TV stand that I had brought into the sewing room after an upgrade to the main TV -- now I'm able to watch / listen to TV /Netflix while I quilt. 

Won't it be great to have a scrappy rainbow behind sliding glass once the year is over ... I may have to work ahead on these. 

another quarterly goal complete 

Pink Swap

So I told myself that 2017 was going to be about focusing on current projects and decreasing my stash and I would limit the swaps that I signed up for (especially since I was already doing another traveling quilt and 2 bees). I had however forgotten about a swap that I signed up for right before making this decision -- the PINK swap. 

What's not to love right it's all things pink and the swap is supposed to be minis only so no added pressure. My partner was really clear about what she didn't want and this was somewhat limiting until I saw that her mosaic included a mini I had wanted to make for some time -- it just needed to have the colors swapped (and as it turns out needed to be resized). 

She didn't want Flowers or Tula so I opted for solids -- this scared me, I've never done a quilt with only solids but tiny pieces and all it went together pretty quickly and I'm happy with the outcome. 

When I started to quilt it I looked at the inspiration photo and decided straight lines were a good thing -- just not those so again I changed it up but it still works and the black binding frames it all really well. 

This was my 2nd finish for 2017 and will get mailed out early next month. 

This is part of my Quarterly link up goals

2016 Block of the Month

When I signed up for the APQ Resolutions and made my list I added things randomly with the hope that as each month came along I would be able to get that project completed and face some things that I had perhaps been putting off. 

This month was the first month and #6 was the Challenge number -- for me this was the Block of the Month from last year that I had actually intended to finish up last year and gift it as a Christmas gift to a 10 year old little girl who recently had to move across the country with her mother when her grandmother passed away. I never found the energy in December to get it quilted though I did manage to get it basted one afternoon at lunch. 

So I set forth in simple quilting around mid month and it only took me a few hours on a Friday evening. 

I already had the binding cut from the same fabric as the backing and once I got it all attached, the quilt was all ready to go. 

She loves her new quilt and was very happy to put it in her very own room now that they are getting more settled in the new place.  

This was my 4th finish of the month and one item off the Quarterly Goals list. 

The story of traveling quilts

Last year I started a traveling quilt with an Alice in Wonderland theme and it's still out there -- it comes home in another few months and I'm really excited to see what all has been added since the last time that I saw pictures of it. 

When my friend Rena asked if I wanted to take part in a new round robin quilt that she would be starting in 2017, I said sure and once i found out who some of the other ladies were I was really excited because I actually know most of them IRL. 

I wanted a cat themed quilt at first but then when I settled on a color pallet I didn't really have the cat fabrics to support this so I went with colors instead because they were really speaking to me. I

When pulling fabrics, I threw in Navy and brightened up the colors a bit for some added pop. 

I picked a Moda Love Star as my center (with a little resizing to meet the size limits) and it turned out really fun. I almost wanted to make another so that I could make this one a mini and keep it. 

So now it's out in the world being added to by awesome ladies and I won't know what's going on till it comes home next year -- because it's a secret quilt that we haven't decided if there will be sneak peeks through out the year or not.

Here's hoping for a creative year for my Moda Star, I can't wait to see what awesome things the ladies do to you. 

2017 Here We GO

2016 ended a bit on a low note for me with only 2 finishes but I am hoping for renewed energy going into 2017. I'm going to be linking up my goals and finishes with the Finish Along again this year what's even more exciting is my gal pal Ella is a host this year. 

I'm also hoping to stay focused with a monthly goal set out by American Patchwork and Quilting. I've linked up these fun lists with that resolution challenge. I made a list of current UFO's, projects I'd like to start and another that is things that have deadlines or are ongoing. 

I currently have 14 projects that are needing attention and 12 others that are pending being started so why not aim high on the goals. 

Things that have deadlines 

• Eevee Pillow / Pattern Test (ASAP)
• Pink Swap (Feb)
• Elephant Quilt for Mallory (April) 
• Jewel Box Throw (April)
  
• McKinley's Quilt (ASAP)
  

Things in Progress 

• MODA Modern Building Blocks 
• Tessellations 
  
• Lucky 21
  
• Weekender Bag
  
• Swiss Cross Quilt     
• 2016 Block of the Month 
  
• 2016 Traveling Quilt (will return to me in March) 
• Triple Block Bee (January Queen) 
• 12 Scrap Bins -- one of each color for my scrap sorting, I'm thinking of making this my scrap challenge each month to link up with SoScrappy 

Things I might start this quarter 

• Swoon -- There is a quilt along starting soon. 
  
• Jen Kingwell Pillow
• All Squared UP
  
• Plus Side 
  
• Broken Herringbone 
  
• Crafty Carrier 
• AMH Scrappy quilt 
• Steampunk 
• Botanics Pendant Quilt 
• DJ Jelly Roll 
• Granma's Surprise
• Kitten Quilt -- this may be another scrappy project 
• Betsy Travel Bag
• Tunic with Chrissy 
• Gift or swap items that may come up 

So as you can see I have plenty to keep me busy if the weather turns bad in NC in the next few months. I'm not planning to hook up with many swaps this year so that I can focus on the projects at hand and really work on decreasing my stash this year (it's gotten a little out of hand). I know later on in the year my craft room is going to be revamped again because there is need for some different furniture in there to be a better use of the space. 

My 100 Days goals this year are 

• keep up with the ongoing challenges above 
• have 5 completions in 100 days 
• Rehome my scrapbook supplies to someone that will use them -- I did this with my beads last year and it was really freeing.