Mid-Year Goal Check and Stash Report

It is hard to believe that 2015 is already more than half over.  When I realized this, I decided it would be the perfect time to see how I am accomplishing my goals for the year.  My great big main goal for the year was to Enjoy.  I have definitely been enjoying many things this year.  :)

A display of my quilts I enjoyed putting together.

I also thought it would be good to update my Stash Report for the first half of the year. 

January: 31 yards used, 76 yards added
February: 46.5 yards used, 12.5 yards added
March: 28 yards used, 13 yards added

Quarter 1: 105.5 yards used, 101.5 yards added, 4 yards less

April:  6 yards used, 8 yards added

May: 24.25 yards used, 28.25 yards added

June:  15.5 yards used, 7 yards added,

Quarter 2:  45.75 yards used, 43.25 yards added, 2.5 yards less

First Six Months:  151.25 yards used, 144.75 yards added, 6.5 yards less

Also of note is that I donated some fabric I had separated last September.  I had intended to give it to a friend, but she wasn't interested.  So it had been sitting in one cube of my Expedit since then.  I heard that a local quilt guild was having their July fair complete with a quilty yard sale, so I donated it all to them.  I filled up a huge laundry basket and donated it for their fundraiser.  That felt so good!  I estimate that I got rid of more than 100 yards of fabric (all of which I had inherited 10 years ago).  So my stash is more like 106.5+ yards less.  But since I didn't use it, I plan on keeping that amount separate.  :)  

Everything in that lower left cube is now gone.

Now on to my list of 15 things to Enjoy  in 2015.  (With photos added to keep it pretty.)  

1.  Using my stash ~ I have made four quilts from my stash, and I have plans for lots more soon.

My favorite "from stash project" was for my sister K.

2.  Using my scraps ~ Not only have I enjoyed using my scraps, but I made eight baby/toddler quilts out of a friend's scraps and leftovers.    

My favorite scrap project called "Little Red."

3.  Using new fabrics ~ I have made 10 quilts from fabric purchased in the last year plus lots of bags. 

I bought the fabric for "Quilty Kisses" in February and made it within 2 weeks.

4.  Building my stash ~ Of the 144.75 yards added this year, I purchased more than 100 of them.  So it is safe to say I have enjoyed building my stash.  

Fabric purchased with my birthday money for future projects.

5.  Finishing quilts ~ I have finished 22 quilts so far this year.  

"Modern Farmer's Wife" was my most labor intensive project this year.  

6.  Finishing quilty projects ~ I have made lots of bags and other little projects.  

Three of my favorite quilty finishes this year.

7.  Making quilts as gifts ~ I have given five quilts away as gifts.  

I've been told by more than one person that my nephew and soon-to-be niece LOVE their quilt.

8.  Making quilts to donate ~ I have already donated one quilt this year.  (I have made others which I will donate after I am done using them as class examples.)  

"Evening Addition" donated to Happy Chemo.

9.  Making quilts for my home ~ I have made four specifically for use in my home.  

"A Day in the Country" is hanging up in my kitchen now.

10.  Sewing my WISP by hand ~ I have five blocks made, and enough quarter curves for five more blocks.  

These are ready to be sewn into blocks.  

11.  Improving my FMQ ~ Wow!  I feel like I have improved so much by trying new things, spending lots of time quilting, and by teaching FMQ.  

I sometimes look at "Floating" and wonder, "Wow, did I really quilt that?"

12.  Blogging (when I have something to blog about) ~ This will be my 80th post this year.  

13.  Participating in online events ~ I have participated in the Hands2Help Quilt Challenge, Blogger's Quilt Festival, and the Creative Space Tag.

14.  Preserving memories ~ While I haven't done a lot of scrapbooking of family events, I have been taking lots of pictures and have even started a Quilt Album.  

From my new Quilt Album.

15.  Last, but definitely not least... Being a wife and mother ~ I absolutely love being a wife mother.  Spending time with all four of my boys is my favorite thing.  And it is because of this that I have decided to take a 2-4 week blogging break.  Last year I ended up taking a two week break in the beginning of August, and I found it very refreshing.  We don't have plans to go anywhere, but I am looking forward to some more family focused time.  So things will be pretty quiet over here at Quilt Kisses (although I may still do some blog reading after the young boys are in bed).  

See you in a few weeks!

XX,

Jasmine

In a Dash: A Finished Quilt

I am excited to share my first finished nephew/niece quilt today.  (One down and another 40 something to go.)  J is my first nephew to get married and their colors are Tiffany Blue, bright red, gray, and white.  I chose to use aqua, red, gray, and off white for their quilt.

I talked more about the piecing of the quilt in my last post.  Basically I had planned on making a large 16 inch finished pinwheel block, but ended up making a 15 inch disappearing pinwheel block instead.  I decided to name the quilt "In a Dash," because the pinwheels ended up in a churn dash block.

I really love how the blocks turned out.

I decided to quilt this quilt with small and big circular loops because of the all the polka dots.  Both of the front...

And on the back.

The backing is this darling minky in the perfect colors I found in the clearance section.  And it is even cousin tested and approved!

I bound the quilt in the same gray (Moda Christmas) fabric that I used for the cornerstones between the blocks.

It gives the quilt a nice soft finish.  The fabrics are kinda girly, so I hope my nephew will still enjoy it as much as his soon to be wife!

Quilt Stats #144
Quilt Name: In a Dash
Pattern:  Altered Disappearing Pinwheel 2
Fabrics Used: Kona Snow and misc red, aqua, and gray fabrics
Amount Used: 7.5 yards
Size: About 58 x 76 inches
Batting: Hobbs 80/20
Date Finished: July 2015
What I learned:

• When the fabric tells you to change your plan it is good to listen.  

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  Check them out to see what other quilters have been making.

Nephew Quilt in Progress

I was going to finish my last brother quilt before starting on quilts for nieces and nephews, but one of my nephews is getting married soon.  I decided I wanted to finish his quilt before the bridal shower.

My sister said that their colors are Tiffany Blue,bright red, gray, and white.  I looked up Tiffany Blue, and decided that aqua was as close as I could get.  My original plan was to make large pinwheels like I did for my brother W.

But then I got doing some math.  When you start with 9 inch squares, your HST square up at 8.5 inches.  Then your pinwheels are 16.5 inches unfinished.  16.5 just happens to be perfectly divisible by 3 making a disappearing pinwheel block a possibility.  It really was too perfect not to try.

Then I got thinking it might be even cuter if I mixed up the colors.

Yep, I loved it.  So I quickly sewed them into blocks which will finish at 15 inches.

Then it sat on my design wall for a week (while I was distracted by my Beatle Bag.)  Plus, I didn't know how I wanted to do the border of the quilt.  I wanted to incorporate more of the gray cornerstone fabric because that is going to be the binding.

I thought about it for a week, and decided to just start sewing the center of the quilt together.  Once I realized how much I liked the floating nature of the gray squares, I decided to continue it to the edges.  I'm so pleased with how the quilt top turned out.

And here it is basted and ready to quilt.  (Complete with minky backing, of course.)

While the mixed up, disappearing pinwheel was not my original plan, I'm so happy I decided to go through with it.  The only problem is that now I want one just like it.

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  There is something fun for every day of the week.

My New Beatle Bag

I bought a pattern and inserts for a Beatle Bag earlier this year at the HMQS, and I finally got around to making my bag.

It was my first time working with the Soft and Stable foam batting, and I love how puffy the quilting looks.

This is a  large Riley Blake Quatrefoil in black which I quilted between the shapes for the outside of my bag.

The lining is a Riley Blake Swiss Dots which I quilted with the walking foot four dots apart.

I loved not having to mark the quilting on either one.

I thought the bag would take about four hours to finish.

It was more like eight!  But I do love my new organizer bag.

I think it is cuter than a bug.  ;)

I did change the pattern by not sewing the darts and adding a flap to cover the first pocket.

I also added a strap with a hook by the second pocket, but whish I had just added another flap for the scissors.

I think I am going to add a small D-ring to the red flap.  Then I can clip the hook onto it.  The scissors might stay in better that way.

Either way, I am enjoying my new bag by my sewing machine.

It is keeping little things a bit more organized.

And speaking about organization... look at what I just brought home from Ikea.  My sweet hubby put it together for me.

This cart is hanging out by my cutting table and is still empty.  I'm trying to figure out what I want to keep on it.  I usually just work on one project at a time, but I may keep the next two projects I want to work on in it.  We'll see.

One of those future projects I want to work on is a Sew Together Bag that will match my Beatle Bag.
XX,
Jasmine

Challenge Quilt Results

My quilt, Day in the Country, was entry number 7 of 8 for the challenge at my LQS.  Here it is hanging up in the store.  There were two ways to win: Judges' Choice and Viewer's Choice.  Each winner (and it had to be two different entries) won a $50 gift card to the store.

I am so excited to say that my quilt won Judges' Choice.  :D  So it is still hanging up in the store.

We found out when the prizes were announced that the judges were actually two Riley Blake designers.  Pretty cool.

It is probably not a surprise that my boys asked me to spend my winnings on minky fabric.  So I did.  I bought each boy 2/3 yard minky so that I can make them another minky pillow case.  I also bought enough minky for the back of a rainbow quilt I want to make.  I was lucky to find the perfect minky for all four projects in their clearance section.

Thanks for sharing in my excitement!

XX,
Jasmine

K's Lanterns: A Finished Quilt

I am thrilled to have finished this quilt for my sister.  It is my first time using the Quick Curve Ruler and sewing curves with  my machine.  I love how it turned out.  I used the Urban Abacus pattern as a guide, but made some changes (mainly wider lanterns and extending the bars on the top and bottom).  I went into more detail on the piecing and quilting of the quilt in my previous posts.

So how about a picture heavy, word light kind of post.  :)

Quilt Stats #142
Quilt Name: K's Lanterns
Pattern: Altered Urban Abacus
Fabrics: From my stash and my mom's with Kona Snow
Amount Used: About 8.5 yards
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20
Size:  About 59 x 71 inches
Date Finished: June 2015
What I learned:

• I can sew curves with my machine.  :)

It is not as pretty in the shade, but you can see the changes I made to the top and bottom of the columns in this picture.

I have now finished quilts for 9 out of 10 of our siblings.  One more to go before I start on the nephews and nieces.  Considering we have more than 40 nephews and nieces, the current plan is to make them a quilt for their weddings.  Their ages range from 3 to 26, so I will have several years to get them done.  

XX,

Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with some of the fun parties on my sidebar.  Check them out for lots of quilty inspiration.