Stash Busting Update

Who knew that coming up with a way to store scraps of my newer fabrics would lead to a whole stash study.  :) 

On Thursday I decided to buy some bins at the dollar store to keep above my quilt rack in the craft room.  I got this idea from Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework.  She stores some of her scraps in cute fabric buckets above her cutting table.  I originally looked for something I could sew a cover for, but when I saw these bins I brought some home to try it out. 

Turns out that I love them!  I can stack them two high and the lids keep the dust off the fabric.  (Don't ask what the shelf was like when I cleaned it off.)  I need to go back to the store and buy some more. 

This decision led me to separating my "new" scraps from my "old" scraps.  Now all of my smaller scraps which are from fabric purchased after 2012 are in those cute bins.  There are some of my old scraps which are pulled together to make doll quilts in a few of the bins.  And some of my newer scraps are still in boxes on the expedit: Christmas, dots & stripes, and I spy. 

Then I started wondering why I was keeping all of the old scraps.  The thing is that I am very grateful for the stash that I have, but I love modern fabric so much more.  I am trying to use up my stash and am ready to be DONE with some of the fabric.  So I decided to give away most of my older scraps to a local friend.  (I am keeping all of those light 2.5 inch strips for a scrap quilt.) 

I stopped doing stash reports in May, and was curious how much fabric I have really used this year.  My main goal for 2014 is stash busting.  It is always good to check on how you are meeting your goals, right?  So I spent the morning going through my blog posts to figure it out.  (It's wonderful having a record!)  Are you ready for the totals?  I was shocked. 

January:  53.5 yards used, 0 yards added
February:  33.25 yards used, 0 yards added
March:  51.75 yards used, 6 yards added
April:  9.75 yards used, 1 yard added
May:  30 yards used, 20 yards added
June:  13 yards used, 3.5 yards added
July:  7.25 yards used, 12 yards added
August:  7 yards used, 37 yards added
September:  12.5 yards used, 1.5 yards added

Year to Date:  218 yards used, 81 yards added, 
Total:  137 yards less 

I can hardly believe I have used more than 200 yards.  As my husband would say, that is two football fields!  And of the 81 yards purchased I won two yards, I added 15 yards to my general stash (mostly Kona White), and the rest were purchased for specific projects. 

This stash study has made me realize that I am really a project person, and I know how I personally use my stash.  So I spent the day going through my stash, deciding what I would use, and separating the rest.  I now have 4 WIPs (my sneaky sewing), 1 WISP (hand piecing), and about 50 potential projects out of stash and scraps.  Plus, I have a very large pile of yardage and scraps to give to my local friend who has a very tight quilting budget. 

Because I inherited almost my whole stash, I am not attached to all of it.  It feels great to do this destash now that I know what I really will use.  I feel so free.  :D  Here is what my stash looks like now (4 cubes with room to spare): 

For reference, this is what it looked like in January (8 full cubes):

And what it looked like in March after I used 100 yards (6 cubes):

I think that once I use up my older stash that I will mostly buy per project, but I will maintain a small stash.  However, I know I can always change my mind if I want to.  ;)

How are you doing with your goals for the year 2014? 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.

Berry Pie: A Finished Quilt

Evidently I can only put a project on hold for so long.  A week and a half after basting this quilt I just had to finish it.  I took a day off from my sneaky sewing to quilt and bind it.  It is probably a good thing I finished this. If I kept putting it off my boys would wonder what was going on.

This is my third giant star quilt that I have made from Jeni's tutorial.  I added a 1.5 inch cream border all the way around.  Then I added a 2.5 inch purple border, and a 5 inch raspberry border.  I like having the borders on two sides, because my family doesn't like square cuddle quilts.  My border widths were determined by how much fabric I had left after making the blocks.  It was a great stash busting project. 

This quilt was my September goal for A Lovely Year of finishes (link #30).  It was also a request from my boys.  They wanted a pink and purple giant star quilt that we could KEEP.  They are excited to have it finished.  Here you can see Panda's happy dance. 

I was excited to work on it, because I used my giant ruler (20.5 inches square) to cut out and trim the blocks.  It was very handy.  I love this ruler which was a gift from my sons for Mother's Day. 

I did the free motion quilting on my Baby Lock Tiara, Princess El.  I am enjoying how I rearranged my craft room.  I still have plenty of space to set up extra tables and quilt large quilts. 

I have learned that while I like quilting with my long arm rulers from left to right (for the feather vine), I like quilting with the borders on the left.  It makes it easier to still hold on to the stitch regulator with my right hand. 

I used matching threads for each of the colors. 

I like how the swirl quilting adds texture, but the threads blend in to the fabrics. 

The backing is a busy floral print, so it is not that noticeable that I used three different colors. 

I quilted swirls (some with curls/hooks) in the center of the quilt, a wiggly line in the narrow border, and feathers in the wide border. 

This time I quilted my feathers a little narrower.  They are about one inch wide instead of two.  I love how they turned out. 

I tried out Amanda Jean's suggestion for ironing the binding away from the backing before stitching it to the top.  I am amazed at the difference it made.  The binding was nice and flat while I was stitching it down to the front. 

I decided to name this quilt "Berry Pie" after Tina said it reminder her of summer bread pudding with berries.  I knew it was the perfect name after I made the label.  Not only is this quilt made with love, but my husband's birthday berry pies are also handmade with love. 

This was such a fun quilt to make, and I can see myself making more giant block quilts. 

Quilt Stats #112
Name: Berry Pie
Pattern: Giant Star plus borders
Quilting Design: Swirls with curls/hooks
Fabric: From my stash
Amount Used: 10.5 yards
Batting: Hobbs 80/20
Size: About 71 x 86 inches
Date Finished: September 2014
What I Learned:

• Ironing the binding before top stitching it really helps. 
• Busy backings are nice when using different colors of threads.
• Unfinished projects really do make me itch to finish them. 
• The skinny feathers look better in the border. 

I just wanted to add that I am grateful my husband added the clothes line for hanging quilts to our deck (which he also built).  It is so nice to be able to hang a quilt for pictures by myself when everyone else is gone. 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop and Finish it Up Friday. 

Christmas Quilts Progress

My giant star quilt has been put on hold while I work on some sneaky sewing.  While the boys have been at school, I have gone from this...

... to this.  All four quilts are cut out, but this stack only has the squares for my sons. 

It is not normal for me to work on so many projects at once, but I have been able to cut them out while the big boys were at school.  I have to sneak in the sewing when they are not around.  My youngest doesn't pay much attention to what I am working on. 

I am able to work on my husband's quilt more openly, because he knows he is receiving a quilt.  He just doesn't know what it looks like.  So he is banned from reading my blog and entering the craft room.  The boys know about Daddy's quilt, but not theirs. 

My husband's cuddly Christmas quilt is my own design.  I knew he wanted a more outdoorsy quilt, but my LQS didn't have a good selection of fabric with elk, moose, ducks, or fish.  They were having a good sale, and so I decided to design my own to make it look outdoorsy without animal fabric.  This is what my design looked like:

I used high quality pencils and crayons on printer paper to make my pattern.  ;)  The next step for my husband's quilt was purchasing the fabric. 

The minky bear paw fabric is what inspired my design.  Here it is all cut out and on my design wall.  I totally love it!

I wanted the quilt to have an ombre look to it, and I think I achieved it.  I just have to say that trimming 2.5 inch half square triangles is not my favorite thing to do. 

I am so excited that I have been able to get this much done.  I hope I can still make time for more sneaky sewing. 

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I am linking up with Let's Bee Social and Needle and Thread Thursday. 

My Quilty Little Secrets

Notice that I didn't say "10."  Please feel free to stop reading whenever you like.  ;)

Part 1 ~ I have "Quilter's OCD."

1. My craft room has to be spotless every day before I start sewing. 
2. I like working on one project at a time start to finish, but I like an ongoing hand sewing project.  UFO's give me a rash and make me itch. 
3. I love cleaning the lint out of my machine, and do it frequently. 
4. I change the needle in my machine regularly. 
5. I never sew over pins. 
6. I always close and lock my rotary cutter when I put it down. 
7. I love, Love, LOVE quilty math. 
8. I always want to know the finished size of quilts, which is why I include the statistics for my finished quilts. 
9. I am trying to "use up" all my fabric so I can buy for each project individually. 
10. I love patterns that tell how to press seams, because I like to press them to one side and have them nest together. 
11. I love an accurate scant quarter inch seam. 
12. I love perfect points. 
13. I love the whole process of making a quilt, but my favorite part is finishing!
14. I am a fabric snob, meaning that I only buy good quality fabric from my LQS. 
15. I am a thread snob, meaning that I love Aurifil and other good quality threads. 

Part 2 ~ However, some things are "Good Enough."

1. I avoid using pins.
2. I cheat when sewing on borders, but they still lay flat. 
3. I iron gently and use steam. 
4. I sew my bindings down by machine or by hand.  This decision depends on the quilt, my mood, and time limits. 
5. I only unpick when I absolutely have to. 
6. I have no desire to try paper piecing, even if you do get better points. 
7. I'm not very interested in English Paper Piecing either. 
8. Doing applique bores me. 
9. I can't wear shoes when I use the sewing machine. 
10. I always use quilt basting spray. 
11. Mistakes in quilts are good, because they keep you humble. 
12. I love Best Press, but I dilute it with water. 
13. It is more important for some things to look square than be square.  (Like with some directional or geometric prints.)
14. I don't know if my quilts are modern or traditional.  I just know that they are quilts and I love them. 
15. Quilting rules (even my own) are made to be broken.  For example:  I am working on multiple Christmas projects at the same time: One for each boy (including Hubby).   

There is one quote (whish I knew where I read it) which really shows my quilting philosophy.  "Perfect isn't flawless.  Perfect is finished." 

If you made it this far, thanks for reading to the end.  ;)  Also a big thanks to Amy at 13 Spools for starting this fun thing, and thanks to my friends who have posted their own list.  Check out Amy's linky party to see what other quilters confess to. 

XX,
Jasmine

The Month of August and September Goals

August was a super busy family month, so there was not much quilting (or blogging) going on.  However, I was able to finish my August goal which was to complete a floral quilt for my Sister-in-law.  I named it Garden View. 

Then I started a pink and purple quilt at the request of my sons.  I was able to finish the top and it is now basted and ready to quilt. 

So my September Goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes is to finish this pink and purple quilt.  Does anyone have a suggestion for a name? 

I really hope that things settle down now that both Cheetah and Panda are in school (although Panda is only in school half day).  However, I know that may take some time.  Panda and Monkey both have birthdays and Cheetah is in soccer. 

I need to get into a good quilting rhythm, because I just bought fabric for four quilts for my boys (hubby included) for Christmas.  They all have minky on the back, and I bought more minky for my sons to make fuzzy pillow cases.  I am so excited to work with new fabric, and not just fabric from my stash.  :)  Although the rhythm will be extra tricky, because I will need to work on these when the recipients are not around!

In addition to the four quilts for my boys, I also need to make one more lap quilt, some pillow cases, table runners, and hot pads for Christmas.  Better get busy!

Have you started sewing any Christmas gifts yet?

XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with Let's Bee Social this week.  Click on the link on my sidebar to see what everyone else is up to. 

Believe It or Not

~But, I am making this quilt at the request of my boys!~

Back in January when I made the American Hero giant start quilt for some friends, my boys requested that I make another one for the family.  The colors they wanted:  pink and purple.  Panda added that he also wanted flowers on the back.  Sevem months later, they are absolutely thrilled that I am finally fulfilling their request. 

I am still using the giant star tutorial by Jeni Baker at In Color Order.  One big difference in the making of this quilt is that I now have a 20.5 inch Omnigrip ruler.  It has made cutting out the eighteen inch squares and squaring up the 17.5 inch HST super easy.  I love this ruler that my boys gave me for Mother's Day. 

Things have been so busy and crazy that all the sewing I have done for the last week and a half is the "blocks" for this giant star quilt. 

I plan on adding a 1.5 inch border all the way around of the cream star fabric.  Then I will add a 2.5 inch purple border to the top and bottom, and a 5 inch pink border to the top and bottom.  (These sizes are determined by the amount of fabric I have left of each color.)  It will look a lot like the American Hero quilt I made. 

I love the way it turned out with the more modern borders.  Personally, I don't like square quilts as much as rectangular ones.   Which is probably why I gave away my first giant star quilt. 

Hopefully, I can get this quilt finished soon.  I know with our crazy schedule that it may not happen for a few more weeks.  I am hoping that things settle down in September, but with two family birthdays I am not sure. 

XX,
Jasmine

Garden View: A Finished Quilt

I am happy to say that I have finished this floral quilt for my Sister-in-law.  I ended up with one less day, because there was some confusion about when she was leaving. I was able to get it quilted, bound, labeled, and gifted all in one day.  That took me five hours.  She loves it and is excited to take it with her on the plane, because she always gets cold.  She also looks forward to cuddling with it on the couch. 

I appreciated the name suggestions I received on my post about the quilt, and combined the ideas to come up with the name, "Garden View."  It feels like looking through the windows at a beautiful garden.  Finishing this quilt was my August goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes (Link #55).  It feels great to have it finished early. 

I quilted it just like I planned in this post.  The only thing I didn't specify was quilting Xs in the cornerstones.  To quilt the Xs I used one of my long arm rulers.  The 45 degree lines on the ruler helped a lot when lining up the ruler. 

I LOVE the texture that the quilting added. 

You can see the texture even more on the back.  (If you look closely, you can see my label in the lower right corner.) 

In fact, I may like the back more than the front. 

The backing is a darling Primitive Gatherings fabric for Moda.  It is a green print on a cream background.  Perfect for quilting with those two colors of thread. 

I still love the way the front turned out.  Quilting the flowers and the squiggles was so much fun. 

I bound the quilt in the Kona Crimson fabric, and I love how it pulls the reds and pinks out of the floral. 

If I had that extra day, I would have bound this one by hand.  But my sister-in-law loves it the way it is.  Thank goodness!  ;)

And here is one more picture of "Garden View" with a view of my garden.  

Quilt Stats #111
Name: Garden View
Pattern: 9 inch squares with 3 inch sashing and cornerstones
Quilting Design: Flowers and a Wiggle
Fabric: From my stash and Kona Crimson
Backing: Primitive Gatherings
Amount Used: 6.5 yards
Batting: Hobbs 80/20
Size: About 51 x 63inches
Date Finished: August 2014
What I Learned:

• I need to pay closer attention when cutting if I don't feel well.  (I cut a whole green strip out at 9.25 inches instead of 9.5 inches.  Luckily, I barely had enough to complete the sashing.)
• I made the bobbin tension slightly tighter than normal on my Tiara when quilting with the Omni thread from Superior Threads.  I didn't have problems with it slipping out of the bobbin hook this time.  :)
• Fussy cutting uses up a lot more fabric!

It was difficult photographing this quilt, because of the contrast between the red and green.  I think the colors may be the most true in this indoor photo. 

 XX,
Jasmine

P.S.  I will be linking up with Let's Bee Social, Needle and Thread Thursday, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop, (links of sidebar) and Finish it up Fridays.