March City Sampler check in

For the February linky I kinda cheated a little and whipped up 13 blocks in one evening -- after the link up went live but before the end of the week. I had the blocks precut and ready but other things were taking away my focus. My goal heading into the next month was to complete the 9 remaining blocks and start to assemble the rows. I was thinking that a completed quilt top might be aiming a little high with the other goals and things in the works. So, how did it all work out? 

block 62 -- # 84

block 63 -- # 89

block 64 -- # 92

block 65 -- # 8

block 66 -- # 15

block 67 -- # 45

block 68 -- # 51

block 69 -- # 64

block 70 -- # 54

So my goal of all 70 was obtained as a part of #quiltnon16 a super fun online group of people not going to quilt con. That left me with another 3.5 weeks to see what I could manage as far as rows.

I finally pulled all the blocks out of my book and all the sticky tabs so that I could renumber the block layout and discovered that I actually made 71 blocks some how so I guess that's better than being short. 

I decided to try laying them out in book order and think I generally like the color balance and flow but I haven't yet decided if I will be moving any of them around or really what I am going to do about the extra block. 

(sorry for this poor photo I laid them out on the floor of my office one afternoon at lunch time). 

I have my background fabric ready and want to start making rows very soon. 

Can't wait to see what all you other creative ladies have accomplished this month, who knows maybe next month I will have rows or a quilt top but I think that this one may be heading out to the longarmer. 

Honda Scout

At Stash Bash I decided to start a new project rather than working on the numerous projects I had on hand -- typical right. 

I've been wanting to make covers for the seats in my Honda, at least the back one if I couldn't figure out making covers for the fronts -- this back seat is original to the car and it's starting to show some age but still is in really good shape and no one hardly sits back there so I decided this was the place to get creative and make something functional and attractive -- I went with a more free form version of the Scout pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew. 

Well I got stalled out with my ankle being broken and not being able to get up into the sewing room. So the pieces of the top hung out on my design wall like this for a few months -- seeing as how I was unable to put in the sashing on the front so that I could start to add boarders and eventually baste and quilt it. 

Welcome in 2016 and the challenge by Red Letter Quilts -- for a finish / goal a month. I decided this was the perfect time to set this finish as my goal for the month. I really wanted to knock this one off the WIP list and get it in my car. 

The month is plugging along and I finally get a good chance to get to work finishing up the top. 

Motivation continued and I made the backing and got it basted and start the quilting. Binding is my least favorite part but it's necessary for a completion. 

Some fun finished photos before it goes back to it's new home. 

I have to say I might have the prettiest back seat in a '94 civic in the whole triad. 

In my eyes she's the prettiest anyway. 

She also got a new Lip Kit for Christmas. Some time in 2016 she's going to be repainted to even out the differences in color and cover up a few blemishes. 

I have a few more sewing related projects in mind for her coming up but for now it's time to get back to the other pile of UFO's. 

Skinny Mini Swap

I started out 2016 with the intention that this year I would not bombard myself with swaps right off the bat but I still wanted to stay in the loop about swaps going on so I Signed up for the skinny Mini swap. I liked the idea of this swap, a mini with a width of 8 inches or less as a peramiter because it makes things a little more challenging and you get to work outside of the big box that some minis have started to become. 

I got my partner's information and there wasn't a lot to work with and turns out it is her first swap so I went on Pinterest and scoured around a bit for inspiration that I gathered from her minimal postings on instagram, but they were enough to tell me a few things about this lady. 

• From her info sheet I knew she liked bright / saturated colors. 

• She also likes being outside 

• From her instagram I learned that she likes flowers and gardening. 

• She is also an apiarist (Bee keeper)

So it was time to pull out some lovelies and see what this loose plan would develop into. 

Several weeks into the swap I got the feeling that my partner was not around and after I contacted the host I felt that she was not around either. So I waited before working on this project any further and eventually was reassigned when my partner did not check in just 2 short weeks before the deadline to ship. 

Once I was reassigned I did some quick research and set to work on something that I hope she will like. While I was busy making she was at Quilt Con so she may have missed my postings but I know that there are a few other people willing to take it off her hands. 

I love those little hedgies and foxes and hope that she does too. All I could really tell from her IG is that she likes bright colors and traveling with her 4 kiddos. So off it went to live with Kelsey in California. She sent me a great note thanking me for her mini and she loves it. 

In return I got this lovely mini from Kelsey in California -- apparently we were assigned to each other after some serious flaking happend with this swap. 

I was admiring this mini in the feed and then when I got assigned to make for her I figured there was no way that it would be coming my way but for a swap that was best described as stressful and rocky the end result was pretty great and I think I have a home planned for it already. 

100 Day Challenge -- 60 days in

At the beginning of the year I set a bunch of quilty goals for myself and one of them was linking up with my friend Jen over at Quilter in the closet for her 100 days challenge where we come up with 3 goals for the first 100 days of the year. 

I set these 3 goals for myself 

1. Complete at least 2 of my carry over projects from 2015

2. Decrease my stash by 50 yards or more 

3. Make time to blog every week and link up with other bloggers. 

At 30 days in I was making good progress, So now that it's 60 days in -- how are things going? 

Goal 1 --  I have actually finished 2 things this year but neither of them were carry over projects. My latest finish was my skinny mini that I made as a part of a swap. 

I am hoping that now that I have a huge pile of all basted quilts that I will be able to complete some of the carry over projects. I surely can't baste anything else because I had to buy more pins to complete the basting for the last quilt that I added to the pile -- that's 5 quilts guys that are just waiting for quilty magic to happen. 

Getting at least one of these finished is my OMG goal this month and I'd like to have something to link up at the quarterly check in that's not a mini quilt. 

Goal 2 -- I have destashed or used 50 yards worth as of the end of February, thanks largely in part to my instagram destash where my load was lightened by 25 yards. There is still plenty of great stuff over there but I may need to regroup some things and try for another purge. 

However one of my lovely friends announced earlier this week, that her shop will be closing at the end of the month. Folks, that means I did crash pretty hard on this fabric diet with a purchase of 15 yards of fabric. 

This was not a total Katie has lost her mind purchase -- 6 yards (Joel Dewberry fans) were for backing of my husband's quilt that is being made from bee blocks currently. I have plenty of purple in my stash but noting of large amounts. The purple grunges and even the Tula stripe are to potentially use as bindings for this quilt as well. The lovely Bonnie and Camille Vintage modern (2 yards) has already been ogled by one of my dear friends and I have decided to mail that to her. So really only the Tula Tigers and the Moon Bunnies are a splurge. 

I'll more than likely be returning before the end of the month as I need background fabric for that Kate Spain Epic Christmas quilt and i didn't have any of my fabric to compare colors on with me yesterday. 

I am also planning to participate in the quilty orphan adoption later this month on the 18th so maybe things will even out by the end of the month.  

Goal 3 -- This is the goal that i am still falling short on, if I could get more things finished then I would have plenty to write about but I don't really think anyone is really wanting me to post that often about making bee blocks or being plagued with migraines. So I'll keep striving for the goals and keep working on having more to show.  I have a feeling that weekly blogging will happen more heading into the spring and now that I have been released from my doctor and am about 95% healed from my ankle break from early November.

February stash report

Sorry in advance for the font sizing -- I couldn't get it to stay all the same size when it posted 

At the start of the month I was -14 yards so far for 2014 and feeling pretty good that I would be able to destash at least 50 yards within the first 100 days and maintain this momentum throughout 2016. 

Per usual the month started with bee blocks, since I am the queen in one of my hives I only had one person to make for this month and it is my delightful friend @OneWeeBird -- who requested these lovely color blocked 3/4 log cabin blocks. (-1 yard). These were so fun that I made her several. 

I also decided that I would hive crash and make an extra block for Jacqueline in Stash Bee Hive 5 (-.5 yard)

As for my own sewing, the month started off with a marathon of basting -- 7 quilts needed basting and that meant that my 3 scrappy trip along tops needed backings (-6 yards). I put these 3 tops together at random on about an hour and a half at the end of January from blocks that had been laying around for some time. 
I also got my real partner for the Skinny Mini Swap and put together a lovely mini and fabric goodies for her (-2 yards) -- I've written a blog post about this swap and will post it up once my parcel comes in early March.  

The same weekend I managed to make the mini I did a destash on instagram and my initial sales were 25 yards of fabric purged -- I still have plenty over there to sale and some great deals. One lovely lady bought a big bulk of that 25 yards with over 4 lbs of fabric bought -- WOW. 

As a part of not going to Quilt con there was a fun challenge going on over at Instagram and I managed to finish up the rest of my tula blocks for my sampler quilt -- now it's time to lay them out and start making rows and the top. Stay tuned for that progress when I link up Mid march with Michelle. 

My OMG goal this month was to assemble the top of my scrappy crossroads quilt and that meant that I needed to complete the extra 4 blocks to make the quilt large enough (-.5 yd)

Here she is all put together

I pulled out some stashed Flea Market Fancy for the backing and added this one to the pile that needs to be basted and quilted soon. (-4.5 yards) 

I nearly made it through the month without a purchase but then I got the colors for next month's bee block and needed some dark teal and white on cream, and ended up buying a few things to finish up some other projects. (+3.5 yards but most of this will be used soon)

I also started to get in some of my Wanta Fanta Bee blocks from my hive and they are looking very lovely. 

Second month into 2016, and I added 3.5 yards to my stash, used 14.5 yards, started several projects and destashed 25 yards. These totals put me at being 50 yards lighter so far for the year -- Meaning that if I don't over spend next month I will have met one of my 100 day challenge goals. With all the quilts needing basting and quilting I am also getting closer to having multiple older UFo's finished. Now the only thing I really need to work on is blogging more -- which would also come with the finishing of projects.